IB Chemistry IA Ideas and Research Questions (2023)

IB Chemistry IA Ideas and Research Questions (1)

One of the biggest challenges facing students taking IB chemistry is coming up with a good Internal Assessment (IA) idea.

It’s got to be something suitably demanding for diploma-level study, it’s got to be something relevant to the chemistry syllabus, it’s got to be something you can’t just look up the answer to in a textbook, and crucially, it’s got to be a topic the student is personally engaged with.

Many students are unsure how to relate the IB chemistry topics to a real-world situation or problem that they can investigate. To help with this, I’ve produced a list of chemistry IA ideas, together with some example Research Questions (RQ).

I’ve grouped them together according to the main experimental technique or measurement method.

A big fat disclaimer

This is a list of ideas only, intended as a source of inspiration for students who are stuck for an idea.

It is a starting point for further research, not a list of off-the-shelf projects you can select from and take to your teacher.

Please do not just copy directly from this list!

There are several reasons why you shouldn’t do this:

Firstly, one of the internal assessment criteria is Personal Engagement. This is about how well you engage with the project and make it your own.

To achieve the maximum score “The evidence of personal engagement with the exploration is clear with significant independent thinking, initiative or creativity. The justification given for choosing the research question and/or the topic under investigation demonstrates personal significance, interest or curiosity. There is evidence of personal input and initiative in the designing, implementation or presentation of the investigation.

It should be clear from these guidelines that you need to choose your own project and completely own it.

Secondly, some of the projects below are just plain bad for reasons I’ve outlined in my post about research questions.

These reasons include:

  • The RQ is just a title
  • The RQ is unfocused and unclear – impossible to understand what the aims are
  • The RQ doesn’t include any variables
  • Project is unimaginative
  • Project has obvious outcomes
  • Project is just a series of measurements or a synthesis, rather than an investigation

I’ve given a weaker and a stronger example research question for each category, but be aware that the stronger research question is not necessarily a good research question!

With that out of the way, here’s the list:

