Mrs Smart (Head of Science)

The IB Chemistry IA is an opportunity for students to further investigate a topic that interests them about Chemistry. There is an element of personal engagement and students are able to formulate their own research question. The analysis can be from first-hand experimental data or a meta-analysis of data already published, although most students choose to carry out their own practical work. They then produce a final report which is worth 20% of their final grade. The experience is invaluable for further study and future careers as it builds the skills of project management and submission of reports to deadlines.

Grace Gaffey (Lower Sixth) said: “For my IA, I did an experiment to see how calcium concentration varies between different types of milk (some of the types of milk I used were cow’s milk, oat milk and soya milk). The day was a great learning experience of what working in a lab could be like, and it taught me a lot about resilience and being open to adapting methods when things don’t go quite as planned!”

Bavani Dhinakharan (Lower Sixth) said: “My experiment provided many opportunities for perseverance. While my initial method did not go as planned, I have learnt to adapt to unknown situations and overcome challenges. The Chemistry IA has allowed me to become more confident in carrying out experiments and working with the equipment in the lab.”

Meranie Kairu (Lower Sixth) said: “My IA involved assessing the iron content in fortified cereals compared to natural food sources. Working on this was a brilliant way for me to feel more confident in doing practical work independently. It also made me realise that it is more than okay and oftentimes necessary to ask questions - especially when a mistake in your experiment could mean having to start all over again.”