IA guide and resources (2016 - onwards)

[Msj Chem]

This thread could be used for the new syllabus IA from 2016 onwards. Please note that I cannot help individual students with their IA.

The choice of topic should be your own work so please do not ask for suggestions for your IA. 

 

The following information is taken from the May 2015 subject report (I'm sure it is copyrighted to the IB, but I see no harm in sharing it with IB students). 

 

Research question:

• Encourage students to choose a research question that has a degree of challenge, is of interest to them and one where they do not know at the outset what the outcome will be.
• A good research question will probably try to determine a trend or relationship. Students should avoid simple comparative analysis of supermarket brands or other systems with a non-chemistry relevant independent variable.

General information:

• Students  should  include  some  background  theory  to  set  the  context  of  their investigation.
• With a ten hour time allocation to facilitate meaningful enquiry it is expected that students will collect significantly more data than is currently the case in Design assessments.
• It is sensible for students to always be encouraged to make a statement related to the safety, environmental or ethical impact of their study.
• Encourage students to reflect on data while carrying out the research so that they can actively make the decision to modify the procedure or collect more data if needed. This is a good indicator of true engagement and candidates can record such decisions being made.

Length of report:

• Although there is a requirement for more data and more reported detail there is a 12 page length limit. This means that students have to be intelligently concise and the current trend for hugely repetitious use of cut and paste for calculations or procedural details and the inclusion of pages of data-logged data should be avoided.

Uncertainties:

• When  analysing  their  data  students  should  show  appreciation  of  the  impact  of measurement uncertainties. This could be evidenced through the propagation of error using a sensible protocol through a calculation, the drawing of a graph with appropriate best fit line and quite possibly the inclusion of error bars and always the appropriate use of significant figures. Since the Individual Investigations will take many different forms the teacher will have to decide what constitutes the appropriate treatment of uncertainties applicable to that research.
• If the research includes the analysis of secondary data students should still show consideration the associated uncertainty.

Writing the report:

• The Communication criterion will introduce new requirements. The students’ designed procedures should be reported in past tense and include sufficient detail for the reader to be able to reproduce the experiment in principle.
• Do not encourage the students to write up reports using the criterion titles as report sections. In particular Personal Engagement is a criterion to be assessed across the whole report and is not an introductory section.
• There will be an increased focus on the proper referencing of sources used for background theory, procedural instructions or literature vales. This is a hugely important consideration that has to be stressed clearly to the students.

Conclusion/ Evaluation:

• When concluding, students should draw a conclusion and discuss its methodological validity but should also compare it to expect outcomes (if any) based on accepted theory.
• If the outcome is quantitative then the comparison to a literature value, calculation of percentage error and discussion of the impact of systematic and random errors is still the expectation.
• In addition to possible modifications students should also reflect on possible extensions to their research.

Edited November 25, 2015 by Msj Chem

[ChocolateandIB]

I know the background information is not a huge part of the IA, but I am having trouble locating sources here. Are there rules here to not use encyclopedia's and textbooks as here as it would be in a History IA? If so where can I get more information on chemistry topics?

[Msj Chem]

I would say that the background information is an important part of the IA - you need to show that you understand the topic you are investigating. 

Acceptable sources include textbooks, (reputable) websites, journals, etc. Be sure to fully reference your sources using a recognised reference style (MLA, Harvard, etc). 

[LamD06]

Can you give us some examples how it should look like please? 

[Vioh]

Can you give us some examples how it should look like please? 

Here you go: https://ibpublishing.ibo.org/server1/rest/app/tsm.xql?doc=d_4_chemi_tsm_1408_1_e&part=8&chapter=1

Edited February 19, 2016 by Vioh

[Guest]

Should an abstract be included to show personal engagement?

[Msj Chem]

As far as I know, there is no need for an abstract in the IA like there is in the EE. 

[Diego Garcia]

Hi I am in IB Chemistry SL. My teacher told me that I should do a simple stoichiometric lab for the IA. I decided to do it on Lead 2 Nitrate and Potassium Iodide; which yields a precipitate of Lead 2 Nitrate. I used exactly the same process as a stoichiometry lab we had already done at the beginning of the year. Is this too simple of a project? Also, I was told I had to make my IA unique, is the fact that I did the same lab as in class going to affect me in terms of uniqueness?

[Msj Chem]

14 minutes ago, Diego Garcia said:

Hi I am in IB Chemistry SL. My teacher told me that I should do a simple stoichiometric lab for the IA. I decided to do it on Lead 2 Nitrate and Potassium Iodide; which yields a precipitate of Lead 2 Nitrate. I used exactly the same process as a stoichiometry lab we had already done at the beginning of the year. Is this too simple of a project? Also, I was told I had to make my IA unique, is the fact that I did the same lab as in class going to affect me in terms of uniqueness?

Firstly, let me say that it's difficulty for me to make a judgement on your IA as I don't know the background or anything. 

But, unless you are doing some kind of investigation, you are not likely to score highly on the IA. From what you have written, you are simply making a precipitate of lead(II) nitrate. What is your research question? What exactly are you investigating? 

