Assessment of Practical work
at GCSE
AQA in action
Kris Stutchbury
k.stutchbury@open.ac.uk
Background
• Millar – York
• Gott – Durham
21st Century Science
Gateway
AQA
Edexcel
• Practical data
analysis
• Case study/science in
the news
• Investigation
• Practical skills
assessment
• Exam –board set
tasks
• Investigation
(Edexcel)
Kris Stutchbury
k.stutchbury@open.ac.uk
Rationale
• What do we want to
assess?
• How can we keep it
simple/fair/reliable?
- procedural
understanding
- tasks set by the
exam board
- practical skills
- short tasks that
support teaching and
learning in science
Kris Stutchbury
k.stutchbury@open.ac.uk
Procedural Understanding
• The ‘thinking behind the doing’
What question am I asking and how can I answer it?
What do I need to measure? How precise do I need
to be?
How many measurements do I need to make?
How can I ensure they are reliable and accurate? Is
the equipment precise enough? What is the most
valid way to analyse the data?
What conclusions can I draw? Are they valid? Are
they reliable? How sure am?
Kris Stutchbury
k.stutchbury@open.ac.uk
Investigative Skills Assignment
(ISA)
• Assesses AO3 and some of AO2 (QCA,
2005)
• Experiment done in class
• Written test set by the exam-board – 45
mins
• Section A based on their experiment
• Section B based on a related experiment.
Alternative data is presented.
Kris Stutchbury
k.stutchbury@open.ac.uk
ISA
• Marked out of 34
• One ISA submitted – do more than one
and take the best result
• Dual Award – use one from Physics,
Chemistry or Biology
• Done as part of normal teaching
• Progressive
Kris Stutchbury
k.stutchbury@open.ac.uk
Example ISAs
• Effect of acid rain on seed germination and
growth
• Effort of human activity on distribution of
organisms
• Testing the viscosity of different oils
• Finding the degree of unsaturation in food oils
• Investigating the rate of loss of heat from various
containers
• Investigating the effect of surface area on the pd
from solar cells.
Kris Stutchbury
k.stutchbury@open.ac.uk
Example ISAs
•
•
•
•
•
Rate of photosynthesis and light intensity
Investigating the best conditions for a compost heap.
Effect of temperature on enzyme activity
Factors affecting the rate of reaction
Displacement reactions – investigating the effect of the
mass or concentration on the temperature rise.
• Measuring the terminal velocity of different parachutes
• Investigating changes in resistance
Kris Stutchbury
k.stutchbury@open.ac.uk
Practical Skills Assessment(PSA)
• Mark out of 6
• Based on ability to carry out simple
procedures accurately and safely.
Kris Stutchbury
k.stutchbury@open.ac.uk
Moderation
•
•
•
•
Cascade system
Internal system varies according to school
Each mark the work of their students
Heads of department mark samples from
each teacher
• Head of Science marks samples from
each department
Kris Stutchbury
k.stutchbury@open.ac.uk
Progress?
• Definitely simpler to administer
• Good discriminator and therefore fairer
• Good use of time as the preparation for
the ISAs is relevant to the exam.
• Driving HSW in the curriculum
• Implications for teachers’ subject
knowledge
Kris Stutchbury
k.stutchbury@open.ac.uk
Issues for the future
• Opportunities for formative feedback are
missed
• Security
• Inclusion – levels of reading required?
• What will the long term effects be? Will it
promote thinking or will students learn the
answers?
Kris Stutchbury
k.stutchbury@open.ac.uk
References
• Roberts, R. and Gott, R. (2006) The role of evidence in
the new KS4 National Curriculum for England and the
AQA Specifications SSR, 87 (321) p29-39
• QCA (2005) Criteria for Science Downloaded on
11/11/09
http://www.ofqual.gov.uk/files/11881_gcse_science_criter
ia_apr05.pdf
Kris Stutchbury
k.stutchbury@open.ac.uk