IdeaWeaker Research QuestionStronger Research Question
Determining waters of crystallisationAre there more waters of crystallisation in cheap washing soda?Does storage temperature affect the purity of washing soda crystals, determined using acid-base titration to find waters of crystallisation?
Vinegar concentrationDoes the ethanoic acid concentration vary in vinegars obtained from different grains?Does cooking temperature affect the concentration of ethanoic acid in vinegar, measured by acid-base titration?
Amount of aspirin in tabletsDoes the amount of aspirin in different brands accurately match the label?Using back titration to investigate whether the concentration of aspirin from more expensive tablets is higher after 30 minutes than from cheaper ones.
Drug formulationsWhich types of indigestion medicines are fastest at neutralising stomach acid?Is the release of ibuprofen from different formulations dependent upon pH and temperature, measured using acid-base titration?
Measuring pHFactors affecting the pH of sauerkrautInvestigating the effect of fermentation time and temperature on the pH of kimchi using acid-base titration
Drug synthesis and purityIs sublimation of salicylic acid after decomposition a reliable way to judge stability of aspirin tablets?Determining the optimal solvent and temperature to give highest yield for the synthesis of Dulcin from Tylenol, using titration
Investigating acid-base chemistryDetermining the pKb of a base from its half-equivalence pointHow is the buffer action of the sodium ethanoate-ethanoic acid system affected by temperature?
IdeaWeaker Research QuestionStronger Research Question
Determining enthalpy changesUsing calorimetry to determine whether alcohols with more branching have higher heats of combustionComparing the enthalpies of combustion of ethanol, ethanal and ethanoic acid using calorimetry to quantify intermolecular force strength
Food calorimetryUsing calorimetry to find out which type of nut butter contains most caloriesUsing calorimetry to investigate how food calories are affected by cooking in unsaturated and saturated vegetable oils
Enthalpy of neutralisationIs the enthalpy of neutralisation for different acids and alkalis aways 55 kJ mol per mole?How does the size and charge of spectator ions affect the value for the enthalpy of neutralisation, measured using calorimetry?
Hess’s LawUsing Hess’s law to calculate a value for the enthalpy of reaction when magnesium burns in steamUsing Hess’s law and calorimetry to investigate the relationship between enthalpy of solution, enthalpy of hydration and lattice enthalpy
Heating and coolingWhich endothermic reactions are good for use in cooling packs, investigated with simple calorimetry?How can errors due to heat losses be reduced when investigating the combustion of alcohols by calorimetry?
IdeaWeaker Research QuestionStronger Research Question
Determining iodine numberWhat is the iodine number of different cooking oils?How do light intensity and temperature affect the stability of unsaturated oils, determined by measuring iodine number?
Rates of substitution reactionsHow is the rate of SN2 reactions affected by the carbon-halogen bond strength?Using halide ion test to determine the activation energy for SN2 reactions of different halogenoalkanes with sodium hydroxide
IdeaWeaker Research QuestionStronger Research Question
Drug hydrolysisIs the hydrolysis of aspirin in the stomach affected by the presence of metal ions?Using the half-life method and colorimetry to determine the activation energy for aspirin hydrolysis at different pH values
Measuring pKaDetermining the pKa value for ibuprofen from pH curves using the half-equivalence methodWhat is the pKa value for natural indicators obtained from peonies, poppies and red cabbage, determined using colorimetry?
Measuring rates by continuous monitoringInvestigating the bleaching of various food colourings to determine the rate constantHow does the concentration of manganate(VII) affect the rate of the autocatalytic reaction with ethanedioate as measured by colorimetry?
Investigating a clock reactionStudying the vanishing cross reaction between hydrochloric acid and sodium thiosulfate using titrationUsing the initial rates method to measure the activation energy for the clock reaction between iodide and peroxydisulfate ions
Food colorimetryInvestigating the relationship between brewing time and manganese ion content in tea using colorimetryDoes boiling time effect the protein concentration in milk, measured using bicinchoninic acid assay and colorimetry?
Studying enzyme activityDetermining the optimum temperature for lipase activityUsing colorimetry to investigate inhibition of salivary amylase by metal ions with different charge density
IdeaWeaker Research QuestionStronger Research Question
Calcium content of foodWhich type of eggshells contain most calcium as measured using precipitation reactions?To probe whether water acidity affects the calcium ion concentration measured using EDTA complexometric titration
Analysing food mineralsMeasuring the calcium ion content of six different soft cheeses using EDTA complexometric titration.How does fermentation time effect the amount of salt in miso paste, determined via argentometric titration (Volhard method)?
