How many lab reports should be turned in

[Tompzzz]

Hello!

Just a quick question (I searched some handbook thogroughly, but found no answer): How many lab reports do we send to the IBO per student? Is it just that I can select a few of my best or do they require all?

Also, I heard something about selecting some labs for marking only a certain part of the report - e.g. I would like my Data Collection & Processing to be examined in Lab 1, but in Lab 2, I had a better Conclusion & Evaluation ... Is this so?

[Daedalus]

Lab reports are moderated; check this post out if you want to know a little about the system. Basically, unless you have a mediocre teacher who can't organize time properly - i.e. almost any teacher - you should be doing labs regularly, like 10 a year or so. Then when you have a good portfolio of reports but together you can select the two best scores you have from each category (design / data collection & processing / conclusion & evaluation). This then becomes your score out of thirty-six, to which is added some teacher-decided stuff about personal and manipulative skills which shouldn't concern you much (except insofar as you should try not to break or blow up things under the teacher's eyes). You could conceivably have thirty-six out of thirty-six in this section of the portfolio, and you could conceivably have six different reports in which you achieve these marks - that doesn't matter. You choose your best scores, not the best reports. Afterwards, as you'll see from the link, a small number of the students in the class will have their portfolios sent off in entirety. Someone at the IBO compares your teacher's marking with the cross-IB school standard, decides if all the grades (all students in your class!) go up or down or sideways, and that's basically that.

Conclusion? You should aim to have two fives or sixes in each category by the time moderation comes around. Priority is not in lab-form but section-form, if you see what I mean. Also, make your bloody teacher do lab reports throughout the year, because we're doing all ours right before mocks and exams, and it's ridiculous. Total embarrassment.