The Math Studies Project
for Internal Assessment
A good project should be able to be
followed by a non-mathematician and be
self explanatory all the way through.
Length
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The project does not have a word limit. It is the
quality of the mathematics and the processes
used and described that is important, rather
than the number of words written. However, the
student is expected to put in the required time
allocated for the project. A simple project does
not receive many marks.
Commitment
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The project is a substantial piece of work (25
hours class time plus many more hours outside
the class)
The project should demonstrate a commitment
of time and effort by the student
Choice of Topic
The choice of topic must give students
sufficient scope to demonstrate their
mathematical ability.
Statistical
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Chi-Squared test for Independence
Correlation/Linear regression
Normal distribution
Student ‘t’ test
Spearman’s rank order correlation
Choice of Topic
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Algebraic Modelling
Quadratic
 Exponential
 Trigonometric
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Calculus
i.
Optimization Problems
ii.
Modelling
Choice of Topic
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Number and algebra
i
Sequences and series
ii
Linear programming
Sets, Logic and Probability
i
Venn diagrams
ii
Probabilities
Financial Mathematics
Title page
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The Project must have a clear title
Candidate’s name
Candidate’s number
Date
Subject
Teacher’s Name
Table of contents
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Page numberring where each part of the project
can be found
A: Introduction
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Task:
What is the aim of the project?
The task must be clearly stated and any relevant
background information given.
Plan:
What must be done to achieve this aim?
Include as much detail as is necessary to be clear
Include a description of the method of data collection,
including any sampling techniques
State what techniques are to be used at each stage and
the reason why these techniques are being used
Remember to do exactly what you state in your plan
B: Information / Measurement
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The information/measurements collected may come from a survey, internet,
calculation, etc
All sampling processes should be completely described
The information/measurements must be sufficient in quantity
When the information/measurements is to be split, as in the chi squared test,
more than 50 pieces of data is necessary to avoid small expected values,
rendering the test invalid.
The information/measurements must be relevant
The information/measurements must be organised
The information/measurements should be reorganised each time, to suit
calculations being done eg. Male, female categories
If a questionnaire is used then include this in the project
A questionnaire should be designed to collect multidimensional mathematical
data. This will ensure the quality of the data.
Raw data must be included to determine the accuracy of calculations. If the
raw data is not included then the moderator cannot check the accuracy of the
mathematical processes used.
C: Mathematical Processes
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Include at least two relevant simple math processes. If
there are no simple processes then the first further
process will be counted as simple. If there is only one
simple process then the next further process will be
counted as the second simple one.
Calculations performed only using technology are
counted as simple.
It is important that the simple processes are relevant
otherwise no more than 2 marks can be awarded for
this criterion.
C: Mathematical Processes
• What is the mathematical process used? Give an
explanation of mathematical process used.
• Why is this particular process useful?
• What is the relevance/validity of the mathematical
process?
• Always state formulae used and do one calculation
by hand. The GDC can be used to perform further
similar calculations.
• Always check the accuracy of your results
• Interpret your results/draw conclusions from the
results of the calculations
C: Mathematical Processes
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Apply relevant further processes as thoroughly as for simple
process.
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For Chi-squared tests to be valid:
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Make sure that you always perform the calculation once by hand before
using technology.
Interpret the results/draw conclusions from the results of the calculations
Comment on the validity of the results
Check the accuracy of the results
Frequencies must be used, not raw data or percentages
All of the expected cells should have a number more than 5
If the degree of freedom is 1 then Yates continuity correction must be
applied.
For Linear correlation
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There is no point in finding the correlation coefficient or regression line if
the scatter graph shows that there is no correlation
D: Interpretation of results
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Always give a thorough and detailed analysis and
discussion of results
All the interpretations and/or conclusions must
be consistent with the processes used.
If the project is very simple then full marks
cannot be awarded for this criterion.
E: Validity
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Validity of mathematical processes used
Validity of results obtained from these processes
Recognise any limitations that might apply
Make a realistic suggestion for improvement
If the candidate feels that validity is not an issue
then this needs to be fully justified.
F: Structure and Communication
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The project should include discussion in the
body of the work
The project should be presented correctly and in
a systematic manner.
The project must reflect an appropriate
commitment in order to receive more than 1
mark for this criterion.
All sources should be acknowledged
Include website addresses in bibliography
Include raw data in body of document or in
appendix
E: Notation and Terminology
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Make sure that all variables are defined
Make sure that all the mathematical notation is
correct
Make sure that all the terminology is correct
A simple project with little or no notation and
terninology cannot receive more than 1 mark for
this criterion.
Conclusion
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Did the data and calculations support your task?
Have you done everything that you said you
would in your plan?
Discuss any limitations and its applicability
within the project.
Mention any scope for improvement /extension
of your project
Bibliography
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State websites
Footnotes as necessary
Other sources of information such as books,
magazines, etc.
Appendices
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Raw data collected can be placed here