Music · Experimentation report (Experimenting with Music IA)
IB Music Internal Assessment
Upload your Experimentation report (Experimenting with Music IA) and get examiner-level feedback on every criterion — scored against the official IB Music internal assessment (experimenting with music) criteria A and C — the written rationale and commentary for creating and performing (first assessment 2022). Criteria B and D (the practical excerpts, 16 of the 28 marks) are audio and are not graded in this review. Free to try, no account required.
Assessment criteria — 12 marks total
Your Experimentation report (Experimenting with Music IA) is graded against 2 criteria. iBacalao scores each one and tells you exactly where to gain marks.
Rationale and Commentary for Musical Experiments in Creating
A purposeful rationale for the creating experiments that justifies the choice of source material, contexts and areas of inquiry, and a commentary that explains the experimentation process and the musical decision-making with clear reference to the excerpts.
Rationale and Commentary for Musical Experiments in Performing
A purposeful rationale for the performing experiments that justifies the choice of source material, contexts and areas of inquiry, and a commentary that explains the experimentation process and the musical decision-making with clear reference to the excerpts.
Common mistakes to avoid
Rationale and Commentary for Musical Experiments in Creating
Rationale that describes the music chosen but never justifies the choiceCommentary narrates what was done without the musical reasoningNo reference to the specific excerpts (timings, bars) in upload 2Contexts/areas of inquiry never identified for the stimuli
Rationale and Commentary for Musical Experiments in Performing
Rationale recycled from the creating section without performing-specific justificationDecisions stated ("I changed the tempo") without the musical whyExcerpts never referenced with timingsExperiments stay inside familiar music (no local/global stretch)
Common questions
How is the IB Music Experimentation report (Experimenting with Music IA) marked?
Your Experimentation report (Experimenting with Music IA) is marked against 2 criteria totalling 12 marks using the official IB Music internal assessment (experimenting with music) criteria A and C — the written rationale and commentary for creating and performing (first assessment 2022). Criteria B and D (the practical excerpts, 16 of the 28 marks) are audio and are not graded in this review. Your teacher marks first, then the IBO moderates a random sample from your school — so your mark may be adjusted up or down if the moderator consistently disagrees with your teacher.
What is the most important criterion in the IB Music IA?
All criteria matter, but the highest-weighted criterion — worth the most marks — is "Rationale and Commentary for Musical Experiments in Creating". Focus on what the mark band descriptor says for the top score and make sure every element it mentions is present in your submission.
Can I use AI to help with my Music IA?
The IBO allows AI for feedback and research support, but the submitted work must be entirely your own. iBacalao gives criterion-by-criterion feedback on your draft — the same kind of comment your teacher would give — without generating any text for your IA.