IA mark bands, criterion by criterion
The same piece of work earns a 2 or a 4 depending on which verb it is written to. All 5 criteria with the verb each band asks for, what moves an answer up, and the rules that quietly cap a mark however well written the section is.
- 30 marks
- Criterion D is 40%
- Verbs, not content
Free to use. Students join their class with a code from their teacher; teachers can create classes and track progress.
What is inside
- A band ladder per criterionEach band paired with the verb it asks for and a worked example of an answer at that level.
- What raises your markConcrete actions per criterion, rather than a restatement of the descriptor.
- What caps youPartial functionality caps Criterion D at 9; a test plan covering only some success criteria caps Criterion C at 4.
Preview
Criterion D: describing versus evaluating
Criterion D is 12 of the 30 marks. The gap between its bottom and top band is one verb.
- 1–3 — states"I used a dictionary."
- 4–6 — outlines"I used a dictionary because it was faster."
- 7–9 — explains"A dictionary was faster than a list for lookups, so I used one for the borrower index."
- 10–12 — evaluates and justifies"A dictionary gave constant-time lookup where the list version scanned 400 records on every keystroke."