Internal Assessment The IA investigation investigation allows allows a student to carry out an an inquiry on a topic of their own own choice. The investigation investigation aims to: •
Develop research and writing skills
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Foster a journey of intellectual intellectual discovery
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Foster creativity
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rovide students with an opportunity to apply their skills and knowledge
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rovide students students with an opportunity to to pursue a topic of personal interest interest
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!einforce !ei nforce "hemistry concepts and principles
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Develop an appreciation for how scientists# use of data and models$
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Develop an appreciation for the %ene&ts and limitations of science .
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'ake local and(or glo%al connections
"ontents Internal Assessment...................................................... Assessment.......................................................................... ...................................... ......................... ....... ) *kills required....................... required.......................................... ....................................... ........................................ ............................................ ........................ ) 'ethods of collecting data for "hemistry IA................................................. IA............................................................ ........... + Topic Topic , !esearch !esearch question............................. question................................................. ........................................ ......................................+ ..................+ art ): "hoosing a topic................................... topic....................................................... ...................................... ................................ .............. + art +: The research question..............................................................................+ "ommon errors made %y students.................... students....................................... ................................................... ................................ Dierences %etween an e/tended essay 0112 and an IA......................................3 Feasi%ility Feasi%ility *tudy4 Is your investigation feasi%le5.................................................. feasi%le5.................................................. 3 *tructure of 6ritten !eport............................ !eport................................................ ............................................. ......................... ............ 7 Introduction............................ Introduction............................................... ....................................... ........................................ ....................................... ................... 7 'ethodology........................... 'ethodology............................................... ........................................ ....................................... .................................. .................. ... 7 *afety(ethical considerations...................................... considerations............................................................................... ......................................... 8 Data "ollection............................ "ollection............................................... ....................................... ........................................ .................................. .............. 8 Data rocessing....................... rocessing........................................... ........................................ ........................................ .....................................9 .................9 )
1valuation................................. 1valuation..................................................... ........................................ ................................................ ............................ ....... "onclusion................................. "onclusion..................................................... ........................................ ....................................... ................................. .............. );
Skills required *o what skills are required5 !emem%er too that many of these skills will also %e required for 1/tended 1ssay 0even if it is not in "hemistry2 and later at university or other forms of higher education. The I= is a%out life4long learning> General skills including communication •
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Accurate and careful note taking 1ssay or e/tended la%oratory report writing
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"onsistent use of accurate and scienti&c terminology 0i.e. *I units2
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Academic honesty$ use of citations and referencing sources
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Awareness and adherence to ?ealth and *afety considerations 0risk assessment2 I= ethical e/perimentation e/perimentation policy *tating a sharply focused research question "hoice of appropriate apparatus(secondary sources together with associated uncertainties
"orrect use of la%els$ units and decimal points applied to ta%les of data 1stimation of total uncertainties uncertainties in measurements *etting out the data processing in a logical coherent way
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se of conventions in graph plotting
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Accurate and appropriate analysis
Personal engagement and exploration
!esearch skills 0li%rary$ Internet$ journals journals etc.2
The collection of relevant$ relevant$ relia%le relia%le and su@cient data
Analysis and interpretation interpretation
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Identi&cation and use of independent$ dependent and controlled varia%les
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Bustifying Bustifying a trend trend or hypothesis hypothesis from analysed data
Conclusion and evaluation •
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1/plaining a trend using underlying scienti&c concepts "onsidering "onsidering the impact of total uncertainty in measurements !elating a trend or e/perimental result to the research research question Identifying limitations in recorded data
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Identifying limitations of the method and apparatus
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*uggesting realistic improvements
'ethods of collecting data for "hemistry IA C C C C C
A la%ora la%oratory tory inves investig tigati ation on using using a hands4 hands4on on approa approach. ch. Analys Analysis is and(o and(orr modelli modelling ng using using spr spread eadshe sheets ets.. sing a data%as data%ase e to e/trac e/tractt informat information ion leadin leading g to graphic graphical al analysi analysis. s. a hy%rid hy%rid of the a%ove a%ove three$ three$ i.e. i.e. using using a spreads spreadsheet heet or data% data%ase ase togeth together er with a more traditional hands4on investigation The use use of an inte interac ractiv tive e and open4 open4en ended ded simu simula latio tion. n.
ote that some of the tasks could consist of appropriate and relevant qualitative chemistry that is also com%ined with quantitative chemistry.
