The Internal Assessment in IB Economics is a piece of applied economic writing in which you analyse a real-world economic issue using economic concepts and theory. It is one of the few parts of the course where you choose the article and the focus, and it contributes to your final grade. This guide explains what the IA is, how to choose a strong topic, how to build a focused analytical question, how to use diagrams and evidence, and how to avoid the most common mistakes. It applies to the current IB Economics course at both Standard and Higher Level.
A note on the current course. This guide uses the terminology of the current IB Economics course. The IA's exact requirements, including the number of commentaries, word limit and weighting, differ between courses and levels; confirm the details for your specific course against the official IB subject brief, and follow your school's internal guidance and deadlines.
What Is the IB Economics IA?
The Economics IA is an applied commentary in which you use economic theory to analyse and evaluate a real-world issue drawn from a published source. It is not a research essay about economics in general, and it is not a summary of an article. The IA is meant to show that you can use economics: identify the relevant concepts, apply them to a specific situation, support your analysis with diagrams and evidence, and reach a reasoned evaluation. A strong IA reads like a focused piece of economic reasoning produced by a student who genuinely wanted to make sense of the issue.
Choosing a Strong Economics IA Topic
Topic choice is where most IAs succeed or fail before they begin. A useful topic has several characteristics:
- A specific economic issue. A concrete situation you can analyse, not a general theme such as "inflation".
- Manageable scope. Narrow enough to analyse thoroughly within the word limit, rather than so broad that the analysis stays shallow.
- Sufficient evidence. Enough information in the source to support analysis and evaluation, including data or clear causal claims.
- Clear economic theory. An issue that connects to specific economic concepts you can apply, not merely describe.
- Opportunity for analysis and evaluation. An issue where you can explain why something is happening and judge how significant it is, not just state that it is happening.
- Realistic access to data and articles. A published source you can legitimately use, with enough substance to work with.
There is no such thing as a topic that guarantees a high grade. The marks come from how well you analyse and evaluate the issue, not from the topic itself. Avoid choosing a topic because it looks impressive; choose one you can actually reason about with the economics you know.
Building the Research Question / Focus
A broad economic issue is not yet a focus. The move from "an article about a sugar tax" to "how effectively a sugar tax reduces consumption of sugary drinks, given the price elasticity of demand" is the move that turns a summary into an analysis. State the focus as a question or a clear analytical aim, and make sure it is specific enough to answer within the word limit.
A useful test: if your focus could be answered in a single sentence of description, it is too narrow; if it would take a textbook to answer, it is too broad. The best focus sits in between, narrow enough to analyse with specific theory, broad enough to allow genuine evaluation.
Choosing the Right Economic Concepts
Select concepts and theories that are genuinely relevant to your specific issue, rather than forcing a diagram into the analysis because you know it well. If the issue is about a price change, demand and supply, elasticity and market equilibrium are likely relevant; if it is about a government policy, you may need to consider market failure, government intervention and its consequences. The concepts should serve the analysis, not the other way round.
Define the concepts you use where definition adds clarity, but do not turn the IA into a glossary. The point is to apply the concepts to the issue, not to reproduce them from memory. A paragraph that defines "elasticity" and then never uses it earns little; a paragraph that uses elasticity to explain why a price change had a particular effect earns much more.
Using Economic Diagrams Effectively
Diagrams are central to economic analysis, but only when they are used as part of the reasoning, not as decoration:
- Selecting an appropriate diagram. Choose the diagram that actually represents the economic relationship in the issue. The wrong diagram is worse than none.
- Accurate labels. Label axes, curves, equilibria and any shifts precisely. A diagram with vague or missing labels is hard to follow and easy to mark down.
- Explaining shifts. If a curve shifts, say why it shifts and in which direction, and what the new equilibrium implies. An unexplained shift is a missed opportunity for analysis.
- Connecting diagrams directly to the issue. Refer to the diagram in your writing and explain what it shows about the specific situation. A diagram that sits beside the text, unconnected, earns little.
- Using diagrams as part of analysis. The diagram is a tool for reasoning, not an illustration. Use it to show why a change occurs and what its consequences are.
Using Evidence and Real-World Context
The IA is applied economics, so evidence matters, but only when it is integrated into the analysis:
- Selecting relevant evidence. Use the parts of the source that genuinely support the analysis, not everything it contains.
