IB Math IA Topic Ideas — Unique, Scoreable, and Genuinely Interesting
Choosing the right topic is the most important decision you will make for your Internal Assessment. A topic that is too common will bore examiners; one that is too vague gives you nowhere to go mathematically. This guide presents topic ideas across different areas of IB Math, with notes on which criteria they naturally support.
What Makes a Good IA Topic?
- Personally meaningful: You should have a real reason to explore it — a hobby, a curiosity, something from a subject you also study
- Mathematically rich: The topic should allow you to use course-level mathematics in a non-trivial way
- Answerable: You need a clear, specific question — not “I will explore calculus” but “How does the rate of cooling of a cup of tea depend on its initial temperature?”
- Bounded: You have 12–20 pages; the topic must be scoped to fit that without becoming superficial
IB Math AA — Topic Ideas
Calculus
- Modelling the spread of a rumour using logistic differential equations
- Investigating the brachistochrone problem — the curve of fastest descent
- Optimising the shape of a tin can to minimise material cost
- Taylor series approximations and their error bounds for trigonometric functions
Statistics and Probability
- Does the Poisson distribution accurately model goal-scoring in football?
- Birthday problem extensions — three people sharing a birthday in a class
- Investigating bias in a roulette wheel using chi-squared tests
Algebra and Functions
- Exploring fractals — Mandelbrot set and complex number iteration
- The mathematics of tuning systems in music — equal temperament vs just intonation
- Investigating patterns in Pascal’s triangle using modular arithmetic
IB Math AI — Topic Ideas
Statistics and Modelling
- Predicting house prices using multiple linear regression
- Investigating whether a country’s GDP correlates with happiness index scores
- Modelling population growth in Dubai using logistic models
- Does sleep duration affect academic performance? A regression study
Geometry and Trigonometry
- Optimising solar panel angle in Dubai for maximum annual energy capture
- Modelling the trajectory of a basketball shot using projectile mathematics
Financial Mathematics
- Comparing mortgage repayment strategies using amortisation modelling
- The mathematics of compound interest and long-term investment growth
Topics to Avoid
These topics are heavily overused and unlikely to score well on Criterion C (Personal Engagement) unless you take a genuinely novel angle:
- Golden ratio in art or nature (extremely common)
- Fibonacci sequence (very common)
- Monty Hall problem (very common)
- SIR epidemic modelling (very common post-COVID)
Need Help Choosing or Refining Your Topic?
Mr. Ahmad helps IB Math students in Dubai develop IA topics that are genuinely original, mathematically suitable for their course level, and structured to score well across all five criteria. Get in touch early — topic selection is where the IA is won or lost.
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