Topic Topic , !esearch !esearch question Part 1: Choosing a topic Eour Eour topic needs to to e/plore "hemistry "hemistry concepts and principles at a depth that is appropriate for higher or standard level and allow for a feasi%le investigation investigation to %e carried out. Eou Eou may e/plore an everyday application of chemistry or %ase your investigation on chemical models or theories. To To evaluate whether whether your topic makes "hemistry connections connections think a%out a%out the following: following: ). Does it relate relate to a topic you have learned in class class or is it an e/tension e/tension of class work5 +. 6hat are are the relevant relevant chapters chapters(page (pages s in your I= "hemistry "hemistry te/t%ook5 te/t%ook5 -. 6hat techniques techniques ( skills skills are involved5 involved5 3. Did the idea come come from a "hemistry "hemistry related related %log$ %log$ we%site$ we%site$ journal$ journal$ magaine If your topic e/tends %eyond what you have learned in class you will need to %e prepared to do some additional learning in order to understand the concepts involved and how to apply them to your topic.
Part 2: The research question A topic is focused when it is has a focused and clear research question. The research research question may %e phrased phrased as a statement statement of a question. If the the research research question is split into two or more parts this could still %e considered focused if the parts are clearly two parts of the same whole and the aim of the research clearly de&ned.
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For e/ample$ consider a student whose favorite desert is ice cream and jelly. ?e was interested interested in the dye#s used to color the jelly and wondered whether dierent %rands used the same dye . The type of thought processes that he went through to arrive &rst for the topic of the essay and then a sharply focused research question are shown %elow. otice how it took si/ attempts to get a focused question. ). "hemical "hemical analysis analysis of jelly jelly G far far too %road %road +. Analysis Analysis of of red dyes dyes in straw% straw%erry erry jelly jelly G still still far far too %road %road -. Analysis of red red dyes dyes used used in straw%erry straw%erry jelly crystals using chromatography G %etter %ut still too %road. 3. Analysis of red dyes in straw%erry jelly crystal crystal using using "hromatography "hromatography G getting %etterH nearly there. 7. Analysis of red dyes in straw%erry jelly crystals crystals using using paper "hromatography "hromatography G almost there 8. The analysis analysis of the red dye in dierent dierent %rands of straw%erry straw%erry jelly jelly crystals using using paper chromatography G Topic is now focused The research research question may %e phrased phrased as a statement statement or a question. For For e/ample$ Determining Determining the %est conditions for tooth whitening using hydrogen pero/ide# pero/ide# is just as accepta%le as 6hat are the %est conditions for the whitening of teeth %y hydrogen pero/ide5 If the research question is split into two or more parts this could still %e considered focused if the parts are clearly two parts of the same whole and the aim of the research clearly de&ned
Common errors made by students •
Forgetting to include the !esearch Juestion in the introduction.
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ot stating the !esearch Juestion clearly.
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*tating multiple !esearch !esearch Juestions.
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*tating a !esearch Juestion that is too %road
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*tating a !esearch Juestion in a su%ject other than "hemistry.
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*tating a !esearch !esearch Juestion which does not lend itself to a systematic investigation.
Examples of Research Questions
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The history of war war gases.
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?ow do dierent salts aect the freeing point of water5
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Does coee contain more caeine than tea5
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Investigating an aspect of the rate of the reaction %etween magnesium magnesium and hydrochloric acid. A comparison of %iodiesels with diesel.
