Internal Assessment

Candidate Record Sheet - Sciences (except Double Award)
(PDF), Last Updated: 22 September 2009

Internal assessment accounts for 25 percent of the final award. Teachers assess students in the following three skills areas:

planning experimental procedure;
obtaining evidence; and
interpreting and evaluating.

Teachers assess students’ performance in the skills through experimental and investigative work carried out during class time. Assessment may take place in a variety of experimental situations, but at least one of the marks contributing to the final assessment must come from a whole investigation, that is, an activity which covers all aspects of the three skill areas.

Assessment Category	Description	Weighting
Planning experimental procedures	This concerns the students ability to: formulate questions which can be tested; predict the outcome of a set of experimental procedures; devise investigations to test their ideas; decide on what measurements to take and how to take them; and consider which factors need to be taken into account to ensure that their investigation is valid.	7%
Obtaining evidence	This concerns the extent to which students can use apparatus and materials safely and effectively to make observations and measurements with increasing levels of discrimination and precision. Students are also assessed on their ability to record data in a systematic manner using an appropriate range of forms. To gain top marks, students must be aware of sources of error and limits of accuracy.	7%
Interpreting and evaluating	This concerns students’ ability to: recognise and explain patterns in data; handle data in an increasingly quantitative manner; and to draw valid conclusions from the results of their investigations. It also assesses their ability to report their experimental work systematically and with clarity, using scientific language and notation as appropriate. To gain top marks, students must be able to account for anomalous results, evaluate their experiment or investigation and suggest improvements.	11%

Assessment Category

Description

Weighting

Planning experimental procedures

This concerns the students ability to:

formulate questions which can be tested;
predict the outcome of a set of experimental procedures;
devise investigations to test their ideas;
decide on what measurements to take and how to take them; and
consider which factors need to be taken into account to ensure that their investigation is valid.

Obtaining evidence

This concerns the extent to which students can use apparatus and materials safely and effectively to make observations and measurements with increasing levels of discrimination and precision.

Students are also assessed on their ability to record data in a systematic manner using an appropriate range of forms.

To gain top marks, students must be aware of sources of error and limits of accuracy.

Interpreting and evaluating

This concerns students’ ability to:

recognise and explain patterns in data;
handle data in an increasingly quantitative manner; and
to draw valid conclusions from the results of their investigations.

It also assesses their ability to report their experimental work systematically and with clarity, using scientific language and notation as appropriate.

To gain top marks, students must be able to account for anomalous results, evaluate their experiment or investigation and suggest improvements.

11%

For more information on internal assessment see the Guidance for Teachers on Internal Assessment and the full specification.