When an IA deadline is close and your work feels unfinished, panic is a natural response. Unfortunately, panic is also one of the biggest threats to your final mark. Stress-driven decisions often lead students to rewrite sections unnecessarily, abandon structure, or make last-minute changes that weaken their IA rather than improve it.
The first step is to stop treating panic as a signal to work faster. Speed does not equal progress. IB examiners are not impressed by last-minute additions or increased word count. They reward clarity, focus, and visible analysis. The goal in the final days is not to make the IA perfect, but to make it clear.
Next, prioritisation becomes essential. Not all sections are equal in terms of mark impact. Analysis, evaluation, and conclusion usually influence the final grade far more than background information or presentation details. If time is limited, focus on making your thinking explicit rather than polishing surface-level features.
One of the most effective actions during panic mode is to improve visibility. Ask yourself: can an examiner quickly see how each section answers the research question? Strengthening topic sentences, adding brief analytical explanations, and clarifying links between evidence and conclusions are high-impact changes that do not require rewriting entire sections.
Avoid the temptation to add new content. Panic often convinces students that more data or extra explanation will save the IA. In reality, new material introduced late often creates imbalance or confusion. Refinement almost always improves marks more than expansion.
Another key step is stabilising evaluation and conclusion. These sections are frequently rushed and generic, but they strongly influence examiner judgment. Making them specific to your actual investigation—by referencing real limitations, real impacts, and clear conclusions—can significantly improve the overall impression of your IA.
It is also important to resist comparison. When deadlines approach, students often hear rumours about how much others have done. This increases anxiety without improving outcomes. Your IA is assessed independently. Focus on what you can improve in the time you have.
Finally, remind yourself that examiners are not looking for perfection. They are looking for evidence of understanding and academic judgment. Clear thinking, even under time pressure, is more valuable than frantic rewriting.
The RevisionDojo Coursework Guide helps students navigate last-minute IA stress by showing exactly where marks are won and lost in the final stages. When panic is replaced with strategy, students protect their grades—even under pressure.
👉 https://www.revisiondojo.com/coursework-guide
