The 20% You Directly Control

Construct the Ultimate IB Chem IA

Score top marks on your Scientific Investigation. Use our interactive digital blueprint tool to align perfectly with the rigorous 2025 syllabus grading criteria.

Launch Blueprint Protocol Read The Rules

Internal Assessment Draft

24 / 24 Marks

RQ VALIDATED VARIABLES SECURE

Cracking the 24-Mark Formula

The 3,000 word limit is strictly enforced across four distinct grading domains. Here is exactly what graders are searching for in your report.

Research Design 6 Marks

The foundation of your investigation. The grader needs to clearly see what you are manipulating and what you are responding to measured with precision.

Do: State a highly specific Research Question and utilize exactly 5 manipulated variable values with 3 trials each.

Don't: Just list your safety equipment. Create a full Ethical, Safety, and Environmental Risk Matrix.

Data Analysis 6 Marks

Your raw data means nothing without rigorous mathematical processing. You must prove the reliability of your findings mathematically.

Do: Provide scatter plots with calculated lines of best fit, propagating errors to include full error bars on all figures.

Don't: Play connect-the-dots. Never draw a line graphic without quoting the R² value to support its validity.

Conclusion 6 Marks

This is where synthesis happens. You aren't just reciting data; you are interpreting exactly what that data proves or disproves.

Do: Always compare your experimental findings directly against scientific literature (e.g., standard enthalpy values).

Don't: Simply summarize the essay. You must conclude by directly answering the original Research Question.

Evaluation 6 Marks

No experiment is perfect. Graders want to see extreme awareness of the structural limitations of your laboratory setup.

Do: Specify exact systematic errors (like heat loss in calorimetry) versus random errors (like scale precision).

Don't: Use the cursed phrase "human error." Ever. They will immediately dock marks for lack of specificity.

Core Investigation

The Research Question (RQ) Must contain an actionable independent variable, a measurable dependent variable, and precise specific limits (e.g., [20-60°C]).

Variable Isolation

Independent Variable State the factor you are deliberately changing. You must select 5 distinct values (e.g. 1M, 2M, 3M, 4M, 5M). Include units!

Dependent Variable State exactly how you measure out the response. Will you use a gas syringe? A balance? Include absolute uncertainty (e.g. ±0.01g).

Control Matrix

List specific variables that must remain constant so they do not artificially skew your results. Explain why and exactly how it will be monitored.

Variable to Constrain

Why it must be locked

Procedural Method

Safety & Environmental Protocols

Full Risk Assessment Address ethical concerns and specific chemical hazards. e.g. "Nitric Acid is highly corrosive. Safety goggles must be worn. Salts disposed of in heavy-metal bins, not the sink."

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High-Scoring Inspiration

Hitting a creative block? Explore these proven, highly-analytical investigation starting points.

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Reaction Kinetics

Determine the precise activation energy (Ea) of the reaction between sodium thiosulfate and hydrochloric acid by calculating initial rates across a minimum of 5 rigorous temperature intervals via the Arrhenius equation.

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Organic Red-Ox Decay

Investigate the exact kinetic rate at which ascorbic acid (Vitamin C) concentration degrades in varying commercially available fruit juices as a function of specific, controlled UV light exposure times using iodine titrations.

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Electroplating Efficiency

Quantify the divergence from Faraday's laws of electrolysis by investigating the effect of incrementally increasing circuit amperage on the actual mass of copper deposited at the cathode versus theoretical yields.