Updated · By Pete Bromfield, former Head of Maths with IB examining experience

Maths IA planning

Maths IA timeline and planning template

Schools set their own internal deadlines, so check yours first. This timeline shows a typical 16-week schedule and the planning questions to answer before you calculate anything. Print it, or open the interactive planner to save your answers.

Your IA timeline from your school's deadline

Enter your deadline: each stage in the timeline below gets its dates, compressed sensibly if you have fewer than 16 weeks. It is worked out in your browser; nothing is sent anywhere.

Open the interactive planner

A typical 16-week timeline

WhenYour datesStageWhat to do
Weeks 1–2—Explore and chooseRead about the criteria and look at exemplars. Shortlist three ideas; for each, write the question, the maths it needs and where the data comes from. Discuss with your teacher.
Weeks 3–4—PlanComplete the planning template below. Pilot your data collection on a small scale to check it works.
Weeks 5–7—Collect and describeCollect or download the data; clean it and record every decision. Plot it, describe it, and propose initial models.
Weeks 8–10—Build the mathematicsDevelop the main mathematics in stages, reflecting after each result. Keep a log of what you tried, including what failed.
Weeks 11–12—Write the full draftWrite introduction, body and conclusion. Check against every criterion before submitting the draft to your teacher.
Weeks 13–14—Act on feedbackYour teacher can comment on one draft. Fix issues yourself, criterion by criterion, and keep a note of changes.
Weeks 15–16—Polish and submitFinal notation and presentation checks, citations, appendices, AI/tool acknowledgement, and submission by your school's deadline.

Your school's dates come first. If your internal deadline is earlier, compress weeks 5–10, not the planning or the feedback stage.

Planning template: answer these before you calculate

  1. Area of interest — and why it interests you.

  2. Working title.

  3. Aim: what exactly will you find out?

  4. Data: what will you collect or use, how, and how much? (Or, for a theoretical IA, what will you read and explore?)

  5. Technology you will use (e.g., Desmos, GeoGebra, GDC, spreadsheet).

  6. Representations you expect to use (e.g., scatter graphs, tables, diagrams) — or proofs and logical methods if there is no data.

  7. Mathematics you expect to use.

  8. How does your aim link to that mathematics?

  9. How is this different from a textbook question — how will you make it your own?

  10. Outline structure: the main sections in order.

  11. Possible limitations you can already foresee.

What to do with your plan

  • Show it to your teacher before collecting data — changing direction is cheap now and expensive later.
  • Open it in the IA planner to save it, and try your first model on the data in Desmos, GeoGebra or a spreadsheet.
  • Keep a dated log of what you try, including what fails. It becomes the evidence for personal engagement and reflection.
  • Browse the ideas library if you are still choosing.

Frequently asked questions

When is the Maths IA due?

Each school sets its own internal deadlines, usually during the second year of the Diploma Programme, before sending samples for moderation. Always use your school's dates.

How many drafts can my teacher read?

Teachers can give written feedback on one draft of the IA. Plan your time so that the draft you hand in is complete and has already been checked against the criteria.

Get IA reminders timed to your deadline

The free examiner checklist, plus one IA tip a week for three weeks in the weekly Math Revision email, each telling you what stage you should be at for your deadline. Free — no account, no payment.

Get the free checklist