IB Math IA criteria and rubric — every mark explained
The IB Mathematics exploration is marked out of 20 using five criteria. The same rubric is used for AA SL, AA HL, AI SL and AI HL; only Criterion E has different level descriptors for SL and HL. Below is every descriptor, what the key words mean in practice, the mistakes that drop you one level, and a printable checklist.
Worth 20% of the final grade · marked by your teacher · moderated by the IB.
The IB Math IA rubric at a glance
Each criterion is marked by finding the highest level descriptor that is fully met — the best-fit approach. Marks are not averaged, and a strong Criterion E does not rescue a weak Criterion A. The exploration should be 12–20 pages; there is no word count.
If you want a course-specific reading of the criteria, see the AA HL, AA SL, AI HL and AI SL IA guides.
Criterion A — Presentation
4 marks| Mark | Level descriptor |
|---|---|
| 0 | Does not reach the standard below. |
| 1 | Some coherence or some organisation. |
| 2 | Some coherence and some organisation. |
| 3 | Coherent and well organised. |
| 4 | Coherent, well organised and concise. |
Criterion B — Mathematical communication
4 marks| Mark | Level descriptor |
|---|---|
| 0 | Does not reach the standard below. |
| 1 | Some relevant mathematical communication, partially appropriate. |
| 2 | Some relevant mathematical communication that is appropriate. |
| 3 | Relevant, appropriate and mostly consistent. |
| 4 | Relevant, appropriate and consistent throughout. |
Criterion C — Personal engagement
3 marks| Mark | Level descriptor |
|---|---|
| 0 | Does not reach the standard below. |
| 1 | Evidence of some personal engagement. |
| 2 | Evidence of significant personal engagement. |
| 3 | Evidence of outstanding personal engagement. |
Criterion D — Reflection
3 marks| Mark | Level descriptor |
|---|---|
| 0 | Does not reach the standard below. |
| 1 | Evidence of limited reflection. |
| 2 | Evidence of meaningful reflection. |
| 3 | Substantial evidence of critical reflection. |
Criterion E — Use of mathematics
6 marksThe only criterion with different descriptors for SL and HL. "Commensurate with the level of the course" means the mathematics is from your syllabus and used with understanding — not GCSE-level work dressed up, and not HL content copied in without understanding.
SL (AA SL and AI SL)
| Mark | Level descriptor |
|---|---|
| 0 | Does not reach the standard below. |
| 1 | Some relevant mathematics is used. |
| 2 | Some relevant mathematics is used. Limited understanding is shown. |
| 3 | Relevant mathematics commensurate with the level of the course is used. Limited understanding is shown. |
| 4 | Mathematics commensurate with the course is used and is partially correct. Some knowledge and understanding are shown. |
| 5 | Mathematics commensurate with the course is used and is mostly correct. Good knowledge and understanding are shown. |
| 6 | Mathematics commensurate with the course is used and is correct. Thorough knowledge and understanding are shown. |
HL (AA HL and AI HL)
| Mark | Level descriptor |
|---|---|
| 0 | Does not reach the standard below. |
| 1 | Some relevant mathematics is used. |
| 2 | Some relevant mathematics is used; partially correct; some knowledge and understanding shown. |
| 3 | Mathematics commensurate with the course is used and is correct. Some knowledge and understanding are shown. |
| 4 | Mathematics commensurate with the course is used and is correct. Good knowledge and understanding are shown. |
| 5 | Mathematics commensurate with the course is used, is correct and shows sophistication or rigour. Thorough knowledge and understanding are shown. |
| 6 | Mathematics commensurate with the course is used, is precise and shows sophistication and rigour. Thorough knowledge and understanding are shown. |
If you scored this, fix that
The most common reasons teachers give each mark on a draft, and the single change that usually moves it up one level.
| Criterion · mark | What the draft usually looks like | The fix |
|---|---|---|
| A · 2/4 | Sections exist but the reader gets lost between them. | Add one linking sentence at the end of every section; number every figure and refer to it in the text. |
| A · 3/4 | Well organised but over 20 pages or repetitive. | Move raw data and repeated calculations to an appendix; keep one worked example per technique. |
| B · 2/4 | Notation is mostly right but variables are undefined or change name. | Add a variable table on page 1 with units; search the document for every symbol. |
| B · 3/4 | Consistent except for pasted technology output. | Relabel every graph axis with the variable name and unit; translate calculator output into mathematical notation underneath. |
| C · 1/3 | A personal reason is stated once in the introduction. | Collect some data yourself or make and explain a modelling decision that is yours; show engagement in the method section, not just the introduction. |
| C · 2/3 | Own data and decisions, but the approach is the textbook one. | Test an assumption, compare two models, or derive a formula instead of quoting it. |
| D · 1/3 | A short conclusion with "the model fits well". | After each result add 2–4 sentences: does it match reality, what assumption could break it, what would you change? |
| D · 2/3 | Limitations listed but their effect is not quantified. | For each limitation say which direction and roughly how much it changes the result; compare with an outside figure. |
| E · 3/6 | The mathematics is at course level but has errors or no explanation. | Verify every result a second way; add one sentence per step saying why it is done. |
| E · 4/6 | Mathematics below course level, done well. | Promote the core technique: fit and compare a second model, verify an optimum analytically, run the appropriate test, derive rather than quote. |
| E · 5/6 | HL only: correct but routine. | Add sophistication or rigour — compare methods, generalise, check theorem conditions, handle the special cases. |
Printable IA criteria checklist
Twenty-three checks that map directly onto the descriptors above. Tick them on screen, or print the box on its own.
A — Presentation
B — Mathematical communication
C — Personal engagement
D — Reflection
E — Use of mathematics
IA criteria — common questions
Is the IB Math IA rubric the same for AA and AI?
Yes. Criteria A–D are identical for all four courses, and Criterion E uses the same descriptors for AA SL and AI SL, and the same (different) descriptors for AA HL and AI HL. What changes between AA and AI is what counts as "commensurate with the level of the course".
What is the difference between the SL and HL IA criteria?
Only Criterion E differs. At SL the top mark requires mathematics at course level that is correct with thorough understanding. At HL the 5th mark requires sophistication or rigour and the 6th requires precise mathematics with sophistication and rigour. The page limit, structure and other four criteria are the same.
How is the IA moderated?
Your teacher marks every exploration against this rubric. The IB then samples a set of explorations from the school and re-marks them; if the moderator's marks differ consistently from the teacher's, every student's mark in the school is adjusted up or down by the same pattern.
What IA mark do I need for a 7?
The IA is 20% of the grade and papers are 80%, so there is no fixed IA mark for a 7 — but a 17–20 IA gives a cushion of several percentage points on the papers. Most grade-7 students score 16 or more.
Is there a word count for the IA?
No. The IB specifies 12–20 pages (excluding bibliography and appendices) and no word count. Going over 20 pages loses "concise" in Criterion A.
Can I lose marks for a topic that is "too easy"?
Not directly — but Criterion E caps at 3/6 if the mathematics is below course level, and Criterion C suffers when the topic is one examiners have seen hundreds of times. Choose a question that needs your course's mathematics to answer.
Want your draft marked against this rubric?
Mr Ahmad marks IA drafts criterion by criterion, with the specific change that moves each mark up — for AA and AI, SL and HL, in Dubai and online.
IA tutoring — how it works →