AA or AI? SL or HL? The maths choice that quietly decides your degree.
Four options, two years, and one decision most students make in a week. Here is what each one really involves, who it suits, and what universities look for, before the timetable makes the choice for you.
Every IB Diploma student must take one maths course. There are two subjects, Analysis and Approaches (AA) and Applications and Interpretation (AI), and each comes at Standard Level (SL) or Higher Level (HL). That makes four doors. Pick the wrong one and you either struggle for two years, or find out in Year 13 that the degree you want asked for a different one.
AA and AI in one sentence each
📐 Analysis and Approaches
- Maths as a language: algebra, functions, calculus and proof
- Lots of manipulation by hand; Paper 1 has no calculator
- Suits students who enjoy pure maths and want maths-heavy degrees
📊 Applications and Interpretation
- Maths as a tool: statistics, modelling and technology
- Graphic display calculator in every paper
- Suits students heading into social sciences, business, biology and data
The four options side by side
| AA SL | AA HL | AI SL | AI HL | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Teaching hours | 150 | 240 | 150 | 240 |
| Paper 1 | 1 h 30, no calculator, 40% | 2 h, no calculator, 30% | 1 h 30, calculator, 40% | 2 h, calculator, 30% |
| Paper 2 | 1 h 30, calculator, 40% | 2 h, calculator, 30% | 1 h 30, calculator, 40% | 2 h, calculator, 30% |
| Paper 3 | none | 1 h, calculator, 20% | none | 1 h, calculator, 20% |
| Exploration (IA) | 20% | 20% | 20% | 20% |
| Feels like | Algebra and calculus, steady pace | The most demanding pure maths in the Diploma | Practical maths with real data | Heavy statistics and modelling, long problems |
HL students cover all the SL content and then go further. That is why an HL course is never “SL plus a little”: it is SL plus about 90 more hours, and an extra exam.
Try it: one AA question, one AI question
The same skill, algebra, looks very different in the two courses. Try both and notice which one you enjoy more.
Show the worked answer
a) Find its value after 3 years.
b) After how many whole years is it first worth less than P2000?
Show the worked answer
Enjoyed the first more? Lean AA. The second? Lean AI. Enjoyed both? Let your degree decide.
What does your degree need?
This is where most families get caught out. Start from the degree, then work backwards.
📐 AA HL
- Engineering, physics, mathematics
- Computer science
- Economics at selective universities
- Actuarial science
📊 AI HL
- Data-heavy social sciences
- Psychology and geography
- Some business and biology degrees (check each one)
🧪 AA SL
- Medicine, chemistry, biology
- Business and architecture
- Keeps most science doors open
📚 AI SL
- Law, languages, arts and humanities
- Media
- Degrees with little or no maths after school
These are typical patterns, not rules. Selective engineering schools such as Imperial College London and TU Delft expect AA HL, often at a high grade. Medicine usually cares far more about chemistry and biology than about which maths you took, but some schools prefer AA. Always open the course page of the exact degree you want and read the maths line. It takes five minutes and can save two years.
Six eye-openers before you choose
AI is not “easy maths”
AI SL is the most accessible option, but AI HL is a full Higher Level course with demanding statistics and long modelling problems. Students who pick AI HL to avoid hard work often get a shock.
Paper 1 in AA is where marks disappear
No calculator means fractions, surds, logs and trigonometry by hand. Students who leaned on a calculator in MYP or IGCSE find this paper the hardest. Fix your hand algebra before Year 12, not during it.
Moving down is easy; moving up is not
Dropping from HL to SL in the first months is usually possible. Moving from SL up to HL means catching up on extra content quickly. If you are unsure and the degree may need HL, start at HL.
The exploration is 20% you control
The internal assessment is a written maths exploration of a topic you choose, worth a fifth of the grade at every level. It is done over weeks, not in an exam hall. Students who plan it early collect marks that exam nerves cannot take away.
Your GDC skills are part of the grade
In Paper 2, Paper 3 and every AI paper, knowing your graphic display calculator well saves minutes and marks: solving equations, regression, statistics tests, graphs. Learn it like a subject.