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?ow does the concentration of caeine aect the rate of decomposition of hydrogen pero/ide in liver in the presence of paracetamol. The use of isotope isotope ratio mass spectrometry to detect whether whether &ve speci&c speci&c commercial types of fruit juices have %een adulterated with high fructose corn syrup. ?ow eective is %oric acid as a Lame retardant for the %rush fences commonly used around houses in Mictoria$ Australia5 Is there a dierence in the total antio/idant a%ility %etween garlic grown organically and garlic grown commercially5 commercially5 A comparison %etween three dierent methods to determine the amount of Al -N ions in deodorants in order to determine which is the most accurate. 6hich is the most eective at reducing apple %rowning G salt$ vinegar or lemon juice and at what concentration5 The eect of p? p? on the mechanism mechanism of the "u+N catalysed o/idation of vitamin ".
The IA investigation investigation is Le/i%le Le/i%le and and allows students students to select select their own topic$ topic$ place their research research in a cultural conte/t$ and draw closer connections to the local community or environment. For e/ample in their internally assessed investigations •
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A student in Oreece wanted to make soap to sell at the school#s annual fund raising fair. After making the soap and evaluating its eectiveness she was a%le to recommend the %est %rand of olive oil for soap making. A student in "hina was concerned a%out water pollution. ?e chose to investigate how thermal pollution aects the dissolved o/ygen concentration in a canal water near his home. A student from Porea investigated investigated the eect of fermentation time on the p? of kimchi$ a fermented ca%%age dish that is an important part of Porean culture.
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Any investigation that is to %e used to assess students should %e ed to match the assessment criteria. specifically des ign gned
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i!erences between an e"tended essay #$$% and an &' •
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The 11 is a formal research research paper paper that involves involves a literature literature review review and primary primary data sources to guide the research. research. The IA is a practical investigation ( inquiry that uses theoretical and practical skills to investigate a topic of interest. In the 11 students are assessed on the range of sources they use to develop their argument whereas in the IA the students use %ackground information to show their understanding of the scienti&c conte/t for the work. The 11 represents represents 3; hours and the IA ); ); hours of work. The IA criteria are *cience *cience speci&c. speci&c. The 11 criteria criteria are the the same across across all disciplines$ disciplines$ %ut viewed with a su%ject speci&c lens. The IA need only %e at the level of the the course the student student is taking taking 0%ut going %eyond %eyond is QP too2$ while the 11 must go %eyond the sylla%us. An 11 is 3;;; words 0e/cluding ta%les$ graphs$ images$ calculations2. calculations2. The IA is 84)+ pages 0including ta%les$ graphs$ images$ calculations2
(easibility Study) &s your in*estigation feasible+ Eou Eou might like like to use the following check check list. If your topic ( question does not meet the criteria then you may need need to choose another investigation investigation or &nd a way to modify so that it is feasi%le. ). Do you understa understand nd the scienti scienti&c &c conte/t conte/t of the investi investigati gation5 on5 +. 6hat kind kind of e/periment e/periment will will you conduct5 conduct5 1/perimen 1/periments ts can %e tradition traditional al ones done done in the la% or could involve collecting data from data%ases$ simulations(RvirtualR simulations(RvirtualR e/periments. -. Is the e/per e/periment iment sophi sophistic sticated ated enough enough for for I= level level 0*< or ?<2 3. Does the method allow allow you to generate generate su@cient su@cient relevant relevant data 0generate 0generate graphs$ graphs$ and analysis that shows pattern(trends in the data25 7. Do you know what type of data data you will will collect collect5 5 8. Do you know what what measurin measuring g device(s device(s you need need to collect collect the data5 data5 Are Are they availa%le5 S. Do you know chemicals$ chemicals$ equipment$ and materials materials you you need5 Are they they availa%le5 availa%le5
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9. Do you need need to learn learn any special special practical practical techniques techniques or how to use specialied specialied equipment5 . ?ave you done a risk assessment5 assessment5 6hat safety precautions precautions are are needed5 needed5 ?ave you reviewed the material safety safety data for any any chemicals chemicals you plan to use. An unsafe e/periment would %e one that uses or produces to/ic su%stances$ uses concentrated solutions 0acids and %ases2 and is highly e/othermic. );. 6ill the action phase 0set4up$ preparation preparation and data collection2 will take 84); hours to complete. )). Are there any any ethical considerations5 considerations5 QT1: An e/periment where the outcome is already known and an e/periment that is replicated replicated without any modi&cation is not suita%le for investigation
*tructure of 6ritten !eport &ntroduction •
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"onte/t G 6hy are you interested in this topic5 Thesis G 6hat 6hat approach(direction approach(direction is your investigation investigation is going to take. take. It It should make make the intention of the research clear$ and relate relate directly to the research question. *tatement of the !esearch Juestion
Prediction In the prediction knowledge of the concepts and principles relevant to the question are used to predict the e/pectation(outcome of the investigation. investigation. •
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The prediction prediction needs to &t &t e/isting scienti&c scienti&c theories$ theories$ models$ principles$ concepts$ concepts$ ideas. "hemical equations ( sketch graphs ( equations should %e used where relevant to show the e/pected results$ trends and patterns. The prediction prediction should %e e/plained e/plained 0%rieLy2 0%rieLy2 so as to demonstrate an understanding of the reason %ehind it.