- Integrating evidence into analysis. Connect each piece of evidence to a specific economic claim. Evidence that is listed but not used adds nothing.
- Avoiding unsupported assertions. If you claim a price rose, demand fell or a policy worked, point to the evidence. Unsupported assertions are a common reason conclusions become weak.
- Connecting evidence to economic theory. The evidence should illustrate or test the theory you are applying, not sit alongside it. The strongest IAs move smoothly between theory, diagram and evidence.
Analysis vs Evaluation
Many students conflate analysis and evaluation, but they are different moves and both are rewarded separately:
Analysis answers: what is happening and why? It explains the mechanism, how a change in one variable leads to a change in another, using theory and diagrams. Analysis is the engine of the IA.
Evaluation answers: how significant is this, under what conditions does it hold, and what are the trade-offs and limitations? It judges the strength of the analysis, considers alternative explanations, weighs short-run against long-run effects, and acknowledges the limits of the evidence. Evaluation is where you show that you can think critically about your own argument, not just produce one.
A common pattern in weak IAs is strong analysis followed by a generic evaluation paragraph that lists "pros and cons". Strong evaluation is specific to the issue: it asks whether the theory actually applies here, whether the evidence is strong enough, and what would have to be true for the conclusion to change.
Structure of a Strong Economics IA
There is no single mandatory template, but a workable structure moves from context to analysis to evaluation:
- Introduction. State the issue and your focused analytical question. Keep it short.
- Economic context. Briefly establish the relevant background, only what the analysis needs.
- Analysis. Apply the relevant concepts and diagrams to the issue, integrating evidence. This is the largest section.
- Evaluation. Judge the significance of the analysis, the conditions it depends on, the trade-offs and the limitations of the evidence.
- Conclusion. State what the analysis and evaluation support, and no more than they support. A conclusion stronger than the analysis is a common mistake.
Adapt this to your specific issue. Some topics need more space for diagrams, others for evidence; the structure should serve the argument, not the other way round.
Common Economics IA Mistakes
- Topic too broad. An issue so large that the analysis stays at the surface.
- Weak economic focus. A commentary that describes the article without applying economic theory.
- Irrelevant diagrams. A diagram included because it is known, not because it fits the issue.
- Diagrams not explained. A diagram with no written connection to the analysis.
- Descriptive writing. Summarising the article instead of analysing it.
- Weak chains of reasoning. Claims without the mechanism that connects them.
- Generic evaluation. A list of pros and cons with no link to the specific issue.
- Evidence not connected to theory. Data quoted but never used to support an economic claim.
- Conclusion unsupported by analysis. A conclusion that claims more than the analysis established.
How HK Study Hub Can Help
Legitimate tutoring support for the Economics IA focuses on helping you produce better work, not on producing it for you. A tutor can help with refining a topic into a focused analytical question, choosing relevant economic concepts, selecting and explaining diagrams, strengthening the chain of analysis, sharpening evaluation, structuring the commentary, and giving feedback on clarity and rigour. The student remains responsible for producing and submitting their own assessed work. If you would like support, see our IB Economics tutoring in Hong Kong.
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IB Economics IA FAQs
How do I choose a topic? Pick a specific economic issue with enough evidence to analyse, clear relevant theory, and scope you can manage within the word limit. Avoid broad themes and topics chosen only because they look impressive.
How many diagrams should I use? As many as the analysis genuinely needs, each one explained and connected to the issue. A single well-used diagram beats several unexplained ones.
What counts as good evidence? Specific, relevant information from the source that supports an economic claim, integrated into the analysis rather than listed.
What is the difference between analysis and evaluation? Analysis explains what is happening and why; evaluation judges how significant it is, under what conditions it holds, and what the trade-offs and limitations are.
Is there a word limit? The current course sets a word limit for each commentary. Confirm the exact limit for your course against the official IB subject brief, and stay within it.
Can a tutor review my IA? A tutor can give feedback on focus, analysis, diagrams, evaluation and structure. They cannot write or rewrite assessed work for you.
Is it academic misconduct to have help? Feedback and guidance are legitimate; having someone else write or substantially rewrite the IA is misconduct and risks your result.
For more, see our IB Economics Paper 1 guide, browse the IB Economics resource hub, all IB resources, or IB tutoring in Hong Kong.