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.

Sign 4: You Don’t Know What Evidence Is Most Relevant

A strong IA question helps you choose evidence confidently. A weak one makes everything feel equally important.

Warning signs include:

• Including large amounts of data “just in case”
• Unsure what to cut
• Feeling that no evidence clearly answers the question

This usually means the question lacks focus.

Sign 5: The Question Tries to Do Too Much

Many weak IA questions attempt to:

• Investigate too many variables
• Cover long time periods
• Address multiple concepts at once

This makes sustained analysis almost impossible within the word limit. Strong questions are selective, not ambitious.

Why Weak Questions Limit Marks Early

Examiners assess focus from the very beginning. If the research question is weak:

• Analysis becomes shallow
• Structure feels disjointed
• Evaluation lacks depth

Even excellent writing cannot fully compensate for this.

Strength Comes From Precision, Not Complexity

Strong IA questions are:

• Clearly defined
• Manageable in scope
• Designed to invite analysis

They don’t sound impressive — they work.

Fixing a Weak Question Without Starting Over

In many cases, a weak question can be improved by:

• Narrowing the context
• Reducing variables
• Focusing on one clear relationship

Small changes often make a big difference.

Why This Applies Across All IB Subjects

This issue affects students in:

• Sciences
• Humanities
• Languages
• Arts

Because focus and clarity are core assessment principles in every IA.

Getting Help With Question Quality

Students often struggle to judge question quality on their own. A clear coursework framework helps by:

• Showing what strong IA questions look like
• Explaining how focus links to marks
• Helping students refine questions confidently

If you’re working on any IB IA or the Extended Essay, following a structured coursework system can help you identify and fix a weak research question early.

You can find a step-by-step guide to improving IA and EE focus here:
👉 https://www.revisiondojo.com/coursework-guide

Final Thoughts

A weak IA research question quietly limits everything that follows. By recognising the warning signs early — descriptive answers, forced evaluation, unclear evidence — students can make targeted improvements that dramatically improve their coursework. The strength of your IA depends heavily on the strength of the question it is built on.