IB Diploma: staying on top of Internal Assessments

Why IAs matter

Internal Assessments contribute to the final grade in every IB subject, and the deadlines tend to cluster. Students who plan early avoid a stressful crunch and produce better work.

A simple plan

• Put every IA, Extended Essay and TOK deadline into one calendar.
• Choose topics early and check them with teachers.
• Break each IA into stages: research question, data or sources, draft, final.
• Set personal deadlines a week before school deadlines.

Use the criteria

Each IA is marked against published criteria. Read them before starting and check your draft against each one — it's the single easiest way to pick up marks.