IB Physics IA Investigation Ideas and Planning Guide

About this resource

Help IB Diploma Physics students explore investigation possibilities with 250 IA idea entries and a planning and proposal template in one editable Word document.

The guide organises suggested investigations by topic, covering motion, thermal physics, electricity, waves, fields, atomic physics and stars. Entries pair a possible investigation with a research-question prompt and identify the investigation approach. Students can compare experimental, database, computer simulation and hybrid approaches as they consider their interests and available resources.

What is included

• 250 investigation starting points with research-question prompts.
• Introductory guidance on developing an individual investigation.
• A proposal template covering the research question, expected outcome, variables, materials, investigation method, safety, ethics, data collection and analysis, with a teacher approval section.
• One editable DOCX file, rendered as 47 pages including the original cover and planning section.

Why this helps

Use the guide to begin idea discussions, compare possible approaches and organise a proposal before collecting data. The suggestions are broad starting points that students must refine into their own focused investigations with teacher guidance. This resource supplies ideas and planning support; it does not include completed student IAs, experimental datasets or model reports.