4Experimental sciences

4.1Publications

The information given in this section of the handbook must be read in conjunction with the appropriate guide.

May and November 2009 examination sessions
Title of publication	Date of issue
Environmental systems guide Biology guide Design technology guide Physics guide Chemistry guide	February 2001 March 2007 March 2007 March 2007 March 2007
Experimental sciences internal assessment teacher support material (available on the online curriculum centre and sent to schools as a CD-Rom)	November 2007

4.2Summary of latest arrival dates: May and November 2009 sessions

Action	To	Latest arrival date	Method/form
Submit predicted grades and marks for internal assessment	IB Cardiff	10 April 2009/ 10 October 2009	IBIS
Submit sample internal assessment work	Moderator	20 April 2009/ 20 October 2009	Form 4/PSOW Form 4/IA
Submit sample internal assessment work for environmental systems	Moderator	20 April 2009/ 20 October 2009	Form 4/PSOWES Form 4/IAES

4.3Internal assessment requirements

As this is the final year of assessment for the environmental systems course the requirements for internal assessment are identical to the year 2008 and are not the same as the new course requirements for the other group 4 subjects.

Environmental systems candidates will take part in the new group 4 project but any assessment of the project should be carried out using the criteria found in the Environmental systems guide.

There is a common model of internal assessment for all group 4 subjects that consists of an interdisciplinary group project and a mixture of short-term and/or long-term investigations (such as laboratory work or practicals, and projects). Design technology has the additional requirement of a design project. Internal assessment contributes 24% of the total mark in all group 4 subjects except design technology, where it is 36%. Refer to section 4.6.

At least 25% of the teaching programme must be devoted to practical activities, excluding the time spent writing up work. This equates to 60 hours for higher level and 40 hours for standard level, including the 10 hours that candidates spend on the group 4 project. Ideally, this time should be spread throughout most of the course and not condensed into just a few weeks at the beginning, middle or end of the course. Only 2–3 hours of investigative work can be carried out after the deadline for submission of work to the moderator and still be counted as part of the total hours for the practical programme.

The activities should ideally include a spread of content material from the course as a whole, including the core, options and, where relevant, additional higher level (AHL) material. The range of investigations carried out should reflect the breadth and depth of the subject syllabus at each level, but it is not necessary to carry out an investigation for every syllabus topic.

Teachers are free to choose investigations based on the needs of their students, available resources, teaching style, subject and topics being taught. A minimum number of investigations to carry out is not specified.

4.4Documentation relating to internal assessment

4.4.1Practical scheme of work

The practical scheme of work (PSOW) is the practical course planned by the teacher and it acts as a summary of all the investigative activities carried out by a student. Details are recorded on Form 4/PSOW. Each candidate must have a Form 4/PSOW.

It is acceptable for higher level and standard level candidates in the same subject to carry out a number of common investigations. Where more than one group of students is taught in a subject and level, common investigations are acceptable.

Completion of Form 4/PSOW

Date(s):	When each investigation was carried out
Outline:	A brief description of the investigation
ICT:	The numbers 1–5
Topic/option:	The number/letter of the topic/option most relevant (for example, 7 or C)
Time:	An estimate of the time, in hours, spent by the candidate on the investigation, excluding any write-up time
Levels:	The numerical value (0–6) awarded for each criterion
Total:	The sum of the two highest levels achieved in each of the criteria D, DCP and CE and the level for MS and PS

The group 4 project must also be listed on Form 4/PSOW.

Each of the three following criteria must have been assessed on at least two occasions.

Personal skills (PS) will be assessed once only during the group 4 project.

Manipulative skills (MS) will be assessed summatively over the whole course.

The two highest levels achieved for each of D, DCP and CE must be circled or highlighted on Form 4/PSOW for each candidate in the sample set (see 4.5.2). A copy of Form 4/PSOW can be accessed in this handbook by going to the Forms tab on the navigation menu. A sample form is also included, but the investigations listed are not to be taken as exemplars for these criteria.

Completion of the Form 4/IA internal assessment coversheet: group 4 (for design technology use Form 4/IADT)

Please complete Form 4/IA (or Form 4/IADT for design technology) and enclose it as the first page with your sample of internal assessment work.

4.4.2Assessment

Teachers must assess the work to be re-marked by the moderator using the criteria in the section on internal assessment in part 1 of all group 4 subject guides.

