The
following is a guide to completing your GCSE Course Work. This section
applies to all 3 sciences. Keep reading over this and make sure you have
answered all the questions. Good luck, Oh, and STICK TO THE DEADLINES!!!!!
Safety
Look
carefully at your plan to see if it is safe. Look for things like:
- goggles, test tube racks and bench
mats in the apparatus list
- warnings about hazardous chemicals
(such as acids) in your method
- warnings about using equipment
safely, for example, remember to tuck in ties and tie hair back when
using a Bunsen burner
- you are going to use sensible
amounts and temperatures
Answer this question: Is your
plan safe?
The apparatus
OK
so far! You’ve got a safe plan. This gets you some evidence for 2 marks
out of 8 for planning. Now we need to see if you can select the
appropriate equipment. For example, you might have planned to:
- use a Bunsen burner to heat up a
liquid instead of breathing on it
- use a stopwatch instead of counting
one elephant ... two elephant ... three elephant ... etc.
Answer this question:
Have you chosen the right equipment for the job?
Fair testing
Good
so far! You’ve got a safe plan and you know which equipment to use.
This gives your teacher some evidence for 4 marks out of 8 for Planning.
To see if you will get these marks, we need to see if you have made your
method a fair test. To make it a fair test, you should only change
one variable. For example, you might have planned to:
- use the same volume of acid and the
same temperature of acid, and just change the metal tested
- use the same concentrations and
volumes of chemicals reacting together, and just vary the temperature
Answer this question: Is your
plan a fair test?
Prediction
Great!
You’ve got a safe plan. It’s a fair test and you know which apparatus
to use. To be sure of 4 marks out of 8, you should make a prediction of
what you think will happen. It’s always a good idea to think about what
might happen when you do your experiment. We’re not talking about
astrology here, though, because in science you need to think about why
you think something will happen.
Look
carefully at your plan to see if you have made a prediction.
Answer this question: Have
you made a prediction?
Prediction (again!)
Good
job! You’ve got a safe plan which is a fair test. You’ve chosen the
correct apparatus, and made a prediction. This gives your teacher evidence
for 4 marks out of 8 for Planning. To see if your plan is worth more, we
need to ask some more questions. We are going to ask you if you have used
scientific knowledge to explain your prediction. Look carefully at your
prediction. Look to see if you have:
- given a reason for your prediction
- backed up your reason with some
science that you have learnt (and the science is relevant to the
prediction)
Answer this question: Have
you used scientific knowledge to explain your prediction?
Fair testing again!
Great
so far! You’ve got a safe plan which is a fair test, and you’ve chosen
the correct apparatus. You’ve made a prediction and used scientific
knowledge to explain your prediction. This gives your teacher some
evidence for 6 marks out of 8 for Planning. To get further, you must
clearly state which variables you will keep the same to make it a fair
test, and which you will change. For example, you might have sentences
which begin:
- To make it a fair test, I will keep
the following variables the same: [list of variables] ...and ..
- I will change this variable:
[variable to change]
- I will observe/measure this
variable: [variable to observe/measure]
Answer this question: Have
you clearly stated the variables?
How many measurements?
Wow!
You’ve got a safe plan which is a fair test, and you’ve chosen the
correct apparatus. You’ve made a prediction and used scientific
knowledge to explain your prediction. The variables to be controlled or
varied are also clearly stated. This gives your teacher a lot of evidence
for 6 marks out of 8 for Planning. To grab 6 marks, you must also decide
on a suitable number and range of measurements to make. For example:
- you can always draw a straight line
on a graph between two points, so at least three readings are needed
- it is sensible to spread your
readings out a bit, e.g. it usually makes more sense to go for 20°C,
30°C and 40°C rather than 20°C, 21°C and 22°C
Answer this question: Have
you got a suitable range and number of measurements?
Prediction
Excellent!
You’ve got a safe plan which is a fair test, and you’ve chosen the
correct apparatus. You’ve made a prediction and used scientific
knowledge to explain your prediction. The variables to be controlled or
varied are clearly stated, and you have explained how many measurements
you will need to take. To see if your plan is worth more, we need to ask
some more questions.
