IB Mathematics · AA & AI · SL & HL
IB Maths Tutor Online — AA & AI, SL & HL, with Documented Results
Renzo Diaz is an IB Maths tutor based in Italy, teaching IB since April 2016 and one-to-one online since 2020. He teaches Analysis and Approaches (AA) and Applications and Interpretation (AI), at Standard and Higher Level, in English or Spanish. Documented online results: Grade 7 in both IB Math AI SL exam papers from a 3 (May 2024), and IB Math AI HL from a 4 to a final 6 (May 2025).
Every lesson is taught by Renzo Diaz himself, one-to-one on Zoom, and recorded with an AI-generated summary in a searchable archive. He is an engineer with an M.Sc. in Energy Engineering from the Politecnico di Milano; his IB teaching record is dated by third parties from April 2016, and his public Google record holds 19 reviews since June 2020, at least one in every calendar year. The aim is for your child to understand why a method works, recognise when to use it and solve the next question independently. Sessions start with the point they cannot explain or carry out confidently, then build towards unfamiliar IB questions.

- Teaching IB since April 2016
- Online lessons in a public Google review, 12 July 2020
- Documented online case: IB Math AI HL 4 → final 6
Documented · public reviews since 2020
Documented IB Maths results: Grade 7 in both IB Math AI SL exam papers, and AI HL from a 4 to a final 6
3 → 7
IB Math AI SL — both exam papers
From Grade 3 at the start of the Diploma to Grade 7 in Paper 1 and Grade 7 in Paper 2 — May 2024.
IB Math AI SL exam results (May 2024)4 → 6
IB Math AI HL — final grade
From Grade 4 on his first Diploma report card (predicted 7) to a final Grade 6 — May 2025.
IB Math AI HL final result (May 2025)Public record · July 2020
Online IB tutoring, documented in a public Google review of 12 July 2020
A Google review from an IB student, dated 12 July 2020, describes my use of a touch tablet to teach visually and clearly, and online lessons with screen sharing, “as if he was there in person”. It is a dated public account of the online setup already in place at that time.
The same review is mirrored on Trustindex, which imports the Google profile, and listed by its date in the review audit. For the earlier history of my IB teaching, from April 2016, see the dated record on my About page.
· Google review · Touch tablet and screen-shared online lessons
Why IB Maths grades stall: five situations I work on
The classroom-exam gap: you understand in class, the exam says otherwise.
The IB never asks the question you practised. It asks something that looks unfamiliar and rewards only one thing: understanding deep enough to transfer. That is a trainable skill — but it is not trained by drilling one problem type.
The mid-course slide: a strong start, then a slow decline.
This is the signature of a cracked foundation, not a lack of talent. A gap from an earlier topic — functions, algebra fluency, trigonometry — quietly taxes every new chapter until the whole structure wobbles. We go back as far as needed, then forward faster.
Exam pace: they know the maths, they're just too slow.
This one is invisible until the mock exam: a student who can solve everything given unlimited time, and runs out of it in Paper 1. The fix isn't more content — it's method selection. Most problems admit several correct routes; the skill is recognising which one the question is quietly asking for, and taking it. That's trained deliberately, with timed work, every week.
The IA workload: it became a second full-time job.
The Exploration rewards a clear question, appropriate mathematics, and honest reflection — not complexity. I guide topic selection, structure, and draft feedback, strictly within IB academic honesty rules. The work stays your child's; the direction stops being guesswork.
AA vs. AI: choosing between them, or doubting the choice already made.
The decision matters less than people fear, and more than schools explain. AA rewards algebraic fluency and proof-style thinking; AI rewards modelling, interpretation, and intelligent calculator use. I help you decide from the university courses you're actually aiming at.
Coverage
IB Maths tutoring for every course: AA SL, AA HL, AI SL and AI HL
AA and AI are different subjects wearing the same name, and SL and HL are different workloads again. Each has its own page, with the situations, the syllabus coverage and the exam technique specific to it. If the choice between AA and AI is still open, start with how to choose between AA and AI.
