25 Unique Chemistry IA Ideas: Internal Assessment Topics
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What is the Internal Assessment in Chemistry?
The Internal Assessment (IA) is a written piece of work that students need to complete for all their IB classes. In chemistry, the IA consists of an individual research project which allows the student to independently design and carry out an experiment whilst making both quantitative and qualitative observations (with the guidance of their teacher or tutor).
In relation to this the student needs to write a lab report in which they not only describe their experiment but also analyze and discuss the results obtained. This allows the students to explore and gain a more in depth understanding of one of the topics covered in the IB syllabus as well as further develop their laboratory, research, and scientific writing skills.
The internal assessment is marked by the student’s own teacher and moderated by an external marker. It is an important component of the student’s final grade as it contributes to 20% of the student’s final grade. Choosing an IA topic, however, is not always easy but we are here to help! Keep reading to get inspired with some unique chemistry IA ideas.
What Makes a Good Chemistry IA
A good IA demonstrates the students’ interest and in depth understanding of the key concepts in the subject at hand as well as the students ability to conduct and analyze scientific experiments.
The IA doesn’t have to be very complex however it is key to have several elements. Firstly, it is crucial to have a clear and focused research question as well as in depth background information.
Additionally, the IA should include clear personal engagement, appropriate methodology and thorough data analysis.
Lastly, the IA should have a conclusion and evaluation in which the results are interpreted, and the limitations of the experiment are highlighted. This should lead to insightful future outlooks. The components described are crucial in order for the student to receive a good grade.
25 Unique Chemistry IA Ideas
To what extent does the pH affect the rate of reaction between an acid and a base?
Investigating the effectiveness of different brands of antacids on neutralizing stomach acid.
Exploring the different factors that affect the rate of rust formation on iron nails.
To what extent does the concentration of vitamin C affect its reaction with iodine?
What type of salt should be used to make an effective and economical cold pack?
Investigating how the rate of a reaction (the kinetics) is affected by a certain factor (e.g. temperature, concentration, etc.)
Determining the concentration of an unknown solution by performing a titration
Investigating the activity of an enzyme at different pH values in order to determine the optimal pH level for the enzyme’s activity.
Exploring the effect of pressure on the rate of a chemical reaction
To what extent does temperature influence the conductivity of ionic liquids?
To what extent does microwave radiation affect the yield and rate of reaction of an organic reaction?
Investigate how the chemical properties of natural dyes effect the dyeing/ability to bond of cotton fabric.
Exploring the effectiveness of different cleaning agents (detergents, bleaches and enzymes) on the removal of stains using a colorimeter to measure the intensity of the stain before and after cleaning.
To what extent does the type of sweetener (natural vs. artificial) affect the growth of yeast?
To what extent does the type of cooking oil affect the rate of lipid oxidation when exposed to heat and oxygen?
Investigating how the growth of a plant is influenced by different types of fertilizer (e.g. nitrogen vs phosphorus based fertilizers).
Explore chemical equilibria by determining the Kc of a reaction.
Investigating the percentage of iron in iron tablets.
How different types of salts influence the solubility of proteins.
Determining how different types of catalysts affects the rate of reaction.
To what extent does temperature affect the solubility of different salts in water?
To what extent do different concentrations of a food preservative prevent food spoilage over a certain period of time?
Investigate the vitamin C content of different fruit by performing a titration reaction using iodine.
Determining the concentration of caffeine in different coffee brands.
Determining the efficiency of different types of batteries (e.g. alkaline vs. lithium-ion or nickel metal hydride) by measuring the voltage output under various loads over a certain period of time.
Still Struggling?
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