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IB Internal Assessment help in the UAE & online

Online IA coaching for students at UAE IB schools, from Physics and Biology investigations to the Maths AI exploration and Economics commentaries. IB teachers and specialists with examiner experience help with the research question, method and analysis, never the writing itself, in one-to-one lessons on Gulf time from £58 (~285 AED) an hour.

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IA tutors for UAE students

An IA tutor should know the subject's criteria as well as its content. We pair each student with a tutor in that subject, often someone who has marked or moderated IAs.

Mansi

Mansi

IB specialist

IB IA TutorIB textbook author10+ years' IB teaching

I’m an experienced MYP Coordinator and DP Environmental Systems and Societies (ESS) Teacher, with over a decade in IB education. As an IB Examiner for Paper 2 and the Internal Assessment, I bring deep insight into what examiners look for and how students can excel. I’ve co-authored the DP ESS textbook for Kognity and create revision content for IB Revision Village, helping students worldwide strengthen their understanding of ESS. My teaching style is concept-driven, inquiry-based, and highly interactive. I focus on building clarity, confidence, and critical thinking, helping each learner connect environmental concepts to real-world systems while achieving their personal best in assessments. I love reading, playing tennis and watching ecology documentaries.

  • ESS
  • Biology
  • Internal Assessment
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Florence

Florence

IB specialist

IB IA Tutor15+ years' teaching

I currently teach at an international school in Nairobi, Kenya, specializing in History, Geography, and Theory of Knowledge (TOK) both Cambridge and International Baccalaureate(IB) curriculum. Alongside teaching, I serve as an active IB diploma History examiner for Paper 2 and Internal Assessment (IA) and an A Level Cambridge History examiner for Paper 2.

  • History
  • Geography
  • TOK
  • Internal Assessment
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Sarah

Sarah

IB specialist

IB IA Tutor15+ years' IB teaching

Hello I am Sarah. I initially studied Physics, obtained a MSc in Meteorology and Climatology while obtained a second BA in Environmental science. Soon after working in the field of research, Mathematics and especially teaching gained my interest. Since 2008 I have been teaching mathematics for the IB and since 2014 I am an IB examiner in both written exams and the Internal assessment. I teach AA and AI for both Higher and Standard level, providing my students a large collection of exercises from past examinations and high quality notes. Outside of tutoring, I am a passionate kitesurfer.

  • Maths AA
  • Maths AI
  • Internal Assessment
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Meenakshi

Meenakshi

IB specialist

IB IA TutorIA moderator23 years' teaching

Teaching has always been my passion and I have completed 23 years in this field. Working as an IB AI Moderator and Paper One Examiner for more than sixteen years helps me to make students understand the way of writing skills as per the markschemes. I am also an A Levels Examiner.

  • Maths AI
  • Maths AA
  • Internal Assessment
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Isaac

Isaac

IB specialist

IB IA TutorSenior IA moderatorIB curriculum reviewerIB workshop leader

Since 2004, I have worked as a senior IA moderator, examiner, workshop leader, and curriculum reviewer. I have even authored key resources for the IB, including IA portfolio tasks and micro-credential modules. This unique perspective means I know exactly what IB examiners are looking for and how to help you achieve your best possible grade.

  • Maths AA
  • Maths AI
  • Internal Assessment
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Majid

Majid

IB specialist

IB IA Tutor30 years' teaching

I teach IB Chemistry courses at SL and HL and I am an IB Examiner in the International Baccalaureate Organization. I mark IA Lab Reports and Paper Examinations (Paper 1B and Paper 2).

  • Chemistry
  • Internal Assessment
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What's assessed

The four IA formats UAE students meet most

Internal Assessment is coursework marked by your teacher and checked by the IB, worth between a fifth and almost a third of each subject grade. These four formats cover most of a UAE Diploma student's coursework.

Sciences: the scientific investigation. In Biology, Chemistry and Physics, students design their own investigation and write it up in at most 3,000 words, marked on research design, data analysis, conclusion and evaluation (6 marks each). Data can be gathered in a group of up to three, but each report is individual.

Maths: the exploration. Maths AA and Maths AI both ask for 12 to 20 pages on a topic the student picks, marked out of 20, with use of mathematics weighted most. Our advice on choosing a maths exploration topic helps avoid the textbook topics that cap personal engagement.

Economics: three commentaries. Each Economics commentary analyses a recent news article in up to 800 words, each from a different part of the course and through a different key concept. Our note on structuring an Economics commentary shows how to fit diagrams and evaluation into 800 words.

Business Management: the research project. Business Management students investigate a real issue facing one organisation in up to 1,800 words, using three to five supporting documents and one key concept.

IA weight at a glance

  • Biology, Chemistry, Physics: 20% at SL and HL
  • Maths AA and AI: 20% at SL and HL
  • Economics: 30% at SL, 20% at HL
  • Business Management: 30% at SL, 20% at HL

For SL students in Economics or Business, the IA is the single biggest piece of the grade they control before May.

Academic integrity

How much IA help is allowed

Under the IB's academic integrity policy, your teacher may comment once on one complete IA draft and an outside tutor may teach the skills behind it, but nobody except the student may write, edit or correct the work. After that single round of feedback, teachers can only answer brief questions, so outside help is most useful early.

Before the draft goes in, a tutor can test whether a research question is narrow enough, explain how a criterion such as evaluation is marked, teach a technique like regression on practice data, and question a method until its weak points show. After it comes back, a tutor can help a student understand the teacher's comments and decide what to rework.

