IA Studio Examiner-written IA writing frames for every IB subject
New: the Extended Essay Studio — built for the 2027 criteria →

Examiner-written writing frames for every IB Internal Assessment.

Plan and write a top-band IA, section by section — with the current assessment criteria, worked examples and live readiness checks beside your writing. Export to DOCX or PDF.

Free to start · £9.99 per subject · Diploma Pass: every subject for £24.99 · one-time, no subscriptions · TOK & CAS completely free

IB Core

The Extended Essay, TOK Exhibition, TOK Essay and CAS portfolio — TOK and CAS are completely free.

Group 1 — Language & Literature

The Individual Oral, HL Essay and Papers 1 & 2, for Literature and Language & Literature.

Group 2 — Language Acquisition

Paper 1 and the Individual Oral for Language B and ab initio — in any target language.

Group 3 — Individuals & Societies

Every humanities IA, from the History investigation to the Global Politics engagement project.

Group 4 — Sciences

Chemistry, Biology, Physics, SEHS and ESS — research design through data analysis, conclusion and evaluation.

Group 5 — Mathematics

The Mathematics Exploration, for both Analysis & Approaches and Applications & Interpretation.

Group 6 — The Arts

The main written coursework for Visual Arts, Music, Theatre, Film and Dance.

Stuck for a topic? Browse examiner-ranked IA ideas

Every subject card above has a 💡 24 great IA title ideas link — 24 original, examiner-ranked topics for that subject, grouped by syllabus area, each with the approach and why it scores. Pick one and start planning it for free.

📬 Free: the IA topic-picker checklist + examiner tips

Get the Topic-Picker & Top-Band Checklist (PDF) plus short, examiner-written tips for each stage of your IA — straight to your inbox. No spam, unsubscribe any time.

IB Internal Assessment help for every subject, written by experienced IB examiners

IA Studio turns the IB Diploma's trickiest pieces of writing from a blank page into a guided build. Every tool pairs a place to write with the actual assessment criteria, ✗-weak vs ✓-strong worked examples written by experienced IB examiners, live readiness checks, and the specific traps that cost marks — then exports your finished work to DOCX or PDF.

The coverage is the whole Diploma: a section-by-section Internal Assessment writing frame for all six subject groupsLanguage & Literature, Language Acquisition, Individuals & Societies, the Sciences, Mathematics and The Arts — plus the Extended Essay (built for the new 2027 criteria) and the completely free core tools: the TOK Exhibition, TOK Essay and CAS portfolio. Planning is free on every tool; unlocking the rest is a one-time £9.99 per subject, or the Diploma Pass unlocks everything for a one-time £24.99. Built-in academic-integrity and AI-citation guidance keeps your work within IB rules.

Subject-by-subject IA help — every IB group

Free IB Core help — TOK Exhibition, TOK Essay & CAS

TOK Exhibition & TOK Essay

The TOK Exhibition frame walks you through choosing one of the 35 IA prompts, selecting three specific real-world objects with genuine provenance, and justifying each within the 950-word commentary — marked on a single holistic criterion. The TOK Essay frame takes one prescribed title, explores it across at least two Areas of Knowledge with specific real-life examples and genuine counterclaims, and keeps you within the 1,600-word limit. Both are completely free; sign in only to save your work.

CAS Portfolio

The CAS portfolio lets students record every Creativity, Activity and Service experience as they go — tagging the strands, tracking the seven CAS learning outcomes, writing reflections and noting evidence — with a coverage-at-a-glance view that flags gaps and the CAS project. It is free, saves across devices when signed in, and prints or exports for the CAS coordinator.

IB English (Group 1) help — Literature & Language and Literature

For Group 1 — Studies in Language and Literature — IA Studio covers every assessment for both IB English A: Literature and English A: Language and Literature (the frames suit any Language A, with English examples throughout). The Individual Oral (IO) frame walks you through a focused global issue, the analysis of two ~40-line extracts, and the 10-point outline you speak from. The HL Essay frame turns a line of inquiry into a 1,200–1,500 word analytical essay on the writer's choices. The Paper 1 frame trains the guided analysis of an unseen passage (literary for Literature, non-literary for Language and Literature), and the Paper 2 frame plans an integrated comparative essay on two works that answers the exact question. Each is paired with the four assessment criteria, ✗-weak vs ✓-strong worked examples, and a live readiness check, and exports to DOCX and PDF.

