What is an Internal Assessment?
Year 12’s undertake their IAs
Year 12 have had a very intense but highly rewarding end to their academic year – they have spent four days off timetable in the Science labs working on their Internal Assessment (IA) in the Sciences. The IAs are an individual practical investigation into a unique research question chosen by each student. It’s one of the busiest weeks for the Science Faculty, with every Year 12 student designing an experiment and assembling (sometimes creating!) their own set of equipment. As you can see from the photos, it’s a real spectacle – it’s great to see our amazing Science Centre practical facilities being put to such good use!
Here is a selection of the research questions under investigation this year:
- How does the TAS2R38 gene affect Thiourea taste perception, and how is this perception correlated to, sex and ethnicity?
- How does changing the concentration of sulfuric acid affect the rate of oscillation of the Briggs Rauscher reaction?
- How does the mass on a vertical mass-spring system affect the resonant frequency of the system?
- To what extent does smoking affect the surface area: volume ratio in human gas exchange
- How does the angle of a golf club affect the horizontal distance travelled by the ball when in flight (the carry of the ball)?
- To what extent does lichen coverage vary between national parks and urbanised areas?
- How does the concentrations of Matcha affect the Rate of Hydrolysis of the egg protein Albumin by Pepsin?
- How does the quality of tap water differ from bottled water available in the specific region?
- How does the presence of EDTA affect the rate of hydrogen gas production in the reaction between zinc and hydrochloric acid with the addition of copper (II) ions?
- What is the relationship between the thickness of paper covering a photovoltaic cell affect the voltage output of the PV cell?
- How does the diversity of organisms depend on different areas of the Outdoor Classroom Pond (such as the edge or the middle of the pond)?
- How does changing the concentration of a cobalt (II) catalyst affect the rate of decomposition of hydrogen peroxide with potassium sodium tartrate?
The Research Questions above are taken from all four Sciences: Biology, Chemistry, Physics, and Environmental Systems and Societies. Can you guess which research question is from which field of Science?
