IB Environmental systems and societies (ESS) - Old SL Internal Assessment Example

Student formulates a coherent and focused research question specifying dependent variables and organism, demonstrating strong clarity in scope.

Include quantitative figures (e.g., pH decline rates) when discussing soil acidification to provide stronger evidence and context.

Paragraph broadly outlines eutrophication and biodiversity impacts but would benefit from concise subheadings and clearer citation formatting to strengthen context clarity.

Effective explanation of relevance connecting sustainable agriculture with environmental harm demonstrates solid linkage between issue and research.

Material list shows '−9 pots' which appears incorrect; clarify the intended number of pots to resolve sampling strategy ambiguity.

Specify how environmental conditions (e.g., light intensity, temperature, soil composition) are controlled to ensure repeatability and validity of method.

Math symbols in materials list appear unnecessary and may confuse readers; simplify by removing extraneous notation for clarity.

Justification of seed and fertilizer selection shows clear reasoning for organism and treatments, supporting methodological design purposefully.

Define specific disposal protocols for excess fertilizers (e.g., collection methods, safe storage locations) to complete the environmental risk assessment.

Include measures of variability (e.g., standard deviation) alongside mean values in data tables to support the statistical analysis completeness.

Table duplicates entries for week 1–3 and uses commas for decimals contrary to standard notation; consolidate replicates and use consistent decimal points.

Table 2 replicates rows without averaging replicates, leading to redundancy; present averaged data for clearer interpretation.

Table 1 lists raw data without summarizing mean and variability, making it difficult to assess overall trends; consider including summary statistics.

Graph clearly shows pH trends but would benefit from error bars to display data variability and enhance the robustness of analysis.

Clarify terminology in describing t-test; replace 'chance that the results are random' with probability of Type I error to demonstrate accurate statistical understanding.

Explicit definition of variables in the t-test equation helps readers follow the analysis and illustrates strong communication of statistical methods.

Including the calculated degrees of freedom and critical t-value in the statistical calculations would clarify the t-test application and support validity.

Consider performing statistical comparisons including the control group to fully contextualize treatment effects rather than focusing solely on Org F vs Syn F.

Effective verbal interpretation of graphical trends clearly distinguishes treatment effects, enhancing comprehension of data significance.

Conclusion succinctly summarizes findings and links them directly to environmental impact, reflecting solid integration of data and ecological implications.

Improvement suggestion to use a pH meter is valid but lacks detail on model, calibration procedure, and integration into methodology to be more meaningful.

Qualify conclusions by specifying the four-week study timeframe to avoid overgeneralization and accurately reflect the experimental limitations.

Demonstrates strong contextual evaluation by connecting findings to sustainable agriculture practices in the Netherlands, enhancing relevance.

Expand discussion of method limitations by considering potential confounding factors such as soil heterogeneity and measurement precision to deepen evaluation.

Explicit description of controlled variables (light, watering, soil type) highlights attention to experimental validity and reliability.

Strengthen the application by explicitly tying IA results (lower N runoff in Org F) to how precision tech can optimize organic fertilizer use based on sensor data.

Proposing precision agriculture as a solution shows creative application of findings to real-world context, linking technology use to fertilizer management.

Including considerations of cost barriers for smallholders acknowledges key limitation of proposed precision agriculture solution, demonstrating balanced evaluation.

Further evaluate environmental trade-offs of precision agriculture (e.g., electronic waste) and discuss scalability to strengthen the solution assessment.

Ensure consistent notation of pH (lowercase 'p' before 'H') and correct spelling to meet conventions and improve professionalism.

Use of a comprehensive table of contents aids navigation and demonstrates good organization, enhancing readability.

Provide a citation for the Neem Cake description to support claims and ensure academic rigor in justifying method choice.

Citations show variety of sources but formatting is inconsistent; adopt a single citation style (e.g., APA) to improve credibility and uniformity.

Entry 'USDA.' lacks full reference details (title, date); ensure all citations include complete information to avoid ambiguity.