Evidence

Key Stage 2

Meaning

Evidence is anything which proves an idea is true.

Singular Noun: Evidence

Plural Noun: Evidence

Meaning

When a person makes a claim, others will ask for evidence that it is true. If someone told you that broccoli ice cream tasted good, you may want to test it yourself before you believe them.

There are many different kinds of evidence.

Some evidence is strong and other evidence is weak.

Strong evidence would be showing that something is true with an experiment.

Weak evidence would be believing something because someone told you it was true.

Key Stage 3

Meaning

Evidence is anything which proves an idea is true.

Singular Noun: Evidence

Plural Noun: Evidence

Meaning

When a person makes a claim, others will ask for evidence that it is true.

There are many different kinds of evidence:

• Scientific Evidence - The observations, readings or measurements that a scientist will use to test whether a hypothesis is correct.
  • Empirical Evidence - A type of Scientific Evidence that relies on an experiment which can be repeated to get the same results and reproduced by others to get the same results.
  • Observational Evidence - A type of Scientific Evidence that relies on observations which an be repeated to get the same results and reproduced by others to get the same results.
• Non-scientific Evidence - Evidence which can be repeated or reproduced.
  • Anecdotal Evidence - A type of non-scientific evidence that relies on someones personal experience which cannot be repeated or reproduced so no one can double check if it's true.

Key Stage 4

Meaning

Evidence is anything which proves an idea is true.

Singular Noun: Evidence

Plural Noun: Evidence

Meaning

When a person makes a claim, others will ask for evidence that it is true.

There are many different kinds of evidence:

• Scientific Evidence - any observations or results that are repeatable, reproducible and valid to prove or disprove a hypothesis.
  • Empirical Evidence - A type of Scientific Evidence that relies on an experiment with tightly controlled variables which can be repeated to get the same results and reproduced by others to get the same results.
  • Observational Evidence - A type of Scientific Evidence that relies on observations without the ability to control variables but can be repeated to get the same results and reproduced by others to get the same results.
• Non-scientific Evidence - Evidence which can be repeated or reproduced.
  • Anecdotal Evidence - A type of non-scientific evidence that relies on someones personal experience which cannot be repeated or reproduced so no one can double check if it's true.
  • Intuition - Ideas that seem true because they make sense are not counted as scientific evidence. Just because something seems reasonable, interesting or makes sense does not mean it is true.
  • Tradition - Ideas that have been passed on through generations. Just because many people say something is true, doesn't mean it is true. Such ideas were usually made thousands of years ago at a time when the wheelbarrow would have seemed like a state of the art invention and most people believed disease was caused by demons.

References

AQA

Evidence, page 270, GCSE Chemistry; Third Edition, Oxford University Press, AQA

Evidence, page 282, GCSE Physics; Third Edition, Oxford University Press, AQA