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.
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Curriculum
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:
Assessment
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.
Core curriculum for Mathematics SL and HL
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.
Additional requirements for Mathematics HL
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:
Assessment
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.
The table below outlines the external assessment requirements for both courses:
In both courses, the Paper 1 and Paper 2 exams test students only on their knowledge of topics from the Core. In Mathematics HL, the Paper 3 exam tests students specifically on their knowledge of the material from the Option selected by the school. As of the May 2008 examinations, schools are required to register students for a specific Option in advance and the school is now provided only the examination paper for the registered Option. In order for a student to be awarded full marks for an answer on any of the Mathematics SL or HL exams, accurate work must be shown.
Curriculum
The Further Mathematics HL course (SL before 2014) is designed for students with a high degree of competence and interest in mathematics, and who "intend to study mathematics at university, either as a subject in its own right or as a major component of a related subject." Students who take this course most often also take Mathematics HL and knowledge of all material from the Core curriculum of Mathematics HL is necessary and presumed, as well as knowledge of at least one of the four Options offered in Mathematics HL. The curriculum for Further Mathematics HL includes all of the topics from all four of these Options, for which 144 hours of instruction are allotted, and additional topics from geometry and linear algebra, for which 96 hours of instruction are allotted. There are no optional topics in Further Mathematics HL.
Assessment
There is no internal assessment for this course. A summary of the required external assessment exams, both of which evaluate the student's knowledge of the entire curriculum, is provided in the table below.
Computer science SL and HL
Computer science is, from first exams in 2014, no longer an elective course in group 5 but a full course in group 4, and has an updated syllabus and assessment scheme. The courses' focus shifted away from "program construction in Java" and "computational thinking" now lies at the core of the course.