A Level science: updated practical skills handbooks
19 March 2024
Andri Achilleos, Biology Subject Advisor
We are constantly looking for ways to support you with the assessment of practical skills in practical endorsement and the written exams. Our science subject advisors have recently reviewed our practical skills handbooks after feedback from our centres. Here, I’ll detail the changes we’ve made.
One recurring theme from the feedback was that the handbooks, while comprehensive, were perceived as lengthy and potentially unclear. Although we haven’t changed the content of the handbooks, we have refined the presentation, making them more accessible, and provided additional clarification on the assessment of practical skills 1.2.1 (d), (e), and (f).
You can find the updated practical skills handbooks here:
What’s the purpose of the practical skills handbooks?
Our practical skills handbooks offer guidance and support for the assessment of practical skills both in the written exams as well as in the assessment of practical endorsement.
The handbooks include the requirements for the practical endorsement and guidance on planning the practical scheme of work. They also provide guidance to teachers when assessing competency of practical skills during a practical activity.
In addition, they provide support for the indirect assessment of practical skills. Teachers should use the handbooks together with the specification as well as the maths skills handbook when preparing for the written exams.
What accessibility updates did we make?
We know how crucial it is for our teachers to make the most of their time, and that’s why we have streamlined our updated practical skills handbooks without sacrificing any of the valuable information you rely on. The revised handbooks ensure that you can navigate through the resources with greater ease.
One of the changes we made is the revamped appendices. These are now rearranged to highlight crucial aspects of the practical endorsement. Information on resources is now up to date making it easier for you to access documents using hyperlinks.
But that’s not all – we’ve reviewed the entire document, tweaking the tone and language to make it more accessible. We believe that understanding and implementing practical skills should be as straightforward as possible, and our revised handbooks reflect that. We’ve made sure that the content aligns with the latest needs and priorities, so anything that didn’t serve a significant purpose or was tied to the introduction of the new specification in 2015 was removed.
Clarification on assessment of practical skills 1.2.1 (d), (e), (f)
In response to numerous queries from centres, we’ve added further clarification on the assessment of practical skills 1.2.1 (d), (e), and (f). A lot of centres found the distinction between these three skills challenging and not obvious.
There is a common theme throughout these skills, which is that every student must engage with each practical skill individually, even if they are working in groups during the practical activity. Evidence of their records should also be contemporaneous for each activity. To achieve this each student should maintain a real-time ‘diary’ of their observations and measurements. So how do you distinguish between them?
1.2.1 (d) make and record observations and measurements
The focus of this practical skill is the development of observational and measurement competencies. Students’ observations and measurements should be kept as evidence for achievement of this skill via contemporaneous records. Students are expected to use appropriate scientific vocabulary when documenting qualitative data, to demonstrate competency in this skill.
However, assessment under this skill does not include the evaluation of units and the correct format of recording the quantitative and qualitative data.
1.2.1 (e) keep appropriate records of experimental activities
Competency in this skill can again be evidenced through the students’ contemporaneous experimental records. These records should be the primary evidence of the outcomes of experiments and should be completed during the practical activity. Students can still be awarded competency if there are some errors/inconsistencies in the presentation of the data. Where appropriate, data should be presented in suitable tables and graphs and/or calculated results. The expectation for this skill is that there is enough detail to interpret the results produced.
If the experimental procedure is given there is no need for this to be transcribed onto students’ records. However, they need to be retained as part of the record. In the case of ‘investigations’, students need to provide evidence into the ‘why’ and ‘how’ with a suitable description of the procedures. They need to clarify which variables played the role of the dependent and independent, disclose any adjustments made to produce suitable results, and provide enough detail to facilitate a comprehensive interpretation of the outcomes.
1.2.1 (f) present information and data in a scientific way
To demonstrate competency for this skill, information and data should be presented in a scientific way, following the guidance in Appendix 3 and 4 of our handbooks.
Data in tables should include explanatory titles, clear headings for columns, relevant units for measurements and the correct number of significant figures in the data.
In the case of graphs, these should be presented in an appropriate form – see the guidance in Appendix 5 of our practical skills handbook.
For biology, where labelled diagrams are required, these should follow the guidance in our biological skills drawing skills handbook.
For geology, where technical illustrations and field sketches are presented these should be in line with the drawing skills handbook.
Stay connected
If you have any questions, you can email us at science@ocr.org.uk, call on 01223 553998 or message us on X (formerly Twitter) @OCR_Science. You can also sign up to subject updates to receive information about resources and support.
About the author
Andri was a teacher for ten years before joining OCR in January 2019 as the subject advisor for A Level Biology. She studied Biology at University of Bristol and completed an MA in Science Education at University of York. She has taught in Birmingham as Teacher in charge of Biology, as well as an international school in Europe. During her teaching career she has taken on various roles within the department and has also been an examiner for different exam boards.
Related blogs