We
are going to ask you if you have used detailed scientific knowledge
to explain your prediction. Look to see if you have put a lot of detail
into the reasons for your prediction. You might have:
- done some calculations to justify
your prediction (rates of reaction, heats of combustion, and so on)
- drawn a graph of what you expect
- drawn diagrams to make your reason
clear (these might show colliding particles in a rate of reaction
prediction, for example)
Answer this question: Have
you used detailed scientific knowledge?
Precise and reliable
evidence
Warp
speed! You’ve got a safe plan, made a prediction, and used detailed
scientific knowledge and understanding to explain it. Your plan is also a
fair test, and you’ve clearly stated the variables to be controlled or
varied. You have also chosen a suitable number and range of measurements.
To give your teacher still more evidence for 8 marks out of 8 for
Planning, you must explain how you will get precise and reliable evidence.
For example:
- it is usually a good idea to repeat
readings and/or experiments
- it is usually a good idea to choose
the most precise and accurate apparatus available to you
Answer this question: Are you
going to repeat where necessary?
Preliminary work and
secondary sources
Brilliant!
You’ve got it all ... except for the last bit. To get 8 marks in the
bag, you’ve got to use information from secondary sources or from
preliminary work. Watch out, though, the key word is use. It’s no
good just repeating what your Uncle Bob (a research chemist) has told you,
or ripping stuff off the Internet or a text book. If you don’t
understand it, don’t bother with it, because you have to show how
the information has helped you with your plan.
Alternatively,
you might have done some preliminary experiments to work out the best
conditions for your main experiments. Again, it’s no good just saying
you did a brilliant experiment, but Grannie washed the bit of paper with
the results on in your trouser pocket. You must write down what you did,
what you found, and what it means for your final plan.
Answer this question: Have
you used information from secondary sources or preliminary work?
Make
sure you have explained yourself clearly, and that your spelling,
punctuation and grammar are accurate. Ask your teacher if you are not
sure.
Good luck with the rest of
your investigation!
Using equipment safely
Your
teacher will watch you closely to see that you can work safely. If he or
she is not happy about your safety, you will not even get 2 marks. You may
even be told to stop. If you work in a pair or small group, make sure that
everyone has used the equipment at some stage so that everyone gets a
chance of at least 2 marks. Simple equipment includes measuring apparatus
like stopwatches and thermometers, and other equipment like Bunsen burners
and test tubes.
Think
back to your experiment and answer this question.
Answer this question: Did you
work safely?
Making observations or
measurements
Good
job! You worked safely. Your teacher will watch you closely to see that
you can make observations or measurements. For just 2 marks, you don’t
need to write them down, but you must make sure that your teacher has seen
you do something! So, if you work in a pair or small group, make sure that
everyone has used the equipment at some stage so that everyone gets a
chance of at least 2 marks.
Answer this question: Did you
make some observations or measurements?
Making observations or
measurements
Good
so far! You worked safely, and you made some observations or measurements.
This gives your teacher evidence for 2 marks out of 8 for Obtaining. To
get further, you must make enough of the correct
observations or measurements. Your teacher can help if you’re not sure
that you have made an adequate number of observations or measurements.
Look ahead to your Analysis – can you make a conclusion from your
results, or should you have taken more readings? Have you observed or
measured the right things?
Answer this question: Have
you made an adequate number of observations or measurements?
Making observations or
measurements
Good
so far! You worked safely, and you made some observations or measurements.
This gives your teacher evidence for 2 marks out of 8 for Obtaining. To
get further, you must record your observations or measurements. You could
make your records as a table, as a list, or a written description.
Answer this question: Have
you recorded your observations or measurements?
Accurate observations and
measurements
Great
so far! You worked safely, and you made enough observations or
measurements which you recorded. This gives your teacher evidence for 4
marks out of 8 for Obtaining. To get further, these observations or
measurements must be accurate, and you must have repeated any that needed
repeating.
Think
about what you have done so far:
- did you use the equipment carefully
and accurately?
- have you got enough results to make
a reasonable conclusion?