(Video) How to find a Topic/ Research Question for IB Science IA (Physics/Chemistry)
IdeaWeaker Research QuestionStronger Research Question
Lattice enthalpyDoes the lattice enthalpy of different salts affect how effectively they melt ice?Relating experimental and theoretical values for the lattice enthalpies to charge density of different metal ions
Computational chemistryEvaluating different mathematical models for the calculation of pI values of amino acids and comparing to database valuesUsing molecular modelling to explore the relationship between halogen size and the preference for T-shaped geometry in interhalogen compounds
IdeaWeaker Research QuestionStronger Research Question
ElectroplatingWhich factors affect the rate of electrolysis in electroplating metals?How does voltage and electrolyte concentration affect the oxide layer thickness during the anodisation of aluminium?
Investigating electrolysisIs the rate of copper purification affected by the voltage?Investgating the effects of voltage and bubble overpotential on the electrolysis of sodium chloride using microscale Hoffman voltammetry
Electrochemical cellsMeasuring the Gibbs energy change for different spontaneous electrochemical reactionsIs there a relationship between ionisation energy and Gibbs energy change for redox reaction between different reactive metals, determined using voltametry
IdeaWeaker Research QuestionStronger Research Question
Investigating equilibriumDeterming the equilibrium constant for the interconversion of cobalt(II) hexahydrate and tetrachlorocobaltate(II)Finding the Gibbs energy change for the esterification reaction between propanoic acid and ethanol using gas chromatography
IdeaWeaker Research QuestionStronger Research Question
Investigating hydrogels (smart polymers)Do more expensive nappies contain better hydrogels that absorb water faster?Does the concentration of nitrate ions in soil affect the mass of water that smart polymer hydrogels can absorb?
Studying thermal decompositionIs ease of thermal decomposition of metal carbonates related to their solubility?Investigating the relationship between metal ion charge density and thermal stability using thermal decomposition experiments
IdeaWeaker Research QuestionStronger Research Question
Microscale chemistryIs microscale chemistry a safe and convenient way to do reactions with halogens in a high school environment?Using microscale chemistry to determine the relationship between solubility product and temperature for different metal halides
Microscale chemistryIs microscale chemistry a more efficient way to make aspirin in the laboratory?Investigating the kinetics of the reaction between potassium iodide and lead nitrate using microchemistry
IdeaWeaker Research QuestionStronger Research Question
Modelling bond anglesModelling bond angles in organic compounds and comparing them to actual values using ACD ChemSketchThe effect of halogen electronegativity and atomic radius on bond angles in halogenoalkanes determined using CambridgeSoft Chem3D software
IdeaWeaker Research QuestionStronger Research Question
Determining activation energyWhat is the activation energy for the oxidation of luminol by hydrogen peroxide?Determining the activation energy of 3 different ‘glowstick’ reactions by measuring light output at different temperatures
Investigating fluorescenceHow does oxidant concentration affect the intensity of light produced from luminol?Using photometry to determine whether charge on the metal ion catalyst influences the rate of reaction between luminol and hydrogen peroxide.
IdeaWeaker Research QuestionStronger Research Question
Measuring optical rotationInvestigating the hydrolysis of sucrose into glucose and fructose using polarimetryDetermining the equilibrium constant at different temperatures for the mutarotation of lactose using polarimetry
IdeaWeaker Research QuestionStronger Research Question
Determining standard molar volumeApplying Dalton’s law to study non-ideal gasesTo determine the standard molar volume of hydrogen from the reaction between magnesium and HCl using a barometric method
Calculating absolute zeroCan Charles’ Law be used to accurately determine absolute zero?Investigating whether ideal or non-ideal gases give a more accurate determination of absolute zero using volume-temperature ratio
Determining activation energyDo other transition metals apart from iron(II) catalyse the iodine-clock reaction?Does catalase or potassium iodide lower the activation energy most in the famous ‘elephant’s toothpaste’ reaction?
IdeaWeaker Research QuestionStronger Research Question
Vitamin C content in foodsDo superfoods contain more vitamin C?Does cooking temperature affect the vitamin C content of kale as measured by iodometric titration?
Amount of oxalate in foodsDoes cooking time affect how much oxalate is released from spinach?Is the concentration of oxalate, measured by redox titration, in cooking water from foods like spinach affected by the water temperature and pH?
Determining molecular formulaDoes thermal decomposition allow unknown salts to be identified?Does the titration temperature affect how accurately the Mr of a hydrated salt can be determined using redox titration?
