Mathematics Special Interest Group

Our Mission

The purpose of the Mathematics special interest group is to transform practice through professional learning opportunities that feature leading practice and are evidence-led; a further goal is, where appropriate, to create research and/or research opportunities around particular problems of practice.

Meet the committee

Will Kirkwood

Chairperson

Rebecca Murry

Committee Member

Özge Gültekin

Committee Member

Aysegul Yildirim

Committee Member

James Ballard

Committee Member

Emily Sliman

Committee Member

What an event! Maths Quest 2025, International School of Geneva

Congratulations to Kaan from Eyuboglu Schools: Burçak Ataşehir Campus who took the medal for 1st place in the individual awards, and to Leena and Ejun from British School Muscat and Stockholm International School who were joint at 2nd place.
Well done to the British School Muscat who have taken home the trophy and to Eyuboglu Egitim Kurumlari: Burçak Ataşehir Campus in 2nd place and to the The American School of Barcelona in 3rd place.

In the closing ceremony, a special shout-out was given to the following:
– ECIS Mathematics Special Interest Group – Will Kirkwood, Aysegul Yildirim, Emily Sliman, Özge Gültekin, Rebecca Murry, M.S. Ed. STEM Certified, James Ballard and James for the many hours they have spent on preparing the questions.
– A particular shout out to Will for coordinating all the marking this weekend and for being such a leading inspiration behind the Math Quest.
– All the coaches, those here and those back at school, for so much personal time that has been given so that these students can have this incredible experience.
– Claire Lee, for her wonderful skills as master of ceremonies and for keeping everything running so smoothly all weekend.

A note of thanks goes to Marie Deckers in addition to Claire and Aneta, International School of Geneva La Châtaigneraie team coach, who have worked behind the scenes for months to make sure everything was in place for this weekend.

Congratulations to all involved in this year’s ECISMathsQuest2025, from the talented students and dedicated coaches to the tireless organisers and volunteers. Your collective efforts, enthusiasm, and teamwork have made this event truly exceptional. Special thanks to this year’s host International School of Geneva.
If you would like to learn more about the winners, the event itself, and our Special Interest Group, please click here to view the Powerpoint.

GREAT NEWS FOR 2026!

We are excited and delighted to announce that #ECISMathsQuest2026 will take place at the wonderful St George’s International School, Luxembourg from 08 to 10 May 2026!
If you would like to register interest, please visit this link and complete the short form:
REGISTER INTEREST HERE

Learn more below about the structure of Maths Quest:

Individual Challenge: Online Event

STUDENTS WORK INDEPENDENTLY

to complete 4 rounds of 8 questions(worth 1 point each). The students in a team work on a different round at the same time. Each round lasts for 16 minutes (128 points available).

Team Challenge

EACH TEAM WORKS ON

a set of 5 questions worth 2 points each.

4 ROUNDS

16 minutes per-round (40 points available)

PRACTICAL CHALLENGE

EACH TEAM WORKS ON
a set of 3 problems worth 10 points each.

20 MINUTES
to solve each problem (30 points available).

Day 1: Math Trail

All teams are taken to a location either in the host town or a local museum. Students have to complete a series of questions (usually 11) in this location (22 points available). Often after the Math Trail all students do a tour of the city.

Day 2: Challenges

Individual Challenge

Students work independently to complete 4 rounds of 8 questions (worth 1 point each). The students in a team work on a different round at the same time. Each round lasts for 16 minutes (128 points available).

Team Challenge

Each team works together on a set of 5 questions (worth 2 points each). There are 4 rounds and there are 16 minutes per round (40 points available).

Practical Challenge

Each team works together on 3 problems (worth 10 points each). Each team has 20 minutes to solve each problem (30 points available).

Day 3: Investigations & Construction

Often half a day

Investigations

Each team works together on 3 problems. Each problem is timed (maximum 20 minutes).

When they complete a problem their elapsed time is recorded. If they get the answer correct they receive a score based on how long it took to complete the problem. Often the score is broken down as follows 5 minutes = 10 points, 10 minutes = 7 points, 15 minutes = 5 points, 20 minutes = 3 points. (30 points available).

Construction Challenge

For this challenge teams are mixed. Each team is made up of 4 students from different schools. The new teams are provided materials and have to construct a specified thing (in Oslo it was a ski jump where you had to jump a marble off, etc). There is 60 minutes to complete the task. This challenge is judged on the criteria set by the host school (height, strength, distance, teamwork, etc). There are no points available for this but a prize is given to the “best” construction.

Further Information

Previous Competition Questions

We have put together a collection of many of the competition questions from throughout the years. It is a huge resource and it fantastic to use to help prepare teams for future Math Quests and also can be helpful to find challenging activities for math classes.
Request access to the papers

Information for host schools

We have also put together information for schools who are planning to host a future Math Quest tournament. This information will hopefully guide you through the process and help ensure the event is a great success.

Click here to look at general tips document

Click here to access a folder of templates

Competiton History

The ECIS Math Quest competition has had a long and interesting history. The competition was started by a lady called Monica Parker from Madrid who actually had participated in a type of Math Quest when she was a child. She thought it would be a great idea for her students. She was a member of an ECIS committee and through this connection and her hard work the first event was organised.

Initially, the competitions were not as competitive as they are today as the focus was more on just having a good time with Math. In the early years only the top three teams found out their place and everyone received a certificate. The competition actually ended with all the coaches getting together and making suggestions of how it could be improved for the next year.

A funny tale was when the actual trophy was accidentally dropped and was broken. Luckily they were able to find the same sculptor in Madrid and she was able to remake the trophy.

Below you will find a list of the host schools and winners from throughout the years. As you will notice we actually haven’t been able to find out the host school for the early years. If you know please let us know.

2024 – American School of Barcelona

2023 – Online

2022 – Online

2021 – Host: St Georges Luxembourg (online) Winner: St Georges Luxembourg

2020 – Host: St Georges Luxembourg (cancelled due to COVID-19)

2019 – Host: Enka School Istanbul Winner: International School of Brussels

2018 – Host: Stockholm International School Winner: Berlin Brandenburg International School

2017 – Host: International School of Geneva Winner: St Marys

2016 – Host: Europa International School Winner: Oslo International School

2015 – Host: Oslo International School Winner: St Marys

2014 – Host: Berlin Brandenburg International School Winner: St Marys

2013 – Host: International School of Stuttgart Winner: Oslo International School