ESS IA 1

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                                                                                               ESS IA 2

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                                                                                           ESS IA 3

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Grading the Individual Investigation Report

Within these sub-pages, we have compiled some real example IAs. The examiner comments are our comments based on our experience and are not definitive IB comments.

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My advice when marking your students is to try and step back from the student. You know what they did but the moderator will not. Can they follow the arguments and plans? Does the data analysis make sense? Is the data analysis correct? Have you checked it?

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It is really important that you annotate your decision making and marking. I include the highlighted rubrics with a summary comment. If you feel that you need to support something that the student did but wasn't included in the report, for example, about safety, include that so that you don't receive warnings about health and safety or the IB's animal experimentation policy from the IB. If you are providing the benefit of the doubt in a criteria, make sure you note this but don't give them the benefit somewhere else. If you note this then the moderator may follow your lead.

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As a moderator, the clearer your annotations and thinking about the marking, the easier it is for the moderator to agree with you - they are not trying to catch you out as long as you are upholding the ethos of the investigation process. These investigations can be so diverse that you should help the moderator to follow your thinking.

 

Student Exemplar IA - Experimental - Wild Fires

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The context that inspired this investigation was how wildfires contribute to climate change. The student was aware of a massive fire outside Moscow which caused air pollution problems in the city. He...

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Student Exemplar IA 2 - Experimental - Salinity

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This student was interested in the impacts of overuse of irrigation. She had learned that irrigation can lead to increases in soil salinity and thus decreases in agricultural productivity. This led to...

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Student Exemplar IA - Surveys - Plastic Use

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This student used a survey technique to investigate knowledge and practice around plastic recycling. She wanted to know if a family's cultural background had an effect on their practices.An interesting...

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Student Exemplar IA - Surveys - Meat Eating

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Analysis of personal attitudes towards a possible solution (one meat free day at schools) to reduce global meat consumption, and thereby reduce its harmful environmental impacts.RESEARCH QUESTION

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Student Exemplar IA - Secondary Data - Energy

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This student was interested in looking at how the wealth of a country relates to their energy consumption. She did this using Gapminder as a source of secondary data. This is a mid-level IA with the student...

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Student Exemplar IA 4 - Fieldwork - Biodiversity

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As an avid skier, this student was interested in his impact on the biodiversity of the pistes he regularly skis. He had completed all the necessary training in topic 2.5 and was able to complete the actual...

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