How Can Parents Help a Child with MYP Maths?

Sit with your child while they explain their working, not the answer—MYP Maths is assessed on reasoning (Criterion B) and communication (Criterion C), not just correct results. Keep a fixed 20-30 minute slot two or three times a week, ask 'why' questions, and resist the urge to correct mistakes yourself.

You don't need to know the content to be useful. Your job is to keep them talking through the problem, check they've read the question properly, and spot when they're guessing rather than reasoning. A worked-example resource or revision notes can fill the content gap you can't.

If you're holding the pencil or dictating the next step, it's too much. Help should stop at asking questions—'what have you tried?', 'what does the question actually ask?'—never at supplying the method. Teachers can usually tell when work is parent-led, and it hides the gaps you need to know about.

Short, frequent, low-pressure sessions beat one long weekend cram every time. Ten focused minutes, four times a week, on a specific skill—like directed numbers or ratio—builds fluency without a fight. Tie it to something concrete: a topical worksheet section they can tick off, not an open-ended 'do some maths'.

MYP 1-3 Maths shifts from 'get the right answer' to 'show and justify your reasoning'. Students are marked against four assessment criteria—Knowing and Understanding, Investigating Patterns, Communicating, and Applying Maths in Real-Life Contexts—each scored out of 8, not against a single overall grade.

MYP 1-3 typically covers number operations and directed numbers, ratio and proportion, algebraic expressions and simple equations, basic geometry and measurement, statistics, and an introduction to probability, building toward the more formal algebra of MYP 4-5. Exact sequencing varies by school since the IB sets criteria, not a fixed syllabus order.

Because MYP Maths grades reasoning, not just outcomes. Criterion B (Investigating Patterns) asks students to describe patterns and justify generalisations; Criterion C (Communicating) requires clear mathematical language and working shown. A correct final number with no visible method typically scores low on both.

Each of the four criteria is marked out of 8 using task-specific descriptors, then the four totals are added and converted to a final 1-7 grade using the school's grade boundaries, which the IB reviews but individual schools apply. A '7' needs sustained strength across all four criteria, not just one strong area.

Find out which criterion is the actual weak spot before doing anything else. A child who's fine with calculations (Criterion A) but loses marks on explaining patterns (Criterion B) needs completely different help than one who can't do the arithmetic at all. Ask the teacher for criterion-level feedback, then target that specific skill.

Yes—it's one of the most common worries I hear from parents, and it's usually not a sign your child has gotten worse at maths. The four-criteria system is simply harder to score full marks on than a single right/wrong test, especially in the first year or two of MYP.

Not necessarily the first step. Many students close their gaps with structured self-study—targeted revision notes, topical worksheets, and past-style questions on the exact criterion they're weak in—done consistently at home before any paid support is needed. Try two to three weeks of focused, resource-led practice first and reassess.

Look for materials organised by MYP topic and by assessment criterion, not generic maths worksheets. Revision notes that explain a concept in plain language, topical worksheets with graded difficulty, and short practice sets your child can do in one sitting work far better than a thick generic textbook.

Free resources (school handouts, general YouTube explainers) are fine for a quick recap but rarely map to MYP's specific criteria or command terms. Paid, MYP-aligned resources tend to sit in the low-cost range—typically under USD 100 a year—and save far more time than they cost by targeting the actual assessment structure.