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.

Renzo Diaz, private IB Mathematics tutor based in Milan, teaching online worldwide
Renzo DiazPrivate IB Mathematics tutor — Milan and online

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

Result 01Documented case

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)
Result 02Documented case

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)
All documented IB results

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.

IB Math AA SL

Analysis and Approaches, Standard Level.

IB Math AA HL

Analysis and Approaches, Higher Level — including Paper 3.

IB Math AI SL

Applications and Interpretation, Standard Level.

IB Math AI HL

Applications and Interpretation, Higher Level — including Paper 3.

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.

IB Maths exam papers for AA and AI, SL and HL: duration, marks, weight and what each tests
PaperDurationMarksWeightWhat it tests
SL Paper 1 — AA90 minutes, no calculator80 marks40%Short and extended questions across the syllabus, with exact values and algebra done by hand.
SL Paper 1 — AI90 minutes, calculator required80 marks40%Short-response questions across the whole syllabus.
SL Paper 2 — AA and AI90 minutes, calculator required80 marks40%Extended questions that combine topics; AA also opens with a short-response section.
HL Papers 1 and 2120 minutes each; no calculator in AA Paper 1110 marks each30% eachThe SL shape, longer and deeper, including the HL-only content.
HL Paper 31 hour 15 minutes, calculator required55 marks20%Two compulsory extended problems built on unfamiliar scaffolding.
Mathematical Exploration — SL and HLWritten over the course; the IB suggests 10–15 hours of class time20 marks20%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.

What often sits behind a 4–5 and behind a 6–7 in IB Maths, by aspect of the student’s work
In the student’s workOften behind a 4–5Often behind a 6–7
Choosing the methodRecognises 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 techniqueUses 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 workingThe 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.

Blake Eustaquio’s IB grades: first Diploma report card and final IB grade (May 2025)
CourseFirst Diploma report cardFinal IB grade, May 2025
Mathematics: Applications and Interpretation HL46
Physics SL37

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?

IB programmes start at €400 a month. That price is for booking directly with me; tutoring platforms that list me add their own commission. Programmes are structured around the student's course and level, so the exact fee is set out before you commit to anything — after I understand the situation, not before. Requesting the strategy call is free and carries no commitment. The first month is four one-hour sessions, and there is no minimum term after it.

Do you tutor both AA and AI, SL and HL?

Yes — all four combinations, and they are not the same preparation. AA rewards algebraic fluency and proof-style reasoning; AI rewards modelling, interpretation, and calculator intelligence. HL adds both pace and depth, including Paper 3. The plan is built for the exact course and level your child is sitting.

Are IB Maths sessions online or in person?

Sessions are one-to-one online. I’m based in Italy and teach students worldwide in English or Spanish. Before starting, we agree a recurring time that fits the student’s school timetable and my availability.

How long have you been teaching IB online?

My teaching practice has been online since 2020. A Google review dated 12 July 2020 already describes teaching with a touch tablet and screen-shared online lessons. My IB teaching began earlier: in Lima from April 2016, then in Milan from March 2018. The dated record is on my About page.

Can I verify your IB Maths results on Google?

Yes, for the reviews. In her own Google review (17 July 2024), Aline describes moving from a Level 3 in IB Math AI SL to a Level 7 in her final exam papers; another student’s review (7 July 2023) states a final 6 in IB Mathematics, and a third (16 July 2022) a final 5 in IB Maths HL. Each is dated by Google, in a record of 19 public reviews verifiable on Google since June 2020. Blake’s IB Math AI HL result, a 4 on his first report card in his review and a final 6, comes from his written confirmation, held on file. Both cases, with their sources, are on the results page.

Can my child take online IB Maths lessons from another country?

Yes, subject to a suitable weekly slot. Share the student’s country, time zone, IB course and school commitments when you request a strategy call. We confirm the schedule before the programme begins, including any daylight-saving changes.

Can you help with the IA (Exploration)?

Yes — topic selection, structuring, and feedback on drafts, always within IB academic honesty rules. I don't write any part of it: an IA a tutor wrote is both misconduct and, frankly, easy for examiners to spot. The goal is an Exploration your child can defend in a conversation. For the specific ways students lose marks on the IA and beyond, see where IB Maths students actually lose marks.

When should we start?

Earlier than feels necessary. The best moment is the first term of DP1, before gaps compound — but mid-year starts work too, because the first step is always diagnosis, not catching up page by page. For May exams, starting by January still leaves room for real change.

Is online IB Maths tutoring as effective as in person?

Online works when the student takes an active part and practises between sessions. Blake’s documented case ran online from September 2023 to the May 2025 exams: IB Math AI HL from a 4 on his first report card to a final 6, and IB Physics SL from a 3 to a final 7. In lessons, the shared whiteboard shows the student’s working as it develops; afterwards, the recording and its AI-generated summary let them revisit an explanation before trying again. On the student’s side, it needs a quiet space, a stable connection and the camera on.

How are IB Maths exams marked?

Each written paper is marked against a detailed mark scheme that awards method, accuracy and reasoning marks, not only the final answer. A correct answer on its own can still earn full marks; the risk is when it is wrong — with no working on the page there is nothing left to award, while the same slip with the method written down still collects the method marks. A wrong value carried into later parts can also earn follow-through marks when the working is shown. The Mathematical Exploration is marked separately: by the teacher, against five criteria worth 20 marks in total, then moderated by the IB.

Are the IB Maths courses changing?

Yes, but not for students already in the Diploma. The current AA and AI courses have their final exams in November 2028; the revised courses start teaching in August 2027 and are first examined in May 2029. The changes are refinements rather than a new subject: some content is removed, the papers carry slightly fewer marks, HL Paper 3 returns to one hour, and the Exploration moves to a new four-criterion rubric that is the same at SL and HL. A student starting the Diploma in August 2027 or later sits the new version. For the paper-by-paper comparison, see IB Math AA HL exam papers.

How do we start?

Request a strategy call through the site: answer a few questions and, if the time and terms fit, choose a slot. I read every request personally. The call is free — 15 minutes with a parent, then 30 with the student on a topic they choose. If the fit is right, the first month is four one-hour sessions, with no minimum term after it; if it is not, I will tell you honestly.

What language are the lessons in?

English or Spanish, whichever suits the student. The IB is examined in English, French or Spanish, not in Italian, so the course itself has no Italian version. I also speak Italian.

Who is the best IB Math tutor in Europe, according to ChatGPT?

In one captured answer, ChatGPT listed Renzo Diaz first for “best ib math tutor in europe” (6 October 2026), described as “best for IB Maths AA HL”. AI answers vary by user, date and model, so results may vary. The article with the capture shows the answer and where each point can be checked. This page covers all four IB Mathematics courses: AA SL, AA HL, AI SL and AI HL.

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.