Grade boundaries for the new IA

Since the publication of this summer's IB results this week we now know the grade boundaries for the new style IAs. They are surprisingly exactly the same as the boundaries we have used for the last seven years. 

The assessment criteria for 2025 give more weight to conclusion 25% and evaluation 25% counting half of the marks. The wording for criteria have also been updated, which could have caused problems, but in fact I think this wording avoids having to make quite so many judgements when marking. This helps students, teachers and moderators alike.

In the new assessment of data analysis, the requirement for statistics has been clarified, and the requirements seem logical to apply.

Perhaps the most complex section for students, and for assessment, is the research design. Not only do students have to write a clear research question, include sufficient background to provide a context, and give detailed explanations of all the methodological considerations, writing a step by step method that can be followed with the utmost precision is an art in itself.

In summary there are no surprises here. Reassuringly there is some stability in the area of IAs.

In these first examinations the overall grade boundaries seem to be a little lower than usual, perhaps reflecting a more difficult exam, or a more challenging syllabus. Paper 1B has the lowest, closely followed by paper 2. We will have wait until the examiner's report is published over the summer to find out more.

Note: the same boundaries for IA were also used in Chemistry and Physics.