IB Math AI IA graderIs your IB Math AI exploration on track?

What the Math AI IA criteria reward (20 marks)

Mathematics: applications and interpretation uses the same five exploration criteria as Analysis and approaches, out of 20 and worth 20% of the final grade. Use of mathematics judges whether your mathematics is commensurate with the AI syllabus at your level, with separate SL and HL descriptors. Your teacher marks it and the IB moderates the marking.

There is no word limit. The guide suggests about 12 to 20 pages with double line spacing.

• Criterion A: Presentation, 4 marks. A coherent, well-organised and concise exploration with an introduction, a stated aim and a conclusion. Large data sets belong in an appendix, and the graphs and tables you discuss belong in the text.
• Criterion B: Mathematical communication, 4 marks. Appropriate notation, symbols and terminology used consistently, key terms and variables defined, and suitable representations such as tables, graphs and models. Calculator or computer notation is acceptable only in software output.
• Criterion C: Personal engagement, 3 marks. Evidence that you made the mathematics your own: independent or creative thinking, different perspectives on the topic, predictions made and tested.
• Criterion D: Reflection, 3 marks. Critical review of the exploration, such as what your results imply, how well your approach worked and where it stops applying, and what could come next.
• Criterion E: Use of mathematics, 6 marks. Relevant mathematics commensurate with the course, used correctly, with understanding demonstrated. At HL, level 5 also needs sophistication or rigour, and level 6 needs precise mathematics with both.

Mistakes the Math AI IA criteria penalise

• Software output without understanding. A regression line or a test result copied from software with no explanation of what it means. Substituting values or reporting results does not by itself demonstrate understanding.
• Data with no question. Collecting data first and looking for mathematics afterwards leaves the exploration without an aim, which Presentation and Reflection both depend on.
• A model that is never questioned. Fitting a model and stopping there. Discussing how well it fits, what it assumes and where it breaks down is the kind of reflection that goes beyond describing results.
• Mathematics for show. Overly complicated methods where simpler ones would do. The guide does not count them as relevant, and a few things done well score better than many done badly.
• Unlabelled graphs. Graphs without labels are one of the guide's examples of level 1 of Mathematical communication.

Frequently asked questions

What is the difference between the AI and AA IA?

The criteria and the 20-mark total are the same. The syllabus differs, and Use of mathematics is judged against the course you take and your level.

How does it know whether I take SL or HL?

Write your course and level, for example Math AI SL, at the top of the text you paste. The grader asks for the subject only, and Use of mathematics has separate SL and HL descriptors.

Should I paste my raw data?

Put large data sets in an appendix, as the guide advises, and paste the part of the exploration that uses them. Up to 30,000 characters are marked, so a long table of raw data can crowd out the text.

How accurate is the estimated mark?

It is an estimate, not a mark. A language model applies the published criteria to what you paste, and it can be wrong. Your teacher marks the work and the IB moderates that marking, so their mark is the one that counts. Use the report to find what to fix before you submit.

Is it free?

The preview is free and needs no account: the first half of your report, with the range your total falls in, the overall comment and the first half of the criteria in full. The rest, with every criterion marked, the estimated mark and a ranked list of fixes, opens for $5, or $44.99 for ten reports, with up to 20 re-checks within 30 days. A parent can pay for it from a link you send.

Is my work stored?

IBLens never saves the text you paste. Our server sends it to Anthropic, the AI provider, to produce the report, and Anthropic deletes it within 30 days unless it is flagged under its usage policy or the law requires otherwise. Reports made without an account are deleted after 90 days unless you buy the full report, and reports in a signed-in account stay until you delete them.