IB Economics IA: 7 Tips for a High-Scoring Commentary

The moment your IA stops being "homework"

There’s a specific feeling most IB students know: you open a news article, you underline three lines, you sketch a quick diagram… and suddenly you realise this isn’t just writing. This is you trying to think like an economist while the word count stares back like a timer.

That’s why the IB Economics Internal Assessment can be deceptively hard. It looks small (one article, one commentary), but it asks for a rare combination: clear structure, precise IB Economics terminology, clean diagrams, and evaluation that sounds calm even when you’re not.

This guide gives you 7 essential, practical tips to write a high-scoring IB Economics IA commentary, with the kind of discipline that examiners reward.

Quick checklist before you write

Use this as your pre-flight check for IB Economics IA success:

• Pick a recent, policy-linked article with a clear economic problem

• Choose one main theory or concept to drive the commentary

• Plan a clear structure (intro, problem, policy analysis, evaluation, conclusion)

• Build at least one well-labelled diagram you can explain in words

• Use data/quotes from the article as evidence, not decoration

• Make evaluation specific: stakeholders, short run vs long run, limitations

• Keep tight control of word count and presentation

If you want a full rubric-aware overview, start with the IB Economics Internal Assessment Guide.

Tip 1: Choose an article that does the heavy lifting

A high-scoring IB Economics IA often begins before you write a single sentence.

Choose an article that is:

• Recent (generally within the last year)

• Focused on a real economic issue (inflation, unemployment, market failure, trade, inequality)

• Tied to a policy response or intervention you can analyse

• Short enough to handle without summarising it for half your word count

The best articles almost “invite” a diagram. If you’re struggling to imagine the model, it’s usually a sign the article is too descriptive.

For inspiration, scan real samples in IB Economics IA Examples and browse more in the IB Economics examples library.

Tip 2: Use a structure the examiner can recognise instantly

In IB Economics, structure is not a cosmetic choice. It’s clarity. It’s how you make your thinking easy to mark.

A reliable structure (with approximate word targets) looks like:

• Introduction (75--100 words): What the article is about, what the issue is, and the main concept you’ll use.

• Economic problem (about 100 words): Explain the core problem and set up your first diagram.

• Policy analysis (200--250 words): Explain how the policy works using theory and diagram shifts.

• Evaluation (250--300 words): Limitations, stakeholders, unintended consequences, short run vs long run.

• Conclusion (about 75 words): Summarise your judgement without adding new analysis.

Want to sanity-check your structure against the rubric? Use the IB Economics IA Grader to see where your sections are strong (and where you’re hand-waving).

Tip 3: Use IB Economics terminology like a precision tool

A strong IB Economics IA sounds specific.

Instead of “prices go up,” try “the indirect tax increases firms’ costs of production, shifting the supply curve left, raising the equilibrium price.”

Instead of “people are affected,” name stakeholders: consumers, producers, government, and third parties.

Definitions aren’t required, and long glossary-style sentences often waste words. The higher-scoring approach is to use terms correctly in context. If you find yourself writing vague lines, use RevisionDojo’s Study Notes to tighten your language (start at the IB Economics resources hub).

Tip 4: Make diagrams earn their place (and integrate them)

Diagrams are not decoration in IB Economics. They are part of your argument.

Your diagram should be:

• Neat and fully labelled (axes, curves, equilibrium points)

• Directly connected to the article’s issue

• Explained in writing (refer to the diagram explicitly)

If your commentary says “as shown in the diagram” but doesn’t describe what shifts, why it shifts, and what changes, the diagram is not integrated.

A smart move is to use one diagram to show the problem, then a second to show the policy response (only if it genuinely adds clarity).

To reinforce common diagram logic, revise key micro foundations like Demand notes and intervention-focused topics like Role of government in microeconomics notes.

Tip 5: Use evidence from the article, but don’t turn into a reporter

The examiner already has the article. Your job in IB Economics is to interpret it.

Use:

• Key statistics (inflation rate, unemployment figures, tax size)

• Short quotes (only when wording matters)

• Precise policy descriptions

Paraphrase most of the time. Then tie the evidence to theory:

• “Because demand is price inelastic, a tax may raise revenue significantly”

• “The subsidy lowers costs, increasing supply and reducing price”

If you want to practise building this kind of explanation under pressure, use RevisionDojo’s Questionbank for exam-style application practice: Questionbank feature page.

Tip 6: Evaluation is where good IAs become high-scoring IAs

Most students mention evaluation. High scorers develop it.

For IB Economics, aim to evaluate across:

• Stakeholders: consumers, producers, government, society

• Time: short run vs long run

• Assumptions: ceteris paribus, information gaps, enforcement ability

• Trade-offs: efficiency vs equity, growth vs inflation, revenue vs welfare

• Unintended consequences: black markets, burden shifting, policy lags

A helpful trick is to write one evaluation paragraph that begins with “However…” and one that begins with “On the other hand…”. It forces balance.

Need stakeholder prompts or counterarguments fast? RevisionDojo’s AI Chat can simulate an examiner-style pushback, so your evaluation becomes sharper rather than longer.

Tip 7: Win the word count and presentation game

In IB Economics IA writing, many marks are lost to messy execution, not weak ideas.

Keep your commentary within the official limit (commonly 750--800 words per commentary, excluding diagrams and references). That means:

• Cut summaries first

• Replace filler phrases with economic terms

• Avoid repeating the same effect in three different ways

Presentation also matters:

• Use clear subheadings

• Add a simple cover section (title, candidate details as required, article source, date)

• Make diagrams legible and referenced

If you’re studying for exams alongside IA work, RevisionDojo’s Predicted Papers and Mock Exams help keep your Paper 1/2/3 skills strong while you write coursework: see IB Predicted Papers and the subject-specific set at IB Economics predicted papers.

Closing: make your IA feel inevitable

A high-scoring IB Economics IA doesn’t feel like a performance. It feels like a logical chain: a real-world issue, a model that explains it, a policy that shifts incentives, and an evaluation that admits trade-offs without losing confidence.

If you want that process to feel simpler, build your workflow around RevisionDojo: use Study Notes to tighten theory, Flashcards to memorise key terminology, the Questionbank to practise application, AI Chat to stress-test evaluation, the Grading tools to align with the rubric, and Coursework Library exemplars to model what “good” looks like. When exam season arrives, add Predicted Papers, Mock Exams, and Tutors to turn practice into performance.

For your next step, head to the IB Economics resources hub and start shaping your IB Economics IA with the same clarity you want on exam day.