redictions redictions can %e written in the form of a proposed relationship relationship If the increases$ then the will decrease$ %ecause . . . 0e/plain why2
,ethodology The method is assessed assessed under under the e"ploration criterion. In the method you descri%e the procedure procedure you followed to collect the data and e/plain the reasons why you did what you did.
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A strong method will •
se concepts and techniques appropriate to Diploma level.
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*how how you have made the procedure your own.
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=e reproduci%le 0successfully repeated repeated %y others2.
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show how the controlled varia%les will %e monitored ( controlled
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'ake it clear the type and frequency of data to %e collected.
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lan to collect su@cient relevant data.
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*upports a conclusion that is relevant to the research question and supported %y the data collected. rovide evidence of a clear understanding of the issues involved and any modi&cation made to the procedure of method of data collection.
Safety-ethical considerations *afety precautions needed when carrying out the investigation and in handling any of the chemicals and equipment and disposal of wastes needs to %e clearly identi&ed.
Typical Typical considerations considerations of safety$ safety$ ethical and environmental environmental issues issues in "hemistry "hemistry that it is reasona%le reasona%le to e/pect a student to consider are: •
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The safe handling or equipment and chemicals such as caution when working with e/othermic reactions$ using heat sources$ diluting concentrated acids and %ases$ working with Lamma%les. The correct disposal of wastes. A .udicious consumption of materials.
ata Collection Data collection is assessed under the analysis criterion. In thinking a%out the data collection consider the e/tent to which •
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Eou Eou have considered considered how to minimie the type and magnitude magnitude of the systematic systematic and random errors in your measurements. measurements. Eou Eou have planned planned to collect su@cient relevant relevant quantitative quantitative and qualitative raw data to support a detailed and valid conclusion to the research question. The raw data recorded has associated associated units$ uncertainties uncertainties and and is reported reported with consistent precision.
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The data collected collected needs to %e relevant relevant to the research research question question Jualitative data needs to contain su@cient detail of chemical(physical chemical(physical changes taking place. o
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This would include: include: color changes$ changes$ change of state$ odor$ gas %eing produced produced 0and the relative rate at which it is evolved2$ solid reactant disappears$ disappears$ temperature change$ solid precipitated. precipitated. In titrations the color change as the end point is approached and the &nal end point color is required. hotographs and la%elled diagrams should %e used where appropriate to aid interpretation. If your inquiry involves using secondary data from data %ases there would %e no relevant qualitative data to record.
A<< raw quantitative data collected needs to %e presented$ with units of measurement measurement 0*I units2$ U uncertainty and consistent precision. !epeat measurements 0trials2 have %een planned. There should %e no variation variation in the precision precision of the raw data measured measured with with the same instrument. The data value0s2 must %e recorded to the same precision as the random error.
