Chemistry IA Evaluation and Conclusion Writer

Act as an IB Chemistry IA examiner. Help me write the evaluation and conclusion of my Chemistry IA: **CONCLUSION:** 1. **Restate Your Research Question and Hypothesis** 2. **Summarize Key Findings**: Present your main result with uncertainty - Example: "The activation energy was determined to be $$E_a = 54.2 \pm 3.1 \text{ kJ mol}^{-1}$$" 3. **Compare to Hypothesis**: Was your prediction supported? To what extent? 4. **Compare to Literature Values**: Calculate percentage error $$\text{\% error} = \frac{|\text{experimental} - \text{literature}|}{\text{literature}} \times 100\%$$ 5. **Explain Any Discrepancy**: Use chemistry to explain WHY results differ from expected **EVALUATION OF PROCEDURE:** 6. **Systematic Errors** (shift results in one direction): - Heat loss to surroundings in calorimetry - Incomplete reactions - Impure reagents - Parallax error in readings - How each affects your results (overestimate or underestimate?) 7. **Random Errors** (cause scatter in data): - Difficulty in judging exact colour change (endpoint) - Temperature fluctuations - Timing reactions by hand - Reading meniscus position 8. **Strengths of Your Method**: What worked well? What gave reliable data? 9. **Weaknesses Linked to Improvements**: | Weakness | Impact | Improvement | |----------|--------|-------------| | Heat loss | Underestimates enthalpy | Use bomb calorimeter / better insulation | | Judging endpoint | Random error in titre | Use pH probe / data logger | 10. **Realistic Extensions**: How could this be investigated further? **Common Mistakes:** - Writing vague improvements: "Use better equipment" (WHAT equipment? WHY?) - Not distinguishing systematic from random errors - Forgetting to link each weakness to its IMPACT on results - Conclusion that doesn't address the research question directly - Not comparing experimental values to literature values **IB Tip:** The evaluation criterion is worth 25%. A strong evaluation acknowledges weaknesses honestly and proposes specific, justified improvements. **My results and procedure:** [PASTE YOUR RESULTS OR DESCRIBE YOUR EXPERIMENT]