IB Sport Science

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IBDP Sport Science

Should I study IB Sports Science?

IB Sports Science is a course that lies within the Sciences offered at Higher Level (HL) and Standard Level (SL). The course incorporates a lot of disciplines from other subjects such as Biology, Chemistry, Physics, Psychology, and Statistics. The exam format for this course is similar to other science-based subjects. In particular, the exam format is quite similar to the IB Biology papers. Paper 1 will be a multiple-choice paper; Paper 2 will be split into sections A and B. Section A will be data-based and include short answer questions. Section B will be an extended response. It is highly recommended that students interested in various sports and biology concepts take IB Sports Science. Paper 3 is an optional paper.

How to get a 7 in IB Sports Science ?

If students have previous experiences in any of the subjects above, this may benefit their learning in the IB Sports Science course. Over 40% of the course content is related to the IB Biology syllabus (e.g., anatomy, nutrition, energy systems and 20% of the course content relates to the IB Physics syllabus (e.g., mechanics, forces, energy, motion). Around 10% of the course content is related to Psychology. Five percent of the course content relates to the IB Chemistry syllabus (e.g., structure and bondings of biomolecules). Lastly, 5% of the course content will also be related to statistics. The remaining twenty percent of the course content is unique to sports and exercise.

In order to attain a 7, students must not only have significant knowledge on one type of sport. Section B of paper 2 is a written extended response that requires students to apply theories and skills to different sports-related examples. Therefore, it is recommended that students learn not just the names of different types of sports and also the details of the sports.

CANA’s support in IB Sport Science

In our lessons and courses, we introduce students to the fundamental concepts of IB Sport Science and highlight topics the examiner frequently likes to test. We also explain how to analyse tables and graphs for data-based questions and provide our students with intensive materials to help them learn and memorise concepts in an efficient way. Last but not least, our teachers can understand how to use sport examples in demonstration and integrate these scenes in exam-style questions.

We also provide internal assessment coaching for students who struggle with IA in Sport Science. Our experienced IB Sport Science teachers not only guide the students through the planning stages but also recommend the best way to perform these experiments. We will teach you how to process and present the data and evaluate the investigation based on the hypothesis proposed to ensure you excel in your Sport Science IA!*

*We recommend that you send us your Exploration topic or contact us to brainstorm together before the class, so we can gather relevant materials for the lesson.

IB Sports Science is an interdisciplinary subject. Although there are parts that are specifically about sports, much of the subject’s content actually overlaps with Biology, Chemistry, Physics, and involves some Statistics and Psychology, too.

About 40% of the content studied in IB Sports Science will overlap with Biology. You will learn lots about anatomy, including the skeletal, muscular, immune, nervous, endocrine, ventilation, cardiovascular, genetics and skin integumentary systems. IB Sports Science will also cover nutrition and the roles of different biomolecules, such as carbohydrates, lipids, and proteins. You will learn about energy systems and how the body generates energy through respiration.

About 20% will overlap with Physics. You will learn about mechanics as they relate to Biology, e.g. force, energy, motion, and Newton’s law. IB Sports Science also focuses on all types of motion - linear, circular, projectile, and fluid mechanics. This will be related to lever systems and centre of mass, which are important when considering movement. Moreover, you will learn to understand distance-time graphs, acceleration-time graphs, and velocity-time graphs, and know how to convert one into another.

About 10% of the content is related to Psychology, because sports science often involves studying the psychologies of coaches and their athletes.

About 5% of the content studied in IB Sports Science will overlap with Chemistry. The most relevant similarity is the syllabus content on biomolecular structure and bonds. You will also need to know the characteristics or features of carbohydrates, lipids, and proteins in more depth. About 5% will overlap with Statistics, because your analysis of experiments will involve data gathering and processing.

Only the remaining 20% of study material will be truly unique to Sports Science. If you already have an interest in sports and completed IGCSEs on related science subjects, Sports Science may be a great choice for you.

Additionally, the exam format for IB Sports Science is very similar to the other sciences. There are 3 papers - Papers 1 and 2 will assess Core and AHL topics. Paper 1 only involves multiple choice questions. Paper 2 is split into sections A and B - Section A involves database and short answer questions, whereas Section B will involve extended response questions. Paper 3 is Options, similar to Biology, Chemistry and Physics, though it requires students to pick 2 options among the choices.

Considering the amount of overlap, it may seem logical to take Sports Science if you like science and psychology. But beyond an interest in science, you should of course have an interest in sports. To do well in Sports Science, you should learn about all different kinds of sports to ensure you have a varied range of examples to write about in exams. Don’t just focus on popular sports like football and basketball. Take an interest in the details of different sports such as curling, figure skating, water polo etc. and familiarise yourself with the rules of the game, the roles on the team, the physical demands, etc. In the extended response questions, examiners will require you to give several examples in which you can apply theory to the real world.

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