October 16, 2025
Research Release
Inside IB Moderation: What the Data Really Shows
1/6
IB moderation decides whether your coursework grade stays the same, or drops by an entire boundary. It's designed to keep grading consistent across schools, but our data shows it often exposes something deeper: most teachers simply don't grade like examiners do.
We analyzed thousands of real Internal Assessments and Extended Essays from schools worldwide. This is the first public look into how IB moderation really works — and what it means for your final results.
Learn more about our methodology
We didn't just guess—we measured. Here's how the research was done:- Analyzed moderation data across all IB subjects to identify systemic patterns in grade adjustments.
- Controlled for school-level variations by examining data across different regions, school types, and performance levels to ensure representative findings.
- Applied statistical significance testing to validate findings and ensure reported percentages reflect genuine patterns rather than random variation.
- Segmented analysis by assessment type (Extended Essay, Internal Assessment, etc.) to provide component-specific insights.
- Anonymized all data sources to protect student and school privacy while maintaining analytical integrity.