[Diego Garcia]

I measured the mass of the precipitate and then found the percent yield. I did several things to minimize errors and to maximize the yield (such as bioling and filtration). I am simply creating a precipitate, separating the precipitate from the other compound and then collecting and measuring the mass of the precipitate. 

Is this an actual investigation? If not, how can I turn it into an investigation? Should I just do a database IA since I do not have much time left? What can I do? Please help. My teacher has not been much help.

[Msj Chem]

9 hours ago, Diego Garcia said:

I measured the mass of the precipitate and then found the percent yield. I did several things to minimize errors and to maximize the yield (such as bioling and filtration). I am simply creating a precipitate, separating the precipitate from the other compound and then collecting and measuring the mass of the precipitate. 

Is this an actual investigation? If not, how can I turn it into an investigation? Should I just do a database IA since I do not have much time left? What can I do? Please help. My teacher has not been much help.

I think it's important that you read the internal assessment criteria, if you haven't already. When you do, see if what you have done for your IA matches the criteria (and to what level). I'm sorry but as I am not your teacher, I cannot really advise you what to do. I suggest that you talk to your teacher about this if you worried. I hope this helps. 

Edited March 31, 2016 by Msj Chem

[tarangMahapatra]

Is it okay to go beyond the IB Chemistry syllabus?

[IB_taking_over]

47 minutes ago, tarangMahapatra said:

Is it okay to go beyond the IB Chemistry syllabus?

yes, but I'm not sure if that will help you. IB will only test on what the syllabus covers

[Msj Chem]

On September 12, 2016 at 8:46 PM, tarangMahapatra said:

Is it okay to go beyond the IB Chemistry syllabus?

Yes, it is ok to go beyond the IB chemistry syllabus, as long as it is still chemistry based of course. 

[Msj Chem]

First in a series of videos on the internal assessment. Please note that it is not my aim to provide students with ideas for their IA. It is very much up to the student to think of their own idea for the IA.

 

[talalrulez]

On 11/24/2015 at 3:33 PM, Msj Chem said:

This thread could be used for the new syllabus IA from 2016 onwards. Please note that I cannot help individual students with their IA.

The choice of topic should be your own work so please do not ask for suggestions for your IA. 

 

hi, im not here to get a topic or anything. i already have sort of a plan. for my IA, imp planning on testing the efficiency of certain sacrificial metals and all through various environments bla bla bla. but, my teacher said i have to use some technology in my thing like a data logger and whatever. so, do u have any suggestions on what technology my type of experiment would allow me to use. to whoever replies...

 

THANK YOU SO MUCH

[Msj Chem]

2 hours ago, talalrulez said:

hi, im not here to get a topic or anything. i already have sort of a plan. for my IA, imp planning on testing the efficiency of certain sacrificial metals and all through various environments bla bla bla. but, my teacher said i have to use some technology in my thing like a data logger and whatever. so, do u have any suggestions on what technology my type of experiment would allow me to use. to whoever replies...

 

THANK YOU SO MUCH

There is no specific requirement in the criteria that students must use data logging equipment. However if your teacher has said that you must use it, then you should use whatever equipment that allows you to measure your dependent variable. 

[Msj Chem]

From the May 2016 subject report (copyright IB)

Personal Engagement:

The overwhelming majority of students managed to achieve at least one point for Personal Engagement with many securing both marks.

There was in many cases an over-emphasis on the first part of the descriptor and often the students’ efforts to justify their choice of research question and topic spilled over into overlong and contrived narratives of early childhood holidays, school excursions and suchlike. These non-scientific preambles should be kept to a minimum. The commonest limitation to achievement was where students failed to show genuine curiosity by presenting a  very undemanding research question where the outcome too self-evident, such as determining how the mass of alcohol combusted affects the heat energy evolved or whether time current passes affects the mass change of an electrode during electrolysis. Where students presented a research question that reflected a question that they genuinely appeared interested in answering and couldn’t already be expected to know the answer then credit was easily given.

The second part of the descriptor regarding personal input and initiative is evidenced across the whole report and here the outcome was again variable. A good number of students did show plenty of personal input and initiative in the designing and implementation or presentation of the investigation but it was not uncommon for students to simply repeat a commonplace school investigation with a procedure that had not been adapted or extended in any way. Another indication that students were not fully engaged was when there were clear limitations in the initial methodology that could have been quickly and easily addressed during the process but the student made no attempt to do so. More successful students evidenced input by applying a known technique to an interesting real world situation and then by fully using their time to carry out trials at plenty of values of independent variable as well as including repeats rather than confining themselves to the simple five trials as often found in the old internal assessment framework.

Edited November 4, 2016 by Msj Chem

[IBchemMIlam]

Here are some of my IB Chemistry HL resources that you might find helpful https://sites.google.com/site/thechemistrytranslator/chemistry---milam-plymouth/ib-chem-milam-hl and http://ibchemmilam.blogspot.com/2017/04/ib-chemistry-hl.html

[CarmoFrada]

On 19 February 2016 at 10:26 PM, Vioh said:

Here you go: https://ibpublishing.ibo.org/server1/rest/app/tsm.xql?doc=d_4_chemi_tsm_1408_1_e&part=8&chapter=1

Congratzzzzzz!!!!