"Comprehending IB Markbands for Individual Assignments and Extended Essays: A Comprehensive Handbook for College Students to Secure High Scores"
The International Baccalaureate (IB) Diploma Programme uses markbands to grade performance in various criteria, ranging from A (excellent) to E (elementary or poor). This system is used in two key assessments: the Extended Essay (EE) and the Internal Assessment (IA).
Internal Assessment (IA) Markbands
Each IA is subject-specific but is generally assessed against several criteria such as personal engagement, analysis, evaluation, and communication. For example, in IB Economics IA, each commentary is marked out of 14 marks across five criteria: Diagrams, Terminology, Application and Analysis, Key Concepts, and Evaluation. The total marks for the Economics IA are 45 (3 commentaries × 14 marks + 3 marks for portfolio rubric requirements).
The IA contributes differently depending on the subject and level; for Economics, it counts as 30% of the final score at Standard Level (SL) and 20% at Higher Level (HL).
General IA rubrics (across subjects) typically have markbands describing levels of achievement for each criterion, with top bands representing comprehensive understanding, thorough analysis/evaluation, clear communication, and strong personal engagement.
Extended Essay (EE) Markbands
The EE is assessed against five criteria: Focus and Method, Knowledge and Understanding, Critical Thinking, Presentation, and Engagement. Each criterion has a markband typically scored from 0 to 4, depending on the quality and completeness of work demonstrated.
Top-band descriptors for the EE emphasize a well-formulated research question, thorough knowledge and understanding of the topic and research context, critical and coherent analysis and evaluation, clear and appropriate presentation, and reflective engagement that shows personal initiative and perseverance. The total marks for EE are combined to give a score out of 34, which contributes up to 3 additional bonus points toward the overall IB Diploma score based on a matrix with Theory of Knowledge (ToK) grades.
Because IA markbands are specific to each subject, their criteria and mark scales vary slightly, but they generally involve multiple criteria each with detailed descriptors for different markbands. The EE uses the standardized 5-criterion rubric with 0-4 marks each to assess the research essay comprehensively.
Summary Table of Markbands and Criteria
| Assessment | Criteria Examples | Markband Scale | Top-Band Descriptors (Summary) | |-------------------|------------------------------------------|------------------------|-------------------------------------------------------------------| | Internal Assessment (example: Economics) | Diagrams, Terminology, Application, Key Concepts, Evaluation + Portfolio rubric | Total 45 marks (3 commentaries ×14 + 3) | Comprehensive, relevant diagrams and terminology; thorough application of theory; effective use of key concepts; insightful evaluation; full portfolio coverage[1] | | Extended Essay (all subjects) | Focus & Method, Knowledge & Understanding, Critical Thinking, Presentation, Engagement | 0–4 marks per criterion (total 34) | Well-formulated research question; excellent understanding; critical and coherent argument; clear presentation; strong reflective engagement |
Leveraging Tools for Higher Markbands
Understanding markbands empowers students to write with focus, analysis, and clarity, meeting and exceeding examiner expectations. RevisionDojo offers guided walkthroughs that translate markband language into graded impact. Access their tools to hit top markbands in both EE and IA.
Strategies to target higher markbands include using IB command terms, planning for reflection and evaluation stages, and aligning one's writing to the top descriptors in the rubric. RevisionDojo offers Printable Band Trackers to monitor which criterion has been satisfied and where improvements are needed, as well as Peer Review Checklists to assess drafts against markband descriptors. The markband tools provided by RevisionDojo transform rubrics into actionable feedback systems.
[1] IB Economics Markband Rubric and IB Economics Guidebook for further detail.
- To excel in the Internal Assessment (IA), students should focus on demonstrating comprehensive understanding, thorough analysis and evaluation, clear communication, and strong personal engagement, as these are the top-band descriptors for general IA rubrics.
- To achieve the highest marks in the Extended Essay (EE), students should strive for a well-formulated research question, thorough knowledge and understanding of the topic and research context, critical and coherent analysis and evaluation, clear and appropriate presentation, and reflective engagement that shows personal initiative and perseverance, as these are the top-band descriptors for the EE.
