IB History IA Grader

Grade your History IA before you submit. Upload your draft and get a mark for each criterion, comments tied to your sentences, and a list of what to fix first.

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5 free gradings a month. No card. Private to you.

History IA mark and criterion feedback in Marksy

96%

of Marksy's marks on History IAs land within one grade of the IB's final mark

Tested on 51 History IAs the IB had already marked. See how we tested

Marks
25, from three criteria
Biggest criterion
B, the investigation, worth 15
Length
2,200 words at most
SL and HL
Same task, same criteria

See the mark, and the sentences behind it

Check the quality of your method, analysis, evaluation, communication and subject-specific reasoning. Find the weakest parts of the draft and see what to change first.

History IA: comments on your writing
Comments on your writingEach comment points at a passage in your draft, so you can see why Marksy said it.
History IA: what to fix first
What to fix firstA short list of edits in order, instead of changing random parts of the draft.

What Marksy checks for each History IA criterion

You get a mark for each IB assessment criterion below. The points under each one are what Marksy looks for in your draft. See the mark bands

Criterion A: Identification and evaluation of sources

6 marks
  • The research question is focused and clearly stated.
  • The relevance of the chosen sources is explained.
  • Two sources are analysed for value and limitations with reference to origin, purpose, and content.

Criterion B: Investigation

15 marks
  • The investigation is organized around a focused argument.
  • Evidence from a range of sources is analysed and integrated.
  • Different perspectives are evaluated before a supported conclusion is reached.

Criterion C: Reflection

4 marks
  • Reflection focuses on the methods historians use.
  • Challenges and limitations of those methods are discussed.
  • The reflection is explicitly connected to your own investigation.

Where History IAs usually lose marks

Marksy flags these in your draft and links each one to the sentences it is about.

  • A question the size of a textbook chapter"Why did the Cold War start?" is too big for one investigation. Narrow it by place, years and angle, such as one decision, one group or one turning point.Criterion A
  • Source evaluation that fits any source"It's a primary source, so it's biased" earns little. Link each value and limitation to the source's origin, purpose or content, and say what it means for your question.Criterion A
  • Retelling events in orderA story of what happened keeps criterion B low. Start each paragraph with a claim that answers your question, then use evidence to back it up.Criterion B
  • Historians quoted, not weighedListing what two historians think isn't evaluating them. Say why they disagree, what evidence each one relies on, and which view your own evidence supports.Criterion B
  • A conclusion stronger than the evidenceYour conclusion should follow from your argument. If the evidence is mixed, say so and explain why one side still weighs more.Criterion B
  • A reflection about your workloadCriterion C is about how historians work, not your time management. Pick a real problem you met, like sources that contradict each other or missing voices, and say what it means for your conclusion.Criterion C

Before you upload

  • Give each of the three sections a clear heading: sources, investigation, reflection.
  • Name your two evaluated sources in full: who made them, when, and what kind of source they are.
  • Include your bibliography, so the range of sources you used is visible.
  • Type out any quote from a scanned or handwritten source. Marksy may not read images of them.

Your draft stays at the centre

Marksy reads the work you upload, points each comment back to your writing, and puts the most important changes first.

Can you defend your question with sources that you actively evaluate, not just quote?
Read History IA Planning Guide
  1. 1

    Upload your draft

    A PDF of your History IA, finished or not. Every comment stays connected to your own writing.

  2. 2

    Read the comments

    Highlights show which passage each comment is about.

  3. 3

    Fix the important parts first

    Work down a short list instead of making scattered edits.

  4. 4

    Keep the final say

    Accept, adapt or ignore each suggestion. You stay the author.

What students wrote afterwards

From Trustpilot, as written.

marksyib has saved my ib diploma. thanks to it, my IA's were perfect and got the points i needed. really recommended.
maya balog, 13 February 2026
Marksy ib allowed me to be able to finish my IAs much before allowing me to be able to relax better. 100% recommended
Jordi Pasalaigua Peiron, 25 March 2026
Read the reviews on Trustpilot

Your work stays your work

Marksy reads the draft you upload and comments on it. It doesn't rewrite your assessment, and your files are never used to train AI.

Read the safety answers
  • Private to youOnly you can see your work unless you choose to share it.
  • Never used for trainingYour coursework is not added to any AI training data.
  • Feedback, not ghostwritingUse the report to improve your own analysis and decisions.
  • Delete it whenever you wantYou control the files stored in your account.

Questions before you upload

Still planning? The coursework guide covers the criteria and what to ask yourself while you write. Open the guide

Marksy grades against the current History IA criteria: sources, investigation and reflection, out of 25. A new History course starts with first exams in 2028. If that's your year, check the criteria with your teacher.

Yes. The criterion A comments say whether each value and limitation comes from the source's origin, purpose or content, and whether it links to your question. OPVL headings on their own don't earn marks.

No. SL and HL students write the same historical investigation and are marked against the same three criteria.

Along with the IB criteria, Marksy's history marking uses notes on how real IB-marked investigations scored at each mark band.

On 51 History IAs the IB had already marked, 96% of Marksy's marks landed within one grade. Across all 1,317 IAs and TOK essays we tested, it was 92%. On a set with as many weak as strong essays, it scored 74/100 on our marking score, against 65 for ChatGPT, 61 for Claude and 57 for Gemini. Every number, and how we tested, is on the grading accuracy page.

Yes. Marksy checks your History IA against the IB assessment criteria for it and returns marks, comments and fixes instead of generic essay advice.

Yes. Early drafts are useful because the report can show a weak criterion before you spend hours polishing the wrong section. You can revise and grade another version later.

A free account includes 5 gradings a month. You don't need a card.

No. Marksy reads your existing work, explains each comment, and suggests what to revise. The writing and the final decisions stay yours.

Your upload is private to your account, is not used to train AI models, and can be deleted whenever you want.

Stop guessing what to fix in your History IA

Upload the version you have now and find the parts holding it back.

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