IB Business IA Tips

Internal Assessment is compulsory for both SL and HL students enabling you to demonstrate the application of skills and knowledge, and to pursue personal interests in business management. The IA requirements for SL and HL students are different.The SL IA is a written commentary and the HL IA is a research project.

To produce IA, you need to choose, know, and analyze the business.

Marking

IAs are marked by school teachers and externally moderated by the IB. Examiners moderate IAs using the best-fit model and spend around 10-15 minutes on marking one IA, usually reading it only once. Different assessment criteria are provided for SL and HL students.

Weightage

The total number of marks for IA is 25 marks, for both SL and HL, and IAs contribute 25% to the final grade. Therefore, without a good IA, it barely possible to score a 6 or 7 in DP Business Management.

SL students should spend around 15 hours while HL students should spend around 30 hours on their IAs. SL students need around 20-25 marks to get a 7, and around 10-12 marks to get a 4, while HL students need around 18-25 marks to get a 7, and around 10-12 marks to get a 4.

Important: Visit the official IBO page for the most updated requirements of this curriculum.

Click this page for our IB Business Management Exam Guide.

IB Business IA Tips: Standard Level (SL)

It is a written commentary on a real business issue/problem faced by a real organization in the past. It is based on 3-5 supporting documents which are secondary sources. These must be printed out and attached to the commentary at the end.

IB Business IA Tips: Higher Level (HL)

It is a research project addressing an issue faced by an organization or a decision to be made in the future. It is mainly based on primary research gathered from the organization investigated. Business tools, theories and concepts should be used to analyse and evaluate, leading to recommendations that will help address the research question. This report must be of practical use to management. HL IA must start with a 500-words Research Proposal & Action Plan that serves planning purposes.