IB Chemistry New Syllabus 2023
In August 2023 the IB Chemistry course will face some changes. Students taking the new chemistry course will be assessed in May 2025. But what changes will the chemistry undergo? Read below to find out!
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What are the major changes to the syllabus?
The biggest change to the new chemistry course is how the syllabus is presented. Instead of listing the 11 main topics the syllabus will now be presented in two main themes: structure and reactivity. It is emphasized that these two themes are highly dependent on each other as ‘structure determines reactivity, which in turn transforms structure’. This new structure allows the teacher to decide which order to teach the topics in and allows students to develop a more conceptual understanding as well as focus on the importance of patterns and trends. The table below illustrates the main topics in the two themes of the new chemistry syllabus.
Additionally, at the beginning of each topic several guiding questions will be given. These questions not only serve as a starting point for a topic but can also be used as a tool for assessment. Therefore, these guiding questions should be used during revision and revisited at the end of each subtopic. Furthermore, linking questions will also be given. These questions aim to illustrate a link to a different but related sub-topic and thus help to create a networked understanding.
Lastly, the option topics (materials, biochemistry, energy and medicinal chemistry) will be removed from the syllabus and thus paper 3 will also be removed from the examination. Some of the concepts may be incorporated into the main syllabus.
What are the major changes to the assessments?
Where currently the chemistry course is composed of three external courses the new structure of the chemistry will result in students taking only two external exams:
Paper 1: An exam which will determine 36% of the students final grade. Students are given 1.5 hours for SL and 2 hours for HL to complete this exam. Furthermore, the exam is also structured slightly differently. This paper will be split into two section paper 1A and 1B:
1A: will contain multiple choice questions
1B: will contain data analysis questions allowing the students to be assessed on some of the experimental skills and techniques covered in the two years
Paper 2: As in previous years this exam will consist of both short answer and extended response questions. This exam will account for 44% of the students final grade and students will be given 1.5 hours for SL and 2.5 hours for HL.
As in previous years students are also required to write an internal assessment. The new course allows students to collaborate and work together in small groups. Thus, students can share similar methodologies, however, it is still required that the independent or dependent variable differ so that the data collection is unique to each student. Furthermore, as previously students will need to submit an individually written lab report which now has the requirement of being maximum 3000 words. The criteria for grading the internal assessment have also seen some changes where the emphasis is placed on higher order thinking skills. Thus, 50% of the grade will be attributed to the conclusion and evaluation.
What has been kept the same?
As in the past there is still a large emphasis on both practical work as well as the nature of science. This allows students to think critically and develop awareness of the ethical, social, environmental and economical impact of science.
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