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Best IP Math Assessment Books and Resources: What to Use and When

By The Math Guy · 27 October 2026 · ← All articles

Your child has school worksheets, a textbook and perhaps a few assessment books, yet still gets stuck on homework. Should you buy something harder? Find more IP questions? Or go back to the basics?

The best IP Math resources do different jobs. A textbook can build fluency, an assessment book can provide targeted practice, and school assignments show what the student needs to work towards. The useful question is not simply which book is best? It is which resource supplies the next step this student needs?

For families looking for recommended assessment books for the Integrated Programme (IP), here are four resource groups we would consider for Secondary 1-4 Mathematics, and how to get more out of each.

Recommended Math resources for Integrated Programme students

This is a practical shortlist, not a ranking based on sales or examination results. No single series can be assumed to match every IP school's sequence, and book features vary by edition.

1. Shing Lee textbooks: a strong foundation, even for IP students

Do not dismiss a textbook because it is not labelled specifically for IP. Shing Lee's Mathematics textbooks are useful sources of routine and progressively more demanding practice. In the New Syllabus Mathematics editions we use in teaching, questions are grouped into Basic, Intermediate and Advanced levels. Check a sample of the particular edition rather than assuming every Shing Lee title has the same structure.

That progression matters. A student who cannot yet manipulate an algebraic expression reliably needs practice doing that before being asked to recognise the same algebra inside an unfamiliar problem. Starting with accessible questions is not avoiding IP work; it can be the preparation that makes IP work possible.

The awkward part is finding the right chapter. IP schools may organise and combine topics differently from the textbook sequence. A Secondary 1 student might encounter material found in Secondary 2 or 3 books, depending on the school and topic. A book labelled with the student's current year may therefore cover only part of what is needed.

This can leave families consulting several volumes, working out which chapters match the next test and which questions are suitable. Before buying a whole set, compare the school's topic list with the contents pages. Borrowing or buying individual relevant volumes may be enough.

In our teaching experience, textbook-style questions also remain useful alongside school worksheets. A familiar exercise does not become less valuable because it is less intimidating than the assignment waiting to be completed. The publisher provides student resources organised by series, book and chapter; use the correct edition when following these references.

2. Mentor Mathematics and Mathematics Achiever: structured practice with worked solutions

Mentor Mathematics is another useful option when a student needs practice organised by topic and difficulty. The publisher's catalogue describes graded topical exercises, revision notes, examples, checklists and step-by-step solutions. Check the current edition's contents before purchasing, particularly when choosing between Mathematics and Additional Mathematics volumes.

Mathematics Achiever is a good alternative to Mentor. In our experience, its progression in difficulty and worked solutions make it useful for building towards more demanding questions. The publisher's Secondary 3A listing describes revision notes, guided examples, questions at varied difficulty levels, real-world problems and step-by-step solutions with mark schemes. The listing gives separate question and answer ISBNs, so confirm what your purchase includes.

You do not necessarily need both series. Compare a chapter on the topic your child is studying: which explanations make sense to them, and which exercises offer a manageable next step? Either can provide the graduated practice that helps bridge the gap to school assignments.

The solutions are a significant advantage for independent revision. A final answer tells a student that something went wrong; worked steps provide something to compare with their own reasoning. Was the mistake in the first equation, the manipulation or the interpretation of the answer?

Use those solutions to support another attempt, not replace one. After checking the relevant step, close the solution and redo the question. Then try a similar question without referring back. If the student can only follow the method while looking at it, the practice is not finished yet.

As with a textbook, select chapters around what school is actually covering. Completing the book from front to back is not automatically the most useful way to revise for the next assessment.

3. Wong-Ng Siew Hiong's IP Mathematics: a more explicitly IP-focused resource

For families looking specifically for IP Mathematics assessment books, Wong-Ng Siew Hiong's IP Mathematics series is worth considering. Its Book 1 description outlines concept recaps, worked examples and three levels of practice, progressing towards higher-order questions. Extension activities provide further opportunities to explore mathematical ideas.

This makes it an option for students who want IP-oriented practice beyond routine exercises. It is not a reason to skip the earlier levels: use them to check whether the underlying techniques are secure before moving to the more demanding questions.

The series lists step-by-step solutions, and separate answers booklets are also sold. Check what comes with the copy you are buying. The linked Book 1 listing dates from 2013, so compare its coverage with the student's current school materials rather than treating an IP label as proof of an exact syllabus match.

