IA & EE Coach · by Photon Academy
IB IA and Extended Essay feedback, coached not written
you write every word. that's the point :)Get IA feedback and Extended Essay feedback that is school-safe. We ask the questions, check your maths and show you what your teacher will look for against the IB criteria. You make every change yourself.
Where are you with your IA or Extended Essay? (be honest!)
You can join at any step. Pick the one that sounds like you.
It asks one question at a time and ends with your own 3 or 4 ideas, each with a reason. It never writes a question for you.
IA Coach includes your teacher-reviewed Draft Check. Your first RQ Check is free.
Paste your questions. Each is scored on 5 points: focus, variables, feasibility, data and fit with the IB criteria. The Idea chat comes free with it.
Your first RQ Check is free: open your account and start. You can add the other steps later.
Fill in the blank template in your own words. You get comments and questions for each section, plus the risks we see. A quick check of your research question is included.
Your teacher should have approved your research question first.
It looks at your research question and structure first, then every criterion, and recomputes your numbers. Upload your teacher's comments too, so it can show which points you have dealt with.
Not handed in yet? Then it is not too late. The teacher review takes up to 3 working days, so buy it before your final submission.
An examiner-style practice built from your own essay and reflections. We ask, you explain. Finished an IA instead? Mark Estimate gives a likely range per criterion.
Once it is handed in it cannot change, so a Draft Check would not help.
IA and Extended Essay feedback in 8 steps
skip the ones you've already doneEvery step has the same three lines in your account: what you do, what you get, and what to show your teacher.
What an IA feedback report looks like (a made-up example)
One report, in fix-it order. Here is a Draft Check for a Physics IA, with the research question check, your teacher's points and a recheck of your numbers. Questions and pointers, never new text.
Draft Check · Physics HL IA · May 2027 criteria
Draft Check: pendulum release angle
How does the release angle (10° to 70°) affect the period of a simple pendulum, and from what angle does T = 2π√(L/g) disagree with my measured periods by more than 2%?
Your idea is focused and testable, and your method is easy to follow. The biggest gap is uncertainty: it is in your tables but it never reaches your graph or your conclusion. Two of Mr Tan's six points are still open, and three numbers in your tables are worth rechecking.
Start with these 3 (in this order)
- Carry your uncertainties through to the graphYour table gives an uncertainty for every period, but the graph of T against θ has no error bars. So the reader cannot tell if your 2% threshold sits inside the noise.Decide what the error bars should be, add them, then say whether the 2% threshold is bigger than your uncertainty.
- Rank your limitationsFive limitations are listed with equal weight. An evaluation is stronger when it shows which one changes the result most.Which of the five moves your result the most, and how do you know? Show it with your own numbers.
- Say how you measured the lengthYou say length was controlled, but the method does not say where L starts and ends on the bob.Where does L start and end, and how far could it be wrong? Add what you actually did.
See the full sample report
Your teacher's points (from Mr Tan's comments)
| Point | Where | Now | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| Define the 2% threshold early | Intro, p. 2 | ◐ partly | It appears in the conclusion but not where the research question is introduced. |
| Repeat trials at large angles | Method | ✓ addressed | You now have repeated trials at 50°, 60° and 70°. |
| Units on every axis | Figs. 2 and 3 | ◐ partly | Fig. 2 is fine; Fig. 3 still has no unit on the angle axis. |
| Compare with a published series or source | Conclusion | ○ not yet | There is no comparison with any external source yet. |
Your maths and data (we recomputed your own numbers)
| Where | What | Result | Pointer |
|---|---|---|---|
| Table 2, row 4 | Percentage uncertainty in T | ? recheck | It looks smaller than your stopwatch and reaction time allow over 10 swings. Redo how Δt becomes ΔT. |
| Table 3, row 6 | L and T² units | ! fix | The L column mixes cm and m, and one T² value looks converted twice. Recheck that row. |
| Fig. 3 axes | Angle unit | ! fix | Degrees or radians? Your fit only makes sense in one of them. Label it. |
Why not just ChatGPT? We do. We never.
A chatbot is fine for brainstorming, but ask it to "fix my intro" and it will, which the IB no longer sees as your work. Photon Coach follows your teacher's feedback and the current IB criteria, recomputes your own maths and data, never writes for you and keeps a dated integrity record you can show your supervisor.
