Bioknowledgy
questioning, investigating and understanding
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  • IB Biology
    • Syllabus
    • General Resources
    • Practical scheme of work >
      • Practical activities (Labs)
      • Individual investigation
      • IB Write
  • Core
    • 1. Cell biology >
      • 1.1 Introduction to cells
      • 1.2 Ultrastructure of cells
      • 1.3 Membrane structure
      • 1.4 Membrane transport
      • 1.5 The origin of cells
      • 1.6 Cell division
    • 2. Molecular biology >
      • 2.1 Molecules to metabolism
      • 2.2 Water
      • 2.3 Carbohydrates and lipids
      • 2.4 Proteins
      • 2.5 Enzymes
      • 2.6 Structure of DNA and RNA
      • 2.7 DNA replication, transcription and translation
      • 2.8 Cell respiration
      • 2.9 Photosynthesis
    • 3. Genetics >
      • 3.1 Genes
      • 3.2 Chromosomes
      • 3.3 Meiosis
      • 3.4 Inheritance
      • 3.5 Genetic modification and biotechnology
    • 4. Ecology >
      • 4.1 Species, communities and ecosystems
      • 4.2 Energy flow
      • 4.3 Carbon cycling
      • 4.4 Climate change
    • 5. Evolution and biodiversity >
      • 5.1 Evidence for evolution
      • 5.2 Natural selection
      • 5.3 Classification of biodiversity
      • 5.4 Cladistics
    • 6. Human physiology >
      • 6.1 Digestion and absorption
      • 6.2 The blood system
      • 6.3 Defence against infectious disease
      • 6.4 Gas exchange
      • 6.5 Neurons and synapses
      • 6.6 Hormones, homeostasis and reproduction
  • Additional higher level (AHL)
    • 7. Nucleic acids >
      • 7.1 DNA structure and replication
      • 7.2 Transcription and gene expression
      • 7.3 Translation
    • 8. Metabolism, cell respiration and photosynthesis >
      • 8.1 Metabolism
      • 8.2 Cell respiration
      • 8.3 Photosynthesis
    • 9. Plant biology >
      • 9.1 Transport in the xylem of plants
      • 9.2 Transport in the phloem of plants
      • 9.3 Growth in plants
      • 9.4 Reproduction in plants
    • 10. Genetics and evolution >
      • 10.1 Meiosis
      • 10.2 Inheritance
      • 10.3 Gene pools and speciation
    • 11. Animal physiology >
      • 11.1 Antibody production and vaccination
      • 11.2 Movement
      • 11.3 The kidney and osmoregulation
      • 11.4 Sexual reproduction
  • Options
    • A. Neurobiology and behaviour >
      • A.1 Neural development
      • A.2 The human brain
      • A.3 Perception of stimuli
      • A.4 Innate and learned behaviour (AHL)
      • A.5 Neuropharmacology (AHL)
      • A.6 Ethology (AHL)
    • B. Biotechnology and bioinformatics
    • C. Ecology and conservation >
      • C.1 Species and communities
      • C.2 Communities and ecosystems
      • C.3 Impacts of humans on ecosystems
      • C.4 Conservation of biodiversity
      • C.5 Population ecology (AHL)
      • C.6 Nitrogen and phosphorus cycles (AHL)
    • D. Human physiology
  • Giving back - BioKQQAnswers

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:

  • 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:
  • Personal engagement
  • Exploration
  • Analysis
  • Evaluation
  • Communication

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.
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Marking rubric for the IA criteria
Download PDF


Structuring Investigation Reports

The Bioknowledgy template for IA reports is designed primarily for students completing hands on laboratory investigations. The analysis section gives advice on how to discuss data processing that involves looking for correlation or investigations that comparing means. It can though be easily be adapted for other statistical approaches such as the chi-square testing.

Given the range of possible tasks it is impossible to give a single template that covers the needs of all reports. Investigation reports do though have many common features so the template can be of some use to most students.



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:
  • 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:
  1. If you use a webpage or document you must cite it.
  2. 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
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