The Official Guidance on the IB Physics IA Word Count

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Hi Reader

Your Physics IA has a 3,000 word limit - but don't worry, let me be very specific about where these words count.

Title Page

Do not include a title page or contents table. Your report should start with these three bullet points:

1. Title of the investigation
2. IB candidate code (or all group members' codes, if applicable)
3. Number of words in your report (yes, the word count must be clearly stated right at the start!)

Word Count

When you are giving your final word count - not ALL the words are counted.

What’s not included in the word count:

• Charts and diagrams
• Data tables
• Equations, formulas, and calculations
• Citations and references (whether parenthetical, footnotes, or endnotes)
• Bibliography and headers

Number of Pages

Don’t stress about the page count!

If your report runs over 13 or 14 pages, it’s OK! Focus on clarity and precision rather than sticking to an arbitrary number of pages. It’s about making your points clear and concise.

💡 Pro Tip

A solid introduction can be done in just 250-300 words - no need to overcomplicate things!

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