MYP Maths Topics - Complete Year 4-5 Guide
One of the most common questions from IB MYP students and parents is straightforward: what exactly do I need to know for maths? Unlike IGCSE or A-Level, the MYP does not publish a rigid syllabus with numbered topic codes. Instead, it uses a framework built around key concepts, related concepts, and global contexts. This can make it difficult to pin down exactly what you should be studying.
The good news is that, despite the flexible framework, there are clearly defined topic areas that virtually every MYP school covers in Years 4 and 5. The IB organises these into four branches (sometimes called strands), and each branch contains a set of topics that students are expected to master before the eAssessment. This guide lists every topic across both standard and extended mathematics, so you can use it as a checklist for your revision.
If you are taking extended maths, you need to learn everything in the standard column plus the additional topics marked under each branch. If you are unsure which track you are on, ask your teacher - it makes a significant difference to your study plan.
How MYP Maths Is Organised
The IB structures MYP mathematics into four branches. Each branch groups related topics together, and together they cover the full range of mathematical knowledge and skills tested in the programme. The four branches are Number, Algebra, Geometry and Trigonometry, and Statistics and Probability.
Within each branch, some topics are designated as standard (required for all students) and others are extended (required only for students on the extended pathway). Extended topics build on and go beyond the standard content, often introducing more abstract or rigorous mathematical ideas. In the sections below, standard topics are listed first, followed by the additional topics that extended students must also cover.
Branch 1: Number
Number is the foundation of everything else in MYP maths. These topics deal with how numbers work, how to manipulate them, and how to apply them in practical situations. A strong grasp of number skills makes every other branch easier.
Standard Topics
- Operations with integers, fractions, decimals, and percentages - Fluency with all four operations across different number types, including mixed numbers and improper fractions
- Converting between fractions, decimals, and percentages - Moving between representations accurately and knowing which form is most useful in context
- Ratio and proportion - Simplifying ratios, sharing quantities in a given ratio, and solving proportion problems
- Direct and inverse proportion - Recognising and working with relationships where one quantity increases as another increases (direct) or decreases (inverse)
- Standard form (scientific notation) - Writing very large or very small numbers in the form a x 10^n and performing calculations in standard form
- Laws of exponents (indices) - Multiplying, dividing, and raising powers, including zero and negative exponents
- Prime factorisation, HCF, and LCM - Breaking numbers into prime factors and using factor trees or division to find highest common factors and lowest common multiples
- Accuracy and estimation - Rounding to significant figures and decimal places, estimating calculations, and understanding the limits of accuracy
- Percentage increase and decrease, compound interest - Calculating percentage changes, applying multipliers, and understanding how compound interest accumulates over time
Extended Adds
- Surds (irrational numbers) and simplifying radical expressions - Working with square roots that cannot be simplified to whole numbers, rationalising denominators, and performing arithmetic with surds
- Rational and irrational numbers - Formal definitions, understanding why certain numbers are irrational, and constructing simple proofs (such as proving the square root of 2 is irrational)
- Upper and lower bounds - Calculating the maximum and minimum values a rounded measurement could represent and applying bounds to calculations
Branch 2: Algebra
Algebra is the language of mathematics. It allows you to generalise patterns, solve problems involving unknowns, and model real-world situations. Algebra topics tend to dominate Part A of the eAssessment and form the backbone of the investigation tasks in Part B.
Standard Topics
- Simplifying algebraic expressions - Collecting like terms, multiplying terms, and simplifying expressions involving powers
- Expanding brackets (single and double) - Distributing single brackets and using FOIL or the grid method for double brackets
- Factorising expressions - Taking out common factors, recognising the difference of two squares, and factorising quadratic trinomials
- Solving linear equations and inequalities - Isolating the variable in one-step and multi-step equations, and representing solutions to inequalities on a number line
- Solving quadratic equations - Finding solutions by factorising and by applying the quadratic formula, including interpreting the discriminant
- Simultaneous equations (substitution and elimination) - Solving pairs of linear equations using both algebraic methods and interpreting solutions graphically
- Sequences and patterns (arithmetic and geometric) - Identifying common differences and common ratios, writing nth term rules, and finding specific terms
- Algebraic fractions (basic) - Simplifying fractions with algebraic numerators and denominators, and performing addition and subtraction of simple algebraic fractions
Extended Adds
- Logarithms and logarithmic equations - Understanding logarithms as the inverse of exponentiation, applying log laws, and solving equations involving logarithms
- Exponential equations - Solving equations where the variable appears in the exponent, including using logarithms to find exact solutions
- Completing the square - Rewriting quadratic expressions in the form (x + p)^2 + q to identify the vertex of a parabola and solve equations
- Algebraic fractions (complex) - Multiplying, dividing, and simplifying more complex rational expressions, including those requiring factorisation first
- Polynomial division - Dividing polynomials by linear and quadratic factors using long division or synthetic methods
- The binomial theorem (basic) - Expanding expressions of the form (a + b)^n using binomial coefficients and Pascal's triangle
Branch 3: Geometry and Trigonometry
Geometry and trigonometry connect mathematics to the physical world. These topics cover shapes, measurements, spatial reasoning, and the relationships between angles and sides in triangles. Geometry questions frequently appear in the real-world context problems of Part C on the eAssessment.
