Year 10 Bio experiences are designed to build scientific skills, not just test your knowledge. If you choose to pursue Bio further into Year 11/12 (and beyond!) you need to develop this foundation. Learning how to identify variables, interpret results and write strong conclusions will help you succeed in both practical reports and written exams.

ONE:

Always Identify the Variable Properly

This is an easy way to lose marks, so be sure to check the details. You need to clearly know:

  • Independent variable (IV) – what you change
  • Dependent variable (DV) – what you measure
  • Controlled variables – what you keep the same 

PREP BY:

  • Practise condensing experiments down to these most simple form
    • IV: Light intensity
    • DV: Rate of photosynthesis 
    • Controlled: Temperature, water supply, species of plant

NOTE: If you can’t clearly separate the IV and DV, revise the aim of the experiment!

TWO:

Understand why the Experiment Works

In Year 10, teachers will ush you to move beyond ”what happened” into “why it happened.”  

PREP BY:

  • Practise using the phrase; “This occurred due to the biological process of…”
  • Practise linking results to concepts like; diffusion, enzymes, respiration, photosynthesis, homeostasis etc etc.

Results in the experiments you do for assessment WILL be linked to biological concepts you have studied in class, ensure you find those connections.

THREE:

Learn How to Evaluate an Experiment

This is such a vital part of succeeding in Bio Student Experiments in Year 11 and 12, and doing it well will separate the high distinctions from the distinctions,

In evaluating your experiment, you need to be able to:

  • Identify a limitation
  • Suggest a realistic improvement
  • Comment on reliability (repeats/sample size)

PREP BY:

After every prac, answer one limitation, one improvement and one reason results may be unreliable.

Vague answers like ‘human error’ are too simple, you need to explain how something like that effected results.

When you are looking over your final assignment before you hand it in, use the following as a checklist.

Teachers are Looking out For:

  • Correct scientific vocabulary
  • Clear cause and effect explanations
  • Logical thinking about experiments
  • Neat graphs and labelled diagrams
  • Evidence based conclusions

Happy experimenting!!