1. Science Coursework - ISAs

2. Wednesday, April 12, 2017
ISA
Your teacher will suggest as method for the investigation as you will not be assessed on this
Then you will be assessed on: -
Drawing a results table
Carrying out the experiment
Drawing a graph
Completing the final exam section 1 related to your experiment, section 2 related to the area of science

3. Table Try to make it easy to read
Have clear titles for your rows and columns
Include units in the titles
Allow enough columns to collect repeats and work out an average

4. Practical Skills Assessment
2 Marks
Work safely but with some assistance
Sometimes works in a disorderly manner
4 Marks
Works safely and organised
Uses apparatus skilfully without assistance
6 Marks
Demonstrate competence with range of equipment
Measurements are to an appropriate degree of accuracy
Data collected carefully as you complete the work

5. Graphing Use as much of the piece of graph paper as you can
Carefully label the axis using an appropriate scale (starting at 0)
Give the graph a sensible title
Carefully plot points
Draw a line of best fit (which may be curved) (Note: do not join up the dots!)
If you are drawing a bar chart: remember the key and make sure the bars are even sizes
And lastly remember a ruler and pencil

6. Exam What your aim was What you measured What you changed
The Independent and dependent variables
The control variables (key variables)
How it was reliable
How it was precise
How it was accurate
What your results show and why they show this
What the control was and why it was used
What type of data was collected and why it was this type
What the anomalies were and why they occurred
What type of errors occurred (random, systematic)
How you could improve the investigation
Was it a valid experiment

7. Keywords (AQA Glossary)
categoric
ethical
accuracy
link
ordered
zero error
bias
fair test
anomalous
conclusion
control variable
data
control group
sensitivity
calibration
continuous
bar chart
independent
dependent
linear
mean
systematic error
line of best fit
scattergram
hypothesis
random change
precision
discrete
random error
evidence
casual link
validity
directly proportional

8. Keywords Reliability – the trustworthiness of data collected
Precision – where repeat results are close together (related to the smallest scale division on the measuring instrument used)
Accuracy – how close to the true value you are
Categoric data – non-numerical data (e.g. Magnesium; Copper; Oxygen)
Ordered data – data which can be ordered (e.g. small, large, huge lumps of rock)
Discrete data – numerical but are only whole numbers
Continuous data – any numerical value
Systematic error – data is inaccurate in a constant way (e.g. all results are 10mm less than they should be (indicates method inaccuracies))

9. Keywords
Validity – evidence which can be reproduced by others and answers the original postulation
Bias – influence placed on scientific evidence due to wanting to prove your own ideas; supporting your financer; political influence etc…
Data – measurements or observations of a variable
Bar chart – used when independent variable is categoric and the dependent variable is continuous
Mean – addition of measurements and division by number of measurements taken
Scattergram – used to see how variables relate to each other (e.g. people’s age and size)
Linear – straight line graphs that can be positive or negative

10. Keywords
Evidence – scientific evidence should be reliable and valid (could be an observation a measurement etc…)
Anomalous – measurement which is well away from the pattern shown by other results
Control group – often used when there are large numbers of control variables which cannot be kept constant (e.g. drug testing on people – ½ will receive drug, other ½ will not (placebo))
Independent – variable you have decided to change
Dependent – variable measuring as a results of changing the independent variable
Hypothesis – theory used to suggest explanations for observations

11. Keywords
Conclusion – consideration of the results stating how they matched the hypothesis (it must not go beyond the data collected)
Casual link – one change in a variable has caused a change in another variable
Zero error – a systematic error having an incorrect zero (e.g. forgetting that the end of the ruler is not at zero)
Control variable – these may affect your results so must be kept constant
Line of best fit – shows underlying relationships between the independent and dependent variables (it should fit the pattern in the results)
Random change – changes which cannot be predicted

12. Keywords
Random error – measurements when repeated are rarely exactly the same (probably due to human error)
Directly proportional – graph will show this is the line is straight (and through the origin)
Ethical – whether it is right or wrong to do something
Link – due to association when two variables change together but they are both linked to a third variable (lack of CO2 and poor growth may be due to too much water in soil); and due to chance when there is no scientific link between two variables (number of pirates and size of prized cucumber in county shows)
Fair test – only the independent variable is affecting the dependent
Sensitivity – smallest change an instrument can measure