IB Theatre collaborative project: structure and report steps
The collaborative project is an externally assessed Theatre task at SL and HL. Students submit a project report of at most 10 pages, with an indicative 4,000 words, plus a video of the final piece, marked on 3 criteria for 24 marks. This structure has 5 sections: process, evaluation, 2 on individual contributions and a list of sources.
At a glance
| Task | Collaborative project |
|---|---|
| Guide | Theatre guide, first assessment 2024 |
| Sessions | May 2027, November 2027 and May 2028 |
| Levels | SL and HL |
| Assessment | External |
| Weighting | 40% at SL and 25% at HL |
| Limit | A project report of at most 10 pages of text and images, with an indicative maximum of 4,000 words, plus a list of sources and an ensemble intentions statement of at most 200 words; a video of the final piece, 7 to 10 minutes, goes with it. Examiners stop reading at the limit. |
| Criteria | A The collaborative creative process and performance (8), B Individual contributions to the performance (8), C Effectiveness of individual contributions seen in the video recording (8): 24 marks. |
| What is changing | No new Theatre course is announced, so one structure covers all 3 sessions. |
The structure, section by section
1. 1a How the ensemble created the piece
Required by the IB (the guide prescribes these headings with recommended lengths) · Criterion: The collaborative creative process and performance
The student's own account of significant moments in the process; section 1 as a whole takes about 5 pages.
- Pick significant moments from the process.
- Explain, from your point of view, how each one shaped the piece.
2. 1b Evaluation of the final piece
Required by the IB · Criterion: The collaborative creative process and performance
Audience feedback, and whether the ensemble's intentions were met.
- Gather audience feedback.
- Judge whether the ensemble's intentions were met.
3. 2a Performance skills in 1 moment
Required by the IB · Criterion: Individual contributions to the performance, Effectiveness of individual contributions seen in the video recording
1 moment of tension, emotion, atmosphere or meaning, of at most 2 minutes, with time codes; section 2 as a whole takes about 5 pages.
- Rewatch the video.
- Pick 1 moment of 2 minutes or less.
- Log its time codes on the cover sheet.
- Explain how your performance skills worked in it.
4. 2b Artistic contribution in a different moment
Required by the IB · Criterion: Individual contributions to the performance, Effectiveness of individual contributions seen in the video recording
The student's work as creator, designer or director in another moment of at most 2 minutes, with time codes and the role stated.
- Pick a different moment of 2 minutes or less.
- State your role.
- Log the time codes on the cover sheet.
- Explain how your contribution worked.
5. List of sources
Required by the IB · Outside the word count
Every source used, outside the page count.
- Log each source when you first use it.
What counts toward the limit
All text, annotations, labels and citations count toward the 10 pages, and the written text has an indicative maximum of 4,000 words; the list of sources does not count.
The limit: A project report of at most 10 pages of text and images, with an indicative maximum of 4,000 words, plus a list of sources and an ensemble intentions statement of at most 200 words; a video of the final piece, 7 to 10 minutes, goes with it. Examiners stop reading at the limit.
Graphs and visuals
- Storyboards Drawn, very common
Named by the guide. Label them. - Mind maps, ground plans and diagrams Drawn, very common
Named by the guide. Label them. - Own photographs, reference images, rehearsal and performance stills Image, common
Allowed as text and images. Reference the source.
The frequencies are our estimates, from what the IB guide expects and what teachers advise. We did not count them in marked work.
Citations
The IB prescribes no style and your school chooses; MLA and Chicago are both common in theatre writing. Label and reference every visual.
The workspace keeps your sources and writes the bibliography in MLA 9th to start with. You can switch to APA 7th, Chicago author-date, Chicago notes (footnotes) or Harvard at any point.
Pitfalls
- Pages past 10: they are not assessed, and appendices are not read.
- A missing cover sheet: the work is not marked without it.
- A chosen moment longer than 2 minutes.
- Blaming other ensemble members in the reflection.
- Time codes on the cover sheet that do not match the moments you write about.
- Shrinking text or images to fit the 10 pages: work shrunk to fit earns no marks.
Write it in the workspace
These sections in order with their steps, a word counter that counts the way this page says, your sources and a bibliography, and graphs from your own data. Export to Word or PDF.
The workspace is free with an account, and it never writes or rewrites your text. What we will and will not do with your coursework →
Sources
- Theatre guide, first assessment 2024 (published Feb 2022, updated May 2022)
- IB, Theatre subject brief
- IB, "Theatre updates" (last updated 6 March 2025)
- IB, "Read curriculum updates" (page last updated 24 March 2026)
- Diploma Programme Assessment procedures 2025 (published Sept 2024; updated Nov 2024, Feb 2025, May 2025)
The IB documents behind this page, checked 29 October 2026. The linked ones are on ibo.org; the others are IB documents we read in copies hosted elsewhere, so we name them without a link. Everything above is in our own words: the official wording is in your subject guide, which your coordinator can give you. LimeAdmissions is independent of the International Baccalaureate Organization, which has not endorsed this page. Every coursework structure →