Presenting tables There are many ays to present tables and include! •
"olumn headings include units and uncertainties in measurement
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Data to %e compared is placed ne/t to one another to make interpretation easy
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Ta%le Ta%le caption(heading caption(heading
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there are %orders(lines around te/t and numerical dataH
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the ta%le does not run over two pagesH
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the ta%le contains only one data measurement per cellH
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"alculations are are not shown in the ta%le. lace them under the ta%leH
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the te/t and data is centered and rows and columns evenly distri%utedH
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an appropriate sie so that they can %e read clearlyH
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))4)+ point fontH
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consistent font typeH
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a descriptive caption(heading and num%ered consecutively within the report. Table 1: A ta%le showingK
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The caption ( heading heading is placed placed a%ove the the graph
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The caption(heading caption(heading should %e %e font sie )) 0smaller than the font used in in the graph2
ote: Ta%les can contain %oth raw and processed data.
Presenting Graphs There are are many ways ways to present present graphs$ %ut some some include: •
la%eled a/esH
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units of measurement and U uncertainty for each varia%le 0in %rackets2H
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an appropriate scale for the data G it should reLect the precision precision in the data %eing plotted and where possi%le the intervals of measurement usedH accurately plotted data points that &ll the plot areaH a key(legend if there are two or more sets of data on the same graph is clear 0or series deleted from e/cel e/cel graphs if there is only one set of data2H
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an appropriate sie so that they can %e read clearlyH
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an ))4)+ point fontH
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consistent font typeH
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a descriptive caption(heading. Oraphs are called &gures and are num%ered consecutively within the report. (igure 1: A 0graph(diagram(picture2 0graph(diagram(picture2 showingK / a caption ( heading placed %elow the graphH a caption(heading that has a font sie of )) 0or one point smaller than the font used in the graph2
'ore a%out graphs •
All graphs need an appropriate %est4&t straight or curved line connecting the points. o
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For linear relationships plot an /4y scatter graph 0without a line joining the points2 and then &t a %est &t trend line For curved relationships plot an /4y scatter graphs 0without a line joining the t he points2 and draw a smooth curved line of %est &t through the points.
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For linear relationships the 0)squared $ !+ 0coe@cient of determination2 can %e calculated. calculated. The !4squared !4squared value measures measures of the strength of a linear relationship relationship and ranges from ; to ). An !4squared of ) can %e interpreted to mean that there is a strong positive linear association association %etween the / and y varia%le. The line &ts );;V of the variation in the dependent varia%le. 6hen !4squared !4squared value is 4) there is a strong negative linear association. associatio n. 6hen the !4squared is ; there is not a linear associatio association n %etween the / and y varia%les. QT1: An !4squared does not allow one to make cause and eect judgments %ecause it does not indicate whether a regression regression model is adequate. Eou can have a low !4squared value for a good model$ or a high !4 squared value for a model that does not &t the data. Although !4squared !4squared is handy and seemingly intuitive method of showing how well a linear model &ts a set of o%servations$ it doesn#t really show the complete picture picture and so it should %e used in conjunction su%ject knowledge in order to have a %etter analysis of the data. $rror bars can %e plotted to show the uncertainty associated with the the / or y a/is. Typically they are shown for the measured (calculated value ( y a/is. 1rror %ars can %e for &/ed values and &/ed percentages percentages or customied to reLect dierent a%solute uncertainties uncertai nties for y. y. =oth 1/cel and
*how the equation of the line . The y4intercept can %e determined and what it tells you a%out the relia%ility relia%ility of the data analyed
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ata Processing Data processing is assessed under the analysis criterion. In thinking a%out the data processing consider the e/tent to which4 you have processed the raw data correctly and completely so that a conclusion to the research question can %e drawn and you have considered the impact of measurement uncertainty on the analysis. •
?ave you used an appropriate method0s2 for analying the data5
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?ave you analyed the data fully5
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Is the data analysis sophisticated enough so that a full range of processing skills skills is shown 0calculations$ graphs$ and error propagation25
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Is the analysis accompanied %y an appropriate consideration consideration of uncertainties5 uncertainties5
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Are ta%les$ graphs and images presented appropriately5
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?ave you used the correct scienti&c scienti&c conventions$ including appreciation of decimal places$ signi&cant &gures$ and uncertainties where appropriate5 ?as the processed data %een correctly interpreted so that a completely valid conclusion to the research question can %e deduced5
It is unlikely that the processed data will achieve achieve in 748 mark %and if the interpretation of the results is over stated. 1.g. making a claim that there is a positive linear relationship when the data does not necessarily show this.
