Introduction
Practical activities are integral to the revised science syllabuses. As well as reinforcing the
understanding of concepts, principles, laws, and theories the practical activities will support
the development of key skills in a variety of contexts. Scientific inquiry, interpretation of data
and use of evidence and argument in evaluating information are central to both the practical
activities and the theoretical concepts. The proposed second component of assessment will
assess students’ abilities to conduct first- hand investigations and communicate information
and understandings based on these investigations.
In doing so students will:

demonstrate practical competency by carrying out a range of experiments with varying
degrees of difficulty and collect and record observations and emerging data

analyse and evaluate first hand data and demonstrate knowledge and understanding
of the processes of scientific enquiry – noting that the assessment of these skills is
different to the assessment of practical competencies

communicate information and understandings based on first hand investigations
The proposed second assessment component
This proposal takes into account the need to strike an appropriate balance between the
assessment of practical skills and the assessment of the understanding of the processes of
scientific enquiry, whilst at the same time ensuring an acceptable level of validity and reliability.
The proposed second component is a 90 minute practical test comprising a series of short
tasks. The knowledge and theory of experimental skills are drawn from within the syllabus; the
contexts for the setting of questions are not bound by the syllabus content. Within unfamiliar
contexts, candidates are told exactly what to do and how to do it. Candidates are required to
follow instructions to collect data and make observations. They then use these data and
observations to analyse, evaluate and make deductions. Candidates record their data,
observations and deductions on a task sheet which is marked externally.
The tasks are designed in such a way that the data and observations are indicative of the
candidate’s performance. The correct processing of data subsequently can be inferred to
mean that the procedure (manipulation, observation, etc) has been carried out correctly. It is
not necessary to watch and award marks on a candidate’s ability to carry out a procedure;
such a mark would be subjective, reducing the reliability of the assessment. The invigilator is
a science teacher, but does not have a role in awarding marks.
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The short directed tasks are not designed to test a student’s ability to formulate hypotheses
or design investigations to test hypotheses. These and other higher order process skills can
be assessed very well in a written examination, (an example of how this is done in the U.K.
can be seen in appendix I) The tasks are designed to test a combination of practical
competence and an ability to collect, record and analyse emerging data and observations.
They provide an opportunity for students to use their practical skills in unknown contexts.
Students who have not developed and practiced science experimentation skills during the
course of their study will not be able to complete the assessment successfully.
An externally marked task sheet will ensure that students obtain the same marks for the same
behaviour or performance. Externally sourced equipment and chemicals (kits) will ensure that
each candidate has access to the same material. This will add to the reliability of the
assessment. Three examples of the assessments designed by the school network can be
found in appendix II
Does it do what we want it to do?
The science syllabuses have a common set of learning outcomes associated with scientific
methods.
Students should be able to:

apply their knowledge and understanding of science to develop arguments or draw
conclusions related to both familiar and unfamiliar situations

make judgments and draw informed conclusions pertaining to the reliability and validity
of data

use observations as the basis for formulating a hypothesis

identify variables and select appropriate controls

design, manage and carry out experimental and non-experimental investigations;
select appropriate measuring devices; use scales and units accurately, being aware of
limitations and errors

