Title page
Not included in the word count when used for its proper report purpose.
IB Geography • Internal Assessment
Report Prep Resources
A six-stage route from raw field evidence to a concise, analytical Geography IA. The original AdornGeo report rules, mapping tools, visual-design resources and referencing guidance are restored here at the point students need them.
THE WRITTEN REPORT
Students produce one report of their investigation. The report must not exceed 2,500 words, and its emphasis must be analytical rather than descriptive.
Original AdornGeo guidance and tools restored • resources surfaced within a student writing sequence • legacy address preserved
01
Build the report around the criteria
The report should read as one geographic argument: a focused question leads to a justified method; the method produces information; the information is presented and analysed; the analysis supports a conclusion; and the investigation is evaluated. Use the suggested word distribution as a planning guide, not a set of compulsory section limits.
| Criterion | Report section | Marks | Guide | Its job in the investigation |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| A | Fieldwork question & geographic context | 3 | ≈ 300 words | State a focused question, connect it to the syllabus and locate the investigation precisely. |
| B | Method(s) of investigation | 3 | ≈ 300 words | Explain and justify how primary information was collected, including sampling. |
| C | Quality & treatment of information | 6 | ≈ 500 words | Present sufficient, relevant evidence using appropriate geographic techniques. |
| D | Written analysis | 8 | ≈ 850 words | Interpret patterns, relationships and anomalies, supported by evidence and geographic understanding. |
| E | Conclusion | 2 | ≈ 200 words | Answer the fieldwork question using the evidence already analysed. |
| F | Evaluation | 3 | ≈ 300 words | Evaluate method and evidence, then propose realistic, specific improvements. |
QuestionLocated and geographic
→MethodRelevant and justified
→EvidenceProcessed and visible
→ArgumentAnalysed and evaluated
BEFORE WRITING
- Create the six report headings and place the correct evidence beneath each one.
- Draft a one-sentence answer to the fieldwork question; this becomes the argument to test.
- Choose the strongest maps, graphs, statistics and photographs rather than including every item collected.
- Plan the analysis before polishing the introduction so most words are spent where the marks are.
02
Control the 2,500-word limit
WHAT COUNTS
All main text counts, including the research question, analysis, conclusion and evaluation. An annotation longer than 10 words and a footnote longer than 15 words also count.
Acknowledgments
Not included in the word count when used for its proper report purpose.
Contents page
Not included in the word count when used for its proper report purpose.
Titles and subtitles
Not included in the word count when used for its proper report purpose.
References
Not included in the word count when used for its proper report purpose.
Footnotes of up to 15 words
Not included in the word count when used for its proper report purpose.
Map legends and keys
Not included in the word count when used for its proper report purpose.
Labels of 10 words or fewer
Not included in the word count when used for its proper report purpose.
Tables of statistical or numerical data
Not included in the word count when used for its proper report purpose.
Calculations
Not included in the word count when used for its proper report purpose.
Appendices containing only raw data or calculations
Not included in the word count when used for its proper report purpose.
Appendices should be used very sparingly. They may contain representative raw data or calculations, but they are not a place for analysis, secondary information or figures essential to the argument. Put a section word count at the end of each main section and the total on the front cover.
FORMAL REQUIREMENTS
- Keep the complete main text at or below 2,500 words.
- Number the pages and include a contents page.
- Integrate all important illustrative material into the body of the report.
- Number every figure and refer to it directly in the text.
- Put the total word count on the front cover and use references consistently.
03
Make geographic evidence visible
MAPS & DIAGRAMS
A map should do analytical work: locate the study, show the sampling pattern or make a spatial relationship visible. A decorative screenshot is not enough.
Move from a broad location map to a detailed study-area map. Mark sites, transects, access routes and relevant physical or human features. Then use a thematic map when the spatial pattern itself forms part of the analysis.
ORIGINAL GUIDEGeographic maps and diagrams↗MAP CREATORSnazzy Maps — create a clear base-map style↗MAP & IMAGERYGoogle Earth↗LOCATED DATAGoogle My Maps↗
Google Sheets to Map in two clicks — original AdornGeo videoOpen video ↗
MAP CHECK
- Is the study location unmistakable at an appropriate scale?
- Are north, scale, legend, source and figure title present where needed?
- Are sampling sites or transects labelled consistently with the report?
- Does the text use the map to make a geographic point rather than merely say that it exists?
04
Present and analyse the evidence
QUALITY & TREATMENT → WRITTEN ANALYSIS
Choose a technique because it reveals something useful about the fieldwork question. Then interpret the resulting pattern with precise evidence.
Choose the right display
- Bar or proportional symbol: compare categories or sites.
- Line or profile: show change along distance or time.
- Scattergraph: investigate a possible relationship.
- Located chart or choropleth: preserve the spatial pattern.
- Annotated photograph: explain visible processes and conditions.
Write the analysis
- State the main spatial pattern or relationship.
- Support it with data, places and figure references.
- Identify and quantify contrasts or anomalies.
- Explain the pattern using geographic processes and context.
- Use an appropriate statistic to test rather than replace the interpretation.
ANALYSIS SENTENCE CHAIN
- Pattern: what does Figure 4 show?
- Evidence: where, and by how much?
- Explanation: which geographic process could account for it?
- Qualification: is there an anomaly, limitation or alternative explanation?
- Link: what does this mean for the fieldwork question?
Avoid a sequence of graph descriptions. Synthesis earns its place when two or more sources are compared: for example, an environmental-quality score supported by a located photograph and tested against visitor counts.
05
Design figures that communicate
ORIGINAL IMAGE TOOLKIT
Visual polish should improve geographic communication. Use colour, icons and annotation consistently, but never allow design to obscure scale, data or source.
Infographics & layout
Use Piktochart to assemble a concise visual explanation, hierarchy or comparison. Keep the underlying numbers readable and cite the source.
Image editing
Use Pixlr or GIMP to crop, straighten and clarify photographs. Do not alter evidence or remove features that change its meaning.
Icons & symbols
Use Noun Project symbols to build a consistent map key or flow diagram, with attribution when the licence requires it.
Final figure audit
Test every figure against the same rule: it must be legible, purposeful, integrated and discussed in the report.
FIGURE AUDIT
- Give every map, graph, table, diagram and photograph a figure number and purposeful title.
- Place each figure beside the paragraph that uses it; do not hide important evidence in an appendix.
- Include units, scale, orientation and a clear legend where appropriate.
- Refer to the figure in the analysis and explain what its pattern means for the fieldwork question.
06
Conclude, evaluate and reference
Conclusion
Answer the exact fieldwork question. Summarise the most convincing evidence, acknowledge important anomalies and avoid introducing new results or theory.
Evaluation
Judge how particular limitations affected the reliability, validity or representativeness of the findings. Match each weakness to a realistic improvement and explain how it would strengthen the evidence.
SECONDARY INFORMATION
All secondary information must be referenced using a consistent author–date system. Include sources for background ideas, maps, data, images and adapted figures.
NIST LIBRARYBibliography and citation tools↗IB GUIDEEffective citing and referencing↗SKILLSWritten Skills→SKILLSAnalytical Skills→
FINAL READ-THROUGH
- Can the reader follow one argument from question to conclusion?
- Does every major claim point to evidence, a figure or a source?
- Is the report analytical, concise and explicitly geographic?
- Are limitations evaluated by their effect rather than simply listed?
- Are the page order, numbering, word count and references complete?