4.4.3The group 4 project

The group 4 project must be listed on Form 4/PSOW. The group 4 project mark (0–6) for personal skills (PS) must be entered on Form 4/PSOW.

The same mark must be given for students doing two group 4 subjects.

No evidence of participation in the group 4 project is required.

Assessment

The group 4 project forms one part of a candidate’s overall practical experience and is assessed for personal skills (PS) only. Assessment is carried out using the PS criterion found in the section on the group 4 project in each group 4 subject guide.

Candidates taking two (or three) sciences

Candidates doing two group 4 subjects are not required to do two action phases. They do the same work as every other candidate undertaking the group 4 project. They should be awarded the same PS mark for all group 4 subjects.

4.5Samples for moderation

Teachers must read section H6 and section H7 for general information on internal assessment. The samples chosen must be those identified by IBIS.

4.5.1The purpose of moderation

For each group 4 subject, teachers are required to submit a sample set of candidates’ work for the purpose of moderation. The moderator will re-mark this work to ensure an equivalent standard between schools. All schools will receive feedback on the suitability of the investigations for assessment against the criteria, and on the practical scheme(s) of work. The feedback form cannot be used to comment on how well the school’s marking agreed with the external IB standard, because the moderator completing the form is also subject to moderation.

The Form 4/IA (internal assessment coversheet: group 4) should be at the head of the sample work sent to the moderator from the school.

For each candidate in the sample set, the following materials must be sent to the moderator:

No written evidence is required for personal skills and manipulative skills.

Atypical candidates

Schools with small subject entries may have to include the work of atypical candidates in their sample. Teachers should annotate the work of such candidates to indicate that it is atypical and state the nature of the difficulty or problem.

4.5.2Indicating pieces of work to be re-marked

For each of the criteria D, DCP and CE, the two highest levels must be circled or highlighted on Form 4/PSOW for each candidate in the sample set. The corresponding write-ups, together with teacher instruction sheets and/or summaries of verbal instructions, must be clearly identified. The moderator will re-mark this work to check the levels (0–6) awarded by the teacher.

4.5.3The final mark for internal assessment

The final mark out of 48 must be recorded on the internal assessment option on IBIS.

4.6Internal assessment checklist for all subjects (except design technology)

4.6.1Before the completion of internal assessment activities

Ensure that:

4.6.2Before the submission of the sample work

Ensure that:

4.7Design technology

4.7.1Requirements

In design technology, 36% of the total mark is allocated to internal assessment. At least 36% of the teaching programme must be devoted to practical activities. This equates to 81 hours for higher level and 55 hours for standard level, which includes the 10 hours that candidates spend on the group 4 project.

All candidates must carry out a design project as part of the internal assessment. This will form part of their portfolio and be accompanied by several investigations. These may be mini-projects or laboratory practicals of 1–2 hours, or a combination. The design project must occupy at least 41 hours of class time for higher level and 28 hours for standard level.

4.7.2Final assessment

The following four criteria are each assessed twice, once during investigations and once in the design project:

Manipulative skills (MS) will be assessed once only and this is during the design project.

Personal skills (PS) will be assessed once only and this is during the group 4 project.

The project summary report must appear in the portfolio. The highest level attained in each criterion in investigations and the level attained in each criterion for the design project should be entered on IBIS.

4.7.3Samples for moderation

As for other experimental science subjects, the sample work should be submitted to the moderator allocated by IB Cardiff.

The Form 4/IADT (internal assessment coversheet: design technology) should be at the head of the sample work sent to the moderator from the school.

For each candidate in the sample set, the following materials must be sent to the moderator:

4.8Summary of the coordinator’s requirements

The following is a summary of what the coordinator will need from the teacher(s) of experimental science.

	Material required by internal school deadline
Higher level and standard level combined	For each experimental science, for submission to IB Cardiff The predicted grades and final mark for internal assessment for each candidate. For each experimental science, for submission to the moderator A Form 4/IA A Form 4/PSOW for each candidate in the sample. The write-ups and teacher instructions corresponding to the levels circled or highlighted on each Form 4/PSOW.

4.9IB data booklets

Master copies of the data booklets for physics and chemistry will be available to coordinators on IBIS. (They will not be sent as hard copies with the examination papers.) Candidates must be provided with a clean copy of the relevant booklet in the examinations. Physics candidates require the data booklet for papers 1, 2 and 3. Chemistry candidates require the data booklet for papers 2 and 3 only.