Transcript Science AQA ISA Prep - The Sholing Technology College

AQA ISA
A quick guide to success
Sections – click to jump
straight there
Paper 1
Paper 2
Keywords
Paper 1
Always questions
Sometimes questions
Always in paper 1
Identify 2 sources that you used for your
research.
You need to write urls for web-based resources
of book title + author for paper based.
You must have this information written on your
candidate sheet
1 mark gained
Always in paper 1
Compare the usefulness of the two sources
You need to write about both sources. Which
was the best? Why?
You must have planned your answer – you
know that this question is coming!
2 marks gained
Always in paper 1
(additional/triple)
What was your hypothesis?
Explain why you made this hypothesis.
Write your hypothesis e.g. the higher the…, the higher the…
Explain why you thought this would happen – e.g. my textbook says
that…
And this happens because…
You must have planned your answer – you know that this question
is coming!
2 marks gained
Always in paper 1
From the research that you have done, describe in detail
how you are going to do your investigation.
This section is worth 9 marks! You must practise your
answer! Make sure that you have enough notes on your
candidate sheet to answer it fully.
Write it in the sections described in the question. Give
each section a subheading.
More on the next 5 slides
Always in paper 1
The equipment that you plan to use
No reason to struggle here – should all be on your planning
sheet. Check that you have not missed anything out.
A bullet pointed list is fine
More on the next 4 slides
Always in paper 1
How you will use the equipment
This means a method of how you will carry out your
practical, not a list of what each piece of equipment is for.
You should have enough information on your student
planning sheet to be able to write a step by step
method
More on the next 3 slides
Always in paper 1
The measurements that you are going to make
What are you going to record in your results table? These
will include the measurements that you are making in your
experiment – be clear on what you are doing. E.g. in my
experiment I am changing… (independent variable) and will
record …. (dependent variable)
You should have this information on your student
planning sheet!
More on the next 2 slides
Always in paper 1
How you will make the investigation a fair test
What are you going to keep the same in your experiment
(control variables) ?
I will make my experiment a fair test by…
You should have this information on your student
planning sheet!
More on the next slide
Always in paper 1
A risk assessment
How are you going to make the experiment as safe as
possible?
What are the hazards in the experiment? E.g. Bunsen flame
What are the risks caused by the hazards? E.g. burns
What are you going to do to minimise risk? E.g. tie hair up
You should have this information on your student
planning sheet!
Watch your spelling and grammar 9 marks gained
Always in paper 1
Make sure that you hand in a blank table of results
You must have clear headings
You must have your independent and dependent variable
You must include units (e.g. temperature would be in 0C,
time might be in seconds)
This is done before the exam – no excuses not to get it
right
2 marks gained
Always in paper 1
14 marks!!!!!
You can do really well in paper 1 if you get prepared. Make
sure that you can score as many marks as possible in the
questions that are on every ISA.
14 marks on the whole paper would put you on target
for a B grade
Sometimes in paper 1 – they seem
to be on a rotation!
Which measurement will be the most difficult to measure
in your experiment and why?
What will be difficult to measure accurately? Why might
you not be able to do this as well as you would like?
Think about this as part of your method planning. We
often have limitations because of the equipment we use.
2 marks gained – more on next slide!
Sometimes in paper 1 – they seem
to be on a rotation!
Suggest what you could do to reduce the effect of any
errors in this experiment?
This means how could you measure it more accurately? This
does not mean “I could be more careful” – it is about
changing your experiment somehow.
You could suggest using equipment even if the college
doesn’t have it! E.g. I could record the bounce of a ball
with a video camera, so I could use the slo-mo to judge
height better.
1 mark gained
Sometimes in paper 1 – they seem
to be on a rotation!
Why are repeats a good idea? What should you do with
repeats to obtain a more accurate answer?
Check how precise the results are/spot anomalous results
Calculate a mean
By discarding anomalous results
Adding up repeats and dividing by number of results
1 mark gained
Sometimes in paper 1 – they seem
to be on a rotation!
What values do you plan to use?
e.g. what actual temperatures, concentrations will you test?
What is the smallest interval in your values?
Difference between your values
Why did you choose these values for your range and
interval?
Range + interval should be enough to see a big enough to
see a difference in the results, but still practical to do in a
lab.
1 mark gained
Sometimes in paper 1 – they seem
to be on a rotation!
Name one variable you would need to control.
