ASE 2023 - Reinvigorating the learning experience during practical lessons - Focus of today’s session

Oct 20, 2026

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ASE 2023 presentation on reinvigorating the learning experience during practical lessons, explaining why practical work matters in schools: supporting and consolidating science understanding, developing investigative skills and mastery, encouraging inquisitiveness, and providing indirect assessment. It details how practical skills are assessed in GCSE and A-level, including working scientifically and apparatus and techniques criteria, practical objectives (AOs), and the focus areas where student performance often falls short when transferring methods to new contexts. It introduces Project Calibrate and Brandon’s Matrix to widen practical experience and move beyond the “cookbook” view of the scientific method.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPPTX

Pages30

Reading Time1 h 16 min

AccessFree to download

Focus of today’s session

Why do we do practical work in schools?

Indirect assessment of practical skills

Practical skills assessment and the AOs

Practical skills questions

Student performance on practical questions

Introducing Project Calibrate

The “cookbook problem” of “the” scientific method

ASE 2023: Reinvigorating the learning experience during practical lessons Jane Bryant Spring 2023 Focus of today’s session Copyright © 2023 AQA and its licensors. All rights reserved. Why do we do practical work in schools? Indirect assessment of practical skills in GCSE and A-level sciences What we assess How we assess it Student performance on practical questions. The cookbook problem of ‘the scientific method’ Introducing Project Calibrate What’s Brandon’s Matrix? Helping widen student experience in practical lessons 2 Why do we do practical work in schools? To support and consolidate science knowledge and understanding. To develop investigative skills. To build mastery of practical skills for future study or work. To encourage inquisitiveness. 3 Copyright © 2023 AQA and its licensors. All rights reserved. Indirect assessment of practical skills At least 15% of marks assess the skills and understanding gained through doing practical work. Practical skills criteria (A-level)/Working scientifically criteria (GCSE). Knowledge and understanding of the apparatus and techniques criteria. All three assessment objectives (AOs). Appropriate maths skills such as plotting and interpreting graphs. Familiar and unfamiliar contexts. Knowledge of subject content through a practical context. 4 Copyright © 2023 AQA and its licensors. All rights reserved. A-level practical skills criteria 5 Copyright © 2023 AQA and its licensors. All rights reserved. A-level apparatus and techniques criteria 6 Copyright © 2023 AQA and its licensors. All rights reserved. GCSE working scientifically criteria WS2: Experimental skills and strategies WS2.4 Carrying out experiments appropriately, accurately and safely WS2.6 Making and recording observations and measurements WS3: Analysis and evaluation WS3.1 Presenting observations and other data appropriately WS3.2 Translating data from one form to another WS3.3 Carrying out and representing mathematical and statistical analysis WS3.8 Communicating the scientific rationale for investigations, methods used, findings and reasoned conclusions through paper-based and electronic reports and presentations 7 Copyright © 2023 AQA and its licensors. All rights reserved. GCSE apparatus and techniques criteria 8 Copyright © 2023 AQA and its licensors. All rights reserved. Practical skills assessment and the AOs Copyright © 2023 AQA and its licensors. All rights reserved. 9 AO1: demonstration of knowledge and understanding knowledge of practical techniques, use of correct apparatus, safe working carrying out basic methods such as dilutions, titrations, setting up electrical circuits knowledge of scientific content in a practical context. AO2: application of knowledge and understanding questions based on methods or experiments students have not done the point of these questions is to assess their ability to apply knowledge and skills. AO3: analysis and evaluation students will be given experimental data to analyse and evaluate not always in the context of a practical they have done themselves but the skills they have gained through their learning will enable them to answer the questions refining practical design and procedures or developing/planning practical procedures to solve problems. Practical skills questions Copyright © 2023 AQA and its licensors. All rights reserved. 10 Write/describe a method. Identify risks and hazards and suggest ways of avoiding or mitigating them. Understand and identify control, dependent and independent variables. Identify and explain errors. Suggest improvements to a method. Read measurements. Record experimental data appropriately. Interpret data. Draw conclusions from experimental information. Comment on validity of procedures. Suggest a hypothesis. Make predictions about observations or results. Student performance on practical questions Copyright © 2023 AQA and its licensors. All rights reserved. 11 Performance on practical questions this summer and in past exams shows that students can’t

FAQs

What kinds of questions test practical skills during assessment?

Students are asked to write or describe methods, identify variables and risks, interpret and record data, draw conclusions, comment on validity, and suggest improvements, hypotheses, and predictions based on observations or results.

Oct 20, 2026

Upload by Himbo