IB Maths Tutor in Dubai

IB Maths asks for something GCSE and A-Level do not: sustained independent work running alongside the examined content. Tuition covers both the papers and the Internal Assessment, matched to your child's course and level.

AA or AI, HL or SL

Since the 2019 syllabus, Diploma Programme Mathematics splits into Analysis and Approaches (AA) and Applications and Interpretation (AI), each offered at Higher and Standard Level. AA is the more traditional algebraic and proof-oriented route, usually expected for engineering, mathematics and physics at university. AI leans towards modelling, statistics and applied context.

Choosing between them, and between HL and SL, carries consequences for university applications that are difficult to reverse later. It is worth getting an honest assessment of which is realistic before the choice is locked in.

The Internal Assessment

The Exploration, usually called the Maths IA, is an independent piece of mathematical writing worth 20 per cent of the final grade. Marks are lost on it for predictable reasons: a topic too broad to develop properly, mathematics pitched below the level of the course, personal engagement asserted rather than demonstrated, and reflection left to the final paragraph.

Support here is structure and feedback within the IB's academic honesty rules: helping choose a workable topic, checking the mathematics reaches the right level, and reviewing drafts. The writing and the mathematics remain the student's own work.

The examined papers

• Paper 1 and Paper 2 at both levels, with Paper 3 added at Higher Level as an extended problem-solving paper.
• Heavy reliance on the graphical display calculator, which needs to be fluent rather than occasional.
• Command terms that carry specific mark expectations, where students routinely under-answer.
• A 1 to 7 scale on which the distance between a 5 and a 7 is usually exam technique rather than unknown content.

When to start

DP1 is the time to secure foundations and choose the IA topic well. DP2 becomes a balance of IA deadlines, mocks and final preparation, and starting then is workable but leaves less room. Students moving from IGCSE into AA HL in particular benefit from bridging work over the summer.

Common questions