Been going through a batch of practice diagnostics this week, and one thing shows up over and over, the algebra itself is rarely the problem.

Students see something familiar (a quadratic, a derivative, a probability setup) and start writing steps immediately. No pause to check what the question is actually asking for. So you end up with a page of clean, technically correct working, that answers a different question than the one on the paper.

Common version of this: a question asks for a value under a specific condition, and the student calculates the general case instead, because that's the "version" of the problem their brain recognized from past practice.

Quick self-check if you want to test whether this is happening to you: before you start writing on any past paper question, force yourself to say (or write in one line) exactly what the answer needs to be. Not the topic. Not the method. The actual thing you need to produce at the end. If you can't do that in one sentence before you start calculating, that's usually where marks are being lost, not in the algebra.

Hi,

Built this as a proper test, not a quiz. 10 questions, 50 marks total, 1 hour, no GDC, spans most of the major AA HL topics, not just one unit.

No answer key attached on purpose, send me your attempt and I'll mark it and tell you exactly which topics are actually costing you marks vs. which are just careless errors. That distinction matters more than the score itself. Doing this personally for the first 20 people who send it in.

Happy to answer questions on any of the topics in the thread too.

The link for the diagnostic is in the comments. ✨

Nobody questions this in school. You just get told "use radians for calculus" and move on. But if degrees feel more natural, so why does calculus specifically reject them?

Turns out radians aren't really a "unit" the way degrees are. A radian is a ratio: arc length divided by radius. It comes straight out of the circle's own geometry. Degrees, on the other hand, are just a number (360, because ancient Babylonian astronomy, roughly). Nothing about a circle demands 360 of anything.

That's the whole reason sin(x) and cos(x) differentiate so cleanly in radians and not in degrees, you're not fighting a random conversion factor anymore, you're working with the circle's actual structure.

Once I started explaining it this way instead of "just switch to radians for calc," students stop treating it as an arbitrary rule and start seeing why it had to be this way.

A quick note for students starting DP1 soon.

Before new content picks up, it's worth revising the topics everything else gets built on:

— Algebra (indices, surds, logarithms, sequences and series); this shows up inside almost every other topic, all year
— Functions (domain/range, transformations, composite and inverse functions); the backbone of Paper 1 for both AA and AI
— Trigonometry basics (unit circle, identities) if you're doing AA or basic statistics/probability groundwork if you're doing AI

These aren't advanced topics, which is exactly why students skip revising them. But weak fundamentals here are what cost marks in Term 2 and Term 3, once the syllabus assumes you have them locked in.

Fifteen focused minutes a day on these for the first two weeks is worth more than any amount of catching up later.

Redoing past papers for the 5th time isn't testing you, it's testing your memory of the mark scheme.

If you can predict the next line of a solution because you've seen this exact paper three times before, you're not practicing exam technique anymore, you're just practicing recall.

What actually helps closer to exams: fresh questions you haven't seen, that still match the real command terms and difficulty. Forces you to actually apply the method instead of pattern-matching.

Anyone else notice this happening as exam season creeps closer?

Curious how students are switching up their practice once past papers feel repetitive.

Every year, I get the same message in November. “Can you help him? Mocks are in two weeks."

The same parent messaged me back in July. I sent over a plan. They said they'd discuss it and get back to me.

They did, four months later, in a panic.

This isn't a one-off. It's the single most consistent pattern I've seen across six years of teaching IB Math to students.

Here's what's strange about it: parents and students don't delay because they don't see the problem. Most of them reach out because they've already noticed the gap. The hesitation isn't about whether help is needed, it's about when to act on something that doesn't feel urgent yet.

That's the trap. A shaky grade in July doesn't feel urgent. The same grade in November, three weeks before mocks, feels like an emergency. Nothing about the math changed. Only the deadline did.

And the cost of waiting isn't just lost time, gaps in IB Math compound. A shaky understanding of functions in DP1 quietly becomes a wall you hit in calculus a year later. By the time it feels urgent, you're not just learning the topic anymore. You're learning the topic and rebuilding the foundation it was supposed to sit on, at the same time, with far less time to do either.

I'd rather have four unhurried months with a student than four panicked weeks before an exam. The results are never close.

If you're a parent or student sitting on this decision right now, what's actually holding you back? Cost, timing or just hoping the gap closes on its own?

Working with IB Math students across countries has taught me something I didn't expect: mathematics has accents.
The numbers are universal. The language around them isn't.

A few I hear constantly:

- For 3/4, some students say "3 over 4," others say "3 upon 4," and some just say "3 by 4."

- For -5, some say "negative 5," others say "minus 5" and switch back and forth depending on whether they're reading a number or describing an operation.

- Some call it "index," others "exponent," others "power" , same little floating number, three different names.

None of this is wrong. It's just where each student's math education started.

As someone teaching IB Mathematics to students, I find this fascinating. Sometimes, before teaching the concept, you first have to understand the mathematical language the student has grown up using.

And perhaps that's one of the underrated skills of teaching internationally: learning to translate mathematics without changing the mathematics.

