Many IB students believe that strong writing style is the key to a high-scoring Internal Assessment. They focus on sounding academic, using complex vocabulary, or writing long, polished paragraphs. While clear writing is important, structure matters far more than style when it comes to IA marks.

Examiners consistently reward work that is easy to follow, logically organised, and clearly aligned to assessment criteria — even if the writing itself is simple.

Examiners Read for Meaning, Not Style

IB examiners are not judging your IA like a novel or a piece of creative writing. They are reading with one main goal: identifying where and how you meet the criteria.

This means they are looking for:

• Clear focus in each section
• Logical progression of ideas
• Obvious links between evidence and conclusions

If your ideas are buried inside dense or decorative writing, examiners may miss them — and missed ideas don’t earn marks.

Structure Makes Your Thinking Visible

Structure acts as a guide for the examiner. A well-structured IA makes it clear:

• What each section is doing
• Why it is included
• How it contributes to the overall investigation

Even strong analysis can be overlooked if it appears in the wrong place or lacks clear purpose. Structure ensures your best thinking is easy to find.

Fancy Writing Can Hide Weak Thinking

Overly complex writing often masks uncertainty. Students may:

• Use long sentences to sound academic
• Add unnecessary detail to appear knowledgeable
• Avoid clear conclusions

Examiners prefer direct, clear explanations that show understanding. Simple writing paired with strong reasoning scores higher than elegant writing with unclear analysis.

Clear Structure Supports Analysis and Evaluation

Analysis and evaluation are easier to demonstrate when structure is clear.

Good structure:

• Separates description from analysis
• Creates space for evaluation
• Helps ideas build logically

Without structure, students often mix explanation, analysis, and evaluation together, weakening all three.

Structure Helps Examiners Award Marks Confidently

Examiners assess many IAs under time pressure. When structure is clear:

• Criteria are easier to identify
• Strengths are more obvious
• Marks can be awarded confidently

When structure is weak, examiners may hesitate — and hesitation often results in lower marks.

Writing Simply Is Not a Weakness

Many high-scoring IAs use:

• Straightforward language
• Short, focused paragraphs
• Clear topic sentences

This does not make the work simplistic. It makes the thinking accessible.

Why Students Focus Too Much on Style

Students often prioritise writing style because:

• It feels familiar from other subjects
• It’s easier to improve quickly
• It feels “safer” than analysis

Unfortunately, this often leads to time being spent on areas that don’t significantly increase marks.

Building Strong Structure From the Start

Strong structure doesn’t happen by accident. It comes from:

• Understanding assessment criteria
• Knowing the purpose of each section
• Following a clear IA process

If you’re working on any IB IA or the Extended Essay, having a clear coursework framework helps you prioritise structure over style and make your work easier to reward.

You can find a step-by-step guide to structuring IB coursework effectively here:
👉 https://www.revisiondojo.com/coursework-guide

Final Thoughts

Fancy writing may sound impressive, but clear structure is what earns marks in IB IAs. When examiners can easily follow your reasoning, identify your analysis, and see how conclusions are justified, grades improve. Focus on making your thinking visible — not decorative — and your IA will be far stronger.