Guidelines for Practical Write-ups

The practical component of BGCSE science courses contributes 20% to your grade. There are 4 skills which are assessed and you have to submit 2 practicals for each skill, making a total of 8 practicals. When you write up your practical work follow the guidelines below. Remember that these are guidelines and may need to be adjusted for each individual practical. Title Every practical should have a title. It is usually one sentence which tells the examiner the aim of the practical. Plan (only for Skill D) A plan is your proposal of how you are going to carry out your practical (future tense). It should include all equipment needed and have precise steps to follow. Plans must be checked by the teacher before you begin your experiment. Diagram Diagrams must be drawn in pencil and must be labelled. They should be simple line diagrams. Method This is what you actually did during your practical (past tense). It should include any adjustments made to your plan. Results You are examined in two areas in this section. The first area is Observation, which is what you see and how you record what you see. Try to make 5 observations in each practical. If a result looks unusual, do not discard it; repeat the observation and include both results in your write-up. Use tables and graphs whenever possible. Make sure quantities have appropriate units. The second area is Analysis, which is what you do with your results. Present calculations clearly and find averages whenever possible. Conclusion This tells the examiner what you have learned from the results. It should state whether you achieved your aim in your title. Include comments on unusual results and how you dealt with them. Sources of Error No practical is perfect. You should look for at least three places where there could be inaccuracies in your work. Improvements Make suggestions as to how you could improve the accuracy of your practical.