How to get top marks in your Physics Internal Assessment – IA

You naturally want to get the best marks in your IB Physics IA. When 20% of your final IB Physics grade depends on the Internal Assessment, a lot is at stake. However, writing an engaging, 24-point-worthy Physics Internal Assessment can prove to be a challenge.

You are not alone in this struggle – thousands of students worldwide have to conduct a physics experiment as part of their IB Diploma Programme. But don’t worry, we are here to lend you a helping hand.

Our team has over 100 years of experience under our belt, with IA Examiners and Physics teachers available at short notice. Some of the best IB tutors around make TutorsPlus your first contact if you need assistance or feel overwhelmed.

Below, we gathered some handy tips to help you secure top marks in your Physics Internal Assessment.

What is the Physics Internal Assessment?

The Physics Internal Assessment is an assignment, which requires planning and carrying out an investigation or experiment as well as the creation of a detailed report. Its goal is to give students a more profound idea of physical phenomena, laws, and their real-world manifestations. At the same time, the IA enables them to use their theoretical knowledge in practice and getting used to writing scientific reports.

What kind of investigation (its topic) and how to convey it (a computer simulation, hands-on experience, data processing, etc.) is entirely at a student’s discretion.

For a long time, the External Assessment was individual work. However, the new IB Physics syllabus makes it possible to join forces with your peers for a collaborative effort. Having said that, each member of such small groups must independently obtain data, process it, and draw conclusions.

The Internal Assessment is required for both Higher Level Physics and Standard Level Physics. While Internal Assessment constitutes 20% of the final Physics grade, failing to submit it will put you at risk of not getting a grade for the entire subject.

IA Physics Grade Criteria

The new IB Chemistry syllabus (the first assessment in 2025) places a greater emphasis on higher-order thinking skills. As a result, the Conclusion and Evaluation criteria are now accountable for half of your marks.

To help you understand the grading criteria, here is a breakdown of all four of them.

Research Design

This criterion is responsible for 6 marks. You have a chance to get all of them if you:

Craft a research question that is precise, focused, and relevant to the course;

• Specify a concise theoretical framework explaining the scientific principles underlying your investigation;
• Choose an appropriate methodology and justify it;
• Explain your variable selection, including independent, dependent, and controlled variables;
• Address safety considerations, especially if your experiment involves potentially hazardous materials or procedures.

Data Analysis

This 6-marks-worthy criterion focuses on how well you present and interpret your findings. To maximise your marks, you should:

• Ensure accuracy and relevance in your data processing based on appropriate calculations;
• Use clear and accurate graphs, tables, or charts to visualise your data. They must be fully labelled;
• Analyse your quantitative and qualitative findings in the context of your research question and existing scientific knowledge;
• Consider potential sources of error and discuss their impact on your results.

Conclusion

The conclusion is where you answer your research question. To meet this criterion and obtain 6 marks, you should:

• Use your findings to justify your conclusion and directly answer the research question;
• Explain how your findings compare to existing scientific knowledge;
• Reference relevant scientific sources to demonstrate your understanding of the results;

Evaluation

This criterion evaluates your ability to reflect on your experiment and be critical of your methodology. It provides 6 marks, which can be yours if you:

• Discuss the effectiveness of your experimental design and data collection methods;
• Explain how your methodology has affected your results;
• Acknowledge any limitations (such as uncontrolled variables or insufficient data);
• Suggest specific ways to improve your experiment, such as refining the methodology or using more advanced techniques.

How to Get Top Marks in IB Physics IA?

Physics is a difficult subject and it is a tall order to achieve a 7. However, you can improve your chances of the top mark if you submit a high-quality IB Physics Internal Assessment report. The following tips can help you achieve this goal.

Choose the Right Topic

Writing an IA on a topic that interests you personally is much more fun than picking a topic you think will score highly and trying to struggle through it.

As our tutors say, “A genuine passion for your research shines through in your work, and examiners can easily recognise that.”

While personal interests can guide your IB Physics topic choice, it’s important to keep the balance between your passion and academic rigour. This means you should avoid overly simplistic or, vice versa, complex research areas. Instead, your goal should be a topic that challenges you intellectually while allowing you to demonstrate your understanding of key Physics concepts.

