Science resources

Task: Answer three questions. Assessment focus: condensation.

The resource consists of two multiple-choice questions about solubility and saturated solutions.

Students first do the science activity Throwing Balloons 2 (PW2548) where they predict, observe, and explain what will happen when a balloon containing another balloon filled with water is thrown. Then the students do this writing task where they describe the balloon and what happened when it was thrown, and explain why they think it moved the way it did. Six annotated exemplars of student scripts (writing) are included under the "Working with Students" tab.

Task: name the parts of a flower and describe methods of pollination and seed dispersal. Assessment focus: structure and function of flowers.

Students answer questions about conditions necessary for germination, seed dispersal, and parts of a flower. Assessment focus: plant reproduction.

Task: Use written text and pictures to explain how the special features of Old Man's Beard help it survive. Assessment focus: identifying how the special features help this plant to survive.

This task requires a hyacinth bulb to be set up in a glass container. As it develops and grows students make observations.

Task: Match animal pests to the harm they cause, and use information about pest control. Assessment focus: animal pests and their control.

Task: Fill in a chart to identify the damage caused by various animal pests. Assessment focus: specific contextual knowledge about animal pests.

Students are required to write the number of some parts in the life cycle of a butterfly into a diagram of the life cycle of a butterfly.

Reading text to find information about how scientists work. Assessment focus: interpreting information about how scientists work.

This practical task consists of two parts. Students test various substances with hydrochloric acid, iodine solution, and universal indicator, and then complete a table with their observations. The second part requires students to identify four unknown solids using their tests and results from part one.

Task: describe what would happen to four items of food when left in the sun. Assessment focus: change.

Task: Identify the variables for testing how fresh water and salt water affect rusting. Assessment focus: planning a fair test.

For this practical students observe some activities which illustrate melting and dissolving. They write sentences about what they observe and then write what they think melting and dissolving mean.

Using the genetic characteristic for ear lobes, students answer questions about the genotype, and construct a punnet square.

Using the information provided on unattached and attached ear lobes, students complete a family tree for this genetic trait.

Students are provided with a diagram of a bag used in solar showers. They answer questions about this bag relating to heat absorption, heat transfer, and radiation.

Students indicate for each of six different variables those that need to be kept the same for an investigation about dissolving different types of sugar.

Students are provided with a graph of the heating curve for octane. Students use this to answer questions about state, temperatures, and changes of state.

Students use a table of information on melting points and boiling points of six different substances to answer questions about states of matter.

The liquid range for four common substances has been provided. Students use this to answer questions about melting point, boiling point, and state.

This practical assessment requires students to design and carry out tests on three properties of four different fabrics in order to find the most suitable fabric for the stated purpose.

This practical task requires students to use methods of separation to separate a mixture of salt, sand, and iron filings. Students explain how they did this and the property of the substance that they used.

Students look at two diagrams. The first shows iron nails in test tubes with boiled water or tap water, the second shows iron nails with moisture either present or absent. Students answer five questions about these investigations.