IB - International Baccalaureate Internal vs. External Assessment Questions and Answers — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Which of the following IB components is marked by a teacher and then externally moderated by the IB?
- Theory of Knowledge (TOK) Exhibition (Correct answer)
- Theory of Knowledge (TOK) Essay
- Extended Essay (EE)
- Final Diploma Programme examinations
Correct answer: Theory of Knowledge (TOK) Exhibition
The TOK Exhibition is an internal assessment. This means it is marked by the student's classroom teacher against IB criteria. To ensure global standards are applied consistently, the IB then requests a sample of the marked work from the school and an external moderator reviews the teacher's application of the markscheme. The TOK Essay, Extended Essay, and final examinations are all examples of external assessments, which are sent directly to the IB to be marked by appointed examiners.
Question 2: A teacher has marked all of their students' History Internal Assessments. The IB requests a sample of these assessments for moderation. If the IB moderator determines that the teacher has marked consistently, but too harshly, across the entire sample, what is the most likely outcome?
- The moderator will re-mark only the specific assessments included in the sample.
- The marks of all students in the teacher's class will be adjusted upwards. (Correct answer)
- Only the students with the lowest marks in the class will have their scores increased.
- The teacher will be required to re-mark all the assessments using new guidance.
Correct answer: The marks of all students in the teacher's class will be adjusted upwards.
The purpose of moderation is to ensure that a teacher's marking aligns with the global IB standard. If a moderator finds that a teacher has been consistently too harsh, a moderation factor is applied that adjusts the marks for the entire cohort of students in that subject at that school. The IB does not re-mark individual assessments in isolation during this process; rather, it adjusts the whole set of marks to bring them in line with the global standard.
Question 3: Which statement accurately describes the primary difference in the assessment process for the Extended Essay (EE) and a Group 4 (Sciences) Internal Assessment (IA)?
- The EE is graded by an external IB examiner, while the Science IA is graded by the classroom teacher and moderated by the IB. (Correct answer)
- The Science IA is worth a higher percentage of the final subject grade than the EE is for the total Diploma score.
- The EE requires a viva voce (oral defense) which is internally assessed, while the Science IA has no oral component.
- Both are externally assessed, but the EE uses a letter grade (A-E) while the Science IA uses a numerical score.
Correct answer: The EE is graded by an external IB examiner, while the Science IA is graded by the classroom teacher and moderated by the IB.
The Extended Essay (EE) is a purely external assessment; the final 4,000-word paper is sent to and graded by a trained external IB examiner. In contrast, the Internal Assessment (IA) for a Group 4 subject like Physics or Biology is marked internally by the student's teacher, and then a sample of the work is sent to the IB for moderation to ensure the teacher's marking is aligned with international standards.
Question 4: A student is working on two major IB tasks: their TOK Essay and their TOK Exhibition. Which of the following correctly identifies who is primarily responsible for marking each component?
- TOK Essay: External IB Examiner; TOK Exhibition: School Teacher (Correct answer)
- TOK Essay: School Teacher; TOK Exhibition: External IB Examiner
- Both are marked by the school teacher and then moderated by the IB.
- Both are sent directly to the IB to be marked by external examiners.
Correct answer: TOK Essay: External IB Examiner; TOK Exhibition: School Teacher
The TOK course has two assessment components with different processes. The TOK Essay is an external assessment, marked by an IB examiner, and accounts for 2/3 of the final TOK grade. The TOK Exhibition is an internal assessment, marked by the student's own teacher, and accounts for 1/3 of the grade. The teacher's marking on the Exhibition is then subject to external moderation by the IB.
Question 5: The primary goal of the IB's external moderation of internal assessments is to ensure:
- Global consistency and fairness in marking standards across all schools. (Correct answer)
- That every student's work is re-marked by a second, independent grader.
- Students are given personalized feedback directly from IB examiners.
- That teachers are penalized for marking that differs from the IB standard.
Correct answer: Global consistency and fairness in marking standards across all schools.
Moderation is a quality control process designed to ensure that a teacher's application of the IB assessment criteria is consistent with the global standard. It ensures that a student in one school is assessed to the same standard as a student in any other school worldwide, thereby guaranteeing fairness and reliability in the final grades. It does not involve re-marking all students' work or providing individual feedback from examiners.
Question 6: Which of the following assessments is an example of a purely external assessment in the IB Diploma Programme?
- A student's 4,000-word Extended Essay (Correct answer)
- A student's oral commentary for a Group 2 language course
- A student's mathematical exploration for a Group 5 mathematics course
- A student's lab report for a Group 4 science course
Correct answer: A student's 4,000-word Extended Essay
The Extended Essay is a compulsory core component that is always externally assessed. The final essay is uploaded to the IB and marked by a trained external examiner. The other options—language orals, mathematics explorations, and science lab reports—are all examples of Internal Assessments (IAs), which are marked by the teacher and then externally moderated by the IB.
IB - International Baccalaureate Internal vs. External Assessment Questions and Answers
Which of the following IB components is marked by a teacher and then externally moderated by the IB?