To stand out, we suggest choosing an original and innovative topic. Research areas that have been explored extensively in previous years are unlikely to bring you high marks. Having said that, if you are able to find a unique and interesting angle of a well-researched topic, you have a chance to get a positive response from the examiners.

When introducing your IB Physics IA topic, don’t forget to provide context and highlight its real-world significance. Citing relevant statistics or research findings can help strengthen your argument.

Physics IA Topic Examples

Still not sure which topic to explore? Let us give you some IB Physics IA ideas.

The following Physics IA examples are meant to spark your curiosity and inspire your own unique research. While you can use them as a starting point, the key is to personalise your topic. For example, you can include specific details or focus on a particular aspect of a broader theme.

Let’s say, you’re interested in exploring “the factors affecting the speed of sound in air”. But such a topic would be too broad. You can achieve better results with your IA if you narrow it down to something like:

• “The Effect of Temperature on the Speed of Sound in Air at Standard Atmospheric Pressure”
• “A Comparative Study of the Speed of Sound in Different Gaseous Media”

Without further ado, here are some interesting Physics IA topics you might want to explore:

Mechanics:

• Investigating the effect of air resistance on the terminal velocity of different shaped objects.
• Exploring the relationship between the angle of projection and the range of a projectile.
• Analysing the factors affecting the period of a simple pendulum.
• Investigating the energy efficiency of different types of light bulbs.
• Investigating drag force reduction in cycling aerodynamics using 3D-printed bike frame prototypes.

Electromagnetism:

• Exploring the factors affecting the strength of an electromagnet.
• Investigating the relationship between the current and voltage in a simple circuit.
• Analysing the behaviour of a simple electric motor.
• Investigating the factors affecting the sensitivity of a galvanometer.

Waves:

• Investigating the factors affecting the speed of sound in air.
• Exploring the properties of standing waves on a string.
• Analysing the diffraction pattern produced by a single slit.
• Investigating the interference pattern produced by two-point sources of light.

Think Through Your Investigation

Before you start your experiment, you need to make a list of all the tools, materials, and equipment you will need. Make sure to consider experiments that you can conduct in your classroom. Otherwise, you may have to rely on less-than-perfect items (for example, measuring instruments that are not properly calibrated). This may result in systematic errors and therefore, inaccurate and inconsistent measurements.

Next, you need to come up with a research question relevant to the topic. Don’t make it too broad. For instance, ‘How does the rate of vaporisation change based on the surface area?’ is a much better option than ‘Investigation into the rate of vaporisation of water’.

At the same stage, you should decide what your variables (both independent and dependent ones) are and how you are going to measure them.

Along with that, it is important to write your methodology. In particular, you need to think through all the steps of your investigation – make sure to add sufficient detail but not too overwhelming.

Make sure that you take into account factors that may affect the course of the experiment.

If you manage to plan a future experiment well, you should be able to get all 6 points on the Research Design criterion.

Don’t be afraid to seek advice if you get stuck at this or any other stage of the research. Experienced and passionate IB Physics tutors at TutorsPlus can help you find the way out. You can rely on our expert advice and strategic insights to move your Internal Assessment forward.

Conduct Your Experiment

Once you know what you want to experiment with and you have everything you need at hand, it’s time to get cracking!

Only with sufficient raw data, can you consider your experiment done properly. We recommend that you repeat your investigation at least three times (with smaller investigations you should consider five repetitions or more). With every repetition, use the same method, equipment, and setup.

Ideally, the results of all the repetitions must be more or less equal. If you notice considerable discrepancies, it is a must to analyse why they have occurred. Try your best to refine your experiment and eliminate factors leading to inconsistencies.

“Often IB Physics IA experiments do not go as smoothly as we expect. However, you should not consider them as failures. Instead, think of them as a valuable experience. Such hiccups can provide valuable insights into the limitations of your experimental setup and the potential sources of error. By analysing these challenges, you can learn from your mistakes and improve your future experiments.”

One more positive aspect of trial and error is that it should give you information to meet the Evaluation criteria as it deals with reflection on your effectiveness, limitations, and ways of improvement.

While conducting your experiment, it is important to keep all the data well-organised. To do so, you can use Excel, Logger Pro, or other software. Putting the raw data in a table allows presenting your measurements in an easy-to-digest form. It will also come in handy when you process your data.

