Home > Subjects > Biology > Level 2 > 2.1 Biology investigation > Subject content
- Subject: Biology
- AS: AS90457
- Level: 2
- Credits: 3
- Internal
Biology 2.1 Carry out a practical biological investigation with supervision
Subject content
- The nature of the investigation could be the manipulation of variables (fair test) or the investigation of a pattern or relationship.
- Remember the scientific method.
- Check out these guidelines to plan an investigation, collect and process data, and interpret the findings: Steps of the scientific method.
- The following is a list of skills that you need to be able to do in order to carry out and evaluate a quality investigation:
- Develop a relevant question, aim, prediction, or hypothesis that is linked to the investigation AND is testable within the conditions supplied, such as the school laboratory.
- Carry out a fair test or investigate a pattern by:
- selecting a valid range for the independent variable from the ranges supplied by the teacher
- choosing appropriate intervals between the values of the independent variable that will allow a trend to develop and be identified
- using a valid method to measure the dependent variable
- knowing how to control and monitor any other key variables that may affect the result
- determining whether enough data has been collected to ensure reliability.
- Systematically record data so that another person could process your data. Use appropriate means to calculate and process data.
- Describe a trend or relationship found in the processed data and link it to the original purpose of the investigation.
- Discuss biological ideas relevant to the result and their relationship to the processed data. If the results don’t correlate with known biological ideas, then suggest reasons why.
- Evaluate by justifying the conclusion and analysing the reliability of the method or the validity of the data collected:
- reliability of data is demonstrated by discussing how sources of error are eliminated, how limitations are overcome, and identifying assumptions made in the investigation
- validity of data is demonstrated by discussing how variables were controlled in order to ensure a fair test.
