🔬 1. Internal Assessments & Lab Work
Both IB Biology and Physics require a single Internal Assessment (IA) focused on scientific investigation, as per IB policy: each subject—regardless of SL or HL—includes one IA (revisiondojo.com, revisiondojo.com, revisiondojo.com).
- However, the complexity and scope differ. Biology IAs often involve field or lab-based biological systems, while Physics IAs focus on physical phenomenon with precision measurement and error analysis (revisiondojo.com).
🧪 2. Quantity & Type of Practical Work
- IB Biology involves frequent lab experiences, such as dissections, enzyme work, plant growth, ecology studies, and sometimes DNA extraction (revisiondojo.com).
- IB Physics, in contrast, includes physical experiments like mechanics setups, circuit building, and motion tracking—but fewer distinct lab sessions overall (revisiondojo.com, revisiondojo.com).
According to RevisionDojo’s post “IB Biology vs IB Physics Lab Work: Which Has More Practicals and Why?”, Biology typically includes more varied practicals throughout the syllabus (revisiondojo.com).
📅 3. Teaching Hours & Practical Emphasis
- Biology SL/HL curricula emphasize hands‑on labs across topics like physiology or ecology. Students may spend more class hours on experimental procedures.
- Physics labs are deeper into each concept but fewer in number, with emphasis on technical setup and precise instrumentation.
RevisionDojo notes that Biology students generally experience more consistent practical tasks per unit compared to Physics (revisiondojo.com).
✅ 4. Comparison Table: Labs & Practicals
Aspect IB Biology (SL/HL) IB Physics (SL/HL) Number of lab sessions Higher – multiple biology practicals Lower – fewer, focused physics experiments Lab variety Wide range (enzymes, dissections, ecology) Focused on mechanics, electricity, waves IA challenge level Moderate to high – exploratory and varied High – precision-based, measurement-focused Skill emphasis Observational, system thinking Mathematical modeling and technical setup
🎓 5. Why Biology Has More Practicals
According to RevisionDojo:
- Biology covers a broad array of real-world contexts—ecology, genetics, physiology—which naturally necessitate more hands-on work.
- Physics labs tend to revolve around fewer core themes but explore them in-depth with technical precision (revisiondojo.com, revisiondojo.com).
❓ FAQs
Q1: Does one IA include labs too?
Yes—both Biology and Physics each have one IA. Biology IAs are broader in experiment type; Physics IAs focus on measurement and analysis (revisiondojo.com, revisiondojo.com).
Q2: Which subject has more practical classes overall?
Biology generally offers more hands-on sessions across units than Physics does (revisiondojo.com, revisiondojo.com).
Q3: Is Biology IA easier than Physics IA?
Biology IAs often allow flexible topics and observation-based study; Physics IAs require higher precision and calibration—challenging in their own way (revisiondojo.com).
Q4: How many hours are spent on practicals?
Biology students frequently engage in lab work across each unit; Physics students may experience fewer but more technical labs depending on school scheduling.
🧭 6. Final Recommendation
If you're drawn to frequent, diverse hands-on experiments, IB Biology offers more practical exposure across topics. If you prefer precision-based, fewer labs with technical depth, then IB Physics fits your style. Each aligns with different skillsets and interests—but in terms of sheer lab frequency, Biology leads the way.
📣 Call to Action
Want tailored support for your practical work?
✅ Explore RevisionDojo’s:
- IA planning tools for Biology and Physics
- Practice templates and experiment guides
- Reflection and error-analysis frameworks
Dive into the IB Biology vs IB Physics practical guide on RevisionDojo today and decide which subject suits your hands-on learning style the best!