A tutor shouldn't pick the topic, process the student's real data, rewrite sentences or mark up the document the teacher will see. The IB checks submissions with plagiarism software, and undeclared help, including from AI tools, can lead to zero for the component.

Who marks the IA

Your subject teacher marks every IA against the IB's criteria. The IB then moderates a sample of the school's work and can move every student's mark up or down to match its standard, so a generous teacher mark isn't safe until results day.

IAs in the UAE school year

When IA work peaks for UAE Diploma students

Each school sets its own IA deadlines, and they vary more than EE dates do. These are the typical windows at DP schools, not official IB dates.

  1. DP1 · Jan–June

    First experiments and topic ideas

    Science departments usually run the first practical work towards the investigation in the second and third terms of DP1, and maths teachers introduce the exploration. A student who leaves DP1 with a shortlisted topic and some trial data has a calmer DP2.

  2. DP2 · Sept–Nov

    Drafts, one subject after another

    Most IA drafts are due across the autumn term, often staggered so that two subjects don't land in the same week. The October mid-term break (12 to 16 October in 2026) is the usual moment to catch up on a draft that has slipped.

  3. DP2 · Dec–Jan

    Finals around the mocks

    Many UAE schools collect final IAs just before or just after the winter break, which runs from mid-December to 3 January in 2026–27, so finals often overlap with revision for January mocks. Students who finish analysis before the holiday protect their mock preparation.

  4. DP2 · Feb–Apr

    Marks and samples go to the IB

    Ramadan is expected from about 8 February 2027. By then IA work is mostly finished; teachers mark it, and schools send marks and moderation samples to the IB in the spring, typically in March and April, before exams begin in late April.

Typical, not official. Holiday dates follow the UAE's unified 2026–27 calendar; Ramadan dates depend on the moon sighting. Your school's internal deadline sheet is the one that counts.

Free resources

IA guides from our tutors

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Referencing

IB Citation Guide

Master IB citation! Compare APA vs. MLA for your Extended Essay (EE) and IAs. Learn why consistent referencing matters and discover free tools like Zotero or MyBib to automate your citations.

Read the guide
Reviews

Reviews from students we've helped with their IAs

Grade 4 6
“Sara had immense knowledge regarding the structure of the paper 2, the lessons were a lot of fun and I improved immensely”
Ben W., student Strothoff International School · Class of 2025 · English A Language & Literature
Grade 4 6
“I really liked how kind and supportive she is, which made me feel comfortable during lessons. She always made the sessions interesting and engaging, especially for oral practice and writing, which helped me improve a lot. I also noticed a big improvement in my grades over time. Most importantly, she helped build my confidence and consistently pushed me to reach a high standard.”
Anne B., parent sotogrande international school · Class of 2026 · Languages
“Aamukta provided great help with my IA;she gave me good advice on how I could incorporate more OOP elements to meet the criteria better but not too much to overcomplicate the project. She took me from unorganised code plans to code that was actually organised and structured.”
Sophie S., student The Abbey School · Class of 2025 · Computer Science
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FAQs

IA questions from UAE students and parents

Can a tutor help with my IB IA without breaking the rules?

Yes, provided the tutor teaches and the student does the work. A Lanterna IA tutor can explain what each criterion rewards, test whether a research question is narrow enough, and teach a technique such as uncertainty propagation or a statistical test on practice data before you apply it to your own results. The tutor does not choose the topic, process your real data, write the analysis or mark up the document; your teacher comments once on one complete draft, and the IA has to be your own work.

When should a DP2 student in Abu Dhabi start IA support?

Before the draft goes to the teacher, because that single round of feedback is the only formal comment the IB allows. At most UAE schools IA drafts land across the autumn term and finals around the winter break, so a student who books lessons in September or October, or uses the mid-term break from 12 to 16 October, gets help while the method and analysis can still change. After the draft is returned, a tutor can still help a student act on the comments.

How does online IA tutoring work for a student in Dubai or Sharjah?

One-to-one video lessons on Gulf time, with the student sharing their plan, data table or graph on screen while the tutor questions it. Lanterna pairs each IA with a tutor in that subject, often one who has marked or moderated IAs, so a Physics investigation goes to a physicist and an Economics portfolio to an economist. Nothing about the format depends on where in the UAE the student lives.

Does an IA tutor need to be a specialist in that subject?

Yes. The four formats are marked differently, from 24 marks for a science investigation and 20 for a Maths exploration to 45 for the Economics portfolio and 25 for the Business Management research project, and a tutor who teaches the subject knows which descriptors students miss. That is why we never assign a general study-skills tutor to an IA.

How much does IA tutoring cost, and how many sessions are needed?

Lanterna's IA lessons start at £58 (~285 AED) an hour, and most students need only a handful of sessions at the right moment rather than a long course. A student with a vague research question typically needs a few sessions before data collection; one with a returned draft usually needs two or three to understand the feedback and rework the analysis. A free consultation sizes the plan to the subject, deadline and stage.

My child has already had the teacher’s feedback on the draft. Is there still a point in IA tutoring?

Yes, and this is a common moment to start. After the one permitted round of comments, a tutor can help a student understand what the teacher meant, revisit the criterion the comments point to and rework the analysis in their own words, without touching the text themselves. With finals often due around the winter break, from 14 December 2026, a few sessions in November and early December usually cover it.

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