Internal Assessment

An Eight-Step Guide

Step Three: Variables, Apparatus, Method, and Safety

By the end of this step you will have:

✔︎  Completed your Variables section

✔︎  Created your Apparatus diagram

✔︎  Written your Method outline

✔︎  Addressed safety, ethical and environmental issues

Writing your Variables section

Creating your Apparatus diagram

Creating your Method outline

Writing your Safety, Ethical and Environmental Issues section

Actions

  Write your Variables section

➜  Create your Apparatus diagram

  Create your Method outline

➜  Write your Safety, Ethical and Environmental Issues section

Checklist

 

✔︎  I wrote down my independent and dependent variables and included units for them

✔︎  I wrote down my control variables

✔︎  I explained why my control variables must be controlled (Reason)

✔︎  I explained how my control variables will be controlled (Method)

✔︎  I created an Apparatus diagram

✔︎  My Apparatus diagram shows the experimental setup, not simply the pieces of equipment that I will use

✔︎  I labelled every piece of equipment on my Apparatus diagram

✔︎  I wrote down a detailed step-by-step method

✔︎  My method is concise and only includes necessary information

✔︎  I created a Safety, ethical and environmental issues section (even if my experiment has none of these issues)

✔︎  I explained how I will ensure that my experiment is safe (if applicable)

✔︎  I explained how I will ensure that my experiment is ethical (if applicable)

✔︎  I explained how I will ensure that my experiment does not harm the environment (if applicable)

Questions to ask your teacher

  Are the units for the independent and dependent variables correct?

✤  Are the control variables chosen correctly?

  Should any other control variables be included?

  Is the explanation about why each control variable should be controlled clear and correct (Reason)?

✤  Is the explanation about how each control variable will be controlled clear and correct (Method)?

✤  Is the Apparatus diagram clear and correct?

✤  Is the Method outline clear and detailed enough?

✤  Is the Method outline concise enough?

✤  Are all relevant safety, ethical and environmental issues clearly and correctly addressed?

Additional resources

Example IA (PDF)

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