Environmental Systems and Societies Lab reports

I don't take ESS, but from reading the subject guide, its IA criteria sounds exactly the same as the other Group 4 subjects.

As far as I understand, there are 3 criteria that needs to be assessed on paper (Design, Data Collection/Processing and Conclusion/Evaluation). Each criterion must be assessed twice. There are many ways in which you can submit your work to satisfy these criteria.

The easiest way that most people do, is to submit 2 complete IAs, each with their own Design, DCP and CE. In this way, all 3 of those criteria are marked twice.

However, it is also possible to mix and match. You could submit 1 full IA with all three criteria, a second IA with just DCP and CE, and a third IA with just Design. So on and so forth.

The fact that your school does 16 labs (which I presume are complete IAs) sounds a bit extreme, and is certainly more than required.

Selection is only necessary if you do more than is required (e.g. completing each criterion more than 2 times). At the end of the day, all the IB wants is 2 Designs, 2 DCPs and 2 Conclusions/Evaluations. If you do more than is required, it is completely up to your teachers (and you) to select which ones to send away. These obviously should be the ones that you get the highest marks in.

The IB only selects which candidate's work in the cohort must be sent for moderation; they do not select which specific criterion or IA must be sent away.

Hope this helps