📘 How-to-write guides: Literature Individual Oral · Literature HL Essay · Lang & Lit Individual Oral · Lang & Lit HL Essay

IB Language B & ab initio help (Group 2)

For Group 2 — Language Acquisition — IA Studio covers the Paper 1 writing task and the Individual Oral for both Language B and ab initio. The guidance is language-agnostic with French and Spanish worked examples: choose the right text type and register for Paper 1; describe, interpret and discuss a visual stimulus (or a literary extract at HL) for the oral. Each step is paired with the assessment criteria — Language, Message, and Conceptual understanding or Interactive skills.

IB Individuals & Societies IA help (Group 3)

Group 3 has the widest range of Internal Assessments, and IA Studio frames all of them: the History historical investigation (source evaluation with OPVL, an evidence-based argument and reflection), the Geography fieldwork report, the Economics commentary portfolio (three commentaries, three key concepts, the right diagrams), the Psychology experimental study (hypotheses, an inferential statistical test and evaluation), the Business Management research project (a key concept, supporting documents and the right tools), Global Politics (the engagement project), and Digital Society, Philosophy, Social & Cultural Anthropology and World Religions. Each frame states the exact criteria and mark allocations for that subject.

📘 How-to-write guides: History IA · Geography IA · Economics IA · Psychology IA · Business Management IA · Global Politics IA · Digital Society IA · Philosophy IA · Anthropology IA · World Religions IA

Group 4 — Sciences IA help (Chemistry, Biology, Physics, SEHS, ESS)

The frames follow the current four assessed criteria — Research design, Data analysis, Conclusion and Evaluation (24 marks) — and reflect the syllabus change that removed personal engagement as a separate feature. A live readiness check shows you exactly what each section is still missing to reach the top band, and the whole report exports as a combined, double-spaced DOCX and PDF.

Chemistry

The Chemistry writing frame walks you through a focused research question (with the independent and dependent variable, range and units), the background chemistry and mechanism, controlled variables explained in prose, a referenced risk assessment, equipment and reagents with uncertainties, a reproducible method, then data processing with absolute and percentage uncertainty, a scatter graph with error bars and max/min gradients, and a conclusion justified against literature values.

Biology

The Biology writing frame is built around the statistics examiners expect: a null and alternative hypothesis, sampling and standardisation, controlled variables for living systems, processing with mean ± standard deviation and standard error, an appropriate statistical test (t-test / ANOVA) with a clear decision at p < 0.05, a graph with SD error bars, and a conclusion weighed against the biology and referenced secondary data.

Physics

The Physics writing frame is built around the physics examiners reward: a focused research question naming the independent and dependent variable with range and units, the governing equation and the relationship it predicts, controlled variables tied to the assumptions of that model, materials and equipment with measurement uncertainties (including the read-once vs read-twice rule), a reproducible method, then uncertainty propagation (absolute, percentage and the rule for powers), a linearised graph with error bars and max/min gradients so the gradient yields a physical quantity, and a conclusion comparing that value with an accepted constant within experimental uncertainty.

Sports, Exercise & Health Science (SEHS)

The SEHS writing frame is built for investigations on human participants: a research question manipulating an exercise or physiological variable, a testable hypothesis, participant sampling and standardisation, PAR-Q health screening and informed consent, a reproducible method, then mean ± standard deviation, error bars and an appropriate statistical test, and a conclusion judged against the physiology and secondary data.

Environmental Systems & Societies (ESS)

ESS is now a group 4 experimental science, and its individual investigation rewards a focused, data-rich enquiry. The frame covers a measurable environmental gradient, rigorous field sampling (quadrats and transects), a fieldwork risk assessment and environmental ethics, then processing with Simpson's diversity index, an appropriate statistical test (such as Spearman's rank), a graph with error bars, and a conclusion linked to the environmental issue and value systems.

📘 How-to-write guides: Chemistry IA · Biology IA · Physics IA · SEHS IA · ESS IA

IB Maths IA help — the Exploration (Group 5)

The Mathematics Exploration frame covers both Analysis & Approaches (AA) and Applications & Interpretation (AI), with course-appropriate examples. It walks you through choosing a topic with genuine personal engagement, framing a focused question, and developing mathematics commensurate with the course — rigorous and analytic for AA, real-world modelling and statistics for AI — against the five assessment criteria: Presentation, Mathematical communication, Personal engagement, Reflection and Use of mathematics (20 marks).

