Where to Begin With Your Chemistry IA (With Examples)
Today, BartyED’s expert IB Chemistry tutors have a look at some common issues faced by Chemistry students when attempting to complete their IA, and some tips to help.
Every student of IB sciences must complete an IA, or Internal Assessment. This piece of written coursework is assessed by a teacher, as well as externally moderated by the IB, and accounts for 20% of a students final assessment. For their IA, each student designs a scientific investigation in an area of personal interest that is commensurate with their current level of study. Students then carry out the experiment, and generate a lengthy lab report of 6 to 12 pages, which is graded for personal engagement, exploration, analysis, evaluation, and communication.
The purpose of the IA is twofold. The IA enables students to demonstrate the application of the skills and knowledge they have attained thus far in their studies. Additionally, it offers IB students the opportunity to pursue their personal interests, without the time limitations and other constraints that are associated with written examinations.
As previously mentioned, every Chemistry IA is graded for personal engagement, exploration, analysis, evaluation, and communication. While most of these criteria seem obvious in the context of a scientific investigation, ‘personal engagement’ may seem like an outlier. So, what does ‘personal engagement’ mean?
Personal engagement refers to the way in which each student is uniquely involved in their investigation. This personal involvement can be reflected in a number of different ways, including evidence of independent thinking, as well as creativity or initiative in the designing, implementation or presentation of the investigation. Simply put, the IB wants to see that students are active learners who are engaged with their studies, and the first indication of personal engagement for any IA, not limited to Chemistry, comes with a student’s Research Question.
A student’s Research Question, or RQ, is the starting point for their IA. Equally so, it is the first point of criticism for a teacher grading the work. Consequently, a well formed Research Question is essential to ensure a high quality IA.
There are certain essential criteria that an RQ must meet to guarantee a well-performing IA. Any Research Question must represent a diploma-level investigation that is suitably demanding, that is relevant to the IB Chemistry syllabus, that is something the student is interested in, and that has a real world application.
With so many points to hit, students can often end up floundering. To give an idea of how to formulate a working Research Question, let us compare two examples.
Weak Research Question: Does the amount of paracetamol in different brands match the amount listed on their labels?
This Research Question is representative of a place where students often find themselves. Although it manages to touch on a real-world application, it lacks any specificity or relation to concepts studied in IB Chemistry. This Research Question, at first glance, seems to have little if anything to do with Chemistry and seems more like a general query than a scientific investigation.
Strong Research Question: Using back titration to investigate whether the concentration of paracetamol from name-brand tablets is higher after 30 minutes than from generic tablets.
It is plain to see that this Research Question is significantly stronger. Unlike the previous example, this RQ contains specific reference to the chemical process that will be used during the investigation, one that is covered in the Chemistry syllabus. As before, the real-world application remains in place, but parameters have also been introduced, thus offering a definite scope to the work.
Weak Research Question: Does cooking temperature affect the vitamin C content of broccoli?
Although this question manages to touch on some syllabus content related to organic chemistry, it is generally shallow and fails to draw in any other topics. Consequently, the breadth of the study is severely limited. This question could be answered with a simple word: Yes.
Strong Research Question: Investigating how cooking temperatures and durations affect vitamin C degradation using infrared spectroscopy.
This Research Question adds a number of variables, such as temperature and cooking duration, so that the effects of temperature and time can be investigated, thus broadening the scope. Additionally, the method to quantify vitamin C is also specified, which allows the IA to touch on more than just the simple organic chemistry of vitamin C degradation.
Hopefully these tips will help you with the Chemistry IA. Although it is a challenging piece of work, it is not insurmountable. Our IB Chemistry tutors have found that students often struggle with the Internal Assessment because they lack the right guidance. This is where an experienced tutor can make all the difference.
If you feel that you could benefit from extra support, feel free to check out our website here for more information on our IB Chemistry teaching programmes, or reach out today at (852) 2882 1017 or enquiries@bartyed.com.