Percentage iron in vitamin tabletsDo expensive iron tablets contain more iron than cheaper vitamin tablets?To investigate whether different iron complexes used in vitamin tablets are affected by pH using manganate(VII ) titration
Amount of copper in brassDo different grades of brass contain different amounts of copper?Using iodometric titration to investigate whether the amount of copper varies in different euro coins
Oxygen content in waterIs the oxygen level in my local canal enough to satisfy the biological oxygen demand (BOD) for fish?Does water temperature or pH most affect oxygen levels in lakes as measured using the Winkler method?
Rust removersDo rust removers containing oxalic acid work better if they are used hot?To examine if oxalic acid or citric acid rust removers are more effective at higher temperatures using redox titration
Analysing wineHow does the ethanol concentration vary for different wines when measured using back-titration with dichromate and ferrous ammonium sulfate?Investigating the effect of storage temperature on the sulfite concentration of Rioja using iodometric titration.
(Video) Top 5 Chemistry IA Ideas! (plus tips for chem IA)
IdeaWeaker Research QuestionStronger Research Question
Caffeine determinationUsing colorimetry to investigate whether coffee contains more caffeine than teaInvestigating whether solvent polarity affects the mass of caffeine extracted from coffee beans using HPLC
Caffeine extractionDoes water temperature affect the caffeine concentration of tea?Does the charge density of the salt ions affect the partition ratio for caffeine extraction from water with different solvents?
IdeaWeaker Research QuestionStronger Research Question
Radical substitution reactionsDoes vitamin C act as a radical scavenger and slow down the rate of free radical substitution?Does wavelength of UV light affect the products obtained from the reaction between ethane and chlorine, determined using NMR spectroscopy?
Investigating surfactantsDoes the critical micelle concentration of ‘Triton’ and ‘Tergitol’ type surfactants affect their detergent ability?Using spectrophotometry to investigate whether the CMC of quaternary ammonium salts is affected by pH
Chlorophyll in foodDoes cooking time affect rate of chlorophyll degradation?Investigating how water pH affects chlorophyll degradation at different temperatures using spectrophotometry
Investigating fluorescenceUsing spectroscopy to investigate chlorophyll fluorescenceHow is the fluorescence wavelength of fluorophores present in tumeric affected by solvent polarity measured by spectroscopy?
Measuring absorbanceIs the absorbance of light by transition metal complex related to the ligand charge?Is their a correlation between metal ion charge and wavelength of light absorbed by transition metal complexes?
Determining rate expressionUsing the vanishing cross method to determine the order of reactions when sodium thiosulfate and hydrochloric acid reactEvaluating the rate law and rate constant for the kinetics of the bleaching reactions of some common dyes using spectrometry
Enzyme kineticsDetermining the optimum temperature for the breakdown of hydrogen peroxide by catalase found in liverWhich factor, UV light, temperature or pH has the greatest effect on the denaturation of lipase measured using UV-VIS spectroscopy?
Investigating catalystsWhich is the best catalyst for hydrogen peroxide decomposition, potato, liver, manganese oxide or potassium permanganate?Investigating solid acid catalysis of esterification reactions using infra-red spectroscopy
IdeaWeaker Research QuestionStronger Research Question
Spreadsheet calculationsUsing Excel to calculate pI values for peptide and compare with literature valuesModelling the relationship between reaction quotient and equilibrium constant when changing temperature and pressure of the Haber reaction using spreadsheets
IdeaWeaker Research QuestionStronger Research Question
Different heating methodsCan aspirin be prepared using microwave heating instead of a water bath?Assessing the yield of aspirin when prepared using microwave heating compared to conventional heating method
Aromatic compoundsUsing thin-layer chromatography to investigate the synthesis of the antiseptic 2,4,6-tricholorohydroxybenzeneComparing the products from the nitration of benzene, phenol and benzaldehyde using infra-red spectroscopy
Fragrance compoundsThe effect of reaction temperature on the yield from esterification reactionsThe effect of reaction temperature on product purity when synthesising Oil of Wintergreen assessed using TLC
Synthesising dyesHow does pH affect the colour of Sudan IV produced from a diazotisation reaction?How does reaction temperature affect the yield of the diazo dye Disperse Red 13 in the Sandmeyer reaction?
Investigating novel reactionsInvestigating the organometallic reaction between alkyl magnesium halides and propanone (Grignard chemistry)Investigating the effect of halide substituent on the yield of phenacetin, prepared from paracetamol by Williamson ether synthesis
Organic lab techniquesExtracting Oil of Wintergreen and Menthol from Kwan Loong Oil using steam distillationInvestigating the ability of different anhydrous salts to absorb water from organic solvents by measuring cobalt(II) absorbance.

