How to Check Your IB IA Against the Official Criteria (Without a Tutor)
Every IB Internal Assessment is marked against published criteria with fixed allocations — so you can check a draft against the same instrument your examiner uses. Start from where the marks are:
| Subject | Marked out of | Heaviest criterion |
|---|---|---|
| Biology, Chemistry, Physics | 24 | Four equal criteria of 6 (Research design, Data analysis, Conclusion, Evaluation) |
| History | 25 | Section B — 15 of 25 marks |
| Business Management | 25 | Key concept (5) and Analysis and evaluation (5) |
| Economics | 14 per commentary | Even spread; different key concept each commentary; 800 words |
| Mathematics (AA/AI) | 20 | Criterion E: Use of mathematics (6) |
| Psychology (through Nov 2026) | 22 | Introduction, Analysis, Evaluation at 6 each |
| Computer Science (through Nov 2026) | 34 | Criterion C: Development (12) |
Psychology and Computer Science change from May 2027 — a research proposal /24 and a computational solution /30: see Psychology 2027 and Computer Science 2027.
The self-check sequence
- Check the heaviest criterion first — it moves the most marks.
- Check word limits — examiners stop crediting beyond them.
- Read one criterion at a time and point to the paragraph that evidences the top markband.
- Fix the weakest criterion before polishing the strongest.
IBLens grades IA drafts for 17 subjects against the official criteria for your session: band range and weakest criterion free, full report $4.99, no subscription. How the IA grader works · Check your draft