What is the IB BM IA?
One research project. Up to 1,800 words. A real business question you actually want to answer.
The IB Business Management Internal Assessment is not a test - it is a piece of independent research. You pick a real business, ask a genuine question about it, gather evidence, apply business tools and theories, and come to a well-reasoned conclusion. Done well, it is one of the most interesting pieces of work you will do in the course.
This guide walks you through the whole process, stage by stage. Work through it in order. Each section builds on the last.
The basics
The word count is strict: 1,800 is the ceiling, not the target. Moderators will not read beyond this limit. The best IAs use every word deliberately. Appendices (your supporting documents, diagrams, references) do not count toward the limit, but the written commentary does.
The marking criteria
Your IA is marked out of 25 across seven criteria. Know these - they are a checklist of what the examiner is looking for.
| Criterion | What it tests | Marks |
|---|---|---|
| A | Use of a key concept throughout the research | 5 |
| B | Supporting documents: quality, range, and relevance | 4 |
| C | Use of business management tools and theories | 4 |
| D | Quality of analysis and evaluation | 5 |
| E | Conclusions linked to the research question | 3 |
| F | Structure and organisation | 2 |
| G | Presentation: references, citations, appendices | 2 |
| Total | 25 | |
Notice where the marks are: Criterion A (key concept, 5 marks) and Criterion D (analysis and evaluation, 5 marks) together make up almost half the available marks. Those two criteria reward deep, sustained thinking - not just knowledge.
The four key concepts
Unlike most IB subjects, BM IA uses a specific shortlist of four concepts. You must build your entire research project around one of them.
The concept is not a label you stick on the introduction. It shapes your research question, guides your choice of tools, runs through your analysis, and anchors your conclusion. More on this in Key Concept.
The big picture
Your IA will move through three sections: an introduction (about 400 words), an analysis and discussion (about 1,100 words), and a conclusion (about 300 words). The written commentary is supported by 3-5 documents in an appendix - some you collect, some you may create through primary research.
The research question sits at the centre of everything. It is what you are trying to answer. Every tool you apply, every piece of evidence you gather, every evaluative point you make should connect back to it. Finding a good research question is the single most important decision you will make - which is why Find Your RQ focuses entirely on that.