DrCarlThirsk2022-04-05T19:44:54+00:00October 19th, 2018|Categories: Guides|Tags: Featured, IB Chemistry, Internal Assessment|11 Comments

Share This Post

FacebookTwitterLinkedInPinterest

Related Posts

  • IB Chemistry IA Ideas and Research Questions (2)

    Limiting and excess reactants in chemistry

    Limiting and excess reactants in chemistry

    April 13th, 2020|0 Comments

  • IB Chemistry IA Ideas and Research Questions (3)

    How to get an A* in A Level Chemistry

    (Video) Awesome Ideas for IB Chemistry Internal Assessment

    How to get an A* in A Level Chemistry

    April 18th, 2019|9 Comments

  • IB Chemistry IA Ideas and Research Questions (4)

    Easy way to balance chemical equations for GCSE

    Easy way to balance chemical equations for GCSE

    January 18th, 2019|0 Comments

  • IB Chemistry IA Ideas and Research Questions (5)

    Is IB chemistry harder than A Level chemistry?

    Is IB chemistry harder than A Level chemistry?

    January 8th, 2019|9 Comments

  • IB Chemistry IA Ideas and Research Questions (6)

    Balancing chemical equations using algebra

    Balancing chemical equations using algebra

    December 3rd, 2018|8 Comments

11 Comments

  1. IB Chemistry IA Ideas and Research Questions (7)

    AMAURY ESALASAugust 19, 2022 at 3:08 pm - Reply

    Hello Sir,
    One of my students wants to conduct research about the amount of calcium in eggshells of different colors. However, He can’t explain to himself the relationship between water and calcium ion concentration.
    Could you please elaborate so I can explain him?

    • IB Chemistry IA Ideas and Research Questions (8)

      DrCarlThirskAugust 25, 2022 at 10:17 am - Reply

      Hi, I’m not sure I understand the question – eggshell colour is due to the presence of pigments rather than Ca2+ ion concentration?

  2. IB Chemistry IA Ideas and Research Questions (9)

    TessaSeptember 20, 2021 at 6:57 pm - Reply

    Any ideas how I could incorporate something to do with seaweed?

  3. IB Chemistry IA Ideas and Research Questions (10)

    (Video) ib chemistry ia research questions

    kasey millingtonMay 4, 2021 at 9:41 pm - Reply

    Found so much value from your post! Thank you!!

  4. IB Chemistry IA Ideas and Research Questions (11)

    nitesh kumarAugust 19, 2020 at 9:21 am - Reply

    Really a very helpful article thanks for sharing and keep on sharing!

  5. IB Chemistry IA Ideas and Research Questions (12)

    sheela chackoMay 8, 2020 at 4:08 am - Reply

    Astridde

    My student wanted to do how peroxides can be a good preservation agent for milk

    how better can he frame his RQ

  6. IB Chemistry IA Ideas and Research Questions (13)

    JessieMarch 15, 2019 at 8:45 pm - Reply

    Hello, I’ve been struggling for a while to come up with a type of question to be able to do an IA with. I’m interested in a topic having to do with pesticides but the thing is that I am not really sure how to convert it into an actual strong question. Can you please help? help/tips would be greatly helpful! Please and Thank you!

  7. IB Chemistry IA Ideas and Research Questions (14)

    MiracFebruary 12, 2019 at 7:23 pm - Reply

    Hi, I wanted to determine protein content of something over different cooking time but I did some research on the google and I found that proteins are not affected by heating. So if I do this experiment, I will not see any difference in the protein content. Shoul I do this experiment? If I do this experiment and I write it as a IA, Will I get higher points? Will conclusion affect my point. Thank you

  8. IB Chemistry IA Ideas and Research Questions (15)

    Astridde GegeNovember 12, 2018 at 10:09 am - Reply

    Hi, thanks for this nice article! I was thinking of investigating fragrance esters,specifically whether amount of unsaturation affects smell characteristics and volatility of the molecule? I am not sure how I can develop this up into an RQ. Any help you can give is appreciated. TIA

    • IB Chemistry IA Ideas and Research Questions (16)

      DrCarlThirskNovember 12, 2018 at 1:17 pm - Reply

      Hello Astridde, glad you find the article useful. The issue I can see to begin with is you have two dependent variables, volatility and smell characteristics. Volatility can be quantified and measured (e.g. vapour pressure) but ‘smell characteristics’ you would have to think how you can quantify and measure. Linking volatility and your independent variable (number of double bonds?) also sounds too simplistic to me as you can quite easily predict that relationship.

