1. IB ESS Internal Assessment
Information and Guidelines

2. Purpose of the IA
The IA enables all students to demonstrate the application of their skills and knowledge, and to pursue their personal interests, without the time limitations and other constraints that are associated with written examinations.
The IA task involves the completion of an individual investigation of an ESS question that has been designed and implemented by the student. The investigation is submitted as a written report.

3. Assessment Objectives
Demonstrate knowledge and understanding of relevant:
Facts and concepts
Methodologies and techniques
Values and attitudes
Apply knowledge and understanding in the analysis of:
Explanations, concepts, and theories
Data and models
Case studies in unfamiliar contexts
Arguments and value systems

4. Assessment Objectives
Evaluate, justify, and synthesise, as appropriate:
Explanations, theories, and models
Arguments and proposed solutions
Methods of fieldwork and investigation
Cultural viewpoints and value systems
Engage with investigations of environmental and societal issues at the local and global level through:
Evaluating the political, economic, and social context of issues
Selecting and applying the appropriate research and practical skills necessary to carry out investigations
Suggesting collaborative and innovative solutions that demonstrate awareness and respect for the cultural differences and value systems of others

5. Time Allocation 10 HOURS How do I spend this time?
Time for Mrs. McCrindle to explain the IA to you
Time to work on components and ask questions
Time to consult with Mrs. McCrindle
Time to review and monitor progress

6. guidelines
Focus on a particular ESS issues and apply the results to a broader environmental and/or social context.
1,500 to 2,250 words
The report consists of
Identifying an ESS issue and focusing on one specific aspect
Developing methodologies to generate data that are analyzed to produce knowledge and understanding of this focused aspect.
Apply the outcome of the focused investigation to provide understanding or solutions in the broader ESS context

7. Methodologies Include:
Values and attitudes survey or questionnaires
Laboratory work
Models of sustainability
Interviews
Use of systems diagrams or other holistic modelling approaches
Issues-based inquiries to inform decision making
Elements of environmental impact assessments
Observational fieldwork (nature based)
Secondary demographics, development, and environmental data
Field manipulation experiments
Ecosystem modeling (can include bottle experiments)
Collection of both quantitative and qualitative data

8. Analytical Techniques
Estimations of NPP/GPP or NSP/GSP
Application of descriptive statistics
Application of inferential statistics
Other complex calculations
Cartographic analysis
Use of spreadsheets or databases
Detailed calculation of footprints (including ecological, carbon, water footprints)

9. Assessment Criteria Identifying the context (20%) Planning (20%)
Results, Analysis, and Conclusion (20%)
Discussion and Evaluation (10%)
Application (10%)
Communication (10%)

10. Identifying the context
Assesses the extent to which the student establishes and explores an environmental issues (local or global) for an investigation and develops this to state a relevant and focused research question.
Choose an environmental issue that you can:
Discuss and explain its global and/or local relevance
Use to develop a focused research question
Explain how the issue is linked to the research question

11. PLanning
Assesses the extent to which the student has developed appropriate methods to gather data that is relevant to the research question. Data can be primary, secondary, qualitative, or quantitative, and use techniques associated with both experimental or social science methods of inquiry.
Design an appropriate way to collect enough data to answer your research question
Explain your method so that someone else could repeat the collection in another environment
Explain why you used the methods you used
Show that you looked into ethical issues or risks

12. Results, Analysis, and Conclusion
Assesses the extent to which the student has collected, recorded, processed, and interpreted the data in ways that are relevant to the research question. The patterns are correctly interpreted to reach a valid conclusion.
Record your data in a way that is clear to everyone else
Present the data in a clear way so that it helps you and others interpret it (label everything)
Spot the trends and patterns and describe and explain them
Reach a conclusion bases on the data, it may not be what you expected.

13. Discussion and evaluation
Assesses the extent to which the student discusses the conclusion in the context of the environmental issue, and carries out an evaluation of the investigation.
Look at your conclusion and its link to the environmental issue
Evaluate what you have done - what was good/bad and worked/didn’t work
Suggest how you could further improve your investigation and maybe extend it with further research. You don’t have to carry it out, it just has to be realistic

14. Applications
Assesses the extent to which the student identifies and evaluates one way to apply the outcomes of the investigation in relation to the broader environmental issues identified at the start of the project.
Give one solution to the problem/issue you have studied
Explain how it would be effective and what problems it may encounter

15. Communication
Assesses whether the report has been presented in a way that supports effective communication in terms of structure, coherence and clarity.
Be logical and systematic
Use page numbers
Make sure it all fits well together

16. Research Question Examples
To what extent do distances from roads in different parts of Luzern affect the growth of lichens?
Does a country’s population impact on the amount of carbon emissions it produces?
To what extent does agriculture affect species composition and diversity?
What is the relationship between fish population density and pH or total dissolved solid (TDS) in two different human- made ponds that surround the chapel of my school?
3, 3, 2, 2

17. Does a change in colour of an urban building (a tin can) due to varying black carbon deposits (mixes of black and white paint) change the air temperature (the inside air of the tin can)?
To what extent does gender play a role in energy usage (as measured by showering habits) and thus contribute to global warming?
How does the amount of traffic in different parts of my neighbourhood affect the tropospheric ozone level?
To what extent has human disturbance impacted the biodiversity, as measured by Simpson’s Diversity Index, found in two areas of Tambopata National Reserve?
How does a student’s grade level affect his/her decision to recycle in school and at home?
What is the correlation between 38 countries’ domestic deforestation percentage and their GDP per capita?
6, 5, 6

18. Section 1 - Identifying the Context
to be completed by 12/20
State a clear and focused research question
Context/Background: What are the connections between your topic and research question? Why is your environmental issue relevant to this course?
Write a hypothesis using if...then...because format