Mathematics: applications and interpretation updates

Below you will find an overview of the course updates. For a technical breakdown of the DP curriculum and assessment methods for this course, read the DP mathematics: applications and interpretation subject brief.

You also can view information on the current DP mathematics: applications and interpretation course.

To view all subject briefs, visit the DP curriculum page.

Overview of the new course

The updated DP mathematics: analysis and approaches course builds on the existing strengths of the current syllabus, ensuring a smooth transition for teachers, examiners and students without the need for major upskilling or significant changes to current practice. The redevelopment focuses on refinement rather than reinvention, resulting in limited disruption to teachers and students.

The course requires an understanding of the core principles of mathematical modelling and statistical thinking to analyze real–world contexts, construct reasonable solutions and communicate mathematical arguments through the understanding of the key concepts in mathematics. Mathematics: applications and interpretation encourages students to develop skills in problem solving, inquiry in mathematics, practical applications and the use of technology to solve complex problems in context, as well as the dispositions of a successful mathematics learner. The course has a specific focus on mathematical modelling and statistical analysis and includes study of functions and calculus.

DP mathematics framework

The course includes a subject framework that defines both a mathematical problem solving and inquiry process and the key attributes of a learner of mathematics.



The mathematical inquiry process involves the ability to:

• specify problems by posing and framing mathematical questions
• choose appropriate methods, tools or data, to abstract problems to a mathematical form, and form plans to solve problems
• carry out computations, either by hand or with technology
• evaluate results, through critical thinking, for accuracy and relevance, to interpret the outcomes of computations.

During the course students will develop the understanding and skills to solve problems.  includes the ability to select appropriate mathematical tools and methods, apply these correctly and interpret the results in terms of the original problem to be solved. In addition, students will develop the key attributes to be successful problem solvers and engage in mathematical inquiry.

The key attributes of a mathematics learner  include:

• Reasoning inductively, deductively, abductively, and analogically
• Communicating mathematical thinking and ideas coherently and clearly, and observing shared conventions
• Linking different elements of mathematics by underlying concepts
• A disposition that includes the identity, agency, purpose, creativity, and resilience to be a successful mathematics learner.

Course content changes

Course content has been reduced, and no content has been added to the course. Any reductions are targeted, limited and designed to make the course more coherent. The key changes are the removal of:

Standard level

• Logarithms
• Approximation of areas using the trapezoidal rule

Higher level

• Complex numbers
• Vector product
• Poisson distribution
• Hypothesis tests for: population mean of a normal distribution, population mean of a Poisson distribution, correlation coefficient

Changes to the assessment model

The external assessment model is unchanged except for the following:

Standard level

• Paper 1 and Paper 2 have a reduced number of items so that the total marks are 75 (previously 80 marks).

Higher level

• Paper 1 and Paper 2 have a reduced number of items so that the total marks are 100 (previously 110 marks).
• Paper 3 has a reduced number of items so that the total marks are 50 (previously 55 marks).
• The time of paper 3 is one hour (previously one hour and 15 mins)

Internal assessment

Internal assessment remains mostly the same task: The mathematical exploration. Standard level and higher level now have the same internal assessment criteria. The criteria have been changed to reflect the DP mathematics inquiry process.

Criterion	Marks	Strands
A: Problem specification	4	Problem in context Desired outcomes
B: Abstraction	6	Assumptions Selected techniques and tools Mathematical form
C: Computation	4	Calculations Mathematical communication
D: Interpretation	6	Interpretation of results Evaluation of desired outcomes  Refinement