      The earlier post I wrote on research questions will hopefully help.

  9. […] Don’t just copy an existing IA you found online, such as one from my list here! […]

Leave A Comment

FAQs

What is a good chemistry IA topic? ›

IB Chemistry IA Ideas - Stoichiometry

Explore the drug content in tablets. How does the concentration of ethanoic acid-present in vinegar as determined by acid-base titration - get affected by a change in temperature while cooking? Investigate Vitamin C content of different food products.

How do you get a 7 in Chem IA? ›

Data you always have to mention your entire range so this would include things such as concentration

What is a research question in chemistry? ›

A research question is an actual question you want to answer about a particular topic. Developing a question helps you focus on an aspect of your topic, which will streamline your research and writing.

What makes a good IA research question? ›

A good IA relies more than anything else on a good starting point: a well-defined, narrow question with some element of a debate. Should allow for a point to be made, or a debate to be settled. It should not lead to a simple narrative. Must be specific – narrow it down as much as you can.

What are research questions examples? ›

10 Research Question Examples to Guide your Research Project
  • What effect does social media have on people's minds?
  • What effect does daily use of Twitter have on the attention span of under-16s?
18 Apr 2019

How long should a chemistry IA take? ›

The IA experiment and write-up are expected to take a total of 10 hours. There is a 6-12 page limit. Replace all headings in parentheses with detailed titles that match your experiment, and delete all red comments before turning in. Feel free to make this your own, just don't leave anything out.

Is there a word limit for Chemistry IA? ›

The investigation is broken into three sections; the Identification and Evaluation of sources, the Investigation, and the Reflection. There is also a maximum word count of 2,200 words.

How many pages should a chemistry Ia be? ›

The Internal Assessment write-up should be between 6 and 12 pages long. Investigations exceeding this length will be penalized in the communication criterion as lacking in conciseness. The following outline is suggested for your IA, however, you may adjust in any way you choose. You do not need a title page.

What is a good IA score? ›

A good IA on modelling manages to score an easy 15-16 marks out of 20.

How do you get A+ in general chemistry? ›

10 Best Study Tips for General Chemistry – Study Gen Chem
  1. Understand Electrons. Chemistry is considered the study of matter. ...
  2. Read before the Lecture. ...
  3. Go to Class. ...
  4. Organize your Notes. ...
  5. Take Practice Exams. ...
  6. Study Every Day. ...
  7. Join a Study Group. ...
  8. Practice Solving Chemistry Problems.

How much is the chemistry IA worth? ›

IA is worth 20% of your final grade.

What are 5 good research questions? ›

Five Questions for Good Research
  • What is the problem to be solved? Every good research project solves some particular problem. ...
  • Who cares about this problem and why? ...
  • What have others done? ...
  • What is your solution to the problem? ...
  • How can you demonstrate that your solution is a good one?

What are the 6 research questions? ›

Qualitative Research Question Types
  • Exploratory Questions. Questions that are designed to understand more about a topic are exploratory questions. ...
  • Predictive Questions. ...
  • Interpretive Questions. ...
  • Descriptive Questions. ...
  • Comparative Questions. ...
  • Relationship-Based Questions.

What are the 3 research questions? ›

There are three basic types of questions that research projects can address:
  • Descriptive. When a study is designed primarily to describe what is going on or what exists. ...
  • Relational. When a study is designed to look at the relationships between two or more variables. ...
  • Causal.

How do you write a good IB research question? ›

A research question will provide a path to guide the student through the student research and writing.
  1. Choose the student subject area. ...
  2. Choose a topic that interests the student. ...
  3. Suggest a question. ...
  4. Evaluate the question. ...
  5. Restate the question using a different command term. ...
  6. Review with the supervisor. ...
  7. Reflection.

