Can You Collaborate on Your IB IA or EE?
When it comes to the IB Internal Assessment (IA) and Extended Essay (EE), collaboration is permitted only in limited and specific ways. While discussing ideas and sharing resources is encouraged, the final submission must be entirely your own individual work. Here’s what you need to know to stay within IB’s academic honesty guidelines.
What Types of Collaboration Are Allowed?
✅ Discussion and Idea Exchange
- You may discuss ideas, theories, and methodologies with classmates, supervisors, or teachers.
- Brainstorming sessions to refine your research question or plan your investigation are allowed.
✅ Group Planning in Certain Subjects
- In subjects like Psychology, group planning and data collection may be permitted, but each student must write their own individual report, analyze the data independently, and draw their own conclusions.
✅ Sharing Resources or General Advice
- You can share materials, articles, or general guidance with peers as long as your final work is your own.
✅ Receiving Supervisor Guidance
- Supervisors can provide open-ended feedback, guiding you to improve structure, analysis, or argument strength—but they cannot rewrite or heavily edit your draft.
What Collaboration is NOT Allowed?
❌ Copying or Sharing Written Work
- You may not share, copy, or submit identical or near-identical reports, even if you worked together on parts of the investigation.
❌ Allowing Others to Edit or Write Sections
- No one else should write or heavily edit your work. The final IA or EE must reflect your independent effort.
❌ Collusion
- Submitting work that is not authentically your own or conspiring with others to produce similar submissions violates IB academic honesty rules.
Why This Matters
- IB examiners and coordinators verify the authenticity of your work.
- Breaching academic honesty can result in penalties such as loss of marks or failure of the IA, EE, or even the full diploma.
- Authentic independent work helps develop critical thinking, research, and communication skills valued by universities.
Key Tips to Collaborate Within IB Rules
- Clarify collaboration limits with your IB coordinator or teacher.
- Keep detailed notes on how you developed your ideas and conducted your investigation.
- Ensure that all analysis, writing, and conclusions are entirely your own.
- When in doubt, ask your supervisor or coordinator before proceeding.
FAQ
Can I collect data with classmates?
In some subjects (e.g., Psychology, Environmental Systems and Societies), group data collection is allowed. However, your analysis and report must be individual.
Can my friend help edit my IA or EE?
No. While they can give general feedback or point out unclear parts, they must not edit your work or suggest specific phrasing.
Can I submit the same IA as my lab partner?
No. Even if you collected data together, your reports must be completely unique in wording, analysis, and conclusion.
What happens if IB finds collusion?
Your IA or EE could be invalidated, leading to loss of marks or failing the diploma requirements.
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