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Official IB Theatre IA criteria

Read the official IB Theatre Internal Assessment criteria with markbands, guiding questions, and notes. Use the selectors to switch subject, level, or component; the optional AI grading prompt stays at the bottom for self-review.

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Official criteria

Theatre · All · Production proposal

3 criteriaTotal 20 marks

Criterion A: Ideas and intentions

8 marks

Guiding questions

To what extent does the student explain the ideas addressed by the chosen play text, with reference to the play text?

To what extent does the student explain their intentions for the staging of the entire play?

  • 0

    The work does not reach a standard described by the descriptors below.

  • 1–2

    i. The student lists the ideas presented in the chosen play text. ii. The student lists their intentions for the staging of the entire play.

    Possible characteristics: Limited, Irrelevant, Simplistic, Superficial

  • 3–4

    i. The student outlines the ideas presented in the chosen play text with reference to the play text. ii. The student outlines their intentions for the staging of the entire play.

    Possible characteristics: Adequate, Attempted, Underdeveloped, Uneven

  • 5–6

    i. The student describes the ideas presented in the chosen play text with reference to the play text. ii. The student describes their intentions for the staging of the entire play.

    Possible characteristics: Good, Accurate, Focused, Relevant

  • 7–8

    i. The student explains the ideas presented in the chosen play text, with reference to the play text. ii. The student explains their intentions for the staging of the entire play.

    Possible characteristics: Excellent, Discerning, Insightful, Thorough

Criterion B: The proposed design

4 marks

Guiding question

To what extent does the student present their visual production design ideas with an explanation of how these will be used to achieve their intentions in the staging of the entire play?

  • 0

    The work does not reach a standard described by the descriptors below.

  • 1

    i. The student presents their visual production design ideas with a list of information regarding how production elements will be used.

    Possible characteristics: Limited, Irrelevant, Simplistic, Superficial

  • 2

    i. The student presents their visual production design ideas with an outline of how production elements will be used to achieve their intentions.

    Possible characteristics: Adequate, Attempted, Underdeveloped, Uneven

  • 3

    i. The student presents their visual production design ideas with a description of how production elements will be used to achieve their intentions.

    Possible characteristics: Good, Accurate, Focused, Relevant

  • 4

    i. The student presents their visual production design ideas with an explanation of how production elements will be used to achieve their intentions.

    Possible characteristics: Excellent, Discerning, Insightful, Thorough

Criterion C: The proposed staging of one moment of the play

8 marks

Guiding questions

To what extent does the student explain how they would use performance elements to effectively create tension, emotion, atmosphere and/or meaning (“TEAM”) in one specific moment they have chosen to stage?

To what extent does the student explain how they would use production elements to effectively create tension, emotion, atmosphere and/or meaning (“TEAM”) in one specific moment they have chosen to stage?

  • 0

    The work does not reach a standard described by the descriptors below.

  • 1–2

    i. The student lists how they would use performance elements to create tension, emotion, atmosphere and/or meaning (“TEAM”) in the moment they have chosen to stage. ii. The student lists how they would use production elements to create tension, emotion, atmosphere and/or meaning (“TEAM”) in the moment they have chosen to stage.

    Possible characteristics: Limited, Irrelevant, Simplistic, Superficial

  • 3–4

    i. The student outlines how they would use performance elements to create tension, emotion, atmosphere and/or meaning (“TEAM”) in the moment they have chosen to stage. ii. The student outlines how they would use production elements to create tension, emotion, atmosphere and/or meaning (“TEAM”) in the moment they have chosen to stage.

    Possible characteristics: Adequate, Attempted, Underdeveloped, Uneven

  • 5–6

    i. The student describes how they would use performance elements to create tension, emotion, atmosphere and/or meaning (“TEAM”) in the moment they have chosen to stage. ii. The student describes how they would use production elements to create tension, emotion, atmosphere and/or meaning (“TEAM”) in the moment they have chosen to stage.

    Possible characteristics: Good, Accurate, Focused, Relevant

  • 7–8

    i. The student explains how they would use performance elements to effectively create tension, emotion, atmosphere and/or meaning (“TEAM”) in the moment they have chosen to stage. ii. The student explains how they would use production elements to effectively create tension, emotion, atmosphere and/or meaning (“TEAM”) in the moment they have chosen to stage.

    Possible characteristics: Excellent, Discerning, Insightful, Thorough

Optional: AI grading prompt

For self-review only

A copyable prompt that embeds the criteria above and asks an AI to grade the work criterion by criterion. Use it as a draft sanity check — not a substitute for teacher or examiner feedback.

Common questions

Where do the criteria come from?

The criteria are stored locally in a structured database that mirrors the official IB descriptors. The page only displays them — descriptor wording is preserved as written, with no paraphrasing.

Why pick subject, level, and component?

The criteria differ by assessment type, subject, level, and component. The selectors at the top filter the database to the criteria set that applies to your specific submission.

What is the AI grading prompt at the bottom for?

It is an optional helper. The prompt embeds the same criteria you see above and asks an AI to evaluate the work criterion by criterion. Useful for a quick self-review before teacher feedback.

Is my work sent anywhere?

No. The page only loads criteria. If you choose to use the AI prompt, you copy it manually and paste it into the AI tool of your choice — nothing leaves this page.

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