How to Get Top Marks on Your IB Biology IA

Remember that your grade in Biology is not only down to your final exam. 20% of your overall grade is determined by your Internal Assessment. As such, we want to make sure that you can get the top marks possible in this crucial part of your IB. This isn’t an easy assignment, so our top biology tutors have put together this blog in which we’re going to outline the top 5 tips to ensure that you have all the components of a successful IA! These components are based on the criteria that you’re graded upon.

Top 5 Tips for Your Biology IA

#1: Personal Engagement

The IA needs to be related to your life. An experiment that lacks any significance to your life, or where you fail to show a reason why the findings can influence your life, will naturally be downgraded. A way to do this is to ensure the research question is relevant to local issues.

Designing a unique experiment and research question. Sure, you can grab a topic from a list of Biology IA topics, but if you don’t then take that and alter it so that it is unique to you, you will definitely lose points to personal engagement!

#2: Exploration

A quality research question is essential to a high IB grade. A few tips are that your research question should:

Cut to the chase – don’t be too wordy
Be self-explanatory – you shouldn’t need another sentence to explain what your research question means
Establish a dependent variable
Establish an independent variable

In addition to your research question, your variables (independent, dependent, and controlled) must be clearly defined along with a brief description about how each will be measured.

Make sure to establish a hypothesis that is backed by scientific thinking and based upon the predicted relationship between your variables.

#3: Collecting Data

The magic number is 25 – this is the minimum number of samples that must be obtained for your experiment. Why 25? 5 trials for each of the 5 values you’ve chosen for your independent variable. For example, if you are considering what a change in X has on variable Y, you would choose 5 different values of X and record the value of Y at each X through 5 trials!

#4: Conclusion and Evaluation

In your conclusion, make sure to refer back to your original hypothesis. Was it correct? Why or why not? Were there any significant differences from what you expected? If so, what may have caused these differences?

The evaluation is your chance to discuss any limitations in your experiment and potential weaknesses in the methodology you’ve chosen. Can these results be trusted, or is the reliability questionable? We recommend including what you would change if you were to do the experiment again to get greater accuracy or precision of data.

#5: Format

Just because it’s a science IA doesn’t mean we can forget about the rules of essay-writing that we’ve learned in other classes. Referencing and citing your sources is just as important in biology as it is in any other subject.

Make sure to use in-text citation in MLA format, and a bibliography at the end of your IA. Just like all official IB submissions, your IA should be typed in a standard 12pt font.

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The Biology Internal Assessment (IA) accounts for a significant 20% of your overall IB Biology grade. Achieving a high score here is crucial for boosting your final mark and can make a substantial difference in reaching your target grade, including a coveted 7.

Personal Engagement is a key criterion, meaning your IA should genuinely reflect your interests and curiosity. It's about showing a personal connection to your research question, perhaps linking it to your daily life, local issues, or a unique angle you've developed. Simply picking a topic from a list isn't enough; you need to make it uniquely yours to score well in this section.

A strong research question is concise, self-explanatory, and clearly establishes both an independent and a dependent variable. It should be focused enough to be investigated within the scope of an IA, allowing for a clear hypothesis and measurable outcomes. Avoid overly broad or vague questions.

For robust data analysis, the guide suggests a minimum of 25 samples. This typically means selecting 5 different values for your independent variable and conducting 5 trials for each of those values. This approach ensures you have sufficient data to identify trends and draw reliable conclusions.

In your conclusion, you must refer back to your original hypothesis, discussing whether your results support or refute it and why. The evaluation section is critical for demonstrating critical thinking; here, you should discuss any limitations of your experiment, weaknesses in your methodology, and suggest improvements for future research to enhance accuracy or precision.

Yes, like all official IB submissions, your Biology IA should be typed in a standard 12pt font. Crucially, you must also include proper referencing and citations for all sources used. MLA format for in-text citations and a bibliography is recommended to ensure academic honesty and avoid plagiarism.

Absolutely. Our expert IB Biology tutors, many of whom scored 7s themselves and have examiner experience, specialise in helping students refine their IAs. They can guide you through topic selection, research question formulation, experimental design, data analysis, and crafting a compelling conclusion and evaluation, ensuring you meet all IB criteria for top marks.

The Lanterna IB consultation is a free, no-pressure 20-30 minute session with an IB Student Success Expert. For your Biology IA, it's a chance to discuss your ideas, current progress, or any challenges you're facing. You'll gain clarity on your next steps, get personalised advice, and walk away with a simple plan to tackle your IA effectively, all without any obligation to book tutoring.

Yes, the Lanterna IB consultation is genuinely 100% free, with absolutely no catch and no obligation to purchase tutoring. Our goal is to provide immediate value by helping IB students and parents get clarity, confidence, and a clear plan for their IB journey, whether it's for the Biology IA or any other aspect of the Diploma Programme.

Our Student Success Experts are highly experienced professionals with deep knowledge of the IB Diploma Programme. They've guided thousands of students and parents through the IB, understanding common challenges and best practices. They're skilled at listening to your specific situation and providing tailored, actionable advice to help you succeed.

After your 20-30 minute consultation, you'll have a clear, personalised plan outlining your priorities and next steps for your Biology IA or other IB challenges. You'll understand what to focus on and what to avoid. If you decide you'd like ongoing support, your Student Success Expert can discuss how Lanterna's tutoring might fit in, but there's never any pressure to proceed.

Yes, absolutely! Lanterna has a global network of over 600 expert IB tutors covering virtually all IB subjects at both Standard Level (SL) and Higher Level (HL). Whether you need support with Maths AA, Chemistry, English Lit, or your Extended Essay, we have experienced tutors ready to help you achieve your academic goals.