IB Geography • Internal Assessment
A practical sequence for turning a geographic question into ethical, reliable primary information. The original AdornGeo questionnaire resources and Ko Samet preparation are restored within the lesson rather than left as a list of links.
Original AdornGeo headings and resources restored • expanded as a field-ready student sequence • legacy address preserved
Primary information must come from the student's own observations and measurements collected in the field. It should form the basis of the investigation, and the type of qualitative and quantitative information collected must be determined by the fieldwork question.
Do not begin by collecting every familiar method. Underline the place, the process or pattern and the relationship in the question. Every observation, measurement and survey item should then have a clear job.
Use a small, complementary set of qualitative and quantitative techniques. Each must produce evidence that can be presented, analysed and linked directly to the fieldwork question.
Measures: A scored judgement of litter, noise, congestion, vegetation, beach condition or built quality.
Improve reliability: Define every score before fieldwork, use the same scale at every site and have more than one observer score a trial location.
Produces: Ordinal scores, annotated photographs and field notes
Measures: The intensity and rhythm of movement through a place.
Improve reliability: Use the same counting interval, categories and position; repeat at comparable times and record unusual conditions.
Produces: Frequency totals, proportional symbols and flow maps
Measures: People's behaviour, perceptions, origins and views of tourism impacts.
Improve reliability: Avoid leading or double questions, offer balanced choices, pilot first and use an ethical sampling plan.
Produces: Categorical, ranked and short qualitative responses
Measures: The spatial pattern of accommodation, food, transport, recreation and other functions.
Improve reliability: Create mutually exclusive categories, agree boundary rules and record the survey date because land use changes.
Produces: Base maps, choropleths, located symbols and transects
Measures: Changes in width, slope, sediment or another physical characteristic.
Improve reliability: Calibrate equipment, repeat measurements, use a consistent line and note tide, weather and recent management.
Produces: Continuous measurements, profiles, scattergraphs and statistics
Measures: Visible conditions and contrasts that support, challenge or explain numerical findings.
Improve reliability: Photograph from a fixed direction and height, log location and time, and use an agreed shot list rather than selecting only dramatic scenes.
Produces: Numbered, located and purposefully annotated photographs
Pilot questionnaires before fieldwork. Questions should be clear, neutral, answerable and useful for the investigation.
Sampling determines what the investigation can honestly claim. State the population or area being sampled, the strategy, the sample size and the reason for each choice.
| Strategy | How it works | Strength | Limitation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Systematic | Collect at a fixed interval along a beach, road or transect. | Clear spatial coverage and easy replication. | May miss important contrasts between the intervals. |
| Stratified | Select sites from distinct beach, land-use or tourism-intensity groups. | Ensures contrasting parts of the study area are represented. | The strata must be justified before results are known. |
| Random | Use random numbers or coordinates to choose sites or respondents. | Reduces researcher choice and selection bias. | Some locations may be inaccessible or poorly distributed. |
| Opportunistic | Survey available people or accessible places. | Practical when time, safety or access is constrained. | Often produces a biased and unrepresentative sample. |
The NIST Geography IA used Ko Samet as its field location. Maps, Street View and Earth imagery help students identify likely contrasts, access constraints and possible sampling routes before collecting data.