General information
The internal assessment, worth 20% of the final assessment, consists of one scientific investigation.
The individual investigation should be sufficiently challenging that it allows the student to access the highest level of marks.
Student work is internally assessed by the teacher and externally moderated by the IB.
The performance in internal assessment at both SL and HL is marked against common assessment criteria, with a total mark out of 24.
The internal assessment task will be one scientific investigation taking about 10 hours and the write- up should be about 6 to 12 pages long. Investigations exceeding this length will be penalized in the communication criterion as lacking in conciseness.
It should require a purposeful research question and the scientific rationale for it.
Possible tasks include:
n.b. Some tasks may consist of relevant and appropriate qualitative work combined with quantitative work.
The individual investigation should be sufficiently challenging that it allows the student to access the highest level of marks.
Student work is internally assessed by the teacher and externally moderated by the IB.
The performance in internal assessment at both SL and HL is marked against common assessment criteria, with a total mark out of 24.
The internal assessment task will be one scientific investigation taking about 10 hours and the write- up should be about 6 to 12 pages long. Investigations exceeding this length will be penalized in the communication criterion as lacking in conciseness.
It should require a purposeful research question and the scientific rationale for it.
Possible tasks include:
- a hands-on laboratory investigation
- using a spreadsheet for analysis and modelling
- extracting data from a database and analysing it graphically
- producing a hybrid of spreadsheet/database work with a traditional hands-on investigation
- using a simulation provided it is interactive and open-ended.
n.b. Some tasks may consist of relevant and appropriate qualitative work combined with quantitative work.
IA Criteria
The new assessment model uses five criteria to assess the final report of the individual investigation:
An explanation of each criteria along with the relative weighting of each is included in the marking rubric (right). The marking rubric is designed to make it more explicit what a student needs to do to be successful in each of the five criteria. It is not a definitive list and should be used as a guide both for students revising and editing their reports and teachers subsequently marking the report. n.b. this is a work in progress and it likely to be revised over the next two years. Below is a guide to help you understand how you (and the teacher that mark your work will use the rubric. |
Marking rubric for the IA criteria
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Deciding on a Research Question
The biggest obstacle to doing well in the individual investigation for most students is not putting enough thought and effort into coming up with a good question.
Key considerations when thinking up a research question should be:
Stuck for ideas? Need help developing a method?
All good investigations will be based on theory and prior investigations, but they will develop what has been done previously, not simply repeat it. Two things you must bear in mind when using theory or methods developed by others should be:
The below websites are known to contain information ideas for research questions about methods that produce good results:
Key considerations when thinking up a research question should be:
- The question interests you
- The question maybe based on a well used method/protocol, but it is unique or changed in someway that makes it very much your own work
- The question can be used to form hypotheses and can answered by gathering and analysing data
- In coming up with your question you researched the theory surrounding it and so can talk about it like an expert
Stuck for ideas? Need help developing a method?
All good investigations will be based on theory and prior investigations, but they will develop what has been done previously, not simply repeat it. Two things you must bear in mind when using theory or methods developed by others should be:
- If you use a webpage or document you must cite it.
- It is highly recommended that is your investigation is based on a published one that you put sufficient effort into developing making it your own and differentiating it from the source. If you don't the marks you can gain with under the exploration criteria will be limited.
The below websites are known to contain information ideas for research questions about methods that produce good results:
- Introduction to the Individual investigation by Nicola Mason (International School Basel) including a list of investigation ideas associated with the core and AHL topics
- Science And Plants for Schools has lots of botanical investigations and ideas
- Practical Biology brings together lots of different biology practicals for all ages of student
- Mr Rothery publishes a list of practicals commonly done to suport his A-level teaching
- Senior Biology has a list of investigation ideas for extended essays that are also suitable for individual investigations
- Vernier dataloggers can be used in individual investigations and vernier publishes ideas and details of how they can be used
