Coursework

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Candidate Record Sheet
(PDF), Last Updated: 17 November 2010

In GCSE Science (Single Award), the coursework element comprises experimental and investigative work set as part of the course. Experimental work must be carried out across the full range of contexts provided by the six units of study.

We award 28 percent of the marks for this ongoing internal assessment.

Teachers are responsible for awarding marks but we moderate them. Teachers must submit at least two pieces of work (and a maximum of five) for moderation, per student. Marks must be drawn from at least two distinctly different areas of the specification, up to a maximum of 5 different pieces of work.

In their coursework, students must demonstrate skills in:

obtaining evidence ; and
interpreting and evaluating the evidence .

These are explained in more detail in the table below:

Skills Assessed	Description	Students must prove that they can:
Obtaining Evidence	This concerns the extent to which students can use apparatus and materials safely and effectively. Students must make observations and measurements with increasing levels of discrimination and precision. They must also show their ability to record data in a systematic manner using an appropriate range of forms.	Follow instructions Set up apparatus Measure accurately Assess risk Observe and record Produce a table of results Work safely
Interpreting and Evaluating the Evidence	This concerns a student’s ability to: recognise and explain patterns in data; handle data in an increasingly quantitative manner; draw valid conclusions from the results of their investigations. Students must show their ability to report their experimental work systematically and with clarity, using scientific language and notation as appropriate. At the higher levels, students should be able to account for anomalous results, evaluate their experiment or investigation and suggest improvements or an alternative method.	Present graphs or charts Draw valid conclusions Explain conclusions Evaluate Suggest improvements

Skills Assessed

Description

Students must prove that they can:

Obtaining Evidence

This concerns the extent to which students can use apparatus and materials safely and effectively.

Students must make observations and measurements with increasing levels of discrimination and precision.

They must also show their ability to record data in a systematic manner using an appropriate range of forms.

Follow instructions
Set up apparatus
Measure accurately
Assess risk
Observe and record
Produce a table of results
Work safely

Interpreting and Evaluating the Evidence

This concerns a student’s ability to:

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

Students must show their ability to report their experimental work systematically and with clarity, using scientific language and notation as appropriate.

At the higher levels, students should be able to account for anomalous results, evaluate their experiment or investigation and suggest improvements or an alternative method.

Present graphs or charts
Draw valid conclusions
Explain conclusions
Evaluate
Suggest improvements

Teachers do not have to assess all students at the same time, nor do they have to assess students when carrying out the same experiment. We recognise that practical work is often carried out as a group activity. When assessments are made during group activity, the teacher must identify, separately, the contribution made by an individual student and take care to ensure that a student does not always adopt a more or less dominant role.

For more information, see the Specification