Home > Subjects > Biology > Level 3 > 3.1 Practical investigation > Achievement criteria
- Subject: Biology
- AS: AS90713
- Level: 3
- Credits: 4
- Internal
Biology 3.1 Carry out a practical investigation into an aspect of an organism's ecological niche with guidance
Achievement criteria
The level of achievement that you will reach is decided by the way you carry out a practical biological investigation about an organism's ecological niche. Your investigation will involve planning, collecting and processing the data, interpreting results, and presenting a report.
Achievement
- Carry out a practical biological investigation into an aspect of an organism’s ecological niche with guidance.
A practical biological investigation involves:
- a statement of the purpose – this may be an aim, testable question, prediction, or hypothesis related to the ecological niche of an organism
- a method that describes:
- for a fair test: the independent variable and its range, the measurement of the dependent variable and the control of some other key variables
- or pattern seeking: the data that will be collected, range of data/samples, and consideration of some other key factors
- collecting, recording, and processing data (quantitative or qualitative) relevant to the purpose (processing data would usually involve calculations or graphing)
- interpreting and reporting on the findings with a conclusion reached based on the processed data in relation to the purpose of the investigation.
- Present a report on the investigation.
The report will need to include:
- an introduction that summarises the ecological niche of the organism and links this to the purpose of the investigation
- the purpose of the investigation
- the final method used
- recorded observations, measurements, and data
- processed data showing a trend or pattern
- a conclusion based on processed data relevant to the purpose of the investigation
- a reference list.
Achievement with Merit
- Carry out a quality practical biological investigation into an aspect of an organism’s ecological niche with guidance.
A quality practical biological investigation enables a valid conclusion to be reached. A valid conclusion is relevant to the aim and justified by correctly processed data. The characteristics of a quality investigation would normally involve:
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a statement of the purpose – this may be an aim, testable question, prediction, or hypothesis related to the ecological niche of the organism
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a method that describes:
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for a fair test: a valid range for the independent variable, the valid measurement of the dependent variable
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for pattern seeking: a valid collection of data
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how other variables will be controlled and/or how other factors that might influence the investigation will be taken into account
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collecting, recording, and processing data (quantitative or qualitative) to enable a trend or pattern (or absence), relevant to purpose of the investigation, to be determined
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interpreting and reporting on the findings with a valid conclusion reached based on the processed data in relation to the purpose of the investigation.
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- Present a report with a discussion on the investigation.
The report will need to include the same aspects as for Achievement.
A discussion considers the significance of the results of the investigation in relation to the ecological niche of the organism.
Achievement with Excellence
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The requirements for a quality investigation are the same as for Merit.
- Present a report, with a comprehensive discussion, on the investigation.
The report will need to include the same aspects as for Achievement and Merit.
A comprehensive discussion will include a discussion of the validity of an investigation and will link to statistical procedures that you use. Statistics can also establish the reliability of the conclusions you make from the data. A comprehensive discussion will consider:
- the investigation as a whole
- the significance of the results in relation to the ecological niche of the organism and relevant scientific information
- the validity of the investigation in terms of either
- the validity of the conclusion by using statistical methods such as mean and standard deviation, confidence intervals, standard error, or other appropriate test; or
- the reliability of the data by consideration of factors such as how sources of error were eliminated, how limitations were overcome, or how the effects of bias were reduced.
