Overview
The IB Maths AA Internal Assessment — the *Mathematical Exploration* — is worth 20% of your final Analysis & Approaches grade and is coursework you control months before the exams. It is a short piece of independent mathematics (roughly 12–20 pages) on a topic you choose. This guide covers the assessment criteria, a structure that scores across all of them, and the mistakes moderators see every year.
What examiners mark
For the IB Diploma Programme, the Exploration is currently marked on five criteria (20 marks total). Always confirm the exact wording and mark split against your current *Mathematics: Analysis and Approaches guide*, but the criteria are:
- Presentation — coherent, organised, and concise. A reader should follow your argument without re-reading.
- Mathematical communication — correct notation, defined variables, sensible use of graphs, tables and diagrams.
- Personal engagement — evidence you made the exploration your own, not a textbook rewrite.
- Reflection — critical thinking: why a result matters, limitations, and what you would do differently.
- Use of mathematics — the heart of the mark. Correct, relevant mathematics at a level commensurate with the course, applied precisely.
Choosing a topic that scores
For the IB Diploma Programme, the single biggest predictor of a strong Exploration is the topic. Aim for something narrow, personal, and mathematically rich:
- Narrow — "modelling the trajectory of my basketball free throw" beats "an investigation into projectile motion".
- Personal — a genuine interest earns personal engagement marks that generic topics never will.
- Mathematically rich — for AA, lean into the analytical strengths of the course: calculus, sequences and series, trigonometry, complex numbers, proof. The mathematics should stretch slightly beyond what you were simply taught.
Avoid topics that are really data-collection projects with a thin layer of statistics — that direction suits Maths AI far better than AA.
Recommended structure
For the IB Diploma Programme, introduction (why this question, personal hook) → the mathematics developed step by step, with defined variables and clear notation → worked calculations with one full example before summarising the rest → graphs or diagrams that *add* to the argument → interpretation of results → reflection on limitations and extensions → conclusion tied back to your opening question.
Common pitfalls
For the IB Diploma Programme, topic too broad; mathematics that is just repeated coursework with no personal development; notation errors and undefined variables; graphs pasted in without comment; a "reflection" that only summarises rather than critiques; and going far over the page guideline (concision is explicitly rewarded).
Criterion practice on MarkScheme
Draft your write-up early and mark it yourself against the official criteria before the supervisor deadline. Use the free [Maths AA HL](/ib/courses/maths-aa-hl) and [SL](/ib/courses/maths-aa-sl) lessons to firm up the underlying methods, and [get an answer marked](/mark) to check your exam technique in parallel.
Frequently asked questions
This section covers Frequently asked questions — what IB examiners reward most often in past papers and coursework.
How long should the Maths AA IA be?
The guideline is roughly 12–20 pages. Concision is a criterion in itself — a tight 14-page exploration usually outscores a padded 22-page one.
Can I reuse a topic I found online?
Use published ideas as inspiration only. An exploration that mirrors an online example loses personal engagement marks and risks academic-integrity issues. Change the context, the data, or the extension.
What level of maths should I use?
Mathematics "commensurate with the course" — roughly the level of your syllabus, applied correctly. Reaching slightly beyond is rewarded; wheeling in university-level results you cannot justify is not.