IB Group 5 subjects

The Group 5: Mathematics subjects of the IB Diploma Programme consist of four different mathematics courses. To earn an IB Diploma, a candidate must pass one of the following three mathematics courses: Mathematical Studies SL (Standard Level), Mathematics SL or Mathematics HL (Higher Level). Further Mathematics HL can be taken as an elective in addition to Mathematics HL. The Computer science SL and HL courses, which were elective courses in group 5, is, for first examinations in 2014, a full course in group 4.

The Mathematical Studies SL course "is designed to build confidence and encourage an appreciation of mathematics in students" who do not expect mathematics to be a major component of their university studies. Its curriculum consists of the following topics:

The internal assessment for this course comprises 20% of the final mark and consists of a project that is "an individual piece of work involving the collection of information or the generation of measurement." The project is intended to make up 20 hours of the overall classroom time for the course.

The details for the external assessment exams, both of which evaluate a student's knowledge of the entire curriculum, are outlined in the table below.

Mathematics SL is primarily intended for students who "expect to need a sound mathematical background as they prepare for future studies in subjects such as chemistry, economics and business," and its curriculum is a proper subset of the Mathematics HL curriculum. Topics from the following areas form the common "Core curriculum" for both courses:

In Mathematics SL, students are provided a minimum of 140 instructional hours on the topics from the Core.

Mathematics HL is primarily intended for students "with a good background in mathematics who are competent in a range of analytical and technical skills," and who anticipate that mathematics will be "a major component of their university studies, either as a subject in its own right or within courses such as physics, engineering and technology." Therefore, HL students study the Core topics in greater depth for a minimum of 190 instructional hours and study at least one of the following optional topics ("Options"), for a minimum of 40 additional instructional hours:

In both courses, there is an internal assessment composed of mathematical investigation paper (formerly a portfolio of two papers), which is worth 20% of the student's final mark. The project is intended to comprise a combined total of 10 hours of the overall classroom time for both courses.

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