Internal Assessments (IA) for the International Baccalaureate (IB)

Name: Eclat Institute Clementi Campus
Address: 442 Clementi Ave 3, #01-105, Singapore, 120442, SG

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12 Jul 2025, 00:00 Z

Q: What does Internal Assessments (IA) for the International Baccalaureate (IB) cover?
A: A clear, parent- and student-friendly roadmap to the 2025 IB Internal Assessment: mark-scheme anatomy, STEM-savvy topic hacks.

TL;DR
Every IB Diploma subject sets an Internal Assessment worth 20 % of the final grade in Physics, Chemistry, Biology and both Mathematics courses. It is marked on five universal criteria-Personal Engagement, Exploration, Analysis, Evaluation, Communication-totalling 24 marks. Schools must devote ≈ 10 timetabled hours to the work, and successful reports stay within 6-12 pages $≈ 2 500 - 3 000 words$ . Early scoping, spreadsheet fluency and sound uncertainty budgets are the biggest levers. This post shows IP students when to start, how to pick Physics- and Maths-friendly investigations, and where specialist tuition plugs the LINEST + $\sigma$ gaps.

1 | What the IA Is -and Why Integrated Programme (IP) students Should Care

Mini-thesis inside the diploma. One individually written investigation per subject, marked by the teacher, then moderated by the IB; 20 % of the course grade for Group 4 Sciences and Group 5 Mathematics.

Criterion	Marks	% of 24	What examiners look for	STEM example
Personal Engagement (PE)	2	8	Initiative, curiosity, justification of choices	“Why do identical ball bearings damp differently in corn- vs olive-oil?”
Exploration (E)	6	25	Focused RQ, relevant theory, controlled variables, safety & ethics	Pendulum period vs effective length; laser-safety note
Analysis (A)	6	25	Correct processing, uncertainties, appropriate models, `R²`	Spreadsheet `=LINEST()` → \(g = 9.83 \pm 0.06 \space \pu{m.s-2}\)
Evaluation (EV)	6	25	Valid conclusions, limitations, improvements, extensions	Compare phone timer \(\pu{\pm 0.10 s}\) to photogate \(\pu{\pm 0.001 s}\)
Communication (C)	4	17	Logical structure, ≤ 12 pages, APA/MLA citations, labelled figs	Numbered equations, captioned graphs, word-count table

IB Month (DP Y5-6)	Typical MOE / IP Calendar	Key IA Milestone	Tuition Boost
Aug (Y5 T1)	Sec 4 post-promo lull	Brainstorm 3 short-listed RQs; feasibility & risk audit	15 min topic-fit call
Sep-Oct	Sec 4 prelim season	Pilot trials, check variable range & data spread	3 h lab clinic for sensor or spreadsheet setup
Nov (start of 7-wk break)	IP holiday window	Full data collection + on-the-spot uncertainty notes	LINEST + σ crash course
Dec	same holiday	Draft #1 \( ≈ 2 800 w \) → peer & tutor feedback	24 h WhatsApp screencast replies
Jan (Y6 T2)	JC 1 block tests	Revise Analysis & Evaluation; trim to 6-12 pages	Mock moderation with 24-mark rubric
Feb	JC 1 CCA peak	Final proof-read, academic-integrity check, IBIS upload	30 min viva-style Q&A practice

Core theme	Data-rich twist	Why moderators smile
Damped SHM	Test three edible oils at 15 °C, 25 °C, 35 °C	Natural log plots → straight-line analysis
Diffraction	3D-printed slits \(\pu{0.05-0.3 mm}\) + phone lux meter	Error sources obvious; safety discussion easy
EMF & internal R	Raspberry-Pi logger at 5 Hz	Yields ≥ 50 points → LINEST precision

Theme	STEM crossover
Logistic model of CCA recruitment	Mirrors enzyme kinetics in Biology IA
Fourier decomposition of ukulele notes	Links to standing-wave Physics IA
Monte-Carlo estimate of irregular pond area	Easy primary-data collection; CAS coding bonus

Blueprint	Research question (RQ)	Primary data capture	Core apparatus & software	Academic integrity reminders
Thermal damping sweep	How does damping constant of a spring-mass system vary with temperature between 15 °C and 35 °C?	60 Hz accelerometer logs from Vernier Go Direct / Arduino IMU; replicate at 5 temperature points	Vernier Go Direct Accelerometer + water bath, insulated clamp stand, Google Sheets template with `LINEST` for log plots	Log calibration runs; photograph apparatus arrangement; cite AI brainstorming prompts used to shortlist control variables.
Photovoltaic I–V curves	How does band-pass filtering affect the maximum power point of a mini solar panel?	LoggerPro voltage-current pairs every 0.5 s under 4 filter colours and neutral density sheet	Pasco PASPort voltage sensor, 3D-printed filter holder, Python script to compute fill factor and uncertainty	Document light meter calibration and ambient lux readings; attach prompt logs if AI suggested data visualisation styles.
Fluid viscosity & Stokes drag	How does terminal velocity of glycerin drops depend on temperature from 25 °C to 55 °C?	High-speed video (240 fps) + Tracker software to capture displacement; 3 repeats per temperature	Glycerin column, chrome steel spheres, temperature probe, Tracker video analysis export to CSV	Keep raw .trk files; cite any published viscosity values used for validation; note AI-assisted code snippets in appendix.
Magnetic braking coils	How does coil turn count influence emf pulse width when a magnet falls through a solenoid?	Arduino + ADS1115 sampling at 200 Hz; integrate emf vs time to estimate energy loss	3D-printed drop guide, neodymium magnet, solenoids (50/100/150 turns), Python notebook for data smoothing	Store firmware version control; flag any AI-generated Python refactoring in commit log; include safety note on magnet pinch risk.
Resistive heating efficiency	How does wire gauge change the efficiency of a DIY immersion heater in bringing 250 ml of water to 60 °C?	Temperature probe readings every 5 s; parallel current logs for energy calculation	Lab power supply (0–12 V), K-type thermocouple, Vernier current probe, Google Sheets energy budget calculator	Record pre-lab risk assessment; cite datasheets for wire resistivity; append AI prompt transcript if used to build energy-loss model.

Internal Assessments (IA) for the International Baccalaureate (IB)

1 | What the IA Is -and Why Integrated Programme (IP) students Should Care

2 | Mark-Scheme Anatomy (Physics / Maths 2025)

3 | Timeline-Synced to IP & MOE Windows

4 | Maths & Physics Topic-Hacks

4.1 Physics SL/HL

4.2 Mathematics AA / AI

4.3 Data-rich investigation blueprints (2026/27 cohort)

5 | Common Pitfalls-and Rapid Fixes

6 | Academic integrity & AI guardrails (2026 refresh)

7 | How Specialist Tuition Bridges the Gap

8 | Further Reading on our Blog

9 | External Reference List

Related Posts

Pitfall	Marks at risk	Fix
Exceeds 12 pages with long literature review	C criterion (-1 or -2)	Move background to succinct bulleted appendix.
Single trial per IV level	A & EV capped	Aim for ≥15 raw data points (5 IV levels × 3 repeats).
Prints Excel with default gridlines	C -1	Export graphs as PNG, remove gridlines, label axes + units.
Confuses % error and % uncertainty	EV -2	Compare `%error` against `%uncertainty`; if `%error ≤ %unc`, the result is plausible.