4. School worksheets: often the most relevant destination

Before searching for another collection of IP Math practice questions, look carefully at the material the student already receives. School worksheets and revision packages can be excellent resources, drawing on teaching experience and successive rounds of refinement.

In our experience, school revision packages often include questions from other schools as well. Students benefit from more than one department's selection: they gain access to a collection shaped by generations of teachers across different schools, each selecting, adapting and refining worthwhile questions. That accumulated curation is a real strength of school materials.

If a student can complete these packages independently and without much difficulty, they are probably already in a very good place for the work covered. The quality and variety of a well-curated school package can be hard to beat. Before buying more assessment books, it is worth making full use of what school has provided.

For students who struggle, what is often needed is not a better question bank, but a more gradual ramp in difficulty. Presented too quickly, a package can feel like 50 different, difficult problems, each demanding a new trick. Smaller steps give students a chance to recognise a familiar idea before it appears in a more complicated form.

The aim is that aha moment: what looked like unrelated questions begins to reveal a shared structure. Students start to see how questions within the same topic connect, which features matter and when a familiar method can be adapted. Keep the school package as the destination; use additional practice to help students see those connections and reach it with greater confidence.

How to build a gradual ramp towards school questions

Suppose a student is stuck on an algebra problem in a geometry assignment. Instead of immediately adding another challenging geometry question, check the smaller steps involved.

1. Practise the underlying skill. Can the student solve the equation when it is given directly?
2. Introduce a small variation. Can they handle brackets, fractions or a change in the subject without losing accuracy?
3. Reconnect the skill to the context. Can they turn a stated angle relationship into an equation?
4. Return to the school question. Can they now identify the relationship, form the equation and carry the solution through?
5. Check transfer. Can they solve a related problem with a different diagram or arrangement?

These are different kinds of practice, not a fixed five-question recipe. Sometimes one short exercise closes the gap; sometimes an earlier concept needs attention. The student's working tells you where to start.

This is where the resources complement each other: textbook exercises, Mentor or Mathematics Achiever can supply the missing steps, while IP-focused questions and school assignments test whether the student can bring those steps together.

ChatGPT and Gemini: useful companions to books and worked solutions

The pace of progress in AI can feel almost frightening, but the possibilities for learning are exciting too. Tools such as ChatGPT and Gemini give students another place to turn when they are stuck, without having to wait until the next lesson to ask a question.

A printed solution cannot respond when a student asks, Why is that step allowed? With AI, students can ask for another explanation, explore a different approach or request a hint without revealing the whole answer. That back-and-forth can make independent revision more approachable, particularly when a short answer key leaves too much unsaid.

It is still worth checking the mathematics: AI can make mistakes, miss a condition or suggest an unfamiliar method. Compare doubtful steps with the worked solution or ask a teacher when they disagree. Avoid sharing identifiable student work or entire copyrighted worksheets.

Used thoughtfully, AI and good books complement each other. The book supplies a structured sequence of practice; AI offers an interactive way to explore the explanation. Then close the explanation and try again independently. The goal is to turn that readily available help into understanding the student can use on the next question.

Which resource should you start with?

If you are searching for the best assessment books for Integrated Programme students, start by identifying the job the book needs to do: rebuild foundations, provide worked solutions for independent study or extend an already confident student. Our recommendations above serve different needs; the most demanding book is not automatically the best fit.

• If routine questions are still difficult: begin with accessible textbook practice on the exact topic.
• If the student needs structured independent revision: look for graded topical exercises with worked solutions, such as the relevant Mentor or Mathematics Achiever volume.
• If foundations are secure and more demanding practice is needed: explore the matching topics in an IP-focused book and school materials.
• If school homework remains out of reach: identify the missing steps before buying a harder collection.

You do not need to buy every resource listed here. Start with the student's current topic, inspect a few sample questions and solutions, and choose something they can use consistently. A suitable book used carefully is more helpful than a shelf of unfinished recommendations.

When a tutor can help connect the resources

A good tutor should be able to do more than supply another worksheet. They should examine the student's attempts, identify the gap and select a gradual sequence that helps the student tackle school tutorials and assignments with increasing independence.

At The Math Guy, our IP Mathematics support is organised around the student's school and year. The aim is to connect practice with what the student is learning in school, while looking closely at the working that shows where help is needed. For questions to ask when comparing support, read our guide to choosing IP Math tuition.

The goal is not to finish the hardest book available. It is to reach the point where school questions become something the student can genuinely work through, learn from and eventually handle independently.