The Economics IA isn't marked on how much you know — it's marked on how well you can think like an economist about one real news story. Here's exactly what the three commentaries require, how to pick topics that work, and where students actually lose marks.
For SL Economics students, the Internal Assessment carries more weight than any single exam paper — 30% of the final grade, compared to 20% at HL. Yet most students spend far more time preparing for Paper 1 and Paper 2 than they do understanding what the IA portfolio actually requires. That imbalance is worth correcting early, because a strong IA is one of the most controllable parts of the entire course — unlike exam-day performance, a student has weeks to get it right.
This guide covers what the assessment actually demands, how to choose topics that set a student up to succeed rather than struggle, and where marks are most commonly lost.
What the Economics IA Actually Is
The IB Economics IA isn't a single essay — it's a portfolio of three separate commentaries, each based on a different published news article, each capped at 800 words. This structure is unique among IB subjects; most other IAs are one longer investigation, while Economics deliberately spreads assessment across three shorter, focused pieces.
Microeconomics
800 words · one article · one key concept
Macroeconomics
800 words · one article · one key concept
Global Economy
800 words · one article · one key concept
Three commentaries, three syllabus units, three different key concepts — no overlap allowed between them.
The Non-Negotiable Rules
Before choosing a single topic, it's worth internalizing the structural requirements — several students lose marks not on analysis quality, but on simply not meeting the portfolio's basic rules.
Different syllabus unit each time. One commentary must cover Microeconomics, one Macroeconomics, and one the Global Economy — the introductory unit isn't eligible for the IA at all.
Different key concept each time. Nine key concepts exist across the syllabus; each commentary must be built around a different one, with no repeats across the portfolio.
Different news source each time. All three articles must come from different, reputable publications — not the same outlet three times.
Recent articles only. Each article must have been published within roughly a year of the commentary being written — outdated stories aren't eligible.
The Nine Key Concepts
Every commentary must be framed through one of nine official key concepts: scarcity, choice, efficiency, equity, economic well-being, sustainability, change, interdependence, and intervention. The most common mistake here isn't picking the wrong concept — it's picking a concept and then mentioning it once in the introduction without letting it genuinely shape the analysis.
Choosing a Topic That Actually Works
The single biggest factor in how smoothly an IA goes is the article chosen at the start — a weak article makes even strong economic knowledge hard to demonstrate. Look for articles that describe a specific, analyzable economic event or policy, not just a general trend.
- Good sign: the article describes a concrete event — a specific tax change, a particular firm's pricing decision, a country's interest rate move — with enough detail to draw a diagram around.
- Warning sign: the article is short, vague, or purely speculative, with no real data or clear cause-and-effect to analyze.
- Good sign: the article naturally raises a trade-off or consequence that invites genuine evaluation — not just "this happened," but "this happened, and here's the tension it created."
It's also worth choosing topics across the three commentaries that don't feel repetitive to write — a common pattern is choosing three articles that are all, in substance, about the same underlying issue (e.g., three different articles all about inflation), which makes it harder to demonstrate breadth across the syllabus even if each one is individually valid.
Structuring for Full Marks
Each commentary is assessed against the same five criteria, regardless of which unit or key concept it covers. Structuring the commentary around these criteria directly — rather than writing loosely and hoping they're covered — is the most reliable way to maximize marks.
| What Examiners Look For | How to Deliver It |
|---|---|
| A relevant, correctly labeled diagram | Draw the specific diagram that fits the article's actual scenario — not a generic textbook diagram pasted in. Label axes, curves, and shifts precisely. |
| Correct use of economic terminology | Use specific terms accurately and in context — a broad vocabulary used loosely scores lower than a focused vocabulary used precisely. |
| Application of theory to the specific article | Connect the diagram and theory explicitly back to details in the article — quote or reference specific figures and events, not generic statements. |
| Genuine integration of the key concept | Let the chosen concept shape the framing of the whole commentary, not just appear in one sentence. |
| A real evaluation with a clear judgment | Weigh both sides of an issue and reach an explicit conclusion — "it depends" without a stated judgment tends to score lower than a committed, well-reasoned position. |
Habits That Prevent Avoidable Mark Losses
- Keep an unedited copy of each article — a screenshot or PDF, not a copy-pasted version — since the IA process requires demonstrating the article wasn't altered.
- Track word count carefully. The 800-word limit is strictly enforced, and diagrams are generally excluded from the count, but body text in tables usually isn't — worth checking the exact current rule with a teacher before finalizing.
- Draft all three commentaries with a full portfolio view in mind, not one at a time in isolation — it's easy to unintentionally repeat a key concept or overlap syllabus units when each commentary is drafted independently without checking against the other two.
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Frequently Asked Questions
How many commentaries make up the IB Economics IA?
Three. Each commentary is based on a different published news article, covers a different syllabus unit (Microeconomics, Macroeconomics, and the Global Economy), and is capped at 800 words.
How much does the IA count toward the final Economics grade?
30% of the final grade at Standard Level and 20% at Higher Level, making it a larger share of the SL grade than any single exam paper.
Can two commentaries use the same key concept?
No. Each of the three commentaries must use a different key concept from the nine official options, with no concept repeated across the portfolio.
How old can the news article be?
Articles should generally be published within about a year of when the commentary is written. It's worth confirming the exact current cutoff with a teacher, since this detail is periodically reviewed by the IB.
What's the most common reason students lose marks on the Economics IA?
Mentioning the key concept without genuinely integrating it into the analysis, and writing a generic textbook diagram rather than one tailored specifically to the article's scenario are two of the most frequent, avoidable mark losses.
Can all three articles come from the same newspaper?
No. Each of the three articles must come from a different, reputable news source — using the same publication for more than one commentary doesn't meet the portfolio requirements.