Something that you kept the same to make it fair
Describe a preliminary investigation to help you find a
suitable value for your control variable.
– carry out your experiment but with different values of
the control variable and the highest + lowest values of your
independent variable.
How will the results of this preliminary investigation help
you to decide the best value to use?
Looking for value of control variable that give the best
difference in the preliminary test
3 marks
Sometimes in paper 1 – they seem
to be on a rotation!
Explain the advantages of comparing your results with
those of other groups.
Check if other groups get the same pattern
Check if it is reproducible
Can be more/less confident that the hypothesis is correct
3 marks
Sometimes in paper 1 – they seem
to be on a rotation!
What was your hypothesis?
What results would you expect if your hypothesis is
correct?
The bigger the …, the bigger/smaller the…
3 marks
Sometimes in paper 1 – they seem
to be on a rotation!
What is the resolution of one measurement you are taking?
When I measured the…
I could only measure to the nearest…
3 marks
Paper 2
Always questions
Sometimes questions
Always in paper 2
Hand in your charts or graphs. You will be awarded up to 4
marks for your chart or graph.
A graph of your results:
• Clearly labelled axis
• Suitable scale
• Plotted correctly
• Line of best fit
You should get full marks on this. Draw a practice graph
first, before completing your real graph under high
control.
4 marks gained
Always in paper 2
What were the variables in the experiment you did?
Independent variable – what did you change?
Dependent variable – what did you measure?
Control variable – what did you keep the same?
You should get full marks on this. Make sure you know
the answers for your experiment!
3 marks gained
Always in paper 2
Do your results support the hypothesis that you
investigated? You should use any pattern that you see in
your results to support your answer. You should include
examples from your results.
• Start with “The results did/did not support the
hypothesis”
• Because the trend of the graph is… or there is no
pattern in the results
• Quote some of your data – e.g. at 20oC… but at
60oC…
You must include all 3 points to get full marks
3 marks gained
Always in paper 2
Draw a sketch graph of the results from Case study 1
• Label the axis
• Draw the shape of the graph
• just the shape – no numbers needed – does it go up or
down? Straight line (linear) or a curve (non-linear)?
You will get nothing if you don’t label the axis!
2 marks gained
Always in paper 2
Draw a sketch graph of the results from Case study 1
• Try these for practice
Light intensity
(lumens)
Amount Oxygen
produced by plant per
hour (ml)
100
10
200
18
300
25
400
28
500
29
Mass added (g)
Extension of spring
(cm)
100
2
200
4
300
6.5
400
8
500
10
Always in paper 2
Draw a sketch graph of the results from Case study 1
• Try these for practice
Temperature (oC)
Time taken for reaction
(s)
Number of
people in house
Time a toilet roll lasts
(days)
20
120
1
10
40
80
2
8
60
60
3
6
80
50
4
4
100
45
5
2
Always in paper 2
Explain whether or not the results in Case studies 1, 2 and 3 support the
hypothesis. To gain full marks, your explanation should include appropriate
examples from the results in Case studies 1, 2 and 3.
•
•
•
•
Write about each case study separately. Include example data to support
your ideas. E.g. case study 1 supports the hypothesis because the higher
the temperature, the higher the bounce. It bounced 50cm at 60oC, but
only 20 at 25oC.
Look carefully at the results – mention any anomalous results! Check that
the experiment is valid – i.e. are they changing the right variable?
Have they calculated the mean correctly – discard anomalous results and
record the mean to the same level of accuracy as the results
Linear or non-linear?
You won’t know what the Case studies are, but you should make sure
that you know what to do!
3 marks gained
Always in paper 2
Hypothesis: Paint dries faster at higher temperatures
• Try these for practice
Case study A
Case study B
Case study C
mean
Paint
Drying time
(min)
8
8
A
220
7
7
7.3
B
180
6
4
5
5
C
160
40
4
3
3
3.3
D
18
50
2
1
2
1.6
E
64
Temperature
(oC)
Drying time
(min)
Temp.
(oC)
Drying time
(hours)
20
120
10
10
9
40
100
20
8
60
58
30
80
60
100
40
Always in paper 2
A question about case study 4.
• You are given a statement.
• You need to use the data for case study 4 to answer the
question.
• Check – does the data support the statement? Or not?
Explain your answer carefully, quoting data to support
your argument.
You won’t know what the statement or data will be, but
apply your skills and don’t panic!
