Many IB students struggle not because they lack ability, but because their Internal Assessment is built on a weak research question. A weak IA question quietly limits how well a student can analyse, evaluate, and score — even if the writing and effort are strong.
The challenge is that weak questions don’t always look obviously wrong. Learning how to recognise the warning signs early can save time, stress, and marks.
Sign 1: The Question Can Be Answered With Description
One of the clearest signs of a weak IA question is that it can be answered mainly by explaining or describing information.
If your IA mostly involves:
- Explaining what something is
- Summarising content
- Reporting results without interpretation
then the question is likely too descriptive. Strong IA questions require analysis and judgment to answer properly.
Sign 2: The Focus Keeps Shifting as You Write
If your focus changes every time you work on your IA, this is a red flag.
Common symptoms include:
- Constantly adjusting the question
- Adding new angles to “make it work”
- Feeling unsure what the IA is really about
This usually means the question is too vague or too broad to control effectively.
Sign 3: Evaluation Feels Forced or Artificial
Evaluation should feel like a natural outcome of analysis. If you find yourself:
- Repeating the same limitation multiple times
- Writing very general conclusions
- Struggling to justify judgments
your question may not be giving you enough specificity to evaluate meaningfully.
