Welcome to IB Biology
Year 1
What it is all about
To develop inquiring, knowledgeable,
caring young people…that’s you!
 To create a better more caring world
through intercultural understanding and
respect
 A challenging program of international
education and rigorous assessment.

Two levels

Higher level (HL)
◦ 240 credit hours of study

Standard level (SL)
◦ 150 credit hours of study
 The distinction between SL and HL is one of both
breadth and depth.
The Aims

The 10 IB aims are the driving force of
science instruction.

Focus on the 10 Aims – pick 1 aim and
suggest how we may cover that intention
in our course work.
So the main point is….
Syllabus outline
Components of the syllabus
 Look at instruction time and lab time for
both the SL and HL programs

◦ Theory
◦ Practical work (labs, group 4 project, internal
assessment)
The Syllabus Model
Standard level
Higher level
Theory
(110 hours)
Theory
(180 hours)
Practical work
(40 hours)
Practical work
(60 hours)
The core + 2 options
All students will take the core
 80 hours of combined material

Format of the syllabus
For theory, the syllabus is divided into
topics and subtopics
 Each subtopic contains a certain number
of assessment statements.
 Each month I will give you a list of the
specific assessment statements we will be
covering.

e.g. Assessment Statement 1.1.1

State that error bars are a graphical
representation of the variability of data.
Each assessment statement
describes what is expected from
you the student.
The assessment statement
will contain a command
term
Activity
Read each description of the learner
profile and as a small group create a visual
of how all of these elements combine to
make you the IB student
 We will share in a few minutes

Academic Honesty

Set of values to promote personal
integrity
An authentic piece of work is one that is
based on the candidate’s individual and
original ideas with the ideas and work of
others fully acknowledged.
 Language, expression, ideas must be
authentic

Assessment
External assessment – 76%
 Internal assessment – 24%


See detailed description (page 3 of course
syllabus).
Design Labs
 Practical
skills component of the course
 Essential part of the diploma
 60 hours of laboratory work
 Specific grading scheme and formal lab
report
 Original design
 Manipulative skills component of the
group 4 objectives
Group 4 Project
Experimental sciences personal skills
component of the group 4 objectives set
forth by the IB organization
 Collaborative activity where students
from different group 4 subjects work
together on a scientific or technological
topic, allowing for concepts and
perceptions from across the disciplines to
be shared in line with aim 10.
