Introduction with focused question
Presents the research question, context, and rationale for the investigation.
Internal Assessments are a core part of every IB Diploma subject. They let you investigate a question that matters to you, apply subject methods, and show what you can do beyond an exam paper. This guide explains what IAs are, how they differ across subject groups, what strong examples share in structure, and how to use exemplars responsibly while building your own work with support from teachers
An Internal Assessment (IA) is a subject-specific task marked by your teacher and moderated by the IB. It contributes a defined percentage to your final subject grade, so the work you do during the course counts directly toward your result.
The IA replaces or complements external examinations by assessing skills such as research design, data analysis, critical commentary, or practical performance, depending on the subject.
Because teachers mark the work first, schools follow IB criteria and standardization procedures to ensure fairness before external moderation confirms or adjusts the marks.
Treat examples as models of organization and criterion alignment, not as templates to copy.
Your research question, data, analysis, and conclusions must be your own work.
Copying methods or data from an example constitutes plagiarism.
Follow your school academic honesty policy when referencing examples.
Use exemplars to see how introductions frame questions and evaluations reflect limitations.
Presents the research question, context, and rationale for the investigation.
Explains the approach, tools, and why they fit the research question.
Presents data, calculations, or textual evidence with clear interpretation.
Discusses reliability, validity, limitations, and possible improvements.
Answers the research question directly and may suggest extensions.
Help you make the question specific, feasible, and criterion-aligned.
Suggest where analysis needs depth or evaluation needs honesty.
Show how to structure arguments, present data, and reference sources correctly.
The work remains entirely yours, preserving academic integrity.
Begin with a clear first-step checklist. Choose the subject where you have genuine interest and access to appropriate resources. Draft a provisional research question and test it against the subject criteria for focus and feasibility. Review the current subject guide for required sections, word limits, and assessment descriptors. Consult your subject teacher to confirm the question fits school timelines and resources. Build a personal timeline with milestones for research, drafting, feedback, and final polish, aligned to school deadlines.
Use examples to understand structure and criterion alignment, but your research question, data, analysis, and conclusions must be original. Copying content from an exemplar violates academic integrity.
The IA contributes a subject-specific percentage to the final grade. Check the current subject guide for the exact weighting.
Your teacher marks the IA using IB criteria. The IB then moderates a sample from each school to ensure consistent standards worldwide.
Schools set internal deadlines before the IB upload date to allow time for standardization and moderation sample preparation. Follow your school calendar.
Tutors can help refine your research question, review your outline against criteria, model structure and referencing, and give feedback on drafts. They do not write, collect data, or edit the final version.
Our tutors help you refine your research question, map your draft to the criteria, and build a timeline that fits your school deadlines — all while keeping the work entirely yours.