$*aluation The evaluation evaluation is assessed assessed under the e*aluation criteria. It has three parts: the scienti&c conte/t$ methodological issues and improvements. Scientic conte"t •
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Descri%es how the conclusion relates to relevant relevant literature ( theory ( accepted values. ses the literature ( what it known ( accepted values to prove ( show ( account for ( provide support for the conclusion 0justi&cation2. sing evidence comments on the accuracy 0evidence can include V error$ y4 intercept$ equation of the line2 and precision 0evidence 0evidence can include V uncertainty$ range of trials2. If there is no literature value availa%le$ the &ndings are connected to what is known a%out the topic.
,ethodological &ssues •
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nderstands the strengths$ associated with the methodology$ collection or processing of the data. nderstands the sources of e/perimental error and other issues associated with the methodology$ data collection and processing of the data. o
1vidence is used to deduce whether the e/perimental errors are primarily systematic or random.
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1rrors are correctly identi&ed as %eing systematic or random
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1rrors identi&ed are consistent with the &ndings
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Discusses the nature of each error %y e/plaining e/plaining its impact ( eect on the relia%ility of the &ndings and conclusion.
&mpro*ements •
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Descri%es realistic realistic improvements ( solutions ( resolutions. The reason for suggesting these improvements is supported %y appropriate evidence. The potential implication implication of these modi&cations modi&cations on the &ndings &ndings is discussed. discussed. ?ow will they %ring the e/perimental e/perimental results closer to what is e/pected5 Descri%es a realistic and relevant e/tension to the investigation. The e/tension needs to follow on from the research in a meaningful way. Discusses how the e/tension will enhance understanding of the topic ( research. It is clear why knowing this may %e important.
Conclusion The conclusion conclusion is assessed assessed under the e*aluation criterion. The conclusion needs to sum up ( give a description of what data analysis showed as it relates to the research question. eeds to %e consistent with the &ndings and( or evidence. A strong conclusion will: will: ). !estat estate e the rese resear arch ch quest question ion +. Interp Interpre rett the the resul resultt ( trend trends. s. -. =e consistent consistent with with the evidence provided and respond respond to the research research question. An alternative conclusion and e/planation is oered should a careful e/amination of the facts warrant this 3. "ompare the the e/pected e/pected and actual results results and reaches a conclusion conclusion as to whether the results support or refute the initial prediction. 7. se the proces processed sed data data to prove prove ( show ( provide provide support support for the conclu conclusion sion 0justi&cation2. 8. se the literature literature ( what it known ( accepted accepted values to prove ( show ( account for ( provide support for the conclusion 0justi&cation2. S. Demonstrate an understanding understanding of the implications implications of the research. research. 6hat are are the rami&cations(a suggestion(a %roader %roader idea resulting from what has %een learned. The Wso what5R 9. ot introduce new ideas or ideas that are not consistent consistent with the the evidence evidence presented. presented.
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As a guide" guide" an approximate approximate # of the ord count might be
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*ection headings and su%headings o
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Intro and research question G );V
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=ackground G )7V
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'ethodology G +;V
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Data "ollection(Analysis G );V
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1valuation G +7V
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"onclusion G +;V
A ell laid laid out paper paper ill contain! contain! •
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ame$ and date on top right hand corner of page one.
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ages num%ered on the top right hand side of every page At the top of page one is the title and underneath the research question. ).7 spacing %etween word4processed te/t 0not for ta%les$ graphs$ calculations$ formulas2
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'ain headings need to %e %old$ and centered. *u% headings are aligned to the left and %old.
)+ pt font ;.9X or )X margin 0top$ %ottom$ left$ right2 A title page and ta%le of contents is is not required. =i%liography of works cited is at the end of the report AA formatting is used consistently$ evidenced %y the use of in4te/t citations$ quotation marks and a reference list. ote:
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