Criterion A: Identification of issue and justification
3 marks- The issue is explicitly philosophical.
- The stimulus connection is specific.
- The connection is justified, not assumed.
IB Philosophy IA Grader
Grade your Philosophy 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.
5 free gradings a month. No card. Private to you.
- of marks within one grade of the IB's final mark
- 92%
- marking score. ChatGPT 65, Claude 61, Gemini 57
- 74/100
- real IAs and TOK essays tested against the mark the IB gave
- 1,317
- Marks
- 25, from five criteria
- Task
- A philosophical analysis of a non-philosophical stimulus
- SL and HL
- Same task, same criteria
- Most marks
- Analysis (8) and evaluation (6)
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.
What Marksy checks for each Philosophy 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 B: Clarity
4 marks- The response has a visible line of argument.
- Key claims and transitions are clear.
- Organization keeps attention on the task.
Criterion C: Knowledge and understanding
4 marks- Concepts and positions are represented accurately.
- The philosophical issue is explained in detail.
- Philosophical vocabulary is used appropriately throughout.
Criterion D: Analysis
8 marks- Analysis goes beyond description.
- Examples are well chosen and support the argument.
- Counter-arguments are identified and analysed.
Criterion E: Evaluation
6 marks- Alternative interpretations are evaluated.
- Main points are justified.
- The conclusion matches a consistently held position.
Where Philosophy IAs usually lose marks
Marksy flags these in your draft and links each one to the sentences it is about.
- A stimulus that is already philosophyA passage from Sartre or a summary of the trolley problem is philosophy, not a stimulus. Pick something from everyday life, like a news story, an advert or a film scene, that raises a question without answering it.Criterion A
- An issue named but not earned"This photo raises the issue of free will" is only a claim. Point to the details in the stimulus that raise the issue, and say why they raise that issue and not another.Criterion A
- Terms used looselyWords like "determinism", "relativism" or "utilitarian" have exact meanings. Define the ones your argument depends on and use them the same way every time.Criterion C
- A tour of philosophers"Kant says... Mill says..." is description. Set out the steps of each argument, test them against your stimulus, and show where they break.Criterion D
- Objections that never get an answerNaming a counter-argument is only the start. Give its strongest version, reply to it, and say whether your reply holds.Criterion D
- A conclusion that sits on the fence"Both sides have a point" isn't evaluation. Take a position, keep it through the whole IA, and make sure your conclusion follows from what you argued.Criterion E
Before you upload
- Put the stimulus at the start of the PDF: the image or text itself, with its source.
- If your stimulus is a video or a song, describe the moment you analyse in words.
- Keep your references and bibliography in the file.
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 a reader see the philosophical issue, the argument, and the evaluation without guessing your intent?Read Philosophy IA Planning Guide
- 1
Upload your draft
A PDF of your Philosophy IA, finished or not. Every comment stays connected to your own writing.
- 2
Read the comments
Highlights show which passage each comment is about.
- 3
Fix the important parts first
Work down a short list instead of making scattered edits.
- 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.
Marksy ib allowed me to be able to finish my IAs much before allowing me to be able to relax better. 100% recommended
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
Something that isn't written as philosophy: a news story, a photo, a cartoon, an advert, a song or a film scene. It should raise a philosophical question without trying to answer it.
Marksy grades the text in your PDF. Add a short description of an image in words, or quote the text you use. It can't watch a video or listen to a song, so describe the part you analyse.
No. SL and HL students do the same task and are marked against the same five criteria.
We tested Marksy on 1,317 real IAs and TOK essays with the mark the IB gave them. 92% of Marksy's marks landed within one grade. 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 Philosophy 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 Philosophy IA
Upload the version you have now and find the parts holding it back.