Standard Topics
- Angle properties - Angles on parallel lines (alternate, corresponding, co-interior), angle sums in triangles and polygons, and exterior angle properties
- Pythagoras' theorem - Finding missing sides in right-angled triangles and applying Pythagoras in 2D contexts including coordinate geometry
- Trigonometric ratios in right-angled triangles - Using sine, cosine, and tangent (SOH CAH TOA) to find unknown sides and angles
- Area and perimeter of 2D shapes - Calculating area and perimeter for triangles, parallelograms, trapeziums, circles, and compound shapes
- Surface area and volume of 3D solids - Working with prisms, cylinders, cones, spheres, and pyramids, including composite solids
- Circle properties - Circumference, area, arc length, sector area, and the relationships between radius, diameter, and pi
- Coordinate geometry - Finding the distance between two points, the midpoint of a line segment, and the gradient of a line
- Transformations - Performing and describing reflections, rotations, translations, and enlargements, including using transformation matrices at some schools
Extended Adds
- Sine rule and cosine rule - Solving non-right-angled triangles using the sine rule (a/sinA = b/sinB) and the cosine rule (a^2 = b^2 + c^2 - 2bc cosA)
- Area of a triangle using sine - Calculating triangle area with the formula (1/2)ab sinC when two sides and the included angle are known
- Radians and arc length - Converting between degrees and radians and using radian measure for arc length and sector area calculations
- Circle theorems (advanced) - Proving and applying theorems involving angles at the centre, angles in semicircles, cyclic quadrilaterals, and tangent properties
- Vectors in 2D and 3D - Adding and subtracting vectors, scalar multiplication, finding magnitude and unit vectors, and applying vectors to geometric proofs
- 3D trigonometry and Pythagoras - Extending Pythagoras' theorem and trigonometric ratios to problems involving three-dimensional shapes and angles of elevation
Branch 4: Statistics and Probability
Statistics and probability deal with data, uncertainty, and how to draw conclusions from information. These topics are especially important for Part C of the eAssessment, where questions are often set in real-world contexts involving data collection, analysis, and interpretation.
Standard Topics
- Measures of central tendency - Calculating and interpreting the mean, median, and mode for simple and grouped data sets
- Measures of spread - Finding the range and interquartile range and understanding what they tell you about the distribution of data
- Data representation - Constructing and interpreting bar charts, histograms, pie charts, stem-and-leaf diagrams, and box plots
- Cumulative frequency - Drawing cumulative frequency diagrams and using them to estimate medians, quartiles, and percentiles
- Scatter diagrams and correlation - Plotting bivariate data, identifying positive, negative, and no correlation, and describing the strength of relationships
- Lines of best fit - Drawing lines of best fit by eye, using them to make predictions, and understanding the limitations of extrapolation
- Probability (experimental and theoretical) - Calculating probabilities from equally likely outcomes and comparing theoretical predictions with experimental results
- Combined events - Using tree diagrams and two-way tables to calculate probabilities of two or more events happening together
- Venn diagrams and set notation (basic) - Representing sets visually, finding unions and intersections, and calculating probabilities from Venn diagrams
Extended Adds
- Standard deviation - Calculating standard deviation by hand and with a calculator, and understanding it as a measure of how spread out data is from the mean
- Conditional probability - Finding the probability of an event given that another event has occurred, using tree diagrams and the formula P(A|B) = P(A and B) / P(B)
- Probability with and without replacement (advanced) - Solving multi-stage probability problems where the outcome of one event affects the next
- Normal distribution (introduction) - Understanding the bell curve, the 68-95-99.7 rule, and using z-scores to find probabilities for normally distributed data
- Formal set notation and operations - Using set-builder notation, complements, subsets, and the universal set in more rigorous probability and logic problems
Tips for Studying MYP Maths
Having a complete topic list is only the first step. How you study matters just as much as what you study. Here are strategies that will help you make the most of your revision time.
Do not try to study every topic equally. You have a limited number of hours before your exam, and spending equal time on topics you already understand well is inefficient. Identify your weakest areas early - either through practice tests or by reviewing your classwork marks - and allocate more time to those topics. A student who turns a weak topic into a solid one gains far more marks than a student who polishes an already-strong topic.
Practice is more important than reading notes. Mathematics is a skill, not a body of knowledge you can absorb passively. You would not prepare for a football match by reading about football, and you should not prepare for a maths exam by reading about maths. Work through problems. Make mistakes. Figure out where you went wrong. Then do more problems. Active problem-solving builds the mental pathways that allow you to recognise question types and apply methods under time pressure.
Make sure you can do problems, not just recognise methods. There is a dangerous gap between thinking "I know how to do this" and actually being able to do it under exam conditions. Test yourself without looking at your notes. If you cannot complete a problem from start to finish without help, you have not mastered it yet.
Use past papers and practice questions that match the eAssessment format. The eAssessment is an on-screen exam with specific question types (multiple choice, numeric entry, drag and drop, graphing). Practising on paper is better than nothing, but practising on screen with the same interactive formats will prepare you for the real thing.
Standard vs Extended - Quick Reference
If you are unsure whether you are taking standard or extended maths, check with your teacher as soon as possible. The distinction affects not only which topics you study but also how deep you need to go within each topic.
Extended students must learn all standard topics plus the extended additions listed under each branch above. The grade boundaries are the same numerical scale for both tracks, but the extended paper contains harder questions and additional content. Performing well on the extended paper demonstrates a higher level of mathematical ability, which can be important for IB Diploma course selection.
For a detailed comparison of the two tracks - including how they affect your IB Diploma options, the types of questions you will face, and how to decide which one is right for you - see our Standard vs Extended Maths guide. For information on how grades are calculated across both tracks, see our MYP Grade Boundaries guide.
Practice every topic on this list with Project 56
72 interactive maths activities covering standard and extended MYP maths - with adaptive difficulty, worked solutions, and progress tracking.
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