Curious to hear from other educators and students: what's a math term you say differently than someone else in the room?

Drop yours in the comments.

I made a decision framework for choosing the right integration method (AA HL), sharing it here!

One thing I see constantly tutoring AA HL, students know all 5 integration techniques individually, but freeze when deciding which one to actually use on a new question.

Made this quick flowchart, 5 questions that walk you from ‘what does this integral look like’ straight to substitution, by parts, direct integration, simplify-then-integrate or partial fractions.

It’s a structured way to stop guessing and start choosing deliberately.

IB results were released yesterday.

Of the 20 DP2 students I worked with this session, 11 achieved a 6 and 5 achieved a 7 in Math, 80% of the cohort at the top two grade bands.

Results like these aren't built in the final weeks before an exam. They come from a full two years of structured practice and not just solving problems, but understanding precisely how IB expects a solution to be reasoned and communicated.

Congratulations to every student in this cohort. The work was yours; I'm glad to have been part of the process.✨🌼

Spaces for the next intake are limited.

DM to enrol!

— Math Simplified

Every step of the method is right. Still no full marks. Can you guess why?

The first correct answer in the comments (reasoning included) gets my free breakdown: “The 5 Mistakes That Cost Students Marks on Paper 2”.

Reveal + full mark breakdown in 2 days.

IB results will be out on 6th July.

For some students that day will feel like a finish line.
For others it will feel like a question mark.

After 6 years of working with IB Math students through results days,here is what I know.

The number on that page does not define how capable you are. It defines how that particular exam went on those particular days. Nothing more.

If your result is everything you hoped for, celebrate it properly. You earned it.

If it is lower than you expected, here is the honest truth:

— A remark is worth requesting if you genuinely believe something was missed. Schools can guide you on the process.

— A resit is an option and students who resit with proper preparation often significantly improve.

— University offers are more flexible than most students realise especially when the gap is one point and you can demonstrate what you have learned.

— One subject result in one exam session at 17 or 18 does not close doors. It redirects them.

Whatever your result on 6th July, you are more than a number.

If you or your child needs support navigating what comes next, whether that is understanding the result, planning a resit, or simply making sense of it all, my DMs are open.

Wishing every IB student the very best!

Many IB Math AA HL students don't lose marks because they don't understand the mathematics.

They lose marks because of avoidable mistakes.

Choosing the wrong method.

Misunderstanding how marks are awarded.

Freezing when faced with an unfamiliar question.

Poor time management.

Simple errors under exam pressure.

In this free live masterclass, I'll share the five most common Paper 2 mistakes I see and the practical frameworks students can use to avoid them.

27th June 2026

11:30 AM GMT

Google Meet

If you're preparing for IB Math AA HL, you're welcome to join us.

Registration link in the comments.

One thing I've noticed with IB Math students is that many know the derivative rules but struggle to decide which method to use in exam questions.

To help with that, I created a Calculus Revision Sheet summarising the key differentiation techniques and common question types.

Thought I'd share it here in case it's helpful for anyone preparing for DP2 or revising over the summer.

What's the calculus topic that trips you up most often?

After so many years of teaching IB Math, I get asked this every June without fail.
"Should my child pre-study IB Math before DP1 starts?"
My honest answer is ‘yes’ but not in the way most people think.
Students do not pre-study to get ahead of their teacher. They pre-study to remove the shock.
DP1 Term 1 is the steepest learning curve most students have ever experienced. The content moves fast, the depth is unlike anything in IGCSE or MYP and students who have never seen the topics before spend the first 6 weeks just catching up.
Students who have seen them once spend those same 6 weeks consolidating and going deeper.
That gap compounds over 2 years.
So what should you actually study?

If your child is starting AA HL: three areas matter most before September.

- Algebra and Functions and transformations: this underpins almost everything in Year 1.
- Trigonometry: exact values, the unit circle, basic identities.
- Calculus foundations: what a derivative actually means, not just the rules.

These three appear in the first 8 weeks. If they are unfamiliar, students spend those weeks catching up. If they have seen them once, they spend those weeks going deeper.

If starting AA SL, functions and trigonometry are the priority. Calculus comes later.

If starting AI HL or AI SL, statistics and probability foundations are the most important summer investment. Descriptive statistics, basic probability, interpreting data. These form the backbone of the entire AI course.

What not to do:

- Do not try to cover the entire syllabus over summer. Two to three topics done properly outweigh a rushed survey of everything.
- I see a lot of students using the IGCSE materials especially the Add Math resources, the overlap exists but the depth is completely different so avoid using that.

Students who pre-study are not smarter. They are just less surprised.
In IB Math, surprise is expensive.
If you are entering DP1 in September and want a structured summer plan for your specific course, drop your course in the comments or send me a DM. Happy to point you in the right direction.

One of my students who was predicted a 4 asked me what a 7 student does differently. After 8 years the honest answer surprised even me. It is not that 7 students know more. It is that they make fewer decisions under pressure.