Introduce Graphs

The best way to show the relationship between two (or multiple) variables is a linear graphic. In case this relationship is not linear, you need to linearise it using a constant factor. After a graph is done, the next step is to analyse if the calculated relationship holds up to that of the theoretical.

When creating graphs, you should keep the following in mind:

• A graph ought to take at least half of the page and be labelled;
• You need to specify the correct units;
• A graph must correlate to the raw data presented in a table;
• You should use a reasonable scale (for example, divisible by 10, not 7).

The experimental part of your Physics Internal Assessment, along with the visual demonstration of the result, contributes to the Data Analysis criterion responsible for 25% of the total score.

Evaluate Your Results

In this part of your IB Physics Internal Assessment, you draw a conclusion and reflect on the results of your experiment.

Start by directly answering your research question. Did your results support your original hypothesis or prove something different? Be clear and direct about what your data shows.

Then, you need to carefully examine the patterns in your data. Did you notice any trends? If so, compare them to what scientists already know about this topic. Show where your results match existing scientific understanding and where they might be different.

The next important step is to reflect on the results of your experiment. If they were unexpected, discuss why that might have happened. The most common sources of mistakes are your equipment (for example, digital meters round the values), human factors (such as reaction time), procedural methods (if you round up your numbers in one instance and round them down in another), environmental factors (like changes in temperature or pressure), or random errors.

Whatever the cause of discrepancies is, you need to address it, deal with it as best as you can, and explain its effect on the results of your investigation.

“As examiners, we don’t expect scientific-grade work from students. Instead, we want them to understand why their results turned out one way or another. The ultimate goal is to teach them to think like scientists and challenge themselves to seek ways to improve their experimental approaches.”

Finally, to meet the Evaluation criterion, you need to connect your findings to the broader world of scientific knowledge. Think of how your small experiment might contribute to understanding something larger. If you are able to find such connections, this will be evidence that you’re not just completing an assignment but also engaging with scientific thinking.

Use an Appealing Structure and Formats

Even if you’re a brilliant scientist, a poorly written report won’t get you anywhere. That’s why you should present it in the best light possible. The key signs of a well-written report are:

• Clear and concise language. Your report should be study-specific but not too overwhelming. Don’t make it too vague or generic.
• An appropriate and relevant use of terminology, labelling, units, equations, etc.
• Consistency of calculations, units, decimal places, etc.
• A reasonable structure (i.e. separate sections with headers), well-presented visuals, well-organised tables, etc.

A report of your Physics experiment must not exceed 3,000 words. If you make it longer, you will not receive any bonus points. It is the other way around – you will get fewer points for failing to meet the Research Design criterion.

As we have already said, it is important to keep a clear and well-organised structure. The Physics IA guide doesn’t provide specific rules everyone must follow. Still, your report must have certain mandatory elements (like the title page or the list of literature) and a logical order walking through all the major steps of your investigation.

Below, we specify the parts your IB Physics should consist of.

Title and Content Pages

The Title Page provides the very first impression of your Physics Internal Assessment.

Your goal here is to create a descriptive title that clearly reflects the purpose of your study. A strong title typically follows the format “An Investigation into the Effect of X on Y,” which immediately communicates the core of your research.

Along with this, it must feature a focused research question that specifies key variables, units, and relevant contextual information.

For example, a title might read: “The Impact of Magnetic Field Strength on Electromagnetic Induction in Copper Coils.” The corresponding research question could elaborate on the specific parameters and objectives of your investigation.

The second page of your report is a table of contents. It should showcase all the sections you have with their corresponding page numbers.

Introduction

The introduction usually starts with an overview of your topic. Begin by explaining the broader scientific context and highlighting the significance of your chosen physical phenomenon. Then mention why this particular investigation matters – is it relevant to everyday technology, industrial applications, or fundamental scientific understanding?

It is also a good idea to personalise your approach. Specifically, you can briefly explain what drew you to this research question as well as what you want to achieve with your investigation.

The introduction usually varies between 0.5 to 1 page.

Theoretical Background

The background section is crucial for establishing the theoretical framework of your experiment.

Here, you need to provide an overview of the scientific principles underlying your investigation. If you’re exploring a specific physical concept, explain its fundamental mechanisms, theoretical foundations, and any relevant mathematical models.

Typically, this section also includes necessary equations, diagrams, or visual representations that help illustrate the scientific principles at play. Any such illustration must be properly cited.

