Course for students (1st exam May 25)
Welcome!
This section of the site is written specifically for you, the student. It provides complete syllabus coverage for all IB Diploma students who have been signed up (at no extra cost to you or the school) to Student access by their teacher(s) in a subscribing school. It is designed to be used both as you learn throughout your Standard Level or Higher Level course and as a review (revision) aid before you take your final examinations from May 2025 onwards. In addition to all the subject specific chemistry required for each topic and sub-topic it also contains all the other information and advice that all IB Diploma chemistry students need. This includes coverage of Approaches to learning, the Nature of Science, Theory of Knowledge, Final assessment including areas of difficulty and Internal Assessment etc. etc. It contains well over 1000 IB style questions (both multiple choice and short-answer) all with worked answers to every question so you can learn from any mistakes you make.
Using this site will not only help you achieve a high grade in IB chemistry but also increase your enjoyment and understanding of chemistry and provide you with all the tools and training to think critically and put chemistry into a global context.
Please note that all the pages in this section are immediately available to you except the links to most of the quizzes and short-answer type questions and all the main multiple choice tests . This is because your teacher(s) may decide to retain these to set as a test or homework so would not want you to see them beforehand. If you want access to any to these (all of which come with model worked answers) then simply ask your teacher(s) to unblock the page by marking it as "Direct student access".
Brief summary of the contents of 'Complete course for students'
1. Approaches to learning
Information, advice and discussion on:
- Thinking skills
- Communication skills
- Social skills
- Self-management skills
- Research skills
- Reflection skills
2. Full coverage of each topic and sub-topic
- The learning outcomes (i.e. understanding and skills required)
- Key vocabulary
- Links to other areas of the chemistry syllabus
- Gallery of slides covering all the key concepts with worked examples
- A challenge for you to think more deeply about the sub-topic
- Quizzes and short-answer questions (with worked model answers) to test your understanding
- Further resources, e.g. videos.
3. Making links between topics
- Specific examples of making connections between different topics
4. Covering the skills
- Error & uncertainty
- Graphing techniques
- Managing variables
- Use of SI units & prefixes
- Significant figures & scientific notation
- Understanding & using logarithms
- Using sensors & data logging
- Using spreadsheets
- Check list for all the skills
5. Practical work
- Why do practical work?
- Information & worksheets on more than 35 different experiments
- Information and advice on the collaborative sciences project
6. Internal Assessment (IA)
- Essential information and requirements
- How to prepare beforehand
- Choosing the research question
- Details and advice on the four examined criteria when writing the report
- Genuine examples of marked IA reports
- Advice on gaining high marks including a check list
- What is the nature of science?
- Key terms and concepts
- Nature of science and critical thinking
- The culture of chemistry
- Practice questions
8. Incorporating IB chemistry into context
- Examples of linking each topic to NOS, TOK, international-mindedness and placing chemistry in a real World context
9. Final External Assessment
- Essential facts (e.g. command terms, grade descriptors and grade boundaries, remarks and retaking)
- Tips for students for both examination papers
- Practice multiple choice exams for Section A Paper 1
- Practice data response and experimental work questions for Section B Paper 1
- In depth coverage of particular areas that students find difficult in Paper 2
10. Multiple choice tests on all the topics
- 20 question multiple choice tests on all the main topics and Tools
- Answers and explanations as to why A, B , C or D is the best answer for every question.
11. Learner profile
12. Extended essays in chemistry
- How to choose the subject and the area for your research
- Formulating a precisely worded and sharply focused research question
- How to research your essay including how to reference correctly and compile your bibliography
- Writing your essay to address the criteria fully in order to maximise your marks
- The assessment criteria with examples of common errors made by students
13. Theory of Knowledge (TOK) & chemistry
- Why bring TOK into chemistry
- The twelve TOK concepts
- The language of chemistry
- Unnecessary concepts in chemistry
Selected Pages
Course for students (1st exam May 25)
Theory of Knowledge (TOK) & chemistry
IntroductionEnlightenment (in a Tibetan thanka)Your will have separate TOK classes and your TOK teacher(s) will explain...
Course for students (1st exam May 25)
The twelve TOK concepts
The TOK curriculum has is "concept-based." This means that the focus of the course is on "big ideas." These big ideas are...
Course for students (1st exam May 25)
Making links between topics
Almost all the sub-topics have a section on "Linking Questions". These questions either make links from one sub-topic to...
Course for students (1st exam May 25)
Full coverage of each topic and sub-topic
This section is effectively an interactive text book that provides complete coverage of the whole of the IB Diploma chemistry...
Course for students (1st exam May 25)
Practical work (including IA & Collaborative Sciences Project)
Practical work is an important component of IB chemistry. Approximately 25% of your total course time should be devoted...
Course for students (1st exam May 25)
Covering the skills
The syllabus lists all the topics under the two main strands, Structure and Reactivity. This is all set out clearly with...