This document shows the proper formatting and sequence of the required Internal Assessment for the IB Environmental Systems and Societies course (pre-2015 syllabus). It is written in MLA format in order to model the proper structure of a formal write-up.

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Your Name
Professor Name
Subject Name
04 September 20XX
Title of Your Report: The title should descriptively refer to the independent and dependent
variables of the investigation
Introduce the idea and set it in context: WHY is the topic worth investigating from an
ESS perspective? HOW does it relate to you personally or to the community where the
investigation takes place? Link your chosen subject of investigation to specific parts of the
syllabus: Human population growth, biodiversity and conservation, soil or water resources, solid
domestic waste, ecological footprint, etc.
SECTION HEADER: PLANNING THE INVESTIGATION
Briefly describe the aim and design of the investigation: WHAT are you looking for? HOW are
you looking for it? WHY are you looking for it that way? For example: “5 different zones across
Dar es Salaam were selected because….(the reasons will be related to your independent
variable)
Subsection heading: Defining the problem.
Describe the links between the investigation that you have in the introduction and the various
parts of the syllabus. For example: A growing population uses more resources and produces
more trash, which increases the ecological footprint of the population and impacts the carrying

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capacity of both its natural and built environment. This section, as well as the previous
paragraph, are opportunities to link your investigation to existing research or knowledge through
the use of in­text references to reliable sources. At our school, we use the MLA standard for all
references and bibliographical materials.
Subsection heading: Selecting and controlling variables.
Start with the ​independent variable: WHAT did you ​measure​ ? HOW did you ​change​ or
manipulate it (or how did it change)? WHAT tools or equipment did you use to measure it? The
intervals between the dependent variable measurements should be systematic (i.e., 5­10­15­20)
instead of random values (3­7­11­12­19­24).
Then describe the ​dependent variable: WHAT did you measure? HOW did you expect it
to change in response to the different levels of the independent variable? HOW did you measure
it, using which tools or lab equipment?
Then describe several other variables which should be kept constant in order to ensure a
“fair test”. You’ll want approximately 5­7 controlled variables. The easiest way to do this is by
setting up a simple table like the one below:
Variable name HOW it was controlled, if
possible. (Not all ​can be
controlled ­ weather for
example, may change.)
WHY it was controlled
(How would it change the
results if it were NOT
controlled?)

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Subsection heading: Materials.
­ List all equipment required, including quantities.
­ Use bullet points.
Subsection heading: Method.
1. Start with a section for safety, health, and environmental precautions. Include things
such as wearing protective gear, handling hazardous materials, and avoiding damage to
sensitive environments during field work. The precautions should be specific to your
investigation ­ don’t include something about hazardous chemical procedures if you’re
not using any chemicals in your investigation.
2. Use numbered steps. The automatic numbered list in the toolbar makes this easy when
editing the document.
3. Written in third person passive voice, past tense. Here’s an example of what that looks
like: “The quadrats (1m​2​
) were placed at 5­meter intervals along a 100­meter transect
parallel to the road and three meters from the edge of the pavement.”
4. Each step is a single action. Multiple actions = multiple steps.
5. Each step should reference a tool or piece of equipment in the materials list. If a step
uses something not in the materials list, add that thing to the list.
6. The more detail, the better. Remember, the reader should be able to replicate your
experiment and get similar results without you there to explain how to do it.
7. The method must allow for sufficient (enough) data collection. That means you need a
minimum of 5 intervals of the independent variable. You also need enough trials at each

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interval (generally speaking, ​a minimum of 3 trials at each interval is required. Aim for
5 trials at each).
SECTION HEADER: DATA COLLECTION AND PROCESSING
Subsection heading: Results.
This subsection addresses the needs of the “Recording data” aspect in the rubric. Insert a data
table of ​raw results here. These are the actual measurements made in the field or in the lab.
Measurements of the controlled variables should be included whenever possible.
­ Title the table so that the title describes what’s in the table. For example, “Table 1:
Change in mass of potato samples due to osmotic pressure in different concentrations of
saline solutions”.
­ Use a spreadsheet so that your final draft appears professional. Hand­drawn tables, or
photographs of hand­drawn tables in your notes, are not acceptable and will almost
certainly reduce your overall IA score.
­ Column headings must include units of measurement and uncertainties, which depend on
the equipment used (i.e. +/­ 0.01 g if using a digital balance to measure mass).
­ In general, the independent variable occupies the left­most column, with the dependent
variable and subsequent trials occupying columns to the right.
­ All decimals in a column must match the uncertainty at the top of the column. Decimals
in adjacent columns may be different if the uncertainties for the columns are different.
­ Type only numbers in each cell. The units are already shown at the top of the column.
Doing this will also allow your spreadsheet software to create a chart from your data.

