How many marks is the IB Anthropology IA worth?

Under the current Social and Cultural Anthropology course, the SL IA is marked out of 26, while the HL IA is marked out of 36. At SL, Criteria A-D are worth 4, 6, 4, and 12 marks respectively. At HL, the critical reflection criteria A-C contribute 12 marks, while the main report criteria D-F contribute 24. The IA contributes 20% of the final subject grade at SL and 25% at HL. Older rubrics with different totals belong to previous versions of the course and should not be used unless your teacher confirms otherwise.

What is the difference between description and analysis in an Anthropology IA?

Description records what participants did, said, used, or experienced in a specific context. Analysis explains what that evidence may reveal about cultural meanings, social relationships, power, identity, symbolism, or another relevant concept. For example, recording that one participant interrupted three others is description, while examining how this pattern may express status is analysis. Strong analysis remains grounded in evidence and considers reasonable alternative interpretations. A useful check is to ask whether each paragraph explains the significance of the data rather than merely retelling it.

What does positionality mean in the Anthropology IA?

Positionality refers to how the researcher's social identity, relationships, assumptions, and role affect fieldwork and interpretation. Relevant factors may include age, gender, language, ethnicity, status, familiarity with participants, or whether the researcher is perceived as an insider or outsider. Simply listing these characteristics is not enough for a high mark. You must explain how a factor affected access, participant behaviour, the questions asked, or the conclusions drawn. Effective positionality discussion shows that fieldwork findings are produced through relationships rather than collected from a neutral distance.

Do I need to use an anthropological concept throughout my IA?

Yes, the concept must guide the investigation rather than appear only in the introduction. At SL, the second method and data analysis should be connected to a key or inquiry-specific concept. At HL, the conceptual or theoretical framework should shape the research question, interpretation, and conclusions. You do not need to mention the concept in every sentence, but its analytical role should remain visible. A useful test is whether removing the concept would substantially change how you interpret the evidence.

Can I receive high marks if my fieldwork results are inconclusive?

Yes, the criteria do not require a dramatic or predetermined finding. Inconclusive, contradictory, or unexpected evidence can support strong analysis if you explain it carefully and avoid claims that the data cannot justify. You should examine why the methods produced uncertainty and what that uncertainty means for the research question. Conflicting evidence can also reveal differences among participants or weaknesses in your original assumptions. Honest interpretation and critical evaluation are more valuable than forcing the data into a simple conclusion.

Are the Anthropology IA grade boundaries fixed?

No, component and final subject grade boundaries can vary between examination sessions. Your raw criterion total is therefore not permanently equivalent to a particular IB grade. Schools may use previous boundaries to estimate performance, but these are predictions rather than guarantees. Concentrate on satisfying the current descriptors instead of aiming only for a historical cutoff. Your teacher can confirm which boundaries or conversion practices are appropriate for internal progress reporting.

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IB Anthropology IA Criteria Explained

IB Social and Cultural Anthropology Internal Assessment IB IA

• 30 Sept 2026•10

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IB Anthropology IA Criteria Explained | RevisionDojo

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IB Anthropology IA Criteria Explained

IB Social and Cultural Anthropology Internal Assessment IB IA

• 30 Sept 2026•10

The IB Anthropology IA criteria assess more than whether you collected interesting fieldwork data. Marks reward an anthropological investigation in which methods, concepts, evidence, ethics, analysis, and researcher positionality are clearly connected.

SL and HL complete different tasks under the current course, first assessed in 2019. SL fieldwork is marked out of 26, while the larger HL investigation is marked out of 36. Teachers mark the work before the IB moderates a sample, so marks can be adjusted if a school has applied the criteria differently from the international standard.

IB Anthropology IA mark scheme at a glance

The official IB Social and Cultural Anthropology subject brief states that internal assessment contributes 20% at SL and 25% at HL.

Level	Assessed work	Criteria	Marks
SL	Observation report, extension, second fieldwork report, critical reflection	A-D	26
HL	Critical reflection, research report, evaluation	A-F	36

Older online rubrics sometimes show an SL observation and critique or an HL report marked out of 20. These belong to an earlier syllabus. Always use the session-specific guide and rubric provided by your teacher.

How the criteria are applied

Each criterion uses a best-fit judgment. An assessor considers the complete descriptor and selects the band that most accurately represents the work, rather than awarding a point for every feature or key phrase.

Marks depend on evidence visible in the submitted writing, not the time spent conducting fieldwork. A sophisticated discussion of positionality cannot compensate for missing analysis under a separate criterion.

SL IB Anthropology IA criteria

The four SL stages have indicative maximum lengths of 450 words, 300 words, 400 words, and 850 words, producing a 2,000-word submission.

Criterion A: Observation and report, 4 marks

Criterion A assesses the report of a one-hour observation. The account should be organized, detailed, and clear about the activity's context. Work in the 1-2 band is organized or detailed but not both, while 3-4 work demonstrates both qualities and addresses context at least partially.

Record actions, language, timing, spatial arrangements, interactions, and relevant objects. Avoid presenting interpretation as observation. Instead of claiming that participants excluded someone, record where people sat, who spoke, and how others responded.

Criterion B: Methodological and conceptual extension, 6 marks

You select a second method and connect it to the initial observation and a key concept or inquiry-specific concept. Possible methods include interviews, participant observation, visual methods, surveys, life history, or further observation.

