IB Geography IA Fieldwork Source Checker

Geography IA must be built around local fieldwork and primary data collected through observation or measurement. Secondary sources can support context, but they should not replace the student-collected fieldwork base.

Check this sourceCheck sources for other subjects

Geography IA source check

Marksy reads the links or notes you give it, applies the rules for your IB assignment, and only stops to ask you something when the answer would change the verdict.

  1. Assignment
  2. 2Sources
  3. 3Clarify
  4. 4Verdict

Checking against

Geography IA

What usually works for Geography IA

Usually strong

  • Transect measurements, environmental quality surveys, traffic counts, questionnaires, land-use mapping, and observations.
  • Government maps, census data, planning documents, and GIS layers for context.
  • Class-collected field data where individual analysis is independent.

Example

Student-collected pedestrian counts, land-use mapping, environmental quality scores, and a local planning document.

Needs a second look

  • A report built mainly from national statistics with little local fieldwork.
  • Surveys with unclear sampling or no record of when/where they were collected.
  • Generic websites used as substitutes for place-specific evidence.

Example

Government census data used to contextualize a fieldwork pattern.

Avoid or replace

  • Pure literature-review or secondary-data IAs.
  • AI-generated descriptions of a location.
  • Untraceable maps or copied fieldwork tables from another student.

Example

A tourism website describing the city.

Where to find better Geography IA sources

If a source gets a warning, don't just add more websites. Search for sources that match the assessment rule and can carry real analysis.

Searches to try

If a source is weak

  • Replace pure literature-review or secondary-data ias. with transect measurements, environmental quality surveys, traffic counts, questionnaires, land-use mapping, and observations..
  • Use a report built mainly from national statistics with little local fieldwork. only as context unless your teacher confirms they can carry evidence.
  • Add at least one student-collected fieldwork, survey, observation, interview, or experiment source before relying on secondary data.

Good places to look

  • Transect measurements, environmental quality surveys, traffic counts, questionnaires, land-use mapping, and observations
  • Government maps, census data, planning documents, and GIS layers for context
  • Class-collected field data where individual analysis is independent

Questions people ask