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American School of Milan: IB Maths and Physics, and How Placement Works
3 min readBy Renzo DiazLast reviewed October 7, 2026
The American School of Milan, in Noverasco di Opera just south of Milan, has been an IB World School since June 1983, and every student in Grades 11 and 12 studies IB courses, in English. It offers both IB Mathematics courses, Analysis and Approaches (AA) and Applications and Interpretation (AI), at Standard and Higher Level, and Physics at both levels. A place in Higher Level Mathematics depends on a placement test every Grade 10 student sits once, in the spring; placement in IB Physics follows the Grade 10 Physics grade.
This page gathers what the American School of Milan (ASM) publishes about its IB Diploma, with Mathematics and Physics in focus: the courses it offers, how students are placed in them, and the results it reports. Every fact comes from the school's Grades 11–12 Programs of Study for 2025–2026, its own pages and the IB's directory of schools, read on 7 October 2026. The page is independent: the school has not reviewed or endorsed it.
I teach IB Mathematics and Physics online from Milan, and American School students are among those I have taught.
At ASM the Higher Level Maths decision is a test, taken once in the spring of Grade 10; the preparation is the two years before it.
Key takeaways
- IB school since 1983: authorised by the IB on 1 June 1983, taught in English, examined in May.
- Both Maths courses at both levels: AA and AI at SL and HL, and Physics at SL and HL.
- HL Maths needs the spring placement test: sat once in Grade 10, with Accelerated Math and at least a B average recommended.
- Physics placement from the Grade 10 grade: a 6 or 7 recommends HL, a 4 or 5 SL; otherwise an August test.
- A 97% Diploma pass rate for the Class of 2025, as the school reports it.
The IB Diploma at the American School of Milan
In Grades 11 and 12 every ASM student studies IB courses. A full Diploma candidate takes six subjects, three at Higher Level and three at Standard Level, with the core: Theory of Knowledge, the Extended Essay and Creativity, Activity, Service. A student who does not take the full Diploma studies five IB subjects without the core and may sit IB exams for course certificates. Course choices are made with the IB coordinator and a university counsellor between January and mid-April of Grade 10, and in Grade 12 the only school exams IB students sit are the March mocks.
The Diploma at a glance
- Language
- English
- As listed in the IB's directory.
- Subjects
- 3 HL + 3 SL
- Plus the core, for the full Diploma.
- Exams
- May
- The May session, in the IB's directory.
Mathematics in the Diploma, and how HL placement works
ASM offers Mathematics: Analysis and Approaches and Mathematics: Applications and Interpretation, each at SL and HL. Its course descriptions draw the line between them in plain terms: AA asks for comfort with algebraic manipulation, and at HL strong algebraic skills and the ability to follow simple proofs; AI suits students who enjoy using mathematics in real-world contexts.
Higher Level is decided by placement rather than by request. The school highly recommends its Accelerated Math courses for any student planning HL, with at least a B average in Grade 10 Accelerated Math. In the spring, every Grade 10 student sits an IB placement test, once only, and a student below the minimum score is not permitted into the HL courses. Students who join ASM from another school are placed on their MAP scores, previous courses and teachers' recommendations, and take an IB placement exam that decides between SL and HL.
| Student | What decides HL placement |
|---|---|
| Current ASM student | The IB placement test in the spring of Grade 10, taken once; Accelerated Math with at least a B average is recommended |
| Student joining ASM | MAP scores, previous Mathematics courses and teacher recommendations, plus an IB placement exam that decides SL or HL |
Source: the school's Grades 11–12 Programs of Study, 2025–2026, read 7 October 2026. The minimum score on the test is not published. The choice matters for university: several engineering, physics and computer science degrees ask for AA at Higher Level, while others accept either course. The degree-by-degree picture is in IB Math AA or AI: what universities require, and the choice itself in how to choose between AA and AI.
