Assessment guide
Internal assessment turns subject knowledge into applied work.
IA tasks differ by subject: they may involve an investigation, oral, exploration, performance, project or portfolio. Your current subject guide and teacher instructions define the actual task and criteria.
What “internal” means
Teachers mark the work; the IB moderates samples.
Internal assessment contributes to a subject result while allowing students to demonstrate skills that are difficult to capture in a final written examination. The task, weighting, criteria and format vary, so avoid applying advice from one subject to another.
Before starting
Read the brief as a specification.
- Identify the required task and assessment criteria
- Clarify permitted collaboration and feedback
- Record the final deadline and internal milestones
- Ask what evidence of process you must keep
While working
Make the thinking visible.
- Use the criteria to review the work, not to decorate it
- Keep source details and working files organised
- Act on feedback within the permitted process
- Leave time to verify data, citations and presentation
A reusable process
Treat each IA as a small project.
The sequence is general; your teacher will adapt it to the subject and current guide.
- Clarify the question or purposeDefine what the work needs to investigate, create, analyse or communicate.
- Plan the evidenceDecide what data, texts, sources, examples or observations can support the task.
- Create a workable first versionPrioritise the argument, method or product before polishing presentation.
- Use feedback deliberatelyTurn each permitted comment into a specific revision and retain ownership of the decisions.
- Audit before submissionCheck criteria, accuracy, citations, file requirements and academic integrity.