We do
- Ask questions and critique your own ideas
- Explain the IB criteria and point to what is missing
- Recompute your numbers and tell you what to recheck
- Show your teacher exactly what help you had
We never
- Write, rewrite or proofread any part of your IA or Extended Essay
- Give you a research question, an outline, data or a calculation
- Check more drafts than the rules allow
- Promise a grade
Prices: pick what you need
Your first RQ Check is free. After that, buy only the steps you need, or a pack. Access lasts 12 months. The Mark Estimate is an early estimate, not a predicted grade. A teacher review takes up to 3 working days, so buy it before your final submission.
IA Coach
S$129- Idea chat
- RQ Check
- Plan Review
- Teacher-reviewed Draft Check, by Ejaz Ahmad
- Mark Estimate (early estimate)
EE Coach
S$179- Everything in IA Coach, including the teacher-reviewed Draft Check
- Viva Prep
- EE Draft Check needs your school's written OK
RQ Check
Your 3 or 4 research questions, each scored on 5 points with what to fix. Your first one is free. Idea chat included.
S$15 first one freeGet itPlan Review
Fill in our blank planning template. Comments and questions for every section.
S$25Get itAI Draft Check
Your draft and your teacher's comments in. Priorities, maths and data checks, criteria out, in about 20 minutes.
S$49Get itTeacher-reviewed Draft Check
The AI Draft Check plus a personal review by Ejaz Ahmad, IB-certified teacher at Photon Academy, within 3 working days.
S$79Get itMark Estimate
A likely mark range for each criterion, with reasons. An early estimate.
S$19Get itViva Prep
An examiner-style practice on your own essay. We ask, you explain.
S$19Get it
Questions about IA and Extended Essay feedback
I already have a draft. Can I just get it checked?
Yes. Choose "I have a draft". The Draft Check looks at your research question and structure first, then each criterion. Upload your teacher's comments too if you have them.
My final is due soon. Is it too late?
Not if you have not handed in the final yet. Results arrive in about 20 minutes. Leave yourself a few days to make the changes yourself.
I have already submitted my final version. Can you check it?
No. Once it is submitted it cannot change. For the Extended Essay, Viva Prep helps you get ready to talk about it.
Is this allowed by the IB?
The IB lets you discuss your ideas and get guidance, but the work must be entirely yours. Schools set their own rules on outside help, and for the Extended Essay the IB limits help to what your supervisor permits. So we never write or edit anything, you get an integrity record to show your teacher, and the EE Draft Check needs your school's OK. Check your school's policy first. Photon is independent of the IB.
Who reviews my draft?
The AI Draft Check is run by our AI coach and returns in about 20 minutes. The Teacher-reviewed Draft Check adds a personal review by Ejaz Ahmad, an IB-certified teacher at Photon Academy. He reads the AI report, corrects or removes anything that is wrong, adds a short note, and only then releases it to you. Neither the AI nor the teacher writes or edits your work.
How fast is the teacher review?
Within 3 working days of your upload. Buy it well before your final submission, and leave yourself time to make the changes yourself. The AI Draft Check is the quick option: about 20 minutes.
Will you write or fix any part of my work?
No. Not a sentence, a research question, an outline, data or a calculation. You get questions and fix-it notes, and you make every change yourself.
Should I tell my teacher?
Yes. Your integrity record lists every check with its date, so it is easy to share.
Do I get a predicted grade?
Not with a Draft Check, which tells you what is strong and what is missing. With your final version you can add a Mark Estimate: a likely range for each criterion, with reasons. It is an early estimate. Your teacher marks the IA and the IB moderates it.
Can I check more than one draft?
One draft check per IA or Extended Essay, AI or teacher-reviewed. The IB limits draft feedback and we follow the same spirit. A follow-up upload shows which points you have dealt with.
What is different from ChatGPT?
We follow your teacher's feedback and the current IB criteria, recompute your maths and data, never rewrite your work, and give you a record your school can see.
Which subjects?
At launch: Maths AA and AI, Physics, Chemistry and Biology IAs, and Extended Essays in these subjects. More later.
Is my draft private?
Yes. It is never used to train AI and it is deleted 6 months after your exam session, or whenever you choose.
I am under 18.
A parent or guardian confirms when you start a project.
Can I get my money back?
Yes. A full refund within 7 days if you have not run a check yet.
Free IB guides to use alongside
Know what you are being marked on, then pick a topic that is yours.
Ready? start where you are.
Photon Resources is independent and is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by the International Baccalaureate Organization. IB® is a registered trademark of the International Baccalaureate Organization.