Two types of assessment

IB Diploma assessment is split into Internal Assessment (IA) and External Assessment (EA). Both contribute to the final grade.

Internal Assessment (IA)

Aspect	Detail
Who marks	Teachers at the school
What	Coursework (e.g. lab reports, orals, essays, portfolios)
Moderation	IB moderates a sample; may adjust all marks in that subject/class
Weight	Typically 20–30% of subject grade (varies by subject)

Examples: Science practicals, Language orals, Mathematics exploration, History investigation.

External Assessment (EA)

Aspect	Detail
Who marks	IB examiners
What	Written exams, some coursework (e.g. EE, TOK essay, some HL work)
Moderation	Marked by trained examiners; quality assured by IB
Weight	Typically 70–80% of subject grade (varies by subject)

Examples: End-of-course exams, EE, TOK essay, some HL essays and performances.

Why both?

• IA allows ongoing, varied assessment (orals, practicals, projects)
• EA gives a common, standardised measure across schools
• Moderation keeps IA marking aligned with global standards

Key point on moderation

If IA marking is found to be too high or too low, the IB applies an adjustment to all students in that subject/class. Individual marks are not changed in isolation.

How Tutopiya helps

Tutopiya supports both IA and exam preparation. Explore IB resources or book a free trial.

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Source: IB Assessment

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