Mathematics Exploration Project - Internal Assessment printable pdf download

IB Math SL

Mathematics Exploration Project – Internal Assessment (IA)

Each exploration should be assessed against the following five criteria.

Criterion A Communication

Criterion B Mathematical presentation

Criterion C Personal engagement

Criterion D Reflection

Criterion E Use of mathematics

The descriptions of the achievement levels for each of these five assessment criteria follow and it is important to

note that each achievement level represents the minimum requirement for that level to be awarded. The final

mark for each exploration is obtained by adding together the achievement levels awarded for each criterion A–

E. IAs are expected to be 6-12 pages in length (reference pg.13 in textbook for a summary of the project).

The maximum possible mark is 20.

Applying the assessment criteria

The method of assessment used is criterion referenced, not norm referenced. That is, the method of assessing

each exploration judges students by their performance in relation to identified assessment criteria and not in

relation to the work of other students.

Each exploration submitted for mathematics SL is assessed against the five criteria A to E. For each assessment

criterion, different levels of achievement are described that concentrate on positive achievement. The

description of each achievement level represents the minimum requirement for that level to be achieved.

The aim is to find, for each criterion, the level descriptor that conveys most adequately the achievement level

attained by the student.

Teachers should read the description of each achievement level, starting with level 0, until one is reached that

describes a level of achievement that has not been reached. The level of achievement gained by the student is

therefore the preceding one, and it is this that should be recorded.

For each criterion, whole numbers only may be recorded; fractions and decimals are not acceptable.

The highest achievement levels do not imply faultless performance, and teachers should not hesitate to use the

extremes, including 0, if they are appropriate descriptions of the work being assessed.

It is expected that the assessment criteria be available to students at all times. Descriptors of the achievement

levels for each assessment criterion are given in the tables in the following section. Within the tables, for each

achievement level, there is a link to an exploration within this TSM that achieved that level for that particular

criterion.

Students should be made aware that they will not receive a grade for mathematics SL if they have not

submitted an exploration.

Mathematics Exploration Project - Internal Assessment