Hypothesis

A hypothesis is a prediction of your investigation, often presented as an if-then statement. Simply put, it shows your educated guess of the experiment’s results when manipulating independent variables. With your hypothesis, you demonstrate an understanding of the physical principles that guide your research.

An example of such a hypothesis is the following:

“The induced electromagnetic force in copper coils will increase proportionally with magnetic field strength, following Faraday’s law of electromagnetic induction. I predict that as the magnetic field strength increases from 0.2 to 1.5 Tesla, the induced voltage will demonstrate a near-linear relationship, with an expected peak induced voltage of approximately 0.8 volts at the highest magnetic field strength. This hypothesis is based on the fundamental principle that the rate of change of magnetic flux through a conducting coil directly determines the magnitude of the induced electromotive force.”

Please note that Theoretical Background and Hypothesis don’t have to be separate sections. It is possible to make them part of the Introduction if it results in a reasonable length.

Design

The design section is basically an explanation of your methodology and setup.

We recommend opening it up with information about your variables:

• independent variable (this is what you manipulate);
• dependent variable (what you measure);
• controlled variables (factors you keep constant).

Along with listing your variables, you shouldn’t forget to include information about their units and measurement ranges.

The design section should continue with a comprehensive overview of your experimental setup. It is a good idea to include labelled diagrams or annotated photographs that show exactly how you conducted your experiment. There should be a list of all apparatus and instruments along with their specifications and measurement uncertainties.

Finally, you need to explain your method in detail. Write a step-by-step procedure using imperative language. Ultimately, it should be clear enough so that another researcher can replicate your experiment exactly. You may also include information about preliminary experiments that informed your approach, and discuss the rationale behind your methodological choices.

Results

This section will feature the data you collected. It is best to present it in a table where you specify your raw data, independent variables, and, if necessary, qualitative data. Again, all your tables must be easy to read, fully labelled, and have relevant titles.

Try not to break your tables, i.e. start them on one page and finish on another. It is only possible if a table is too big to fit on a single page. But even so, it is better to start it from the top of the page.

Analysis

Here, you transform raw experimental data into meaningful scientific insights.

For starters, you need to show your calculations. To do so, select a sample of your processed data and explain how you received it step by step. For each type of calculation, provide the specific equation you used and show how you converted raw measurements into analysed results.

Similar to raw data, you should consider organising your processed data into tables. Along with this, you can represent it graphically using scatter plots, line graphs, bar charts, or other formats relevant to your data. Besides a comprehensive figure legend, they may also feature error bars or best-fit lines if you wish to showcase experimental uncertainties.

Below each graph, you need to provide a description of the trends you observe. In particular, explain the relationships between variables, as well as highlight patterns, correlations, or unexpected variations in your data.

Conclusion

The conclusion is the summary of your findings and, most importantly, an answer to your research question.

You might want to restate the research question one more time to remind the reader of the purpose of your research. Then, briefly yet precisely (using examples) explain which results you achieved. After this, answer the research question. Was your original hypothesis correct? Did you prove yourself wrong? Or was it partly right and if so, to which extent?

At this stage, you may compare your results with established scientific data and indicate if they align or differ.

Evaluation

Here, you express your critical comments about your experiment and its results.

If you received inconsistent data or couldn’t confirm your hypothesis, pinpoint the possible reasons. Specifically, you need to pinpoint the source of your mistakes (imperfect methodology, insufficiently accurate equipment, lack of repetition, etc.) and their type (random, systematic, or human error)

Apart from that, you should propose ways to improve your experiment and explain how they can impact the results.

Get Top Marks in Your Physics Internal Assessment with TutorsPlus

You cannot underestimate the importance of the IA. It is virtually impossible to get a 7 in your IB Physics course if you submit a mediocre paper riddled with errors and missed opportunities.

Are you stuck, limited in time, or simply don’t know where to start? Let TutorsPlus be the shoulder you can lean on. As an experienced team of IB tutors, teachers, and examiners, we know what top-rated Physics IAs should look like.

Our goal is to help you make the most of your abilities to maximise your IB Physics score. With your dedication and our expertise, you can move mountains. So don’t hesitate to get in touch – TutorsPlus are available at 022 731 8148 and .

By Sara Lloyd

Sara has been an education consultant for TutorsPlus for 15 years, and is an expert on international IB education.  She is also a parent of two lively children.