A-level Biology: Practical and Experimental Design - Top Tips and Question Pack
Top Tips !
- Never write "amount" you mean mass, volume or concentration.
- Refer to "a control experiment" or "a variable that I will control (and then name the value and method of control)" but never to "a control variable"
- Independent variable is what you change.
- Dependent variable is what you actually measure in the experiment (not rate).
- Organisms vary from each other unless they are clones !
- When you suggest improvements think about improving the method rather than the equipment (e.g. control a variable that wasn't previously)
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Lots of requests for challenging experimental design questions - here is a huge pack of awesome questions that you will definitely find useful
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Top Tips !
Never write "amount" you mean mass, volume or concentration.
Refer to "a control experiment" or "a variable that I will control (and then name the value and method of control)" but never to "a control variable"
Independent variable is what you change.
Dependent variable is what you actually measure in the experiment (not rate).
Organisms vary from each other unless they are clones !
When you suggest improvements think about improving the method rather than the equipment (e.g. control a variable that wasn't previously)
Here is some advice on tables and graphs. And here on measurement and language.
Here are 13 pages of practical based questions in pdf form.
Please "like" and share with your friends if you find that this helped your improve your understanding
Tips and Practice Questions for the Practical component of the Theory papers - A-level Biology
How to improve your answers to questions about practicals in A-level Biology exam questions.
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15 % of the June 2017 A-level Biology examinations will be examining practical skills. Here are some excellent practical exam questions which will challenge you to think about the nature of experimental design, independent and dependent variables.
Statistical analysis and graph plotting are also in the questions.
Remember
Never write "amount" you mean mass, volume or concentration.
Refer to "a control experiment" or "a variable that I will control (and then name the value and method of control)" but never to "a control variable"
Independent variable is what you change.
Dependent variable is what you actually measure in the experiment (not rate).
Organisms vary from each other unless they are clones !
When you suggest improvements think about improving the method rather than the equipment (e.g. control a variable that wasn't previously)
Validity means does the experiment actually test what it set out to test
Reliable is an outdated term - Repeatable or Repeatablity is now preferred
Here is some advice on tables and graphs. And here on measurement and language.
Here are 13 pages of practical based questions in pdf form.
Please "like" and share with your friends if you find that this helped your improve your understanding
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How to do Tables and Graphs - terrific guidance from Exam Boards for A-level Biology
There is plenty of excellent guidance on how to plot graphs and draw tables in the OCR practical booklet ..... pdf
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Rather than being assessed seperately, practical skills are included in the theory paper. Like this OCR question from the sample paper
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There is plenty of excellent guidance on how to plot graphs and draw tables in the OCR practical booklet ..... pdf here
Precise but not accurate ? Language of Measurement - crucial for Biology Practical Exam Questions
Precision, control variables, independent variables ? Confusing for many students, however, particularly important now that this year practical skills are assessed in the exam paper.
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Precision, control variables, independent variables ? Confusing for many students, however, particularly important now that this year practical skills are assessed in the exam paper.
An extremely useful document is the Language of Measurement. Reading it is a great start to improving your approach to practical questions. Below are 3 pages.
Original PDF - is here
There is plenty of excellent guidance on how to plot graphs and draw tables in the OCR practical booklet ..... pdf
please like and share