Open the full IB MYP Mathematics Curriculum Map →

A strong MYP mathematics programme needs both flexibility and direction. Schools need room to respond to their timetable, local requirements and students' prior learning, but teachers also need a coherent view of what students will meet, practise and revisit across the five years of the Middle Years Programme.

The IB MYP Mathematics Curriculum Map is designed as a practical planning framework for that purpose. It is a Full Marks Education recommended progression, not a compulsory IB year-by-year order. The map translates the flexible MYP mathematics framework into a teachable sequence of units and subunits while leaving schools room to adjust timing, emphasis and entry points.

What is in the curriculum map?

The workbook contains 30 recommended units and 278 planned subunits across MYP Years 1–5. Each unit is identified by a code such as 1.1 or 4.5, while each subunit receives a more precise label such as 1.1.1 or 5.6.10. This makes it possible to move from a whole-school overview to the exact ideas and skills that should appear in a lesson sequence.

The workbook is organized into five planning views:

Overview: explains how to use the map, records the recommended scale of the programme and provides a production tracker for slides, notes, quizzes, worksheets, inquiry-based activities and exams.
Unit Map: shows the year, unit code, unit title, primary IB branch, key concept, related concepts, global context, criteria emphasis, suggested weeks and level.
Subunit Sequence: breaks each unit into teachable subunits, with a suggested three-lesson sequence, level and criteria emphasis.
IB Alignment: connects the map to the four MYP mathematics branches, assessment criteria, key concepts, related concepts, global contexts and approaches to learning.
Sources: records the IB references used to shape the framework and distinguish official programme guidance from the recommended sequence in the workbook.

The map is therefore more than a topic checklist. It is a planning spine: a way to see what comes next, what students should already know, which forms of thinking are being developed and where evidence of learning can be gathered.

How the five years are broken down

Each MYP year contains six broad units. The suggested time allocation is deliberately close enough to support a common structure while still allowing teachers to adapt the calendar. Years 1 and 2 each contain approximately 34 suggested weeks, Year 3 contains 35, Year 4 contains 35 and Year 5 contains 38. These are planning signals, not fixed requirements; schools should place holidays, reporting periods, examinations and local priorities around them.

Year 1: Establishing mathematical foundations

Year 1 builds the language and habits students need for later MYP mathematics. The six units are:

1.1 Number Systems and Operations
1.2 Algebraic Thinking and Patterns
1.3 Ratio, Rate and Proportion
1.4 Geometry and Measurement
1.5 Data and Probability
1.6 Coordinates and Transformations

The sequence moves from number sense and operations into early algebra, proportional reasoning, measurement, data and spatial representation. Students meet familiar ideas in connected settings: fractions and percentages support ratio work, coordinates support transformations, and data work introduces the need to represent, compare and question information.

Year 2: Extending number, algebra, models and data

Year 2 develops the same broad branches with greater independence and complexity:

2.1 Rational Numbers and Percentages
2.2 Algebraic Expressions and Equations
2.3 Proportional and Linear Relationships
2.4 Geometry, Area and Volume
2.5 Statistics and Data Literacy
2.6 Probability and Simulation

Students revisit operations with rational numbers, then apply algebra to equations, formulae and inequalities. Proportional reasoning becomes modelling: students interpret rates, gradients, tables, graphs and the form y = mx + c. Geometry expands into circles, prisms, nets and compound measures, while statistics and probability begin to emphasize sampling, bias, simulation and the relationship between experimental and theoretical results.

Year 3: Connecting accuracy, functions, geometry and inquiry

Year 3 marks a transition toward more formal mathematical relationships and more explicit inquiry:

3.1 Real Numbers, Indices and Accuracy
3.2 Equations, Inequalities and Formulae
3.3 Linear Functions and Models
3.4 Similarity, Pythagoras and Transformations
3.5 Statistics and Correlation
3.6 Probability, Sets and Inquiry

Accuracy, bounds, indices and number classification are linked to the question of whether a result is valid. Algebra progresses toward simultaneous equations and proof from patterns. Linear functions become models of real situations, while similarity, Pythagoras and transformations give students ways to reason about space and structure. Statistics introduces correlation and critique, and the final unit brings together sets, probability, experimental design and investigation.

Year 4: Moving into models, financial mathematics and networks

Year 4 consolidates the Core programme and begins to open the Core + Extended pathway:

4.1 Number, Accuracy and Financial Mathematics
4.2 Algebra and Sequences
4.3 Functions and Mathematical Models
4.4 Geometry and Trigonometry
4.5 Statistics and Regression
4.6 Probability and Networks

The map uses financial mathematics to give percentage change, growth, decay, interest, exchange rates and time zones a meaningful context. Algebra develops through quadratics, sequences, proof and complex formulae. Functions become a major modelling language, while geometry develops into trigonometry, bearings and proof. Regression, model evaluation and network algorithms extend the data strand beyond calculating an answer to judging whether a model is useful.

Year 5: Synthesis, critical literacy and eAssessment readiness

Year 5 is designed as a synthesis year. It does not simply add isolated advanced topics; it asks students to use familiar ideas with greater precision, independence and critical judgement:

5.1 Number, Bounds and Exponents
5.2 Advanced Algebraic Techniques
5.3 Functions, Graphs and Modelling
5.4 Coordinate Geometry and Trigonometry
5.5 Statistics, Correlation and Critical Literacy
5.6 Probability, Networks and eAssessment Synthesis

Students revisit bounds, error, surds, logarithms, quadratic techniques, functions, transformations, trigonometry, regression and probability. Extended content is clearly labelled at the subunit level, so teachers can differentiate without losing the shared structure of the year. The final unit includes network algorithms, Criterion B investigation practice, Criterion D modelling practice and integrated eAssessment tasks.

