The IB Chemistry Internal Assessment (IA) is often dreaded by students, as being an incredibly difficult assessment task to succeed in. Additionally, now that the format for this task has been updated, the focal points for securing a high score (Grade 7) on your Chemistry IA are different.
There is no need to panic however, as our IB Chemistry Internal Assessment Guide will break down the key aspects of the new 2025 IA format, based on the updated assessment guidelines published by the IBO, which strongly assesses your ability to create, describe, explain and justify an effective experimental design.
The 2025 IB Chemistry IA Format:
The new 2025 IB Chemistry IA format has four key sections within it, each worth 6 marks (so each section is 25% of your total grade out of 24). Therefore, you will need to allocate equal attention to all of these sections, as they are strongly interrelated with one another!
Think about it…if you do not thoughtfully plan your research design, you will have difficulty with your data analysis and evaluation. Therefore, careful consideration to each of these criteria are important, whether you are doing an experiment or virtual/data-based IA.
Research Design (6 marks)
Data Analysis (6 marks)
Conclusion (6 marks)
Evaluation (6 marks)
Research Design (6 marks)
Starting off with the first section on your rubric; your research design!
Selecting an appropriate research question is essential for success in your IB Chemistry IA. We recommend choosing a topic with substantial existing academic literature, this will provide you with reliable sources and references that can strengthen your analysis and conclusion.
Tip: Do not be afraid to use academic devices such as Google Scholar to perform extensive research in your planning stage!
Tips for Success in this Section:
As the rubric states… clearly identify both the independent and dependent variables in your research question, and ensure your selected research question has specific parameters that you will be assessing
Here, some things you may want to think about include laboratory conditions, what equipment used etc.
This section also assesses your ability to make effective and well thought out methodological decisions, so explain your reasoning for choosing specific variables and be sure to include clear details on the range of values you will assess + justifications of this and also how you plan to collect your results!
After writing your methodology, be sure to also consider whether someone else could easily replicate your experiment based on the steps you've provided (you want to remove as much ambiguity as you can!)
Clearly outline your controlled variables, which might be most effectively presented in a table format (don’t be vague here, include why you controlled them)
Don’t forget to mention any ethical considerations you took into account during your investigation
Data Analysis (6 marks)
Tips for success in this Section:
Explain any calculations you are performing when processing your data and why you are manipulating the raw data in that particular way + it's always good to include a sample calculation to clearly outline your thought processes
Units: always include units in the headings of your data tables for clarity, for your independent and dependent variables
Graphing: when creating your different graphs and figures, ensure that the correct variables are assigned to the appropriate axes
Precision: keep in mind the precision of your measuring devices used in your experiment, be super consistent in how you present and record measurements throughout your IA (if you are unsure of your precision being used, check your lab equipment as it will usually be stated on there)
Consider adding error bars to represent any uncertainties in your measurements on your figures used, and be sure to describe the significance of any error bar overlap, and what this could mean in terms of your experimental validity and reliability!
Conclusion (6 marks)
Tips for Success in this Section:
Reference all relevant literature in your conclusion that aligns with your research question (remember our tip in the beginning of picking a topic where literature already exists)
Understand that it is completely okay if the literature contrasts your findings, either way, describe and explain your results!
Address any uncertainties in your data that arose during your investigation and explain how they might affect the conclusions you draw (so be careful about overestimating what your results reveal)
Proper citations: Make sure to cite all sources correctly using the appropriate referencing style. Tools like Purdue OWL or reference tools (e.g., Zotero, Endnote) can help you learn how to reference as you go along when writing!
Do not introduce any new data in this section, your focus should solely be on interpreting the data you’ve already presented earlier
Directly refer to figures, tables, and headings from earlier in your report to support your conclusions (e.g. figure 1 stated ___, table 2 stated ____ )
Evaluation (6 marks)
Tips for Success in this Section:
Here, identify any weaknesses or limitations you found in your methodology and also explain how these would have implicated your results or conclusions (it could help to first list these in a table before typing it out in your final version)
Be specific about weaknesses: discuss how addressing these weaknesses could improve the validity or reliability of your experiment and also justify why (see the pattern here, your line of thinking should always be super clear!)
Suggest realistic improvements to your investigation (here be mindful of your research question, and make sure your improvements relate to it)
And that’s it! With careful planning, writing, attention to detail, and a clear understanding of the assessment criteria, you can ace the new Chemistry IA and get your desired IB grades! But if you're still scratching your head, wondering if there are any examples you can follow to achieve a high mark, make sure to check out our Grade 7 Chemistry SL or Chemistry HL IA Examples.
Or even better, click below to work with one of our expert IB Chemistry tutors who can guide you personally through the complete process of achieving top marks in your own Chemistry IA!