Chemistry subject report · May 2009

May 2009 extended essay reports Page 1 © International Baccalaureate Organization 2009 CHEMISTRY Overall grade boundaries Grade: E D C B A Mark range: 0 - 7 8 - 15 16 - 22 23 - 28 29 - 36 The range and suitability of the work submitted With over twelve hundred candidates submitting their extended essay in chemistry this session there was a wide range of essay titles. As in previous years common titles included the analysis of vitamin C or caffeine in various natural products, investigations involving aspirin, the effectiveness of sunscreens, the oxidation of wine and a comparison of biodiesel with diesel or gasoline as an alternative to fossil fuels. Some more innovative essays this year included the use of a microwave oven to bring about chemical reactions and the use of ultrasound to elucidate organic reaction mechanisms. Most titl es chosen had the potential to produce a suitable research question however many of the research questions stated were either too broad or not clearly enough expressed to be treated effectively within the word limit. Many essays seemed to lack imagination with research questions that were effectively just data collection, for example finding the level of vitamin C in a number of orange juice samples, rather than having any real research question such as "the effect of X on Y". A few students are still choosing unsuitable areas of investigation such as ‘how healthy’ a particular drink or food is or ‘ how chemical warfare has shaped our nation as a superpower’. Some students seemed to be carrying out summer research at tertiary institutes working on topics that they almost certainly did not devise themselves and which they did not fully understand. The best essays were the ones where the candidates used their own initiative by developing new methods or apparatus which was clearly under their own control and whe re there was a genuine interest in the work being covered. Clearly a sharply focused research question is the key to writing a good essay. However even with a good research question many candidates did not then produce a suitable essay. Too often, students (with perhaps the encouragement of their