collect, organise, interpret, present and analyse primary and secondary data

describe relationships (qualitatively and/or quantitatively) between sets of data;
recognising the difference between causation and correlation
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As part of the work with schools, we defined the skills or behaviour that students should be
able to demonstrate to show that they had achieved the syllabus learning outcomes
associated with scientific methods. These were categorised under three broad headings.
A. Apparatus, collection of data and observations
1.
set up apparatus correctly, manipulate apparatus
2.
follow instructions accurately
3.
use apparatus to collect appropriate data or observations
4.
make measurements using common laboratory apparatus
5.
define a research question/ pose a problem statement
6.
make observations related to the research question
7.
offer a possible hypothesis supported by observation/data
B. Presentation of data and observations
1.
present data and observations in a table of results- including columns for raw
data, calculated values and analysis and/or conclusions
2.
use column headings that have both the quantity and the unit & that conform to
accepted scientific conventions
3.
chose a suitable and clear method of presenting data- e.g. tabulation, graph or
a mixture of presentation types
4.
select which variables to plot against which, and decide whether the graph
should be a straight line or a curve
5.
plot appropriate variables on clearly labeled x and y axes
6.
plot all points or bars to an appropriate accuracy
C. Analysis, conclusion and evaluation
1.
describe patterns and trends shown by tables and graphs
2.
describe and summarise the key points in a set of observations
3.
use a graph to find an unknown value by using coordinates or intercepts
4.
calculate other quantities from data
5.
determine the gradient of a straight line graph
6.
identify dependent and independent variable
7.
evaluate the effectiveness of control variables
8.
identify the most significant sources of error in any experiment
9.
show an understanding of the distinction of systematic errors and random
errors
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10.
draw conclusions from an experiment, giving outline description of the main
features of the data, considering whether experimental data supports a given
hypothesis , and making further predictions
11.
draw conclusions from interpretations of observations, data and calculated
values
12.
make scientific explanations of the data, observations and conclusions
13.
evaluate a hypotheses in light of experimental data, and offer an answer to the
research question/problem statement
14.
suggest modifications to an experimental arrangement that will improve the
accuracy of the experiment or the accuracy of the observations that can be
made
To illustrate the extent to which the proposed assessment aligns with the learning outcomes,
the identified skills and behaviour were mapped on to one assessment in each of physics
chemistry and biology. Each activity that students had to carry out was given an identifying
code based on the list above.
For example
Activity in the task
Code Behaviour
Identify the independent variables C.6
identify dependent and independent variable
and identify for each four factors
which were held constant
The assessments that were mapped can be found in appendixII. Keep in mind that the tasks
developed by the assessment network were designed to be carried out by students following
the current syllabuses, in which the practical activities are highly procedural and do not
incorporate the higher order skills of scientific inquiry of the revised syllabus. Even so, as the
charts below illustrate, there is a good spread of the identified skills and behaviour. The detail
of this can be found in appendix III. Examples of the same types of practical tasks that are
used for externally marked practical assessment examples in the U.K. can be found in
appendix I.
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Physics
Apparatus
collection of data
and observations
Presentation of
data and
observations
Ananlysis
conclusion and
evaluation
Biology
Apparatus
collection of data
and observations
Presentation of
data and
observations
Ananlysis
conclusion and
evaluation
Chemistry
Apparatus
collection of data
and observations
Presentation of
data and
observations
Ananlysis
conclusion and
evaluation
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Resources
The resource implications for this type of practical examination are significant, both in terms
of capacity and finance.
Equipment
Equipment, chemicals and solutions are required for each student for each examination.
Experience in other countries tells us that it is possible to assess a range of science process
skills using simple readily available equipment that can be replicated for each student. During
the work with the school network, individual, inexpensive kits were designed that contained
everything needed by each student to complete the given tasks successfully. Where kits were
provided, the teachers had no involvement in any way in setting up the laboratory or preparing
solutions and chemicals. On the day of the exam, students walked into an empty laboratory
where they were handed a sealed kit and task sheet. The kits served two purposes. Firstly,
teachers did not have to spend time making up chemicals and preparing equipment for each
student. This saved the teacher’s time and meant that they did not know what was needed to
complete the tasks. Secondly, it increased the system reliability as each kit was identical for
each student. A scientific supply company tested the designed kits to ensure that they worked,
and that they produced clear results and data consistent with the task sheets. They then
produced multiples of identical kits.
A biology kit
A chemistry kit
A sealed kit
Laboratory space
The optimal number of candidates per laboratory is 12-15. The examination of each of the
subjects could be held on the same day nationally i.e. all the chemistry exams on one day, all
the biology exams on another day and all the physics exams on another day. Depending on
the size and suitability, more than one laboratory may be needed for each examination. This
would be most likely to arise in biology where the numbers are high. In 2010 29,249 students
sat LC Biology. That number of students would require an average of 3.5 Laboratories per
school to run the assessment simultaneously. Because of the nature of the tasks, and the use
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of basic equipment, it will not matter what subject the laboratory is specifically designed for.
For example, a biology, a physics and a chemistry laboratory in the same school could all be
used simultaneously for a chemistry practical examination. In the U.K. schools are given the
option to run a morning and an afternoon session of the same examination.
Conclusion
At the end of their course of studies, students should be able to demonstrate a comprehensive
range of manipulative techniques in experimental activities. They should be able to show that
they can make and record observations and measurements with accuracy and precision. They
should be able to recognise and describe trends and patterns in data and use their scientific
knowledge and understanding to account for inconsistencies and anomalies. They should be
able to accurately manipulate, interpret and analyse experimentally derived data and use
theoretical concepts to interpret first hand experimental evidence. A combination of questions
in the written paper based on the higher order reasoning of scientific inquiry and a practically
based second component assessment as described above will give students the opportunity
to demonstrate the extent to which they are able to do all of the above.
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