Band	Main distinction
1-2	The method is identified, but conceptual relevance or justification is limited.
3-4	The method is described and connected to the observation and concept, with some justification.
5-6	Its relevance and appropriateness are clearly explained, connected, and discussed.

“I used interviews to collect opinions” only describes a choice. Explaining that semi-structured interviews allowed participants to clarify how status affected turn-taking shows why the method could test an interpretation that observation alone could not confirm.

Criterion C: Second fieldwork data and analysis, 4 marks

This criterion assesses whether appropriate data is analysed through the selected method and concept. The 1-2 band reflects superficial analysis or partly relevant evidence; 3-4 requires appropriate data and sound analysis, although minor inconsistencies may remain.

A useful sequence is evidence, interpretation, conceptual connection, qualification. After quoting an interview, explain how it illuminates power, identity, symbolism, or another relevant concept, then acknowledge any reasonable alternative interpretation.

Criterion D: Critical reflection, 12 marks

The largest SL criterion assesses comparison of the two fieldwork experiences, positionality, and learning about the production of anthropological knowledge.

Band	Main distinction
1-3	Reflection and comparison are superficial; positionality is mentioned.
4-6	Relevant reflection is present but lacks critical balance or detail.
7-9	Some critical reflection and effective comparison are evident.
10-12	Comparison and evaluation are balanced and detailed; positionality is clearly linked to results and learning.

Do not provide a generic limitations list. Explain consequences. For example, if senior participants treated you as a younger group member and framed interview answers as advice, hierarchy may have appeared more explicit in interviews than during observation.

HL IB Anthropology IA criteria

HL students complete a proposal presentation, an 800-word critical reflection, and a 1,600-word main report. The proposal begins the process, while the reflection and report carry the assessed marks.

Criteria A-C: Critical reflection, 12 marks

Each criterion is worth 4 marks.

Criterion	What strong work demonstrates
A: Anthropological nature	A detailed relationship between the inquiry, question, and relevant anthropological concepts.
B: Methods	Two methods justified through the question, literature, and proposal feedback.
C: Ethics	Ethical issues contextualized and discussed in relation to the proposed research.

For Criterion B, explain what each method reveals, what it may conceal, and why the combination suits the question. For Criterion C, discuss how consent, confidentiality, withdrawal, potential harm, and unequal power relationships were handled. The RevisionDojo guide to ethical IA research offers a practical planning checklist.

Criterion D: Knowledge and understanding in context, 6 marks

This criterion assesses the connection between the area of inquiry, research, and an appropriate conceptual or theoretical framework. The 1-2 band indicates limited or superficial connections, 3-4 shows relevant explanation with some inconsistencies, and 5-6 requires clear, convincing integration.

Concepts must function as analytical lenses. If you investigate power, show how power affects access, participation, speech, or relationships. Defining it in the introduction and abandoning it does not demonstrate knowledge in context.

Criterion E: Critical thinking, 9 marks

Criterion E covers data selection, analysis, synthesis, argument, and conclusions. The 1-3 band reflects limited evidence and superficial analysis; 4-6 represents generally appropriate analysis weakened by inconsistencies; 7-9 requires effective analysis, a coherent argument, and evidence-supported conclusions.

Quotations and observations do not explain themselves. Ask what pattern each item reveals, how the framework explains it, and which alternative interpretation remains possible.

Criterion F: Evaluation of fieldwork, 9 marks

This criterion considers methods, positionality, ethics, and knowledge construction. Work in the 1-3 band is superficial, while 4-6 work evaluates relevant issues but leaves connections incomplete. The 7-9 band requires critical evaluation of method effectiveness, the researcher's role, and investigation-specific ethical issues.

Evaluation is not self-criticism for its own sake. It should demonstrate that anthropological knowledge is situated and constructed through access, relationships, questions, interpretation, and representation.

Common mistakes across both mark schemes

Decorative concepts: Naming power or identity without using it to interpret evidence.
Description instead of analysis: Retelling events without explaining patterns or meanings.
Generic limitations: Listing weaknesses without connecting them to data or conclusions.
Positionality as biography: Naming personal characteristics without explaining their effects.
Generic ethics: Discussing consent or anonymity without applying them to the participants and site.
Excess data: Including material that does not advance the research question.
Outdated criteria: Using an earlier rubric found online.

A criterion-based editing process

Label each paragraph with the criterion it serves. Remove or revise paragraphs that cannot be connected to a descriptor, then highlight evidence, analysis, concepts, methods, positionality, and ethics in different colours to expose gaps.

Use RevisionDojo Anthropology coursework exemplars to examine how complete submissions make analysis and reflection visible. The SL Anthropology IA grader can provide criterion-level feedback, while the RevisionDojo IA guides and guide to acting on criterion-based feedback can support revision planning.

Conclusion

The IB Anthropology IA criteria reward connections among the question, evidence, methods, concepts, ethics, and researcher position. At SL, the 12-mark critical reflection deserves particular attention. At HL, prioritize an anthropological framework, a coherent evidence-based argument, and critical evaluation of how fieldwork shaped the findings. RevisionDojo exemplars and rubric-aligned feedback tools can help identify where these connections remain unclear.

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