IB Biology

Students often ask for research question ideas on their EE (Extended Essay). Realistically, a good EE research question/ topic should be appropriately designed so that you would be able to 1) gather meaningful primary and/or secondary data if needed and 2) be able to scope things like the interpretation of the data, analysis and evaluation of the data / events within the 4,000-word limit.

Here are some sample Biology EE research questions:

• The effect of ethanol concentrations on the growth of Staphylococcus epidermidis
• The effect of different antibiotics and Chinese herbal medicine on the growth of Escherichia coli
• The effect of how an increase in the concentration of Terminalia chebula methanolic extract promotes antioxidant activity, and reduces the cellular response of Saccharomyces cerevisiae
• Assessment of Rhino Horn as Traditional Medicine (Review of secondary data and cross topic with Economics as it involves discussion of species trade)
• The effect of geographical factors on the prevalence of diabetes (Review of secondary data and cross topic with Geography as it involves discussion of geographical locations)
• The effect of headphones usage habits on hearing of Homo sapiens

Here are some sample IB Biology sample IA topics (12-page limit):

• Amount of sodium bicarbonate on rate of photosynthesis of Cabomba plant
• Color and absorbance of anthocyanin from Vaccinium corymbosum and Brassica oleracea at different pHs
• Effect of humidity on Musa acuminata ripening
• Essential oil on inhibition of skin microflora growth
• Tea polyphenol concentration on starch hydrolysis by alpha-amylase

Approaching a Biology IA for the first time can be intimidating, but the requirements for a good Biology IA are actually fairly straightforward. Let’s go through some components that you should have in order to get those high marks!

Independent and Dependent Variables

Firstly, it is important to have your independent and dependent variables named clearly in the research question. The independent variable is the sole variable that you will control and change. In the research question, you need to specify the range of the independent variable, and the units of measurement. The other variable is the dependent variable, which will be affected by how the independent variable changes. In other words, your experiment tests the following: How will the changes in the independent variable affect the results of the dependent variable?

You must then specify the following in your methodology:

• How will you measure the results of the dependent variable?
• What methodology will you use in the experiment?
• How will you use the data to come to a conclusion for the experiment?

Moreover, because the topic is Biology, it is crucial to specify the living organism you’ll be experimenting on in the research question. A top tip: because many living organisms will have different local names in different places, you cannot use vague terms to refer to your specimen. Instead, use its scientific name to show specifically which living organism you mean. For example, avoid saying that your experiment is about the effects of damp soil conditions on mint, instead say that your experiment is about the effects of damp soil conditions on Mentha spicata. (Please do ensure the scientific names typed are in italicized form).

How do I choose my topic?

When you’re given the freedom to choose whatever topics and experiments you want, the range of possibilities seem endless! Narrow it down by first considering the issues that affect your own personal environment. Alternatively, consider your own relationship to your environment.

One such example is the recent issue of Covid-19. It affects people on both a local and global issue, as everyone’s lives have been changed and endangered by the pandemic. If you use a relevant and urgent issue to motivate ideas for a research topic, this can give your IA a good starting direction. Make sure to state why your experiment is worth conducting; it should be useful or of interest to the wider community in some way, and perhaps even benefit their lives.

Additionally, besides for a topic’s relevance to the lives of people around you, try to explain your personal interest in the topic. Why does it concern you? Why are you personally engaged in finding the results of this experiment? Showing your relationship to the topic makes your IA more engaging to the reader.

Topics to avoid in a Biology IA

Beyond the clarity of the research question, public interest, and personal engagement, you must also consider how possible it is to conduct your experiment in the first place. No matter how fascinating the concept, or how interesting the results may be to the general public, there are some experiments that you should avoid.

These include:

• Experiments in which you have to deal with high-maintenance subjects, for example pets and animals. For example, it is possible that you may injure the animal in your experiments. For a high school IA, it is best to avoid these topics.
• Experiments that will greatly stress out either the test subject or the scientist themselves. If the experiment causes stress, you should assess and modify the experiment to lower the amount of stress as much as possible.
• Experiments that put the scientist in danger. For example, avoid exposure to chemicals that are highly dangerous, volatile, prone to explosions, or extremely corrosive. If you must handle these materials, consider which methods can reduce harm and risk. If in doubt, ask your teacher for advice and supervision.
• Experiments that deal with the incubation of bacteria and viruses. Biology includes a lot of these topics, so it is understandable if you would like to conduct this kind of study. However, if you must choose these topics, carefully assess which bacteria or viruses you want to study, and make sure the ones you choose will not infect humans. At all costs, avoid experiments with bacteria and viruses that are harmful to humans.

Typically, plant-focused topics are the easiest and safest to consider for a Biology IA. Plants are easily manageable and relatively low-maintenance, and you don’t need to feel guilty about harming them. Also, you do not need to worry extensively about their well being after the experiment - it is easy to take them home or keep them in the science labs to continue growing.

No matter the topic you choose, have fun experimenting!

There are four main differences between a Biology IA vs. a Biology EE

1. A Biology IA needs to focus on the syllabus content, whereas an EE must focus on content outside the syllabus
2. The IA requires students to conduct data collection and analysis, whereas this is not necessary in the EE.
3. The IA must focus on applying the scientific method to a problem, and only requires some background information to be collected. In an EE, the student must construct a theoretical framework for concepts in biology. This requires much more research into background information.
4. Lastly, the Biology EE has an additional part - students must focus on analysing and evaluating the scientific argument. In an IA, this step is not strictly necessary.

Biology IA criteria

1. Personal engagement: Relate your research question to your life, hobbies, or personal interests. Show your input in the experiment, or the ways that you adapted the scientific methods.
2. Exploration: Includes the research question, variables, hypothesis, background research, and methodology. Present your control variables clearly, as well as your data collection.
3. Analysis: Consists of the data analysis, presentation of data, and conclusions drawn from the data
4. Evaluation: Evaluate the methods you used, considering limitations and improvements. Suggest some further research questions that were inspired or motivated by your study.
5. Communications: This involves correct referencing and format, appropriate font, spelling, and grammar, etc. Also, check that your methodology is written in past tense, and that the IA is well structured.

Biology EE criteria

1. Focus and methodology: Includes topic, research question, and methodology. Ensure that your topic and research question are specific and well focused.
2. Knowledge and understanding: Set the context using subject specific terminology and show your understanding of the concepts, e.g. using credible and appropriate resources to address the interests of this knowledge.
3. Critical thinking: Involves research, analysis, data presentation, and your discussion and evaluation. It is similar to the criterion for the Biology IA, but to fulfil this critical thinking criteria, it is not necessary to use the scientific investigation methods. For the EE, you may use another method such as a questionnaire to fulfil your purpose.
4. Presentation: Relates to the physical structure, such as titles, subheadings and layout. Make sure they are consistent throughout the EE. Charts and graphs must be well presented, with the axis labelled correctly.
5. Engagement: Involves the written reflections, which should show the planning and progress of your EE in some detail.