Four branches, recurring concepts and purposeful context

The map is organized around four primary MYP mathematics branches:

Numerical and abstract reasoning: number sense, operations, algebra, accuracy, proportional reasoning and financial literacy.
Thinking with models: functions, graphs, equations, algorithms and representations of real-life relationships.
Spatial reasoning: geometry, measurement, transformations, coordinate geometry and trigonometry.
Reasoning with data: statistics, probability, sampling, prediction, interpretation and critical data literacy.

These branches are not intended to become four disconnected courses. The unit sequence deliberately brings them back into contact. Financial mathematics uses number and modelling. Coordinate work connects algebra with space. Statistical modelling requires representation, validity and communication. Probability investigations use systems, data and reasoning together.

Key concepts give the units a common intellectual language. Form directs attention to structure and organization; logic supports valid reasoning and conclusions; and relationships highlights connections between quantities, properties, concepts and real-world systems. Related concepts such as approximation, change, equivalence, generalization, models, patterns, quantity, representation, simplification, space, systems and validity help teachers frame questions that go beyond procedure.

Global contexts then give those questions a reason to matter. Across the map, students encounter identities and relationships, orientation in space and time, personal and cultural expression, scientific and technical innovation, globalization and sustainability, and fairness and development.

Assessment is built into the sequence

The map connects units to MYP criteria rather than treating assessment as an event at the end of a topic. Criteria A, B, C and D appear repeatedly:

Criterion A: Knowing and understanding asks students to select and apply mathematics in familiar and unfamiliar situations.
Criterion B: Investigating patterns develops the ability to identify, describe and verify patterns using mathematical techniques.
Criterion C: Communicating emphasizes appropriate language, notation, representations and coherent reasoning.
Criterion D: Applying mathematics in real-life contexts requires students to model situations, justify accuracy, reach solutions and evaluate reasonableness.

Because the criteria are revisited across different branches and increasing levels of difficulty, students can develop assessment fluency gradually. A Criterion B investigation in Year 1 does not need to look like a Year 5 investigation, but both can require students to notice structure, make a conjecture, test it and communicate what they find.

The teaching strategy: deliberate, measured practice

The central strategy behind the map is continual reinforcement. Students should not meet an idea once, complete a worksheet and then be expected to retrieve it accurately months later. Important knowledge needs to return in different forms, at measured intervals and with increasing demands on explanation, transfer and judgement.

That reinforcement should run through the whole resource system:

Lectures introduce and organize the mathematics

Lectures and worked examples establish vocabulary, representations, methods and the underlying relationships between ideas. The aim is not to cover content as quickly as possible. It is to give students a clear structure that they can retrieve later. A lesson on percentage change, for example, should connect numerical calculation to multiplicative thinking, financial contexts and later growth models.

Assignments provide measured practice

Assignments should move from supported examples to independent application. Early questions can check fluency and misconceptions; later questions can require choice of method, interpretation, explanation or a connection to an earlier unit. The map's subunit structure makes it possible to control the amount of practice rather than assigning an undifferentiated volume of questions.

Inquiry-based activities create transfer

Inquiry is where students use mathematics to investigate a pattern, model a situation, compare representations or evaluate a claim. These activities make the MYP criteria visible, especially B and D, while also strengthening communication and reflection. Inquiry should not be reserved for a special project week. Short, purposeful investigations can be placed inside ordinary units so students repeatedly practise making decisions with mathematics.

Exams check retention and flexible use

Exams provide a measured check on what students can retrieve and apply without immediate support. A strong exam strategy includes both recent material and carefully selected earlier ideas. Cumulative questions help teachers see whether students can recognize a familiar structure in a new context, rather than only reproduce the last method taught.

The result is a cycle:

Introduce: build the concept, language and representations.
Practise: develop accuracy and fluency with manageable steps.
Apply: use the idea in unfamiliar, contextual or inquiry-based situations.
Retrieve: return to the idea after time has passed.
Connect: combine it with ideas from other branches and units.
Evaluate: explain whether the method, model or conclusion is reasonable.

“Measured” matters here. Reinforcement is not the same as repeating identical exercises. The teacher can vary the representation, numbers, context, level of scaffolding and amount of explanation required. The student may calculate a percentage in one lesson, interpret a financial model later, critique a graph in an inquiry and use proportional reasoning inside an exam problem. The underlying idea returns, but the thinking becomes richer.

How schools can use the map

Begin with the Unit Map to discuss the whole-school progression. Check whether the order fits your timetable, student entry points and local curriculum requirements. Then use Subunit Sequence to plan a term or unit in detail. The three-lesson suggestion gives a starting rhythm, but it should be adjusted when diagnostic evidence or formative assessment shows that students need more time.

Use the Level column to plan shared Core experiences alongside Extended opportunities. Use the criteria and concept columns to avoid making every lesson a narrow skills exercise. Finally, use the production status in the Overview sheet to coordinate the supporting resources: lectures, assignments, quizzes, worksheets, inquiry-based activities and exams should reinforce the same map rather than operate as separate collections.

A curriculum map is successful when it helps teachers make better decisions. It should show where a skill is introduced, where it is rehearsed, where it is applied, how it is assessed and when it will return. That is the purpose of this MYP framework: a coherent five-year journey in which students build mathematical knowledge steadily, practise it deliberately and learn to use it with increasing independence.

For the full year-by-year unit and subunit sequence, open the IB MYP Mathematics Curriculum Map. For the official programme context, see the IB Mathematics in the MYP overview and the MYP Mathematics subject brief.

IB MYP Mathematics Curriculum Map: A Five-Year Progression