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­ Include any qualitative (descriptive) data which may influence the results of your
investigation. A separate table after the raw results is one way to do that, or you can add
an extra column with “comments” or “notes” so that you may include the descriptions
within your table of raw results.
­ Figure 2 below shows the general setup of a scientific data table. The table(s) included in
your own investigation may have more rows and columns, depending on the amount and
type of data collected. ​Figure 2 shows a simplified, vary basic data table.
Subsection heading: Data processing.
This subsection addresses the needs of the “Processing data” aspect in the rubric. Showing raw
results won’t be enough to earn full marks in the IB. You have to demonstrate the ability to
manipulate results in a way that helps you, the investigator, and your audience (the reader)
identify patterns or trends, upon which your conclusions are based. At the Diploma Programme

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level, processing is more than just finding the mean, median and mode of measurements, though
those are a good start. In order to adequately demonstrate data processing skills, you’ll need to
run at least one statistical analysis of quantitative (numerical) data using your raw results from
the table you created above. Probably the two easiest statistical tools to use here are the
chi­squared test for association and the ​correlation coefficient. To properly include data
processing, follow these general guidelines:
­ Provide the formula and/or process used and identify the variables in the formula. A
formula without the variables identified is meaningless to the reader because it does not
help her/him understand the process behind your calculations.
­ Use the actual data from your investigation. This will allow the reader to check and
verify your calculations.
­ Provide a single example for each type of calculation (i.e. one example of the mean, one
example of the median, one example of the chi­squared test or Simpson’s diversity index
or whatever). It is not necessary to show the calculation for every single data point in
your investigation.
­ Create a second data table which summarizes all your processed data. This may or may
not be necessary, depending on the nature of your investigation and the types of data
collected. If you include the second table, you’ll end up with two tables: one table of raw
results (the actual measurements from the investigation) and another table showing the
processed data.
Subsection heading: Presenting processed data.

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This is the section where you include graphs of your processed data. Graphs are visual
representations of the data (numbers) in your data table. Some people can easily
identify trends from a group of numbers, but most of us find it easier to spot patterns when the
numbers are plotted on an appropriate graph. Here are my rules for scientific graphs:
1. Graphs need a ​title, which shows the information in the table. Usually, the title will
mention both the independent and dependent variables.
2. Label each axis, including the name of the variable, numbers, and units of measurement.
a. Plot the ​independent variable across the X­axis. (​IV → X)
b. Plot the ​dependent variable along the Y­axis. (​DV → Y)
3. Scale both the X­axis and the Y­axis so that your data points fill the space of the graph. If
your graph has all the data points squeezed into one corner, or only across one narrow
band, then you need to adjust the scales of one axis or both axes, so that there isn’t any
“dead space” in the graph.
4. Usually ­ but not always ­ ​a scatter plot is the best type of graph to use for scientific
experiments. It must include a ​minimum of five intervals of your independent variable,
with a ​minimum of three data points (trials) at each interval.
5. A line of best fit (trendline) is NOT connect­the­dots! ​Use the trendline function to show
overall patterns in your data series.
6. The graph below is a fairly basic example of the requirements outlined above.

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Graph source:
http://www.sussexvt.k12.de.us/science/Scientific%20Method%20&%20Problem%20Solving/Scientific%20Method_files/image004.gif
SECTION HEADER: DISCUSSION, EVALUATION, AND CONCLUSION
Subsection heading: Discussing and reviewing.
Discuss the general trends or patterns which you observed in your data, if any. Explain the
causes behind the results you got, based on previously published research (cite your sources!).
Do the numbers show a clear pattern or not? Do the patterns match what was expected, based on
the prior research you cited? Which numbers from your data show the pattern? Is it a strong
correlation or a weak correlation? If there isn’t a clear pattern, that’s okay! You can still earn full
marks for the investigation, as long as you clearly identify that the results were inconclusive and
attempt to explain why your results weren’t conclusive.
Subsection heading: Evaluating the procedure and suggesting improvements.
This section is dedicated to identifying the strengths and weaknesses of the method you actually
used during the investigation. Identify steps in the method or data processing which ensured that
you collected enough data and that your data is reliable. Ideally, you’ll find 3 or more flaws in
your procedure that created challenges for your investigation. You should focus specifically on
any action or variable which may have affected the reliability of your data. (Maybe one or more
of the controls wasn’t actually kept constant? Maybe you used a piece of lab equipment
incorrectly? Maybe a step was skipped or something wasn’t properly calibrated at the start of the
investigation?) Be as specific and detailed as possible. Avoid using the generic “human error” as
a source of unreliability. Identify the error or the flaw in the method, and then propose a specific

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action or adjustment which would fix the flaw if you were to repeat the investigation, describing
how that adjustment would address the error.
Subsection heading: Concluding.
Your conclusion should address whether or not there is an association or a causal relationship
between the independent and dependent variables you identified at the start of the investigation.
Did your results confirm your hypothesis or refute it? (NOTE: Experimental results never
“prove” anything ­ they either confirm or refute existing research and knowledge.) The
conclusion should reiterate whether your results align with existing named research or not. Your
conclusion should include reference to the effects of the flaws you identified in the evaluation
section ­ were the flaws largely responsible for the data patterns you identified, or were those
patterns the result of a relationship between the chosen variables? Describe how you were able to
determine this. Avoid generic closing statements such as, “I learned a lot,” “I enjoyed this
investigation,” or other meaningless platitudes.

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Works Cited
Dolor, L.I. ​Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetuer adipiscing elit, 1998. Print.
Dolor, L.I. ​Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetuer adipiscing elit, sed diam nonummy nibh.
New York: Columbia UP, 1998. Print.
Doe, R. John.​ ​Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetuer adipiscing elit, sed diam nonummy
nibh, 1998. Print.
***Notes about the Works Cited section:
­ “Cited” means “referenced in my text”. If there isn’t a direct reference to a source in the
body of the IA, don’t include the source in the Works Cited section.
­ Each time an IB moderator or examiner sees an in­text reference, s/he should put a
checkmark next to it and then check it off your Works Cited list at the same time.
­ When s/he finishes scoring your IA, if there are things in your Works Cited that aren’t
checked, your score will be lowered for not fully documenting all sources correctly.