diff --git a/app/models/info_request.rb b/app/models/info_request.rb
index f8892a742b9..054b9f57ef8 100644
--- a/app/models/info_request.rb
+++ b/app/models/info_request.rb
@@ -757,6 +757,10 @@ def must_be_internal_or_external
     end
   end
 
+  def internally_reviewed?
+    outgoing_messages.where(what_doing: 'internal_review').any?
+  end
+
   def is_external?
     external_url.nil? ? false : true
   end
@@ -1039,7 +1043,10 @@ def calculate_status(cached_value_ok=false)
   end
 
   def base_calculate_status
-    return 'waiting_classification' if awaiting_description
+    if awaiting_description
+      return 'internal_review' if internally_reviewed?
+      return 'waiting_classification'
+    end
     return described_state unless described_state == "waiting_response"
     # Compare by date, so only overdue on next day, not if 1 second late
     return 'waiting_response_very_overdue' if
diff --git a/spec/models/info_request/state/calculator_spec.rb b/spec/models/info_request/state/calculator_spec.rb
index 7b109ebca8b..db80d486693 100644
--- a/spec/models/info_request/state/calculator_spec.rb
+++ b/spec/models/info_request/state/calculator_spec.rb
@@ -195,11 +195,7 @@
       end
     end
 
-    context "when the request is in internal_review" do
-      before :each do
-        info_request.set_described_state("internal_review")
-      end
-
+    shared_examples 'internal_review' do
       context "and the user is the owner" do
         it "returns only two pending states" do
           transitions = calculator.transitions(
@@ -237,6 +233,25 @@
       end
     end
 
+    context "when the request is in internal_review" do
+      before :each do
+        info_request.set_described_state("internal_review")
+      end
+
+      include_examples 'internal_review'
+    end
+
+    context "when the request was in internal_review" do
+      let(:info_request) do
+        FactoryBot.create(
+          :info_request, :with_internal_review_request,
+          awaiting_description: true, described_state: 'waiting_response'
+        )
+      end
+
+      include_examples 'internal_review'
+    end
+
     context "when the request is in an 'other' state" do
       context "and the user is the owner" do
         it_behaves_like(
diff --git a/spec/models/info_request_spec.rb b/spec/models/info_request_spec.rb
index b3591271bc1..21b7c0b9298 100644
--- a/spec/models/info_request_spec.rb
+++ b/spec/models/info_request_spec.rb
@@ -1631,6 +1631,23 @@
     end
   end
 
+  describe '#internally_reviewed?' do
+    subject { info_request.internally_reviewed? }
+
+    context 'when internal review has been sent' do
+      let(:info_request) do
+        FactoryBot.create(:info_request, :with_internal_review_request)
+      end
+
+      it { is_expected.to eq true }
+    end
+
+    context 'when internal review has not been sent' do
+      let(:info_request) { FactoryBot.create(:info_request) }
+      it { is_expected.to eq false }
+    end
+  end
+
   describe '#is_external?' do
 
     it 'returns true if there is an external url' do