Internal Assessment, IB Biology Higher Level I/II
© International Baccalaureate Organization. Revised August 2014 for ’16 Exams & Later.
Through studying IB Biology, students should become aware of how scientists work and communicate with each
other. While the “scientific method” takes on a wide variety of forms, it generally involves the formation, testing,
and modification of hypotheses through observation and measurement, under the controlled conditions of an
experiment. Experimental work is documented by writing laboratory reports. Student work is internally assessed
(IA) by the teacher and externally moderated by IB.
What is the format for IB Biology laboratory reports?
The first six sections of the IB Biology lab report constitute the pre-lab and are written before conducting the experiment. Without a
complete pre-lab, you pose a safety risk to yourself and others and will not be allowed to perform the lab.
1. Title
2. Research Question
3. Personal Interest Statement – what do you hope to learn and why are you interested in the topic?
4. Hypothesis/Prediction & Explanation with Background Information
5. Variables Chart (see format below)
Relevant
Variables
Why Variables Might Affect the
Outcome of the Experiment
How Method Allows for the Control of
(Holds Constant) the Relevant
Variables
X
Y
Z
6. Methodology
 Materials
 Procedural steps
 Safety/ethical/environmental considerations
After the lab, you complete one to three additional lab report sections as instructed:
7.
8.
9.
Results

Raw Data (Qualitative and Quantitative)

Processed Data

Interpretation of Processed Data

Impact of measurement uncertainty
Conclusion

Answer to research question

Comparison to accepted scientific context

Strengths and weaknesses of the investigation

Improvement and extension
References, a list of accurate citations of all reference resources utilized.
Note: Lab Reports must be 100% the student’s own work. UNDER NO CIRCUMSTANCES
CAN ANY PART OF ANY LAB BE SHARED WITH ANOTHER STUDENT. RAW DATA IS THE
ONLY EXCEPTION TO THE RULE!
What are the presentation requirements for lab reports?
Please word-process your report on single-sided 8.5-inch by 11-inch paper. Do not put the report in a folder or jacket, simply staple and
write your initials on the top right corner of every page. Graphs must be generated on a computer to be evaluated. Reports must look
professional!
How is your lab work assessed?
IA requirements are the same for all Group 4 subjects. There are five assessment criteria, most consisting of achievement levels 0-6 (6
being the highest): “Personal Engagement (0-2),” “Exploration (0-6),” Analysis (0-6),” “Evaluation (0-6),” and “Communication (0-4)”.
Please study the attached scoring guides describing the criteria. Each candidate must be assessed on each criterion over the two years in
IB Biology. The junior year will be dedicated to building scientific knowledge and experimentation. The final Internal Assessment will
be completed during the senior year. The marks achieved in each of the criteria are added together to give a final mark out of 24 for the
IA component. This will then be scaled at IBCA to give a total out of 20%. The remaining 80% of the mark the student’s college receives
is from the IB Bio exam.