Mathematical Studies

The course is designed to build confidence and encourage an appreciation of mathematics in students who do not anticipate a need for mathematics in their future studies. It concentrates on mathematics that can be applied to contexts related as far as possible to other subjects being studied, to common real-world occurrences and to topics that relate to home, work and leisure situations. The course includes project work: students must produce a project, a piece of written work based on personal research, guided and supervised by the teacher, possibly related to other subjects in the IB Diploma Programme.

The syllabus ensures that an approach starting with first principles can be used. As a consequence, students can use their own inherent, logical thinking skills and do not need to rely on standard algorithms and remembered formulae. Whenever it is possible, lessons will use an inquiry-based approach, starting with practical investigations, followed by analysis of results, leading to the understanding of a mathematical principle and its formulation into mathematical language.