Evaluation
Contents
Key Stage 2
Meaning
An evaluation is when you look at your results to decide if they are right or you think about your method to see if it could be improved to get better results.
About Evaluations
- You can evaluate your results by comparing them to the results you expected or the results from other people. This allows you to decide whether to trust your results or whether you need to find a way to improve your experiment.
- You can evaluate your method by trying to find things that went wrong or were not good enough. You can then write an improved method using that evaluation to try again.
Example
Aim
- To find out how sunlight affects the growth of cress.
Prediction
- The cress that gets sunlight will grow green shoots and the ones in the dark won't.
Description of Experiment
- 1. Cress seeds were placed in several pots.
- 2. Half of the pots were placed on the window sill and half in a cupboard
- 3. The cress was observed every day to see how they were growing.
Results
- The plants on the window sill did not grow.
- The plants in the cupboard grew roots only.
- The soil for the plants on the windowsill was dry.
- The soil for the plants in the cupboard was damp.
- The pots on the windowsill were hot to the touch.
Evaluation
- The results did not match the prediction based on our textbook. The method was not good because the soil on the windowsill went dry because of the warmth and sunlight but the soil in the cupboard stayed damp. This meant sunlight wasn't the only difference between the two groups of cress. To improve the experiment both sets of plants should be watered to keep the conditions the same and to make sure they also have enough water to grow.
Key Stage 3
Meaning
An evaluation can be when problems with a method are identified and improvements are suggested, or can be when a conclusion is compared to the results to decide if the results are convincing enough to make that conclusion.
About Evaluations
- An evaluation of a method seeks to find sources of error in the experiment that could have caused bad results.
- The evaluation of a method usually includes suggested ways to improve the experiment, by removing the sources of error.
- An evaluation of a conclusion decides whether the results were good enough to make the conclusion or whether more, or better, results are needed.
Key Stage 4
Meaning
An evaluation can be when problems with a method are identified and improvements are suggested, or can be when a conclusion is compared to the results to decide if the results are convincing enough to make that conclusion.
About Evaluations
- An evaluation of a method seeks to find sources of error in the experiment that could have caused bad results.
- The evaluation of a method usually includes suggested ways to improve the experiment, by removing the sources of error.
- An evaluation of a conclusion decides whether the results were good enough to make the conclusion or whether more, or better, results are needed.
References
AQA
- Evaluation, page 270, GCSE Chemistry; Third Edition, Oxford University Press, AQA
- Evaluation, page 283, GCSE Physics; Third Edition, Oxford University Press, AQA
- Evaluation, pages 248-9, GCSE Biology, Hodder, AQA
- Evaluations, page 10, GCSE Biology; The Revision Guide, CGP, AQA
- Evaluations, page 10, GCSE Physics; The Revision Guide, CGP, AQA
- Evaluations, page 11, GCSE Chemistry; The Revision Guide, CGP, AQA
- Evaluations, page 20, GCSE Combined Science Trilogy; Physics, CGP, AQA
- Evaluations, page 21, GCSE Chemistry, CGP, AQA
- Evaluations, page 21, GCSE Combined Science Trilogy; Chemistry, CGP, AQA
- Evaluations, page 21, GCSE Physics; The Complete 9-1 Course for AQA, CGP, AQA
- Evaluations, page 22, GCSE Biology, CGP, AQA
- Evaluations, page 22, GCSE Combined Science Trilogy; Biology, CGP, AQA
Edexcel
- Evaluations, page 10, GCSE Combined Science; The Revision Guide, CGP, Edexcel
- Evaluations, page 11, GCSE Biology; The Revision Guide, CGP, Edexcel
- Evaluations, page 11, GCSE Chemistry; The Revision Guide, CGP, Edexcel
- Evaluations, page 11, GCSE Physics; The Revision Guide, CGP, Edexcel
- Evaluations, page 21, GCSE Chemistry, CGP, Edexcel
- Evaluations, page 21, GCSE Physics, CGP, Edexcel
- Evaluations, page 22, GCSE Biology, CGP, Edexcel