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.

Open the interactive planner

A typical 16-week timeline

When	Stage	What to do
Weeks 1–2	Explore and choose	Read 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	Plan	Complete the planning template below. Pilot your data collection on a small scale to check it works.
Weeks 5–7	Collect and describe	Collect or download the data; clean it and record every decision. Plot it, describe it, and propose initial models.
Weeks 8–10	Build the mathematics	Develop 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 draft	Write introduction, body and conclusion. Check against every criterion before submitting the draft to your teacher.
Weeks 13–14	Act on feedback	Your teacher can comment on one draft. Fix issues yourself, criterion by criterion, and keep a note of changes.
Weeks 15–16	Polish and submit	Final 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

Area of interest — and why it interests you.
Working title.
Aim: what exactly will you find out?
Data: what will you collect or use, how, and how much? (Or, for a theoretical IA, what will you read and explore?)
Technology you will use (e.g., Desmos, GeoGebra, GDC, spreadsheet).
Representations you expect to use (e.g., scatter graphs, tables, diagrams) — or proofs and logical methods if there is no data.
Mathematics you expect to use.
How does your aim link to that mathematics?
How is this different from a textbook question — how will you make it your own?
Outline structure: the main sections in order.
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 use the Desmos workspace to try your first model.
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.