Physics in the Diploma, and how placement works
Physics is offered at SL and HL. The school strongly recommends its Grade 10 Physics course to anyone planning IB Physics, because it covers the background the Diploma course assumes, and it recommends a level from the Grade 10 Physics final grade for the second semester.
| Grade 10 Physics, semester 2 | Recommendation |
|---|---|
| 6 or 7 | IB Physics at Higher Level |
| 4 or 5 | IB Physics at Standard Level |
| 1 to 3 | IB Physics not recommended |
| Below the minimum, or no Grade 10 Physics | An August placement test before Grade 11 |
Source: the school's Grades 11–12 Programs of Study, 2025–2026, read 7 October 2026. Every new student joining in Grade 11 who wants IB Physics takes the August test. Since the May 2025 session, every IB Physics candidate sits the new course, organised in five themes, with a new data booklet. How its papers are weighted is in IB Physics 2025 exams: marks by theme, and the difference between the two levels in IB Physics HL vs SL.
Before the Diploma: Grades 9 and 10 at ASM
Grades 9 and 10 at ASM follow the school's own programme, designed to prepare students for the IB Diploma, rather than IGCSE or the IB Middle Years Programme. For Mathematics and Physics, its own advice points to two courses in those years: Accelerated Math for students aiming at Higher Level Mathematics, and Grade 10 Physics for anyone planning IB Physics. For a student who arrives from IGCSE, the topic-by-topic comparison with the IB is in From IGCSE to the IB Diploma.
The results the school reports
ASM reports a 97% pass rate in the IB Diploma for the Class of 2025, and gives 80% as the worldwide figure beside it. The figures are the school's own, from its high school page, read 7 October 2026.
Lessons for American School students
Lessons are one-to-one, online, 60 or 90 minutes, once or twice a week, and follow the student's own schoolwork: the Grade 10 courses and the spring placement test, the internal assessments, the March mocks and the May exams. Every lesson is recorded, with an AI-generated summary and a searchable archive. Sessions run online; in Milan, in-person sessions can be arranged on application. Lessons are in English or Spanish, and the first step is a free strategy call. More on the IB Maths tutor in Milan and IB Physics tutor in Milan pages.
Terms used in this article
- AA
- Mathematics: Analysis and Approaches, the IB Mathematics course built around algebra, functions, calculus and proof.
- AI
- Mathematics: Applications and Interpretation, the IB Mathematics course built around modelling, statistics and technology.
- HL and SL
- Higher Level and Standard Level: each Diploma student takes three subjects at each.
- IB course certificate
- The certificate a student receives for an IB subject examined outside the full Diploma.
- MAP
- Measures of Academic Progress, a standardised test whose scores ASM uses, with other evidence, to place students who join the school.
Questions about IB Maths and Physics at the American School of Milan
Does the American School of Milan offer IB Maths AA HL?
Yes. ASM offers Analysis and Approaches and Applications and Interpretation, each at Standard and Higher Level.
How do students get into IB Maths HL at the American School of Milan?
Through the IB placement test every Grade 10 student sits once, in the spring. The school recommends Accelerated Math with at least a B average; students below the minimum score are not permitted into HL.
What grade do you need for IB Physics HL at the American School of Milan?
A 6 or 7 in Grade 10 Physics in the second semester, for which the school recommends HL; a 4 or 5 points to SL, and other students take an August placement test.
Does the American School of Milan teach IGCSE?
No. Grades 9 and 10 follow the school's own programme, designed to prepare students for the IB Diploma in Grades 11 and 12.
Can ASM students take IB courses without the full Diploma?
Yes. They study five IB subjects without the core, and may sit IB exams for course certificates.
Do you teach American School of Milan students?
Yes, IB Mathematics and Physics, one-to-one. Lessons run online, with in-person sessions in Milan on application, in English or Spanish.
Written by
Teaching IB since 2016. Seven years of IB reviews you can check on Google — and named results with the documents behind them.
Last reviewed October 7, 2026
Sources
The school's IB authorisation, language and exam session come from the IB's directory of IB World Schools; the courses, placement rules and Diploma options from the school's Grades 11–12 Programs of Study for 2025–2026; the pass rate from its high school page; all read on 7 October 2026. This page is independent of the American School of Milan, which has not reviewed or endorsed it.