Delivering the programme
- The major changes made in the 2023 Guide
- Learning outcomes for the whole SL/HL and AHL syllabus
- Each topic broken down into sub-topics with a separate page giving information and tips on how to teach it
- Slide galleries for each and every sub-topic covering all the syllabus content
- Embedded videos to supplement each and every sub-topic
- Illustrated and resourced specific examples of links between every topic and the Nature of Science, Theory of Knowledge, International Mindedness and Real World Context
- A full breakdown of all the skills required in the study of IB chemistry
- Detailed examples of how to teach chemistry holistically, i.e. making relationships between topics, rather than in modules
- Ten quiz questions (with answers explained) for each and every sub-topic
- Completely new short answer questions for each sub-topic with full worked answers to help prepare students for Paper 2
- Over 700 unique questions arranged in Multiple choice tests of 20 questions for all Topics both at SL and at HL with fully worked answers
Introduction
The chemistry content of the SL/HL and AHL parts of the syllabus should be familiar to practising chemistry teachers particularly as there is very little new material that was not in previous IB core/AHL programmes. The syllabus mainly contains the sort of basic chemistry that can be found in any good text book for 16-19 year old chemistry programmes whatever the system. Some may find that compared to their own national system there is more organic chemistry and less physical chemistry than they are used to. Others may lament that testing for the presence of particular ions and looking at the chemistry of groups in the periodic table other than groups 1 and 17, which are still on their own national curriculum, are missing in the IB. If you use the galleries I've prepared for each sub-topic and/or have my OUP Study Guide or one or more of the text books written specifically for the IB and access to some good general text books then you should have little difficulty finding examples and explanations for the concepts you are required to teach. What is very different is the way the syllabus is set out. Instead of the previous eleven key topics such as equilibrium, stoichiometry, chemical kinetics, etc. the syllabus is now divided into two main areas, Structure and Reactivity. The key traditional topics are then covered in the appropriate sub-topics but they often have different names so that Acids and bases now comes under Proton transfer reactions, Chemical kinetics now comes under How fast? : the rate of chemical change and Equilibrium comes under How far?: the extent of chemical change. Uncertainties, data processing and graphing techniques which had teaching time allocated in the old syllabus in Topic 11 now appear under "Tools" (part of Skills) which lists experimental techniques, digital technology skills and mathematical skills but no specific teaching hours are allocated for covering these skills.
As well as the inclusion of skills other big differences compared to many national systems are the emphasis the IB places on the ability to relate chemistry to the Nature of Science and International Mindedness as well as to put chemistry into context both by an holistic, rather than modular approach, and incorporating it into a whole world context.
Links
The main links accessible on the left and below breakdown as follows:
Major changes for the 2023 programme
This details the main changes to the underlying philosophy, assessment (external and internal), practical scheme of work and data booklet compared to the previous 2014 programme. It also includes the addition of a new skills section and lists (topic by topic) the main additions to the chemistry content of the 2023 syllabus and what has been removed from the 2014 syllabus.
Teaching each topic & sub-topic
The six main topics
The whole of the teaching syllabus for which teaching time is allocated is contained under the six main topics listed under the two concepts of Structure (S) and Reactivity (R).
S1 Models of the particulate nature of matter
S2 Models of bonding & structure
R1 What drives chemical reactions
R2 How much, how fast, how far?
R3 What are the mechanisms of chemical change?
Each of the six main topic pages has links to Multiple choice tests for each topic at both Standard Level (15 tests each with 20 questions) and separately at Higher Level (24 tests each with 20 questions) with access to the worked answers for each question.
Each of the six main topic pages link to separate pages (49 in total: 24 under Structure and 25 under Reactivity) which cover all the sub-topics.
The 49 sub-topics
Each sub-topic page contains the following:
- Guiding question
- Pause for thought
- Nature of Science
- Learning outcomes
- Teaching tips
- Link to Study Guide
- Vocabulary list
- 10 Multiple choice quiz questions with worked answers
- Short answer questions with worked answers
- Link to putting the sub-topic into context
- Suggestions for practical work
- Gallery of teaching slides
- Other resources, e.g. videos
Covering the skills
The skills and techniques required in the study of chemistry are listed in the IB chemistry guide under Tools and Inquiry cycle. This section covers all the content listed in the three skills contained under Tools. These are Experimental techniques, Digital technology and Mathematical skills. The Inquiry cycle mainly, but not exclusively, applies to the Internal Assessment so is covered under 'Scaffolding' & the Inquiry cycle in Experimental programme & IA . No teaching time is allocated to the teaching of skills but they can be assessed both in the external examinations and the internally assessed scientific investigation.
The Nature of Science
Although there is no formal syllabus on the Nature of Science as such, several pages near the front of the IB chemistry guide discuss what is meant by the Nature of Science and then in particular The Nature of Chemistry. Students should be aware of the limitations and successes of scientific knowledge and the impact it has on society as a whole. This section gives examples of the key terms and concepts, the importance of critical thinking in chemistry, the culture of chemistry and also contains some questions (with worked answers) specifically on the Nature of Science.
Incorporating IB Chemistry into a real world context
The aim of this section is to provides some material to enhance the quality of your teaching for each of the six main topic areas but it will not be assessed as such. It gives examples under the sub-headings of International-mindedness, Theory of Knowledge/Nature of Science and Real World Context (in the old syllabus this was loosely described as 'Utilisation').
There are clearly many other examples that you can find from elsewhere to supplement this including many of my blog articles. This section may also help some students when it comes to writing their TOK essay or preparing their TOK exhibition.
Making links between topics
I personally think that it is really good practice to relate the main topic you are currently teaching to all the other five main topics and indeed also to the skills section, i.e. to teach holistically rather than in modules. This will not only give students a much better understanding of chemistry as a whole but will also help them when they come to answer examination questions, many of which involve relationships between topics. Good chemistry teachers have always tried to make links between the different topics in chemistry, now the IB is now actively encouraging it and suggests some guiding questions at the end of each sub-topic which link the sub-topic to other sub-topics. In this section of the site suggestions are made of how to make links between topics and worked examples are given of questions which address many different parts of the syllabus.
Multiple choice tests for each topic
Ultimately students need to be good at answering multiple choice questions. There are many already in circulation but most of these come from past IB papers. In this section there are tests of twenty questions each provided for every Topic at both Standard level and Higher Level (for larger topics there are more tests at both levels). The tests can either be given via Student Access and can be marked automatically if you wish with the marks entered into your mark book or they are available to download in pdf format to give to your students along with a separate sheet with the worked answers. The tests can be given either as tests or as homework. The unique ‘selling point’ about all the more than 700 questions on the tests is that not only are they are all written in the IB style for the current programme but they are all unique to this website so students (and teachers) will not have seen them before. Hopefully any errors which crept in initially have been corrected but if you do come across any then please let me know and I can deal with them straightaway.