How do you find good IA articles? ›

Guide to finding an article for Economics IA
  1. Go to Google.com.
  2. Search for a keyword like “prices” Keywords you might try googling: prices, price cap, demand, supply, unemployment, inflation, dumping, exports, imports, etc. ...
  3. Select NEWS as in the picture below. ...
  4. Find the appropriate article.

How many sources should I have for my IA? ›

What you need to find: Look for a broad range of relevant, authoritative sources which help you answer your research question. Aim for a minimum of 6 - 8 high quality sources.

What are the 4 research questions? ›

Types of Research Questions
  • i. Exploratory Questions.
  • ii. Predictive Questions.
  • iii. Interpretive Questions.
  • i. Descriptive Questions.
  • ii. Comparative Questions.
  • iii. Relationship-Based Questions.
9 Aug 2022

What is a good research topic? ›

A 'good' research topic should address a problem in the society and in most cases, it should be a contemporary issue that is well-founded.

How do I find a research question? ›

Reading regularly is the most basic way to find a good research question. Keep up to date with recent advancements and identify critical issues or unsolved problems. You could begin with popular science articles and blogs and, if something catches your interest, look up those topics in journals specializing in them.

Can you fail an IB IA? ›

You do not have to "pass" the IA to pass the course. If you can do well in external assessment, you will be able to get a good score overall.

Can you retake IA IB? ›

If a candidate wishes to retake a subject, he/she can do this in any future examination session and at any IB World School offering the Diploma Programme. However, there are restrictions that apply so he/she must consult with the DP coordinator at the school where he/she wishes to register.

Do you have to do an IA for every class? ›

The IA is compulsory, but NOT in all subjects, being the language subjects the ones that do not have to do this type of project.

How long should my IA introduction be? ›

Introduction (75 words)

The introduction of your IA should outline and summarize your chosen article in 2 or 3 brief sentences. Make clear references to your article, often using a quote to show that you're discussing the situation from your source.

Do subheadings count in word count IB IA? ›

No, the headings and sub headings are not counted in the word count, although the IB boards don't take it too seriously.

Do Words in tables count in word count IB? ›

Tables, diagrams (including associated legends), appendices, references, footnotes and endnotes, the bibliography and any bound published material are excluded from the word count.

How many words should an IB IA be? ›

The report must not exceed 2,500 words. The following are not included in the word count. All the main text is included in the word count, including the research question, analysis, conclusion and evaluation, as well as all annotations over 10 words and any footnotes over 15 words.

Is IA important in IB? ›

Administered and marked internally, the IA is often thought to be as significant as a regular assignments. The marks an IB student receives for his or her IA impacts the final IB grades for the respective subjects. On average, the IA mark can make up 20%-50% of a student's final IB grades.

How do you write a chemistry IA conclusion? ›

The Conclusion: In the conclusion you should discuss the results you obtained in relation to your hypothesis. Write a conclusion based on an interpretation of the gathered results. Compare your results with literature values if possible.

How many words should a chemistry Ia be? ›

The investigation is broken into three sections; the Identification and Evaluation of sources, the Investigation, and the Reflection. There is also a maximum word count of 2,200 words.

How many pages should a chemistry Ia be? ›

The Internal Assessment write-up should be between 6 and 12 pages long. Investigations exceeding this length will be penalized in the communication criterion as lacking in conciseness. The following outline is suggested for your IA, however, you may adjust in any way you choose. You do not need a title page.

How many pages can a chemistry Ia be? ›

The IA experiment and write-up are expected to take a total of 10 hours. There is a 6-12 page limit.

How do I write a science IA? ›

Throughout your IA, you should use appropriate, scientific language.
...
Introduction
  1. How you came upon the topic.
  2. Why you chose this topic and its significance. Include a real life application to show the topic's significance.
  3. What is your investigation about?
  4. A brief about what you have done in your investigatory project.
21 Feb 2016

What is a good IA score? ›

A good IA on modelling manages to score an easy 15-16 marks out of 20.

