Dude, science IAs are not what the IB says they are. They can be confusing and tiring, and require way more time than the IB's prescribed "10 hours". No. I scrapped two chemistry IAs, a physics one, and had to rework some last-minute ethical concerns into my biology one. It is not a cakewalk. That stuff is 20% of your grade, but it's as stressful as 50%.
If you have actual lab experience, man, I'm happy for you, but for those of us who just kind of vaguely know how to use a pipette, a science IA is HARD. If you don't know how to work in a lab, the challenge of designing and conducting a laboratory experiment and then writing a report is terrifying.
Now, I take three science subjects. It's unusual in IB, but I did it. And so I had to do, naturally, three science IAs.
Yaaaay.
I got pretty lucky, actually. I'm not a particularly patient person, so I knew I wasn't going to be picking an IA topic I didn't care or wasn't even mildly curious about. I also knew that I was restricted by three things: my own experience/knowledge, my school's labs, and ethical considerations by IB guidelines.
Look, you're going to have to do an IA. It's an IB thing. And if you're going to be doing a science one, or two, or three, here are some things my friends and I figured out, and you need to know.
1. There are three major stages of doing an IA.
These stages can sometimes blur together, or one can make a faint appearance in the middle of another one, but this is broadly the way it goes.
My science teachers made each of us write an actual proposal before we started lab work. We had to show a bit of background and a solid method to be approved. Then we could begin experimenting. We majorly griped about it but it's honestly really helpful, because you figure out how viable your idea is so you don't blunder through your labwork too aimlessly, and you know what your physical restrictions are (in terms of lab equipment available).
My point in elaborating this is: finding and researching a topic has to go together, or your idea won't get into the lab and onto the page. Once you know what you're doing, you can go about doing it. Then writing about it.
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| The Doctor doesn't know what he's doing. Don't be like that. |
2. When choosing a topic, take into account restrictions.
Like I mentioned earlier, I was restricted in my IA choices by my experience and knowledge, the labs in my school, and IB ethical concerns. Working those considerations into my search for topics IMMEDIATELY narrowed my options, but in doing so, let me discard ones - however interesting - that I knew would not work out. With chemistry, for instance, I knew I couldn't use chloroform as a solvent. With biology, I knew I'm bad with plants, and that I didn't want to source expensive enzymes. With physics, which is my only science SL, I knew I didn't have the experience or material to build a complex circuit. Naturally, topics involving the things I couldn't do were ruled out before I could invest unnecessary time in them.
3. Starting early allows you time if you make mistakes or need to redo something.
Self explanatory, really. And yet we all love to procrastinate. Pro tip: don't. I started my second chem IA (the first died in draft stage) at the beginning of IB2. Which gave me time to do my third - and thankfully final - one when the second one failed.
4. Ask your teachers for help.
If you don't know something, ASK YOUR TEACHERS. "Ma'am, I found this method, but we don't have the material. I was thinking I could modify it like this...would that work?" Most of the time, they. Will. Help. You have to prove you're actually working on it and you just need confirmation or a little guidance. In my class, the kids who showed their progress, asked questions, and had an answer to "How is your IA going?" were the ones who got help. They were proving their sincerity and determination. The kids who evaded? Got way less help. Stay on your teacher's good side, get some help to boost your IA, and go do your labwork.
5. Don't be too meh or too creative.
So IAs are supposed to be unique, or something. News flash: you guys are like 15-18, you don't need to create an invention. My teacher, introducing IAs to us, said something along the lines of "It doesn't have to be completely new. You can take an existing experiment, and give your own unique addition or twist."
"Like what?" I asked.
"You can investigate a different variable...add something new."
"Like glitter?" I suggested.
Apparently not glitter. I'd suggest using something in the textbook that isn't explained in much detail as a starting point. That makes it a little more unique, but also not too much of a wildcard.
6. Graphs are good, but they need to make sense.
If you can show your data as a graph, great! (Without being redundant, that is. Don't unnecessarily repeat stuff. Talk to your teachers to figure out what qualifies as unnecessary.) But make sure the graph makes sense. I'm talking trendlines, axes labels with units, keys, error bars. Explain your graph in the text if you want. It needs to make sense, or else you're just filling up space.
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| The accuracy of this chart is undeniable, but its relevance? Kind of contentious. Don't do it. |
7. Explanations are important.
So, on the subject of things making sense, I was asked in my IAs to clarify things that I thought were obvious. To stay on the safe side, write out your procedure so that it is crystal clear. Don't say "20 ml of the solution is measured" say "20 ml of <whatever solution> is measured using a measuring cylinder". When in doubt, give an explanation. It doesn't have to be long, but it's good to give a little context to your data, or mention your apparatus, or explicitly state the implications of your results. If the examiner's expectations change or something, your teachers can always tell you to remove your clarification.
With that being said, IAs are really about research, work, and luck. Know what you're getting into, in terms of what the IB wants and how you plan to execute your work. Keep your teachers in the loop. You don't have to give them hour-by-hour updates, but regularly checking in with them can help you: a) catch mistakes - whether procedural, calculation, or formatting - before they get too bad
b) stay on your teacher's good side, which makes them happier to help you, and
c) improve your IA as best as you can so you get a decent grade.
I hope this helps you with your IAs, and good luck!
