Summative Assessments

The assessments presented below were designed by Project Calibrate for students at Key Stage 4. They target students' understanding of the practical investigations, as well as their understanding of "how science works".

How were the assessments developed?

The underlying framework of practical science is Brandon’s matrix which highlights a variety of methods used in science. According to Brandon, there are four main categories of scientific methods: manipulative hypothesis testing,non-manipulative hypothesis testing, manipulative parameter measurement & non-manipulative parameter measurement.

What do the assessments include?

Each assessment consists of five assessment tasks. The first four tasks were designed using each of Brandon's categories. The last assessment task includes all four categories and engages the learners in an evaluation of the different scientific methods.

How to cite the resources?

The resources are cited as follows:

Project Calibrate (2020). Summative Assessment Resources for Practical Science. Oxford: University of Oxford. Retrieved from https://doi.org/10.5287/bodleian:5J66xRxAV