Question writers wanted

Updated Spring 2022

We are seeking IB Mathematics teachers to write exam style questions for the mathematics Applications HL course at both SL and HL. We would like enthusiastic teachers who are interested in contributing to the website alongside their teaching commitments either as an ongoing task or during a fixed period. See details below.


As our site evolves, we want to let you know about updates to how you can get involved with writing questions for us. Writing questions is an excellent bit of professional development in lots of ways. Firstly, there is nothing quite like writing questions for understanding the topics well and understanding what students have to know in order to answer them. It is also an excellent addition to your CV. Our question writers will be acknowledged here on the site and your work can be referenced accordingly. 

We are currently working with writers to add questions to the site directly via our editor interface and are looking to build a large bank of practice questions for teachers and students to compliment the extensive selection we already offer on the topic pages. 

Fees 

Lets cut to the chase - for these tasks we are offering a 'per mark' fee for questions written. Writers will be assigned a certain topic to work with and be expected to produce a variety of short and long response questions. We understand that the longer the question the longer it will likely take to write. We also know, from experience that writing HL questions takes longer than writing SL questions. For these reasons the fees we are offering are..

  • HL  - Euros 2.50 per mark
  • SL - Euros 1.75 per mark

To put this in perspective, writing questions and solutions for 150 marks worth of questions would amount to 375 euros at HL and 260 for SL. You should factor in the idea that for each 'type' of question you write, you might have 2 or 3 more questions that are the same type but with different numbers/details/contexts. As such, thinking up a 'type' of question worth 6 marks, for example, would then quickly give rise to 2 more and, as such, 18 marks.

What do we mean by a question?

It is important to be clear about this, so please read carefully. By now we expect that our writers will have paid attention to Specimen papers and the May/November 2021 Applications exam papers. We would also expect that you are familiar with the various other sources in textbooks and websites (including our own) so that you have a good idea of what a Maths Applications exam question looks like. A key development has been the consistent use of a real application and the corresponding rarity of ‘pure only’ questions. As such, we are looking for the same thing in our questions. Here is the checklist for what an original exam question will include

  • A real context for the question 
  • Sub parts to the question that include references to how many marks the part is worth
  • Original diagrams and tables as required
  • Correct and consistent use of mathematical notation
  • A WORKED SOLUTION that a student would be able to use to check their answer and understand how the question could be approached
  • On the completion of each question you are asked to add a row to a database keeping track of the questions

Topics and sets

Obviously we will agree in discussion which topics and sets of questions you will work on. One important observation here is that we would be encouraging you to write 3 or 4 of a different ‘type’ of question. As such, the creation of the original question might take longer than the 2 or 3 that then follow it (as mentioned above). We think this will make it efficient for you and certainly increase your work (and pay) rate. In addition we would ask you to consider the following

For a given sub topic of the Applications and Interpretations course we are seeking questions that…

  • Test a range of the skills in that subtopic
  • Offer range in difficulty corresponding to target IB grades.
  • Offer a range of short response and long response.

When will you write

We know from experience that teachers are often looking for ways to supplement their incomes and develop professionally, but we also know that the demands of teaching mean that people choose to do this in different ways and at different times. As such we are interested to hear from potential writers who will complete tasks in one of the two ways below.

Ongoing

Start as soon as you are ready and work as and when you can and it suits you best. In conversation, we will encourage you to set and meet realistic targets that are mutually beneficial over a given period of time. You might, for example, set a target of writing 100 marks worth of questions in a month long period or, 500 marks in 3 months. These are examples.

Fixed period

We know that spare time is hard to come by during the teaching week but we also know from experience that we are grateful for the chance to earn some extra money during our holidays. We also know that there is lots to be said for committing to a time period and being part of something more organised. For this reason, we suggest identifying a time period and target that suits you and then suggesting it to us. You are still paid per mark, but the expectation is that you would work towards a target such as 100 marks worth of questions in a day and, as such, 500 marks worth in a week. These are intense weeks, but the sustained focus can help productivity. 

    Format & Training

    Writers will write questions directly on our editor interface. This is very easy to use and will only involve a small amount of training which can be done online. In addition we ask that you

    • Stick rigorously to accurate mathematical notation
    • Use IB conventions for notation and terminology
    • Use accurate high quality tools for making associated diagrams
    • Think carefully about the global aesthetic of your work so that it is clear, tidy and ready to be published
    • Carefully proofread and double check your work for errors.

    Copyright & Payment

    • Copyright will belong to the authors of the Applications and Interpretations site, Oliver Bowles, Jim Noble and Cornelia Noble.
    • Acknowledgement will be given to the question authors publicly on the site so that authors can add this to their professional portfolio.
    • Payment for questions is made directly by InThinking, twice a year. Once in June and once again in December

    How do I apply?

    If you’d like to have a go at this then we would love to hear from you! Please follow the instructions below.

    Please send an e-mail to allthenobles@gmail.com and bowlesoliver@gmail.com to express your interest. Please include the following,

    • A brief introduction and where you are currently based/working
    • A brief summary of your professional experience with IB Mathematics
    • Areas of interest in the applications syllabus that you would like to write questions about.
    • Your preference for HL or SL questions
    • An indication as to whether or not you would choose to be an ongoing writer or would like to target a week in the date range given)

    Following this e-mail, we will ask for a sample of 5 original questions and worked solutions that you have written. (Clearly if you go on to write for us then you can use these questions). 

    If, for some reason, we don’t want to include your questions, then we will get back to you to let you know and return your questions. Assuming we do want to include your questions, we will agree between us a number of subtopics for you to work on and an associated time frame.

    We hope to hear from you and encourage you to apply and try this. It is hugely satisfying to know that your work reaches a bigger audience and helps students and teachers all over the world! We also think that we are offering the kind of fee for this work that will make it worth your time.

    Thanks,

    Jim Noble



     
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