What Does My Child Learn Each Year in MYP Mathematics?

Hi, I'm Shannon from MYP Math Tutor. One of the first questions parents ask us is, what will my child be actually learning in maths this year? The honest answer is that it depends on the school, and that's by design. Let's look at how MYP Mathematics is planned and what you can expect from MYP 1 to MYP 5.

First, a quick map. The MYP is designed for students aged 11 to 16. MYP 1 lines up with grade 6 or year 7 in the UK, all the way up to MYP 5, which is grade 10 or year 11.

The IB organizes mathematical concepts into four branches of reasoning, numerical and abstract reasoning, that's number and algebra, thinking with models, using graphs, equations, and functions to describe real life relationships, spatial reasoning, which is geometry and trigonometry, and reasoning with data, statistics and probability.

Within those branches, the IB suggests breaking up the topics across grade-level groups. One list is for MYP 1 to 3. Then in MYP 4 and 5, there are two lists, Standard mathematics and Extended mathematics, which is Standard plus extra topics with more breadth and depth.

From there, each school builds its own year plan. Some schools use a custom design where the math department sits down and designs a curriculum map for all grade levels and uses a variety of resources. Other schools are textbook-led, where the units follow the textbook the school uses. So if a friend's child in MYP 2 is learning something different from yours, that's completely normal.

So what might you see across the years? Here's an example school. In most schools, number and algebra and geometry come up every year and each year builds upon the one before. Statistics and probability are often split up. In this example, statistics is taught in MYP 1 and 2, probability in MYP 3, and both in MYP 4 and 5. Thinking with models is mostly MYP 4 and 5, and many schools start linear functions like y = mx + c in MYP 3.

Parents sometimes tell me MYP 1 and 2 feel a little bit repetitive. Lots of number sense, fractions, and simple equations. There's a good reason for this. Grade 6 and 7 are when many families change schools. So one MYP 1 class might have students from the PYP, another IB school, a British or American curriculum, and a national system school. Teachers secure the foundations for everyone and extend students who are ready with harder problems in the same units. If your child says, "We've done this before," it's worth asking whether they're taking on opportunities to challenge themselves that teachers often provide.

The whole five years is one journey, planned with the next step in mind. The biggest choice comes in MYP 4. As a general guide, MYP 4 and 5 Standard prepares students for standard level maths in the Diploma Programme, and Extended prepares students for higher level. Schools handle things differently, so ask how the decision is made at your school.

My best piece of advice is to ask for your child's year plan. Most schools share it through ManageBac, Toddle, or another parent portal that your school uses. With it, you'll know what's next and can talk about it at home. You can spot gaps early when a topic builds on something that you did last year, and you can ask better questions at parent-teacher conferences.

Are you interested in MYP support? We know every school's plan is different, and we've all worked at a number of schools ourselves. Just share your child's year plan with us, and we can adapt to support your child.

To close, we'd love to share a little bit more about who we are. Here at MYP Math Tutor, we're thrilled to be able to support over 150 students from more than 75 IB schools, spanning over 40 countries worldwide. We work with students who attend some of the top IB schools in the world. We offer personalized support for MYP and DP mathematics through one-to-one virtual sessions. All of our tutors are experienced IB teachers with classroom expertise and a deep passion for IB education. They personalize each session to the students' needs, helping them build confidence, strengthen understanding, and improve achievement in mathematics. If you'd like more info about who we are, please reach out to [email protected] or visit our website at www.mypmathtutor.com.