3 marks gained
Always in paper 2
How could the results from your investigation be useful in
the context you have researched? (use your candidate
research notes)
• What was your context?
• How could you apply what you have found out to this
situation?
• Include enough detail!
Prepare your answer – you know this question is coming!
3 marks gained
Always in paper 2
Up to 26 marks!!!!!
You can do really well in paper 2 if you get prepared. Make
sure that you can score as many marks as possible in the
questions that are on every ISA.
26 marks on the whole paper would put you on target
for an A* grade
Sometimes in paper 2
Most investigations contain uncertainties. Suggest
one cause of uncertainty in your experiment. How
could you reduce the size of this uncertainty if you
were to repeat the experiment?
• Think about what you couldn’t control fully or
measure carefully enough
• How could you improve the method next time?
Plan for this question!
3 marks gained
Sometimes in paper 2
Did you repeat any of the trials in your experiment.
Explain why you did or did not repeat your trials.
Include examples from your results.
• If yes – to check repeatability, show with
examples how repeatable experiment was
• If no, then say why e.g. lack of time or all points
close to line of best fit
Plan for this question!
3 marks gained
Sometimes in paper 2
Explain how you would use repeated readings to get
more accurate results
• Calculate the mean
• By discarding anomalous results
• Add together repeated readings and divide by
number of results
Last bullet point often gets missed
3 marks gained
Sometimes in paper 2
You have been given results from other people. Do
these other results show the investigation to be
reproducible?
• Show that you know what reproducable means!
• Yes – similar trend in results or no, different
trend
• Quote data from their results and yours
Prepare for this question! Do you have an
answer?
3 marks gained
Sometimes in paper 2
You have been given results from other people. Do
these other results show the investigation to be
reproducible?
• Show that you know what reproducable means!
• Yes – similar trend in results or no, different
trend
• Quote data from their results and yours
Prepare for this question! Do you have an
answer?
3 marks gained
Sometimes in paper 2
Did you get any anomalous results?
• Show that you know what anomalous means!
• Yes – not close to line of best fit or a very
different repeated value
• No – all repeats similar or close to line of best fit
Prepare for this question! Do you have an
answer?
3 marks gained
Sometimes in paper 2
What was the range of the independent variable?
Was this a suitable range?
• From… to…
• Yes – obvious difference between lowest and
highest values or no, difference too small
• Quote from your data!
Prepare for this question! Do you have an
answer?
3 marks gained
Sometimes in paper 2
Other people trying to repeat your investigation
might get results that are different to yours.
Suggest one reason and explain why they would get
different results.
• What might they have done that was different?
• How would their results be different as a result
Prepare for this question! Do you have an
answer?
3 marks gained
Sometimes in paper 2
If you were to repeat your investigation would you
make any changes to your method?
• No – results had clear trend, data repeatable,
test was fair.
• Yes – how would you improve it? E.g. repeat data,
larger range, change to practical
Prepare for this question! Do you have an
answer?
3 marks gained
Sometimes in paper 2
What was the resolution of one piece of
equipment that you used to make a
measurement in your experiment? Do you
think that this resolution was appropriate?
• Resolution : measured to the nearest…
• No – results not clearly different, may
overlap
• Yes – clear trend in results, don’t overlap
Prepare for this question! Do you have an
answer?
3 marks gained
Keywords
Key word
Hypothesis
What does it mean?
A statement that can be tested
Accurate
The more accurate a result is, the closer to the correct answer it is
Precise
When you get almost the same answer again and again. The answer
may be accurate or not
Repeatable
Reproducible
When you do an experiment again and get similar results
When the experiment is done again using different equipment or
methods, or done by another person and you get similar results
Keywords
Key word
Objectivity
Variable
What does it mean?
A experiment is objective when the people doing it are not trying to get a certain result
Things that can change in an experiment
Independent
variable
The thing that you change in an experiment
Dependent
variable
The result that you measure in an experiment
Control variable
Something that you keep the same to make sure that your experiment is fair
Keywords
Key word
What does it mean?
Categoric
variables
Continuous
variables
These kinds of variables are best described by labels, e.g. eye colour, where each
eye colour is one category
These kinds of variables are best described using numbers, e.g. number of pupils
in each classroom.
Resolution
How accurate you can measure with a piece of equipment
i.e. Measuring to the nearest…
Range
The highest and lowest values you test
Values
What actual measurements you test
e.g. 10oC, 20oC etc.