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AQA GCSE Biology 8461

8. Working Scientifically

Working scientifically

How scientific ideas are built, checked and replaced, and what happens when those ideas meet the rest of the world: money, ethics, the media and people's very uneven sense of risk.

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201 questions5 subtopicsFoundation and Higher

What working scientifically covers

Every subtopic below has its own questions, mark schemes and notes.

WS1The scientific method and science in society

How scientific ideas are built, checked and replaced, and what happens when those ideas meet the rest of the world: money, ethics, the media and people's very uneven sense of risk.

WS2Designing and evaluating investigations

Everything that has to be decided before any data is collected, and the critical look back at the method afterwards.

WS3Collecting and processing data

Getting measurements that are worth having, spotting the ones that are not, and turning a column of numbers into something meaningful.

WS4Presenting, interpreting and concluding

Choosing the right chart, reading a rate off a graph, and writing a conclusion that says exactly what the data shows and nothing more.

WS5Units, maths and uncertainty

The arithmetic that biology marks quietly depend on: units and prefixes, converting between them, standard form, rearranging a formula, and putting a number on how sure you are.

Key terms

The definitions examiners expect, in the wording that earns the mark.

Hypothesis — A possible explanation for something that has been observed.
Prediction — A testable statement of what should happen if the hypothesis is right.
Peer review — Checking of methods, results and explanations by other scientists before publication.
Hazard — Something that could potentially cause harm.
Risk — The chance that a hazard will cause harm.
Independent variable — The variable you change.
Dependent variable — The variable you measure.
Control variable — A variable kept the same throughout.
Control experiment — A set-up kept in the same conditions but with nothing done to it.
Valid results — Results that are repeatable, reproducible and answer the original question.
Precise — Repeated values all close to their mean.
Accurate — Close to the true value.
Resolution — The smallest change an instrument can detect.
Systematic error — An error that is the same amount every time.
Anomalous result — A result that does not fit the pattern of the rest of the data.
Categoric data — Data that comes in distinct categories.
Discrete data — Data counted in whole chunks with no in-between values.
Continuous data — Numerical data that can take any value in a range.
Gradient — Change in y divided by change in x.
Tangent — A straight line touching a curve at one point only, used to find the rate there.
SI units — The standard units of measurement agreed for use by all scientists.
Conversion factor — How many of the smaller unit fit into the larger unit.
Standard form — A number written as A × 10ⁿ, where A is at least 1 and less than 10.
Range — The largest value minus the smallest value in a set of repeats.
Uncertainty — The amount of error a measurement might have, calculated as range ÷ 2 for a mean.

Where marks get lost

The mistakes that come up again and again in this topic.

  • Never write that data proves a hypothesis. Data supports or disproves.
  • Peer review does not make findings correct, only free of obvious error.
  • Hazard and risk are different words with different meanings; do not swap them.
  • Social issues affect people as a group; personal issues affect the individual concerned.
  • Suggesting an improvement without saying why it would help usually loses the second mark.
  • A control variable and a control experiment are different things.
  • Repeating your own experiment shows repeatability, not reproducibility.
  • Precise does not mean accurate. A zero error gives precise readings that are all wrong.
  • Taking more repeats does nothing about a systematic error.
  • Put the results in numerical order before picking the median.
  • Check every value for significant figures, not just the first one.
  • Joining points dot to dot instead of drawing a line of best fit is the most commonly penalised graph error.
  • A conclusion that names a species or condition that was never tested goes beyond the data.
  • Correlation is not cause; say so explicitly when a question invites the assumption.
  • Give the unit of a rate as the y unit over the x unit.
  • Uncertainty is half the range, not the whole range.
  • Minutes to seconds is × 60, not × 1000.
  • Both lengths must be in the same unit before calculating a magnification.
  • In standard form, A must be less than 10, so 62 × 10⁻⁵ is not standard form.

Other topics

Cell biology Transport in cells Cell division Organisation in animals Enzymes and the human digestive system Plant tissues, organs and systems Non-communicable disease Communicable disease and plant defences Preventing and treating disease Monoclonal antibodies Photosynthesis Respiration Homeostasis and the nervous system Hormonal coordination DNA, genes and variation Reproduction Evolution and Classification Adaptations, interdependence and competition Organisation of an ecosystem Humans and biodiversity Practical skills

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