At a glance
- Length
- Up to 1,800 words
- Marks
- 25, at SL and HL
- Weighting
- 30% at SL, 20% at HL
- Key concepts
- Change, creativity, ethics, sustainability
- Evidence
- 3 to 5 supporting documents
The assessment criteria
Criteria for the current guide (first assessment 2024), as summarised by IB teachers' guidance. Check the exact descriptors with your teacher.
| Criterion | What it rewards | Marks |
|---|---|---|
| A: Integration of a key concept | The chosen concept runs through the whole project and shapes the analysis | 5 |
| B: Supporting documents | Relevant, sufficient, recent documents that offer a range of views | 4 |
| C: Selection and application of tools and theories | Business tools chosen for the question and applied to the organisation's data | 4 |
| D: Analysis and evaluation | Findings analysed and weighed, with judgements supported by the documents | 5 |
| E: Conclusions | Conclusions that follow from the analysis and answer the research question | 3 |
| F: Structure | A logical, coherent organisation of ideas | 2 |
| G: Presentation | Title page, headings, referencing, labelled tables and figures | 2 |
| Total | 25 |
The 1,800 words exclude the supporting documents, bibliography, tables, diagrams and calculations, according to teachers' guidance. Confirm with your school what counts.
What a good project looks like
The project looks backwards at a real decision or problem in one named organisation, uses published or obtained evidence about it, and reaches a judgement. It is not a business plan, a survey project or an essay about an industry. The supporting documents are the backbone: annual reports, company press releases, news articles, industry data, internal documents the organisation agrees to share, or interviews and survey results the student gathers. Aim for documents that disagree or show different stakeholders' views, because criterion D rewards weighing them.
The key concept should not be a label added in the introduction. If the concept is sustainability, the analysis should keep returning to whether the decision is sustainable financially, socially or environmentally. If it is change, the project should show what changed, why, and with what effects.
From weak to strong research questions
| Weak | Why it is weak | Stronger |
|---|---|---|
| How is the airline industry affected by fuel prices? | No single organisation; too broad for 1,800 words | To what extent has a named Gulf airline's fuel-hedging decision protected its profitability since its last annual report? |
| Is Company X successful? | No decision or issue; success is undefined | Should Company X continue expanding its delivery service into a second Gulf city, given its cash flow and competition? |
| Marketing of energy drinks | A topic, not a question | How effective was a named brand's recent social media campaign in increasing sales in the UAE? |
These questions are illustrations only. Each still needs the student to check that enough documents exist before committing.
A sensible process
- List two or three organisations you can get information about. Family businesses, local franchises and listed regional companies often work well.
- For each, find a recent decision or problem. Check that at least three to five usable documents exist, published within the time limit.
- Choose the key concept that genuinely fits the issue, then write the research question.
- Choose tools that answer the question: for example ratio analysis or investment appraisal for a financial decision, force field analysis or a decision tree for a strategic choice, STEEPLE or SWOT only when they lead somewhere.
- Apply each tool to the organisation's actual numbers and facts, then analyse what it shows and what it cannot show.
- Write the conclusion last, answering the question directly and noting the limitations of the evidence.
Common mistakes
- A SWOT analysis with no data behind it, which earns little under criterion C.
- Documents that all come from the organisation itself, so there is no balance to evaluate.
- Old documents. Teachers' guidance gives a three-year limit; older sources weaken criterion B.
- A conclusion that introduces new information or does not answer the question asked.
- Weak presentation: missing references, unlabelled tables, no title page. These are the easiest marks in the project.
How one-to-one lessons help with the project
A tutor who teaches IB Business Management helps the student test organisations and questions for feasibility before time is spent, explains which tools fit which kinds of decision, and practises applying them to real figures on the shared whiteboard, including ratio and investment appraisal calculations. The tutor then gives feedback on the plan and drafts against the criteria.
The project is assessed as the student's own work, and schools set rules on how much feedback a draft can receive. A tutor never writes or rewrites sections; the aim is that the student understands the tools well enough to use them independently.
Common questions
How long is the IB Business Management IA?
Up to 1,800 words at both SL and HL. Supporting documents, the bibliography, tables, diagrams and calculations are generally excluded; confirm the details with your teacher.
Can I do my IA on a family business?
Yes, and it can work well if you can obtain real documents and data, such as financial records, internal reports or interviews. You still need a range of perspectives, not only the owner's view.
Is the IA different at HL?
No. The task, word limit and 25-mark criteria are the same. It is worth 30% of the final grade at SL and 20% at HL.
Which key concept should I choose?
The one that genuinely describes your issue. A decision about packaging waste suits sustainability; a restructuring suits change; a pricing decision with fairness issues may suit ethics. The concept must run through the whole project.
How much do IB Business Management lessons cost?
$15 a lesson, the same flat rate for every subject and level, on a weekly plan of 1 to 5 lessons billed monthly. Lessons are 60 minutes, one to one and online, and the first lesson is a free trial.
Sources
Dates and figures on this page come from these official and published sources. Always confirm deadlines on the official page before acting on them.