IB Credit Students earn their IB science course grade based on three written examinations and an independent investigation. This investigation is called the internal assessment or IA. The IA is 20% of the IB grade.

In addition to the IA there are required labs. The exam papers will ask questions based on the required labs as well as core course material. A minimum of 40 lab hours is required (including Group 4) Other Lab Work

IA Internal Assessment With the guidance of the teacher, students will define their own unique research question and then perform an experiment to attempt to answer this question. The IB encourages a wide range of investigation types, including traditional hands-on experiments, processing information from online databases, or even working with computer simulations or mathematical models using a spreadsheet.

Meaningful Research A student’s work is meant to be a meaningful scientific study. The student must do appropriate research and demonstrate an understanding of the scientific context of their study. The student is expected to contribute their own thinking to the work.

The final report should be between 6–12 pages in length, including footnotes, bibliography, graphs, charts, and pictures. Appropriate references are required. Students must word process their report and use graphing and spreadsheet software where appropriate. The report should be logical, clear, and easy to follow without superfluous text. The final report should be similar to a real scientific journal article. However, the IB does not expect the student to demonstrate any knowledge or skills that go beyond the level of the course they are taking. The IA is not an extended essay.