In physics, Criterion B is about planning a test that is fair, measurable and safe. A strong plan reads like instructions a classmate could follow and get comparable results.
You say what is being tested and why, using the science behind it.
Your prediction names the variables and is explained with scientific reasoning.
You say how each variable is changed, measured or controlled, and how data will be gathered.
A logical, safe, complete method that someone else could follow and repeat.
A little of the criterion is addressed. Ideas are basic, partly missing, or not linked to the task.
The main points are there but thin. Some explanations are correct; links to the task or evidence are incomplete.
Mostly accurate, well explained and consistently tied to the task, with only small gaps.
Detailed, precise and justified throughout, with ideas connected and applied to new situations or evidence.
A plain-language guide only. Your teacher marks against the official IB level descriptors.
Write a hypothesis for an investigation into how ramp angle affects a trolley’s speed.
The steeper the ramp, the faster the trolley will go.
If the ramp angle is increased from 10° to 40° in steps of 10°, the trolley’s average speed over a fixed 0.80 m will increase, because a larger component of its weight acts down the slope (mg sin θ), giving a larger acceleration.
Criterion B is Inquiring and designing. It is marked out of 8 across 4 strands (B.i, B.ii, B.iii, B.iv). In physics, Criterion B is about planning a test that is fair, measurable and safe. A strong plan reads like instructions a classmate could follow and get comparable results.
Write a question that names the independent and dependent variables and the unit you will measure. Give the hypothesis as If..., then..., because..., and make the because a physics reason. List every controlled variable and say how you will keep it constant, not just that you will.
A hypothesis with no scientific reason behind it. Writing keep everything else the same with no list of what that means. A dependent variable that cannot actually be measured with the equipment named.
Written by CritABCD for study and revision, in our own words. The official MYP Physics guide and assessment criteria are published by the International Baccalaureate. Official IB guide ↗