Serving IB students since 2005

MATH IA – HOW TO SCORE BETTER

7 IMPORTANT TIPS TO IMPROVE THE SCORE
From
Prof Iyer
Head of department–Math
Mumbai
ibwithiyer@gmail.com

MATH IA is a good 20% of your total score

I always tell in my classroom -a good IA can boost 1 grade from
your potential score out of 7.
As an HL/SL student look at IA critically in following 7 points

1.Topic selection:
Link it to your HL Subject and further connect to the university destination
Avoid doing IAs on puzzle, games etc
I tell my students to use IA as one of the resume building opportunity By
doing this a complex topic - you will deviate from criteria E
(From IB : Students are expected to produce work that is commensurate with
the level of the course – Criteria E” )

2.Sophistication of topic
The topic selected should be commensurate to the syllabus / curriculum The
more the sophistication, higher the reliance on internet- this is not an healthy
sign. The chances that your work will get exposed to plagiarism are very high
resulting in potential chances for rejection or full change
Sophistication has to be shown in depth of math and not in topic selection.
Some HL students have a typical habit of choosing topics like :
Gauss Theorem , Laplace transform, Chebyshev’s theorem etc
These topics have challenges in moderation as even teachers need
to rely on google as their personal knowledge on these topics have
considerable challenges . Students should avoid these topics.

1 HOW TO SCORE BETTER IN MATH -

-7 MOST IMPORTANT TIPS TO IMPROVE THE SCORE
JUNE 2018 PROF.IYER ibwithiyer@gmail.com
3. Math content ( Crieria E )
You should have atleast 2 vital tools to be touched - as an HL/ SL student
One - Non statistical Math tool -ideally Calculus, functions and Algebra. Two-
Statistical Math tool - typically regression, dispersion and Probability. Many
students keep high on statistical side high and low on Pure math 6 out of 20
is awarded to the level and depth of use of math in IA .This Is Criteria E .Poor
use of Math or one of the tools used will marginalize the Criteria E score
badly . On following strictly this tip , you may move to 4 or even 5 on 6

4. Managing Reflections in IA (Criteria D)

As a smart strategy - do not write introduction and conclusions Do the
exploration - finish it fully. On seeing the flow and the – the way it travelled,
Reverse engineer the process. Create an introduction and conclusion suiting
the flow and the content .The moderator finds on a forward flow that you have
matched the introduction This will improve your scores on .Adding Limitations
/constraints if applicable is always a good idea to score full3
On following this tip you may even score 3 on 3 .

5.Personal engagement-PE (Criteria C)

This is a cool 4 points for you. You need to show evidence from a survey /
book reading / lab experiment results / doing an intern to work on the data. I
tell my students smartly connect this to their intern efforts. They can do a mini
intern with the vested interest to get a hang on data and subject knowledge in
a lab/ co / organization for a week - get letter and data. Evidence of letter is
very critical for IB to award you full 4 points or atleast 3
Doing google research does not give you PE score
On following this tip you may even score 4 on 4 .

6.Math presentation( Criteria B )

Use atleast one technology evidence -ideally graph output of Casio / TI is
advisable .Pasting jpeg/png images does not carry any weightage. This is
applicable for Tables too
Use table function rom Casio / TI /Excel and construct the graph from source
table .Do not paste the table from internet
Also use math modeling effectively using Casio tool – Linear/
Quadratic/Exponential/Logistical etc
Each data to be supported by graphs

2 HOW TO SCORE BETTER IN MATH -

-7 MOST IMPORTANT TIPS TO IMPROVE THE SCORE
JUNE 2018 PROF.IYER ibwithiyer@gmail.com
Explaining and interpreting graphs using Math tools gives you effective score
On following this tip you may even score 2 on 3 .

7.Communication ( Criteria A )
After introduction, give a reason why did you chose this topic
Link your interest / passion to HL subject.- always it’s a good idea. Make your
analysis and research interdisciplinary. The winning sequence :
Hypotheses/Idea/Assertion/Thought Supporting data  Chart /Graph the
data Interpreting the graph mathematical analysis  Limitations ( if any)
 conclusion .
On following this tip you may even score 2 on 4 .

Summary
 Depth in Math - Criteria E - 4/6
 Reverse engineering - Criteria D - 2/3
 Intern link - survey - lab :Criteria C - 3/4
 Math representation - Criteria B : 2/3
 Logical / Structured/ Rational .Criteria 2 / 4

Gives you a decent 13 out of 20

If you work sincerely on Cr E and Cr C you may touch 15 .This is a good
score to push your overall average to grade 5 or 6 on 7
For any doubts, clarifications , do not hesitate to write to me back
Cheers

Sincerely

Prof Iyer
ibwithiyer@gmail.com
HL author
IB HL examiner
Faculty – AP / SAT
Program lead – Freshmen Engg Math Programs
ibwithiyer@gmail.com

3 HOW TO SCORE BETTER IN MATH -

-7 MOST IMPORTANT TIPS TO IMPROVE THE SCORE
JUNE 2018 PROF.IYER ibwithiyer@gmail.com