What's actually examined
IB Maths exam structure: papers, timing and weighting for AA and AI
AA and AI share the same shape: two written papers at SL, three at HL, and a Mathematical Exploration worth 20% at both levels. The biggest practical difference is Paper 1 — AA takes the calculator away, AI never does. The figures below are for the current courses, whose final exams are in November 2028; the revised courses are first examined in May 2029.
| Paper | Duration | Marks | Weight | What it tests |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SL Paper 1 — AA | 90 minutes, no calculator | 80 marks | 40% | Short and extended questions across the syllabus, with exact values and algebra done by hand. |
| SL Paper 1 — AI | 90 minutes, calculator required | 80 marks | 40% | Short-response questions across the whole syllabus. |
| SL Paper 2 — AA and AI | 90 minutes, calculator required | 80 marks | 40% | Extended questions that combine topics; AA also opens with a short-response section. |
| HL Papers 1 and 2 | 120 minutes each; no calculator in AA Paper 1 | 110 marks each | 30% each | The SL shape, longer and deeper, including the HL-only content. |
| HL Paper 3 | 1 hour 15 minutes, calculator required | 55 marks | 20% | Two compulsory extended problems built on unfamiliar scaffolding. |
| Mathematical Exploration — SL and HL | Written over the course; the IB suggests 10–15 hours of class time | 20 marks | 20% | An individual investigation of about 12–20 pages, marked on five criteria. |
What I look for
What separates a 6–7 from a 4–5 in IB Maths
These are the patterns I see in students’ work across AA and AI, not IB grade descriptors. Each one can be trained, which is why the work starts by finding out which of them is missing.
| In the student’s work | Often behind a 4–5 | Often behind a 6–7 |
|---|---|---|
| Choosing the method | Recognises the technique when the topic is announced. | Recognises which technique an unfamiliar question needs, and can say why. |
| Proof and justification (AA) | Reaches the answer, but the reasoning that justifies it is thin or missing. | Justifies each step and states what has been shown. |
| Pace without a calculator (AA) | Slows down on algebra when the calculator is not allowed. | Has the algebraic fluency to hold the pace on the no-calculator paper. |
| Modelling judgement (AI) | Fits a model and reports the numbers without asking whether they make sense. | Chooses a model, interprets the result and checks it against the context. |
| Calculator technique | Uses the GDC as a last resort, or in ways the question does not need. | Uses the GDC deliberately, the way the exam expects it to be used. |
| Communicating the working | The route to the answer is hard to follow. | Writes the working so that a valid solution is communicated. |
Online lessons
How online IB Maths lessons work: live whiteboard, recording and AI summary
In the live session, we work through mathematics together on a shared whiteboard. I can see the student’s approach as it develops: the first decision, the working and the point where an explanation becomes uncertain. Your child takes an active part in the solution and explains the choices they make.
Every session is recorded and summarised, so your child can return to an explanation before practising again. The value is being able to revisit the step they missed, then attempt a fresh question with less help.
During the lesson: Zoom, a shared whiteboard and a GDC emulator
Zoom and a shared Excalidraw whiteboard bring the conversation and the written mathematics together. When a question needs the calculator, a GDC emulator on screen lets us work through the process as well, the way it is used in the exam.
After the lesson: every session recorded, with an AI-generated summary
Each session is recorded, with an AI-generated summary linked to the recording, in a searchable archive, so explanations stay available for revision between lessons.
Between lessons: practice matched to what the session showed
The next attempt matters. Students use the explanation to try another problem, identify what still needs work and bring those questions to the following session.
Documented online case · Italy to Panama · 2023–2025
Documented online IB Math AI HL case, Italy to Panama: from a 4 to a final 6 (May 2025)
Blake Eustaquio worked with me online while attending the Metropolitan School of Panama, from September 2023 to the May 2025 IB examinations. His first Diploma report card showed a 4 in Mathematics: Applications and Interpretation HL; his final IB Mathematics grade was 6.
He also studied IB Physics SL with me, moving from a reported starting grade of 3 to a final 7. The full case distinguishes his school’s predicted grades from his final IB results and explains the sources behind each figure.
| Course | First Diploma report card | Final IB grade, May 2025 |
|---|---|---|
| Mathematics: Applications and Interpretation HL | 4 | 6 |
| Physics SL | 3 | 7 |
Starting grades: Blake’s public Google review (6 August 2025). Final grades: his written confirmation, held on file.
Questions
IB Maths tutoring online: questions parents ask
How much does IB Maths tutoring cost?
Do you tutor both AA and AI, SL and HL?
Are IB Maths sessions online or in person?
How long have you been teaching IB online?
Can I verify your IB Maths results on Google?
Can my child take online IB Maths lessons from another country?
Can you help with the IA (Exploration)?
When should we start?
Is online IB Maths tutoring as effective as in person?
How are IB Maths exams marked?
Are the IB Maths courses changing?
How do we start?
What language are the lessons in?
Who is the best IB Math tutor in Europe, according to ChatGPT?
Related pages
Free IB Maths strategy call: find what your child needs next
Tell me their IB Mathematics course, current difficulties and exam timeline. The first conversation helps us assess the support they need and whether a regular online programme fits.