IB Group 4 subjects


The Group 4: Experimental sciences subjects of the International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme comprise the main scientific emphasis of this internationally recognized high school programme. They consist of seven courses, five of which are offered at both the Standard Level and Higher Level : Chemistry, Biology, Physics, Design Technology, and, as of August 2012, Computer Science is offered as part of the Group 4 subjects. There are also two SL only courses: a transdisciplinary course, Environmental Systems and Societies, that satisfies Diploma requirements for Groups 3 and 4, and Sports, Exercise and Health Science. Astronomy also exists as a school-based syllabus. Students taking two or more Group 4 subjects may combine any of the aforementioned.
The Chemistry, Biology, Physics and Design Technology courses will be updated for first teaching in September 2014, with syllabus updates, a new internal assessment component similar to that of the Group 5 explorations, and "a new concept-based approach" dubbed "the nature of science". A new, standard level-only course will also be introduced to cater to candidates who do not wish to further their studies in the sciences, focusing on important concepts in Chemistry, Biology and Physics.

Structure and assessment

All group 4 subjects follow roughly the same format. Each subject has its Subject Specific Core, i.e., material taught at both the standard and higher levels. Students sitting the Higher Level examination study the Additional Higher Level material. Lastly, there is a list of options for each subject from which two are chosen. Higher Level students are sometimes unable to choose certain options that are available to Standard Level students because the AHL already covers it. Ideally, students choose the options based on their own abilities and preferences, but in practice the options are usually chosen by the school. Students spend one-quarter of the 150 hours of SL instruction doing practical work in the laboratory. Group 4 subjects at the Standard Level are tailored for students who do not see themselves in further science instruction after leaving the programme.
Assessment of a Group 4 subject comprises the following:
At the Standard Level, the examinations are respectively 45 minutes, 1 hour and 15 minutes, and 1 hour long. At the Higher Level, they are 1 hour, 2 hours and 15 minutes, and 1 hour and 15 minutes long. Calculators are not permitted for Paper 1, but they are permitted for papers 2 and 3.

Subjects

Physics (2009–2015)

Standard level

80 hours of instruction on 8 topics
with 30 hours of instruction on two optional subjects:
and 40 hours of practical work.

Higher level

80 hours on Physics SL core subjects, with 55 hours on 6 additional topics:
and 45 hours of instruction on two optional subjects:
and 60 hours of practical work.

Physics (2016–2022)

Topics

SL/HL core

Standard level

80 hours of instruction on the topics:
and 30 hours on two options from the topics:
together with 40 hours of practical work.

Higher level

80 hours on the core subjects of the Standard level course with 55 hours of instruction on these topics:
and 45 hours on two of the options in the standard course, and 60 hours of practical work.

Chemistry (2016–2022)

Topics

SL/HL core and HL extension
Biology is the science of life and living organisms. Aside from instruction relevant to this, students are given the chance to learn complex laboratory techniques as well as develop mindful opinions about controversial topics in biology. The syllabus lists thirteen topics, to be covered in an order varying from school to school:

Standard level

80 hours of instruction on 6 topics
with 30 hours of instruction on two options from:
80 hours of instruction on 6 topics in the standard course and 55 hours on a further 5 topics:
with 45 hours of instruction on addition topics in the SL course plus:

Topics

SL/HL core
Topics addressed in this course include:
with additional topics in the higher level:

Topics

SL/HL core

Topics

Core
All candidates study the 6 core topics :
In addition, they also study two of the following four options :

Topics

All topics are compulsory.
The remaining 30 hours are derived from the internal assessment, making a total of 150 teaching hours.

Assessment

There are two external assessment components and one internal assessment component.
External assessment
Calculators are required for both papers.
Candidates will need to complete 30 hours of practical work throughout the course. Each of the three criteria - planning, data collection and processing and discussion, evaluation and conclusion - are assessed twice, while the fourth criterion - personal skills - is assessed summatively throughout the course. The maximum raw mark is 42, which contributes 20% of the course.

Computer science (2014–2020)

The computer science course was recently updated and moved from Group 5 to Group 4, becoming a full course, from first examinations in 2014. The structure and assessment of the course has changed to greater emphasize problem solving rather than Java program construction. The curriculum model for the course still differs from other Group 4 subjects however.

Topics

Standard Level candidates study the SL/HL core and the core of one option, while Higher Level candidates study the SL/HL core, HL extension, an annually-issued case study and the whole of one option. The remaining 40 hours for both Standard and Higher Level comes from the internal assessment component, for a total of 150 teaching hours at SL and 240 hours at HL.
SL/HL core
There are three external assessment components and two internal assessment components.
External assessment
Unlike other Group 4 subjects, calculators are not permitted in any computer science examination.
Both SL and HL candidates must complete the following:
Both components carry a weightage of 30% or 20% of the computer science course.

Group 4 project

All students of the Diploma Programme in any of these subjects, with the exception of environmental systems and societies, will compulsorily complete an inter-disciplinary and collaborative investigation called the Group 4 project. The Group 4 project assessment is included in the internal assessment marks. Students undertaking two or more group 4 courses will obtain the same mark for all of the courses.

Footnotes