Plan an IA through evidence, dependencies and checks
Write a practical project brief and test the most uncertain step before committing.
Write a brief that names the work
Summarize the particular task, your intended focus, the evidence or material required and the output you must submit. Confirm the current subject guidance with your teacher. A useful brief is short enough to review during planning. It should distinguish the task's rules from your chosen approach. For example, a school deadline is fixed unless the school changes it; a provisional research focus can develop after evidence checks. Mark these differences so your plan can adapt without losing the essential requirements.
Test the step with the greatest uncertainty
Identify what could prevent the task from working: missing data, an inaccessible source, unsuitable extracts, a method that produces unclear results or an approach beyond your current understanding. Choose a small test before investing in the full project. Obtain required approval and relevant supervision first. A pilot or sample analysis should answer a defined question about feasibility. Document what you learned and how the plan changes. Repeating a failed test without examining its cause creates activity without useful progress.
Map dependencies and available support
List what requires another person, a resource or permission. Book or request it early using the school's arrangements. Work backward from your internal deadlines through evidence collection, analysis, draft, permitted feedback and revision. Leave practical space for the uncertain steps. Do not assume that your teacher can provide unlimited draft review or that a shared laboratory will be available whenever you want. Confirm the support rules for this specific task. A plan becomes realistic when it includes the conditions under which the work can happen.
Try a worked feasibility decision
Imagine a student planning an investigation of a relationship using measurements from a shared school facility. A small approved pilot reveals that one setting produces values too similar to distinguish reliably. The student checks the method with the teacher and considers a revised range within safe, available conditions. Their plan now includes a retest before full collection. This example shows why feasibility deserves an early milestone: discovering the issue while writing the conclusion would leave less time to improve the investigation's design.
Keep evidence and authorship traceable
Preserve original material, research notes, calculations, versions and source details. Separate quotations from your paraphrases and record relevant assistance according to school guidance. For collaborative contexts, understand what work must be individual. If an outcome differs from what you expected, analyse it honestly rather than inventing a more convenient result. A clear record helps you explain your decisions and makes revision easier. It also reduces the chance that you lose the provenance of a figure, dataset or claim when assembling the final file.
Define completion beyond finishing the draft
Before submission, inspect whether the final work meets the task's actual requirements and answers its intended focus. Check calculations, evidence, references and any required forms or supporting materials. Apply the relevant count or duration rules rather than importing another subject's limit. Open the submitted file or verify the appropriate performance arrangements. Keep confirmation and the final version. Your project brief can become the closing checklist, provided you update it when the teacher approves a substantive change. Completion should mean the real deliverable is ready and understandable.
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Official references
This is an original practical guide from IBvia. The examples are illustrative; your subject guide, assessment year and school instructions determine the requirements.
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