IA launch lesson pack

A one-lesson introduction to the IB Maths exploration for AA or AI, SL or HL, built from the lesson I use with my own classes. Adapt the slides to your school's calendar; the timeline below can be copied straight into your class IA tracker. — Pete Bromfield

Slide outline Timeline template

Slide outline (about 50 minutes)

1 What the exploration is

20% of the final grade at SL and HL; marked out of 20.
A 12 to 20 page report (double-spaced) on a question the student chooses.
Most students model with functions; some use statistics; a few take a more exploratory or pure route, which can be excellent but is more work.
Only 6 of the 20 marks are for the mathematics itself: new, complicated mathematics is not required.

Say: "I care more about you explaining mathematics you understand than using mathematics you don't."

2 The five criteria

A Presentation (4): coherent, well organised, concise.
B Mathematical communication (4): notation, definitions, representations, no calculator notation.
C Personal engagement (3): making the mathematics your own. Not effort, not "I love football".
D Reflection (3): critical reflection throughout, not a paragraph at the end.
E Use of mathematics (6): relevant, correct, commensurate with the course; HL adds sophistication and rigour.

Hand out the criteria checklist and self-grade sheet.

3 Choosing a topic

Start from something you are curious about, then find the question in it.
Good signs: your own data, a prediction you can test, mathematics from the course.
Warning signs: a history essay, a textbook exercise with a new title, mathematics you cannot explain.
Show three ideas from the topic explorer and discuss what would make each one personal.

4 Structure

Introduction: rationale, context, a precise aim.
Body: mathematics developed step by step, each step justified and linked to the aim; graphs and tables where they are discussed.
Conclusion: answer the aim, limitations, implications, extensions.
Write for a classmate. Think of it as a formal diary of the investigation.

5 Communication habits from day one

Say "substitute", not "plug in"; define each variable when it first appears.
No ^, * or E-notation; use an equation editor; ≈ for rounded values.
Label axes and units; number figures and refer to them.
Compute and interpret r before drawing a line of best fit.

6 The process and the one-draft rule

Plan → teacher meeting → data and mathematics → one complete draft → feedback → final version.
I comment on one draft. After that the next version you hand in is final, so make the draft complete.
I give comments, not corrections: the work must stay yours.

7 Academic integrity and AI

The IB allows AI tools but they must be acknowledged, like any source: in the text where used and in the references.
AI-written text, graphs or mathematics presented as your own is misconduct.
Feedback tools are fine if acknowledged; the changes must be made by you, in your own words.
Desmos, GeoGebra and GDC output: cite the software.

8 Next step

Complete the individual plan (11 questions) in the IA planner and bring it to the first meeting.
Put the class milestones in your calendar (timeline below).

Timeline template

Enter the internal final deadline and adjust the dates. Teacher checkpoints are marked. Nothing here is specific to any school.

Internal final deadline

Practising modelling or statistics before the data stage? On your class page, choose Set work and then IA modelling task (students fit a model in Model my data) or IA statistics task (students test their data in Analyse my data): their saved work, criteria ticks and notes appear under IA progress.

Standardise your marking

Before you mark your class's drafts, mark one of our annotated explorations blind and compare with the reference marks and your colleagues: IA standardisation practice (included with school plans). Students can also share a read-only process journal with you, and the IA data bank gives them cited, licensed datasets to start from.