📘 How-to-write guides: Maths AA Exploration · Maths AI Exploration

IB Arts IA help (Group 6)

For Group 6, IA Studio frames the main written coursework of each art form: the Visual Arts comparative study (comparing artworks from different cultural contexts), Music exploring music in context, the Theatre director's notebook (staging a published play), the Film comparative study (two films from contrasting cultures), and the Dance world dance investigation. Each is built around the component's own assessment criteria and what examiners reward.

📘 How-to-write guides: Visual Arts Comparative Study · Music IA · Theatre Director's Notebook · Film Comparative Study · Dance Investigation

Frequently asked questions

What is the IB Internal Assessment (IA)?

The IA is the coursework each IB Diploma subject is marked on internally — typically 20–30% of the final grade. The format differs by subject (a scientific investigation, a history investigation, an economics commentary portfolio, a maths exploration, an arts comparative study, and so on), but every IA is marked against a published set of assessment criteria. IA Studio gives you an examiner-written writing frame for every section of your subject's IA.

How much of my final grade is the IA worth?

It varies by subject and level, but typically 20–30% of the final grade — in most Group 4 sciences and in Mathematics it is 20%, and several Group 1 and Group 3 assessments weigh more at Standard Level. Crucially, it is the one substantial part of your grade that is fully under your control before exam day, which is why a well-built IA is the most reliable marks investment in the Diploma.

How do I get a top-band IA score?

Top-band IAs share the same habits across every subject: a narrow, focused research question; analysis and evaluation rather than description; limitations discussed with their impact and a specific improvement; writing structured criterion-by-criterion against the rubric; staying within the word count; and rigorous citation. IA Studio checks your writing against these examiner cues as you write and shows live readiness for each criterion.

When should I start my IB IA?

Most schools launch IAs in the second half of the first Diploma year, with final drafts due partway through the second — but the students who reach the top band almost always locked a focused topic early. Choosing the topic and designing the investigation is where most marks are won or lost, and the planning sections of every IA Studio tool are free, so you can test a research question the day you have the idea.

Does IA Studio cover the Extended Essay?

Yes — the Extended Essay Studio is built for the new EE model (first assessment May 2027): 30 marks across criteria A–E, including the 500-word Reflective Statement that replaces the RPPF. The planning sections — the whole Criterion A framework — are free; the writing sections are a one-time £9.99, and the EE is included in the £24.99 Diploma Pass.

Which IB subjects does IA Studio cover?

Every IB Diploma group plus the core: the Extended Essay (new 2027 criteria), TOK (Exhibition and Essay) and CAS (free); Group 1 Language & Literature; Group 2 Language Acquisition (Language B and ab initio); Group 3 Individuals & Societies (History, Geography, Economics, Psychology, Business Management, Global Politics, Digital Society, Philosophy, Anthropology, World Religions); Group 4 Sciences (Chemistry, Biology, Physics, SEHS, ESS); Group 5 Mathematics (AA and AI); and Group 6 The Arts (Visual Arts, Music, Theatre, Film, Dance).

Is it free?

The IB core tools — the TOK Exhibition, TOK Essay and CAS portfolio — are completely free. The Group 1 (Language & Literature), Group 2 (Language acquisition), Group 3 (Individuals & Societies), Group 4 (Sciences), Group 5 (Mathematics) and Group 6 (The Arts) tools are freemium: the planning / Research Design sections are free, and the remaining sections are a one-time £9.99 unlock per tool — or the Diploma Pass unlocks every subject tool, including the Extended Essay, for a one-time £24.99. Sign in only to save your work across devices.

Can I use AI to write my IB IA?

The IB permits AI tools provided you acknowledge them honestly: anything an AI produces that you use directly must be cited like any other source, and even using AI only to brainstorm, structure ideas or check grammar calls for a short acknowledgement statement. Using AI to do the work and passing it off as your own is academic misconduct. IA Studio is a writing frame — you write your own IA — and it includes built-in academic-integrity and AI-acknowledgement guidance so you stay within IB rules.

Who writes the guidance?

Experienced IB Diploma examiners, drawing on years of marking and supporting Internal Assessments, with the guidance aligned to the current published assessment criteria for each subject.

Can I export my IA to Word and PDF?

Yes — text, tables, figures, graphs and references all export as a combined, double-spaced DOCX and PDF, formatted the way IB examiners expect.