“They Understand the Maths — So What’s Going Wrong?”
This is one of the most common frustrations parents and students share about MYP Mathematics.
The formulas are familiar.
The calculations are mostly correct.
Yet grades feel lower — or stuck — compared to expectations.
In the IB Middle Years Programme, struggling in maths rarely means a student “isn’t good at maths.” More often, it means they’re approaching MYP Math like a traditional maths course — and the system is asking for something different.
Reason 1: Students Focus Only on the Final Answer
In many maths systems, the answer is everything.
In MYP Math, the answer is only part of the story.
Students lose marks when they:
- Skip explanations
- Don’t justify methods
- Assume correct calculations guarantee high scores
MYP Maths rewards process and communication, not just correctness.
How to fix it
Students should practise explaining why they chose a method and how it works — even when the maths feels obvious.
Reason 2: Criterion A Dominates Revision
Most students revise almost entirely for Knowing and Understanding.
As a result:
- Criterion B (patterns) is underdeveloped
- Criterion C (communication) is rushed
- Criterion D (real-life application) feels unfamiliar
This imbalance caps grades quickly.
How to fix it
Revision should deliberately target , even if that means doing fewer questions more thoughtfully.