How long should my IA introduction be? ›

Introduction (75 words)

The introduction of your IA should outline and summarize your chosen article in 2 or 3 brief sentences. Make clear references to your article, often using a quote to show that you're discussing the situation from your source.

Do subheadings count in word count IB IA? ›

No, the headings and sub headings are not counted in the word count, although the IB boards don't take it too seriously.

Can you fail an IB IA? ›

You do not have to "pass" the IA to pass the course. If you can do well in external assessment, you will be able to get a good score overall.

Do you have to do an IA in every subject? ›

The IA is compulsory, but NOT in all subjects, being the language subjects the ones that do not have to do this type of project. As IB students have to do 6 subjects (mixed between High level and Standard level), more or less they will have to do between 3 and 5 IA in total.

How many words should an IB IA be? ›

The report must not exceed 2,500 words. The following are not included in the word count. All the main text is included in the word count, including the research question, analysis, conclusion and evaluation, as well as all annotations over 10 words and any footnotes over 15 words.

How do you write a chemistry IA conclusion? ›

The Conclusion: In the conclusion you should discuss the results you obtained in relation to your hypothesis. Write a conclusion based on an interpretation of the gathered results. Compare your results with literature values if possible.

How long should science ia be? ›

The investigation is recorded as a written report. The report should be between 1500 and 2250 words. This does not include titles, annotations on images and graphs, bibliography. Data (qualitative and quantitative) is not included but variable tables or error analysis tables do count.

How do you name a IB document? ›

Candidates MAY (and SHOULD) use their personal codes (abc123) within coursework (e.g., title page, headers, etc.) and on forms. Electronic file names should include: Candidate name.
...
identification of work
  1. Candidate name.
  2. Candidate session number (001380 - 00XX)
  3. School name.
  4. School number (001380)
  5. Teacher name.

How do I get a 7 in IB Bio IA? ›

A quality research question is essential to a high IB grade.
...
A few tips are that your research question should:
  1. Cut to the chase – don't be too wordy.
  2. Be self-explanatory – you shouldn't need another sentence to explain what your research question means.
  3. Establish a dependent variable.
  4. Establish an independent variable.

How many sources should an IA have? ›

What you need to find: Look for a broad range of relevant, authoritative sources which help you answer your research question. Aim for a minimum of 6 - 8 high quality sources.

How do you start an IA essay? ›

Tips for success: How to write Section 1 of your IB History IA
  1. Clearly state the exact question you have chosen to investigate, e.g. “This study will investigate the question…” or “This investigation will explore the question…”
  2. Next, give a clear explanation of the relevance of the source to the investigation.

Videos

1. Chemistry IA Ideas
(IB Assistant)
2. Green chemistry - How to get a good IA Research Question!
(ATAR Chemistry for the QCE)
3. How to Pick Your IA Topic | IB Internal Assessments (IA) Tips and Tricks!
(Salem Abbar)
4. Sample IA Research Questions | IB Physics IA Ideas
(Guru Me)
5. Not Awesome Ideas for IB Chemistry IA
(Mr M 4 Chem )
6. HOW TO SCORE A 7 ON THE CHEMISTRY IA (From a moderated 22/24 student)| IB Internal Assessment Advice
(Zelda Waite)
Top Articles
Latest Posts
Article information

Author: Rev. Leonie Wyman

Last Updated: 02/25/2023

Views: 5582

Rating: 4.9 / 5 (59 voted)

Reviews: 90% of readers found this page helpful

Author information

Name: Rev. Leonie Wyman

Birthday: 1993-07-01

Address: Suite 763 6272 Lang Bypass, New Xochitlport, VT 72704-3308

Phone: +22014484519944

Job: Banking Officer

Hobby: Sailing, Gaming, Basketball, Calligraphy, Mycology, Astronomy, Juggling

Introduction: My name is Rev. Leonie Wyman, I am a colorful, tasty, splendid, fair, witty, gorgeous, splendid person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.