IB Physics 2023+ headlines
Themes
'Big ideas' that draw topics together:
- Space, time and motion
- The particulate nature of matter
- Wave behaviour
- Fields
- Nuclear and quantum
Guiding questions
Overarching Topic ideas that bring overall cohesion within the Theme, for example:
- How can the motion of a body be described quantitatively and qualitatively?
- How can the position of a body in space and time be predicted?
- How can the analysis of motion in one and two dimensions be used to solve real-life problems?
Linking questions
Connections between Topics, sometimes within and sometimes between Themes, for example:
- What does Newton’s first law (A.2) tell us about the forces on a body traveling at constant velocity (A.1)?
- How does the motion (A.1) of a mass in a gravitational field (D.1) compare to the motion of a charged particle in an electric field (D.2)?
Internal assessment
One 10-hour investigation presented as a report with a 3000-word maximum.
6 marks each for:
- Research Design (question, methodology, reproducibility)
- Data Analysis (recording and processing, uncertainties, appropriateness and accuracy)
- Conclusion (justified, relevant and consistent, scientific context)
- Evaluation (methodological weaknesses and limitations, and linked improvements)
It is internally assessment with external moderation and represents 20% of the grade.
Exams
At Standard Level:
- Paper 1 consists of two booklets taken together, which have a total of 45 marks, and is worth 36% of the grade. Its duration is 1 hour and 30 minutes. The first booklet, Paper 1A (25 marks), is made up of 25 multiple-choice questions. The second booklet, Paper 1B (20 marks), is made up of questions that will require you to interpret and process data.
- Paper 2 consists of one booklet, which has a total of 55 marks, and is worth 44% of the grade. Its duration is 1 hour and 30 minutes. It is made up of short-answer and extended-response questions.
- Only Standard Level material is assessed: all of A.1, A.2, A.3, B.1, B.2, B.3, B.5, C.2, C.4, D.3, E.4 and E.5 and some of C.1, C.3, C.5, D.1, D.2, E.1 and E.3.
At Higher Level:
- Paper 1 consists of two booklets taken together, which have a total of 60 marks, and is worth 36% of the grade. Its duration is 2 hours. The first booklet, Paper 1A (40 marks), is made up of 40 multiple-choice questions. The second booklet, Paper 1B (20 marks), is made up of questions that will require you to interpret and process data.
- Paper 2 consists of one booklet, which has a total of 90 marks, and is worth 44% of the grade. Its duration is 2 hours and 30 minutes. It is made up of short-answer and extended-response questions.
- Standard Level and additional Higher Level materials are assessed throughout: all of A.1 to E.5.
Hamper & Mitchell (2023 - coming soon!). 'Physics for the IB Diploma'. Pearson.
Tools
Skills and fields related to the nature of physics:
- Experimental techniques
- Technology
- Mathematics
What to expect from InThinking
Four methods for navigating our resources:
- Resources for students (last exam Nov 2024)
- Resources for students (first exam May 2025)
- Resources for teachers (last exam Nov 2024)
- Resources for students (first exam May 2025)
Two fully-resourced and comprehensive courses...
...and support in navigating combined SL/HL classes, covering the increased amount of content and preparing for the new IA criteria.