Your MYP or IGCSE result is a strong clue
Students who were comfortable with Extended maths usually cope with HL. Students who found Core hard should talk honestly with their teacher before choosing HL, whatever their friends are taking.
🧭 The AA or AI chooser: five questions
The degree I am most drawn to is…
Which sounds more fun?
My MYP or IGCSE maths was…
Algebra without a calculator…
My other HL subjects are…
Your two years at a glance
Schools set their own dates, but most Diploma timetables follow this rhythm. Put it on the wall in Year 12.
Year 12
- First term: settle your level, learn your GDC, fix hand algebra.
- Second term: start a list of exploration ideas from topics you enjoy.
- Third term: choose your topic, plan it with your teacher, sit end-of-year exams.
- Long holiday: gather data and write a rough first draft.
Year 13
- First term: finish the exploration: draft, feedback, final version.
- Second term: mock exams, then one past paper a week.
- Exam session: May for most schools, November for some.
- Results: early July for May exams, early January for November.
The GDC skills that save marks
- Solve equations and find intersections from a graph
- Find maximum and minimum points
- Regression: linear, exponential and power AI
- Normal and binomial probabilities
- Numerical derivatives and definite integrals
- Sequences, series and finance calculations AI
- Chi-squared and correlation tests AI
- Matrices and complex numbers HL
Still choosing between A Levels and the IB? Read A Levels or IB Diploma? How to choose the right road first, then come back to pick your maths course.
Myth or fact?
Choose the course you can do well in, for the degree you actually want. Not the one your friends are taking, and not the one that sounds most impressive. A strong grade in the right course opens more doors than a weak grade in the wrong one.
Prof. Kitso · The Stadira Study Desk
👨👩👧For parents
- Ask your child which degrees they are considering, then look up one course page together
- Ask the school when the last date to change level is
- Watch for stress in the first term of HL; early help is cheaper than a late switch
- Encourage a plan for the exploration before the long holiday
🎒For students
- Write down three possible degrees and check the maths each one needs
- Try a past Paper 1 from both AA and AI before you decide
- Fix hand algebra now if you are leaning towards AA
- Choose for your future, not for your friends
The DP maths chooser worksheet
Write down your three degree ideas and what each needs, compare the four options, and tick off the Year 12 and 13 milestones and GDC skills as you master them.
Download the PDF (1 page)Questions parents and students ask
Can I change from AA to AI, or from HL to SL, after starting?
Usually yes, early in Year 12, but every school sets its own deadline and timetable limits. Moving down is much easier than moving up, so ask about the cut-off date in your first weeks.
Is AA SL enough for medicine?
Often it is, because medical schools care most about chemistry and biology. Some prefer AA or a higher maths grade, so check each medical school’s entry page.
Which calculator do I need?
A graphic display calculator from the IB’s approved list for your exam session. Many schools use the TI-Nspire CX II. Ask your school which model they teach with before you buy.
How long is the maths exploration?
The IB recommends 12 to 20 pages. It is marked by your teacher and moderated by the IB, and it counts for 20% of the final grade.
Does HL earn more Diploma points than SL?
No. Both are graded 1 to 7. But the Diploma needs at least three subjects at Higher Level, and some degrees ask for HL maths specifically.
Can a student who took IGCSE Core maths do HL?
It is possible, but there is a lot of algebra to catch up first. Talk honestly with your teacher, and if you go for it, use the holiday before Year 12 to close the gaps.
Ready for Year 12, or already in it?
Stadira’s DP maths courses each carry both levels. Choose Standard or Higher inside the course and practise on five full mock sets in real IB style, with full worked solutions for every paper. Built, developed and assessed by qualified teachers.
The Stadira teaching team
This guide was written by practising IB and IGCSE teachers with over 15 years in international schools, teaching IB DP, MYP, IGCSE and BGCSE.
Prof. Kitso, pictured, is our cartoon study guide. You will meet him in the tip boxes and in our lessons.
Course structure checked October 2026 against the IB Mathematics guides (first assessment 2021). University requirements change every year: read the latest entry page for each course you apply to.
