Assessment Overview
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CBA Overview
​​The Classroom-Based Assessments, outlined in the Table to the right, link to important aspects of that development and relate to priorities for learning and teaching such as investigating, and communicating in science, while at the same time developing their knowledge and understanding of science, which are vital to working like a scientist.
Students need to develop a sense of what is appropriate for scientific investigation and research, plan and conduct investigations and research topics, process and analyse data and information, draw evidence-based conclusions, evaluate the process, and prepare scientific communications.
The Classroom-Based Assessments offer students the chance to demonstrate their achievements as creators of scientific research reports by selecting a topic or problem to investigate.
CBA 1 - Extended Experimental Investigation (EEI) Overview ​
CBA 1 is completed in 2nd Year
This CBA is completed over the course of three weeks.
Students engage in four activities which contributes to the generation of their evidence of learning and achievement in the EEI.
These four activities include:
A. Questioning and predicting B. Planning and conducting
C. Processing and analysing D. Reflecting and reporting
A. Questioning and Predicting
Students may work individually or collaboratively in small groups for this part of their investigation.
Students must:
• Choose the topic
• Decide the research question
• Collect information on the background theory related to the research question
• Refine the question to help with the justification of their hypothesis/prediction
• Record the sources of information
• Write the hypothesis/prediction
B. Planning and Conducting
Students may also work individually or collaboratively in small groups for this part of their investigation.
This involves:
• Hands-on experience in the laboratory to plan and refine experimental design
• Deciding on an equipment and what materials will be necessary
• Assessing any possible risks
• Writing individual Investigation Plans
• Submitting individually for investigation approval
• Conducting the investigation
​• Recording all data as well as problems and changes to method used during any trials and during the final experiments
C. Processing and Analysing
Students must work individually for this.
They must:
• Analyse their own data
• Perform any necessary calculations
• Consider how to best represent and analyse their data
• Identify patterns and relationships in the data
• Explain any anomalous data
• Describe the relationships between the variables
• Draw conclusions
• Consider if their hypothesis or prediction has or has not been supported
D. Reflecting and Reporting
Students may work individually or in groups to reflect on their work.
They should critically discuss various aspects of their investigation, such as:
• Experiment design and possible improvements
• Limitations of their data
• Possible theoretical or practical implications of their findings
• Further related investigations that they might conduct
Students will individually report their research and findings in a format of their choice.
If a typed or hand-written report is the format of their choice, the total length of the report would typically be in the 400 - 600 words range (excluding tables, graphs, reference list and research records), but this should not be regarded as a rigid requirement.
CBA 2- Science in Society Investigation (SSI) Overview ​
CBA 2 is completed in 3rd Year
This CBA is completed over the course of three weeks. Students engage in three activities which contributes to the generation of their evidence of learning and achievement in the Science in Society Investigation.
Students must work individually to conduct this investigation but they should be encouraged to discuss, in small groups, various aspects of their investigation.
These three activities include:
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A. Initiating research
B. Communicating findings
C. Evaluating the information to respond to the chosen research question
A. Initiating Research
1. Choose the topic
Students are required to investigate a scientific topic or issue and its impact (positive or negative) on society and/or the environment.
The chosen topic may be directly related to specific course content, or students may decide to study an issue of personal or local relevance, provided it is related to the areas outlined below.
It is important that the topic chosen can be researched, has a sound base of scientific understanding and ideas, and can be turned into a question.
In many SSIs there may be two or more views of the topic or issue, and students should be encouraged to consider more than one point of view.
The chosen topics should relate to the following areas:
• A technological application of science
• An application of science that has an effect on
• An application of science that has an effect on the environment
• An application of science that has an effect on society
2. Decide the specific research question
The research question should be clearly-defined and research should be focused on a response to this.
To help students develop their research question, they could:
• Decide what they want to know about the chosen topic
• Turn what they want to know into a question
• Check to make sure that the question can be answered - that it’s not too broad or too narrow.
• Gather and record research information
B. Communicating Findings
• Gather data/information from various sources including; the internet, newspapers, science journals/magazines, surveys, investigations, etc.
• Select information (e.g. written text, audio/visual recording, interview notes, charts, tables, survey responses, observations, diagrams) relevant to developing a response to the stated research question
• Record the source of all the information gathered in order to assess its reliability and quality (relevance, accuracy and bias) and to ensure that the sources of information used can be referenced in their report
• Position the topic as science in society and discuss the impact of the topic on society and/or the environment, and/or its personal or local relevance
• Explain, in the student’s own words, scientific knowledge and ideas relevant to their topic
• Explain in their own words different viewpoints and sides of the argument
C. Evaluating the Information to respond to the chosen research question
The following steps can support students in developing a personal opinion that is justified on the basis of the selected information:
• Check which sources agree/disagree with each other
• Consider the information from different points of view
• Make judgements about how the information supports, or does not support, a particular response to the research question.
Students must work individually to compile the report of their investigation.
Students will report their research and findings in a format of their choice.
If a typed or hand-written report is the format of their choice, the total length of a written report would typically be in the 650-800 words range (excluding reference list and research notes), but this should not be regarded as a rigid requirement.
