Maths IA guide
How Maths IA marks count: weighting, boundaries and moderation
Your IA is marked out of 20 by your teacher, checked by the IB through moderation, and weighted at 20% of your final IB Maths grade. That makes it the one part of the assessment you can work on for months before it counts. Here is how the numbers work, what grade boundaries do and don't tell you, and why the mark your teacher gives isn't always the mark you get.
How much the IA is worth
| Course | Weighting of each component | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| AA SL and AI SL | Paper 1: 40% | Paper 2: 40% | IA: 20% |
| AA HL and AI HL | Papers 1 and 2: 30% each | Paper 3: 20% | IA: 20% |
Because the IA is marked out of 20 and weighted at 20%, each IA mark is worth one percentage point of your weighted total, at SL and HL. Moving from 12/20 to 16/20 adds four percentage points before you sit a single exam — often a meaningful share of the gap between two grades.
Grade boundaries
- The IB sets grade boundaries after each exam session, for each course and level, using the performance of that session's candidates. They change from session to session.
- Your final grade (1–7) comes from your weighted total across all components, so a strong IA offsets a weaker paper and vice versa.
- The IB also sets component boundaries for the IA itself; schools receive these after each session. They are not a target to aim for — aim for the descriptors of the top bands instead. Your IB coordinator or teacher can tell you the recent figures for your course.
How moderation works
- Your teacher marks every IA against the criteria, using the IB descriptors.
- The IB requests a sample of IAs from your school, across the range of marks.
- Moderators re-mark the sample independently, against the same criteria.
- Marks may be adjusted If the teacher's marks are consistently higher or lower than the moderators', the IB applies an adjustment to the marks of all candidates at the school — not only those in the sample.
What this means for you
- A predicted IA mark from your teacher is an estimate, not a final mark.
- The safest route to a high moderated mark is an IA that clearly meets the top descriptors, so teacher and moderator agree.
- Nobody — a tutor, a website or a tool — can guarantee your IA mark. Be wary of anyone who says they can.
The top-band descriptors are the target. Our examiner checklist turns each one into checks you can tick in your own draft.
Frequently asked questions
How much is the Maths IA worth?
20% of your final IB Maths grade, in AA and AI, at SL and HL.
What IA mark do I need for a 7?
There is no fixed IA mark for a 7. Your grade comes from your weighted total across the papers and the IA, and the IB sets boundaries each session. Each IA mark is worth one percentage point of that total.
Can the IB change my IA mark?
Yes. Through moderation the IB re-marks a sample from your school and can adjust all the school's marks up or down if the teacher's marking differs from the moderators'.
Where can I find the IA grade boundaries?
The IB shares grade boundaries with schools after each session. Ask your IB coordinator or maths teacher for the most recent figures for your course and level.
Want an examiner's view before your teacher marks it?
Pete Bromfield reads your draft, writes criterion-by-criterion comments and talks them through with you in a 20-minute call. €100. Feedback in general terms, like a teacher's draft comments — never edits, and no promised mark.