- have you varied the conditions
sensibly, or is it all a bit haphazard?
- if you plot a graph of your results
and get a point that looks out of place, have you repeated that
experiment?
- did you repeat any experiments that
went wrong?
This
is a lot to take in, but try to be critical of your handiwork.
Answer this question: Have
you made sufficient systematic observations and accurate measurements, and
repeated them when appropriate?
Clear and accurate records
Great
so far! You worked safely, and you made accurate observations or
measurements which you recorded, and repeated when necessary. This gives
your teacher some evidence for 6 marks out of 8 for Obtaining. To get
further, you must have recorded your observations or measurements clearly
and accurately.
This
is usually teacher-speak for tables. Think about what you have done
so far. In general, you should:
- record everything you did
- take accurate readings
- record your results in a neat and
clear table
- put the units of measurement in the
table headings only (not in the body of the table with your results)
This
is a lot to take in, but try to be critical of your handiwork.
Answer this question: Have
you recorded your observations and measurements clearly and accurately?
Clear and accurate records
Wow!
You worked safely, and you made plenty of accurate observations or
measurements which you recorded clearly. This gives your teacher evidence
for 6 marks out of 8 for Obtaining. To get further, your experiments must
have been carried out particularly well.
Take
a long hard look at what you have done. In general, you should:
- have used a lot of equipment
- have made a wide range of
measurements (e.g. temperature, time, volume, mass)
- used the equipment carefully
- recorded readings to the precision
of the apparatus (e.g. if the balance reads 121.1g this is what you
have recorded, not 121g)
- taken a lot of readings
- when the results are plotted on a
graph, they provide a clear picture with the results clustered close
to any trend line (i.e. reliable results)
This
is a lot to take in, but try to be critical of your handiwork. Your
teacher should be able to provide advice, too, as sometimes the
investigation itself was not demanding enough to get 8 marks.
Answer this question: Have
you met the syllabus requirements for 8 marks?
Simple explanation of your
results
Skill
A (Analysing) is often badly done. In a whole investigation, for example,
you might have spent a lot of time working on your Plan and getting
beautiful Results, but then you seem to run out of steam at the end. Watch
out – Skill A counts for as many marks as Skills P and O!
Look
at your analysis. Have you at least made a simple statement about what
your results show? A good way to set out your sentence is to write “ .....
happens because .....”.
The sort of thing you might write includes:
- magnesium was more reactive than
copper because it fizzed in acid but the copper did not
- the reaction went fastest with the
most concentrated acid because this one took the least time
Remember,
of course, that these are two very general examples: your statement
will have to fit the experiment you did and the results you got.
Answer this question: Have
you explained simply what you found out?
Diagrams, charts and graphs
Good
job! You’ve explained at least simply what you have found out. This
gives your teacher evidence for 2 marks out of 8 for Analysing. To get
higher marks, you need to show your findings in diagrams, charts or
graphs. This is an interesting one, because there are two main ways to
show you can do it.
- Look
back at your Results. If you have put your results in a neat table,
you will probably be able to answer yes to the question below.
- Look
at your Analysis. If you have put your results into a simple bar chart
or graph, you will probably be able to answer yes to the question
below.
Answer this question: Have
you shown your findings in a diagram, chart or graph?
Trends and patterns
Great
so far! You’ve explained at least simply what you have found out, and
you have shown your findings in diagrams, charts or graphs. This gives
your teacher some evidence for 4 marks out of 8 for Analysing. To be sure
of those 4 marks, you need to identify trends and patterns in your
findings. For
example:
- in an experiment where you react
different metals with acid, you might be able to put the metals into a
reactivity series based on how much fizzing went on
- in a rates of reaction experiment,
you might notice that the hotter the reaction mixture was, the faster
the reaction seemed to go
Remember,
these are just general examples. Don’t assume that just because you have
spotted something like this, it is dead obvious to everybody – write it
down!
Answer this question: Have
you identified trends and patterns in your findings?