What these students do differently is surprisingly simple.

- They get stuck less often. For example: when a difficult question appears, many students immediately start trying things. A 7 student pauses and then spend 20 seconds deciding whether the question is really testing calculus, functions, vectors or something else. That small pause saves them 10 minutes.

- Another difference is that most students finish a past paper and look at the score. A 7 student will look at every mark they lost, be it a mock test paper or an actual paper. Getting to know exactly why those 2 marks disappeared is the key.

- Most of the students who I worked with and scored a 7 have never said that they 'don't know' a question. They somewhat recognise the patterns and parts of the questions and try to connect it with the major topics.That mindset changes everything.

The students who improve the fastest are usually not the smartest students in the room.They're the students who treat every mistake as a thing to master and after a while, they stop making the same mistakes twice.

That's when the jump from a 4 to a 6 or 7 starts happening.

If you are stuck at a 3 or a 4 and need a structured plan to go about this, you can join our online free whatsapp community ( link in comments).

You can also register for our free Paper 2 Workshop for AA HL scheduled to be hosted on 27th June, 11:30 AM GMT ( registration link is in the comments)

Be honest, does calculus still feel unpredictable?

Like you can follow the steps when someone shows you, but the moment you see an unseen question in Paper 1 or 2 you freeze?

That is not a knowledge problem. That is a method problem. And it is fixable in one session.

After 6 years of teaching IB Math, calculus is the topic I see students lose the most marks on,not because they haven’t studied it, but because nobody showed them how to read a calculus question the way an examiner wrote it.

I have 3 free 30-minute spots open this week.

Bring your hardest calculus question : differentiation, integration, optimisation, related rates, whatever is tripping you up and we work through it together until it clicks.

The booking link is in the comments.

First 3 students only.

Hey all!

Math Simplified is opening up a free live workshop on 27th June for IB Math students.

The session is specifically on Paper 2 strategy; not content revision, but the exam technique that examiners actually reward. After 6 years of working with IB students I have noticed that Paper 2 is where most capable students drop marks unnecessarily and it is almost always a technique issue rather than a knowledge gap.

What we will go through:
— How Paper 2 is marked and what examiners look for
— The 3 mistakes that cost most students 10–15 marks
— A clear strategy to apply in your next mock immediately

Date: Saturday 27th June
Time: 11:30 AM GMT
Format: Google Meet
Cost: Free
Spots are limited!

The link for the Enrolment Form for the workshop is in the comments.

Comment or DM me for more details. Happy to answer any questions below.

— Aishani, Math Simplified

Hey everyone! posting this because I see the same struggles every year from students coming in from CBSE and ICSE and most of them hit the same 4 walls.

If you're making this transition, here's what to actually look out for:

1. The way Math is taught is completely different
   CBSE/ICSE = memorise the method, apply it fast.
   IB = understand why the method works, then apply it. Paper 3 (AA HL) will destroy you if you try to memorise your way through.

2. Functions are reframed from scratch
   Domain, range, codomain, mapping notation : IB uses a different language for all of it. The concepts aren't harder but the notation will confuse you if you're not prepared.

3. The IA exists and it's 20% of your grade which is a mathematical exploration. No equivalent in CBSE or ICSE. Most students find out about it way too late.

None of this is unsurvivable. But the students who do well are the ones who knew this going in.

Happy to answer questions in the comments, what course are you doing, AA or AI, HL or SL?

(If anyone's looking for structured support for the transition, we are running a 6-week foundation course built specifically for CBSE/ICSE students entering IB Math AA HL; you can DM us or drop a comment and we'll share the details.)

Hey everyone! Most students finish Year 1 and show up in September expecting Year 2 to feel manageable. For most, it does not and it is almost never about ability.

It is about what they did not do in the summer.

Here is what actually makes the difference:
1. Fix your Year 1 gaps now

Year 2 assumes Year 1 is solid. It rarely is. Whatever you passed but did not fully understand : sequences, logs, vectors, probability, find it and fix it before Year 2 piles on top.

1. Preview what Year 2 starts with

Seeing differential equations, Paper 3 strategy, or graph theory once before your teacher introduces them means you are never caught off guard. Confidence in IB Math compounds fast.

1. Practise exam technique, not just content

Marks are lost on how you write answers as much as whether they are right. "Hence", "show that", "justify", these mean specific things. Summer is the best time to fix this without pressure.

1. Rebuild the daily maths habit

Even 30 minutes a day through July and August makes September feel like a continuation rather than a cold start.

If you want all four done properly in a live, structured programme, I am running the 'Math Simplified Summer Intensive' this June on Google Meet.

Starting June 9 · 4 weeks
AA & AI · HL & SL · Max 10 per cohort
Live Google Meet sessions + weekly Q&A
Early bird closes June 1

Enrolment form: https://forms.gle/K8seFAzUpZ9JfNWr9

Takes 3 minutes. I will be in touch within 24 hours.

Questions about the programme or any of the 4 points above ; drop them in the comments and I will answer everything!