Processing results for a
conclusion
Spot
on! You’ve explained at least simply what you have found out. You have
shown your findings in diagrams, charts or graphs, and you have identified
trends and patterns in your results. This gives your teacher evidence for
4 marks out of 8 for Analysing. To get higher marks, you need to be able
to process your results for a conclusion. You can do this in either of two
ways:
- Using
numerical methods. This sounds awful, but it really means doing some
maths on your results. This can include working out averages, changes
in temperature or mass, or more complex things like heats of
combustion.
- Drawing
graphs. You will have done this already to get this far in the Tune-up
Garage, but to get 6 marks your graph must have a line (or curve) of
best fit. And it really has to be a convincing one – no wobbly bits
or dodgy shading.
Answer this question: Have
you processed your results for a conclusion?
A conclusion with scientific
knowledge
Very
good! You’ve explained at least simply what you have found out. You have
processed your results for a conclusion and shown your findings in
diagrams, charts or graphs (with a line of best fit), and you have
identified trends and patterns in your results. This gives your teacher
some evidence for 6 marks out of 8 for Analysing. To be sure of 6 marks,
you need to be able to make a conclusion that fits your results, and you
have to back it up with scientific knowledge and understanding.
Look
carefully at your conclusion. Ask yourself the following things:
- Have
I made a conclusion?
- Does
my conclusion actually fit my results, even if it seems different from
what I predicted or expected?
- Have
I involved some scientific knowledge or understanding in my
conclusion?
For
example, you might have concluded that the reaction went fastest in warm
acid because the acid particles had more energy and so collided more often
with the metal particles. This is only an outline of what you might do, of
course, and it is sensible to ask your teacher if you are not certain.
Answer this question: Can you
answer yes to the three questions above?
A conclusion with detailed
scientific knowledge
Excellent!
You’ve explained at least simply what you have found out. You have
processed your results for a conclusion and shown your findings in
diagrams, charts or graphs (with a line of best fit), and you have
identified trends and patterns in your results. You have also made a
conclusion that fits your results, and you have backed it up with
scientific knowledge and understanding. This gives your teacher evidence
for 6 marks out of 8 for Analysing. To get more than 6 marks, you need to
be able to explain your conclusion using detailed scientific
knowledge and understanding. This is a tricky one, and it may be possible
that the investigation itself is not demanding enough to give you access
to 8 marks. However, you can get a fair idea by looking at how much
explanation you have given. A few lines will probably not be enough. It is
best to assume that the person reading your explanation is not exactly
thick, but they don’t know what it’s all about! It’s your job to
really get into the science of the thing and explain it in detail.
Answer this question: Have
you used detailed scientific knowledge in your explanation?
Your prediction revisited
Excellent!
You’ve explained at least simply what you have found out. You have
processed your results for a conclusion and shown your findings in
diagrams, charts or graphs (with a line of best fit), and you have
identified trends and patterns in your results. You have also made a
conclusion that fits your results, and you have explained it up with
detailed scientific knowledge and understanding. This gives your teacher
some evidence for 8 marks out of 8 for Analysing. To grab the 8 marks, you
need to be able to show how your results support or undermine your
prediction.
Answer this question: Did you
make a prediction?
Your prediction revisited
Excellent!
You’ve explained at least simply what you have found out. You have
processed your results for a conclusion and shown your findings in
diagrams, charts or graphs (with a line of best fit), and you have
identified trends and patterns in your results. You have also made a
conclusion that fits your results, and you have explained it up with
detailed scientific knowledge and understanding. This gives your teacher
some evidence for 8 marks out of 8 for Analysing. To grab the 8 marks, you
need to be able to show how your results support or undermine your
prediction. Look
carefully at your results tables, graphs and conclusions. Compare your
findings with your predictions made at the Planning stage:
- if your results match your
predictions, you should explain how they support your prediction
- if your results do not match
your predictions, you should explain how they undermine your
prediction
Answer this question: Have
you explained how your results support or undermine your prediction?
Look
carefully at your full report, check it for spelling, punctuation and
grammar. Ask someone else to read through it for you also. Perhaps someone
who has not done the experiment to see if it makes sense to them. After
all that - hand it in to your teacher. Good luck - although if you have
followed all this advice you wont really need luck!
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