DOING A GOOD SUMMATIVE B (inquiring and designing)

and C (processing and evaluating) for MYP students.

INTRODUCTION

Doing a summative task which assesses criterion B (inquiring and designing) and
C (processing and evaluating) is part of the MYP assessment. In summative task
B, you will be required to design an experiment and go to the laboratory to carry
out the experiment all by yourself. For summative C, you are required to process
the data you collected with your design and to evaluate your design. This
document is to guide you on requirements for a good summative B and C. These
skills would be required for your individual investigations (IAs) and Extended
Essays (EEs) at the Diploma level so you have to pay attention to them.

INQUIRING AND DESIGNING AN EXPERIMENT

TOPIC
 This will sometimes be given by teacher/ the student will have to come up
with a topic.
 Examples: (i). Determination of melting point of substances. (ii). Rates of
reaction

RESEARCH QUESTION

A focused research question is clearly stated; a focused research question must

have both the independent and dependent variables present. You may include
the method of analysis. In summary, what is the effect of the independent
variable on the dependent variable?
Example: What is the effect of concentration of hydrochloric acid (0.1, 0.2, 0.3,
0.4, and 0.5) moldm-3 on the time it takes for the reaction between 0.1moldm -3
sodium thiosulphate and hydrochloric acid?

BACKGROUND INFORMATION

 The background information provided for the investigation is entirely

appropriate and relevant and enhances the understanding of the context
of the investigation.
 Briefly describe the sample you are working on. The chemistry behind the
work you are doing and research that has been done by other scientist.
 The source(s) of the information should be clearly referenced in the
appropriate manner (MLA format)

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HYPOTHESIS
A hypothesis is a tentative explanation for an observation or phenomenon that
requires experimental confirmation; can take the form of a question or a
statement. You must state the hypothesis and explain it with existing knowledge.
Example:
Hypothesis: Increase in the temperature of a reaction, increases the rate the
rate of a reaction.
Explanation: Increasing the temperature, increases the kinetic energy of the
particles so they are more collisions and hence more effective collisions so the
rate of the reaction increases.

FACTORS THAT CAN AFFECT THE INVESTIGATION

 Take into consideration, all the significant factors that may influence the
relevance, reliability and sufficiency of the collected data. Here, you have
to list the factors that can affect the experiment.
 Clearly identify the independent factor (variable), dependent factor
(variable) and controlled factors (variables). Example: factors (variables)
that affect rate of reaction. Let students list the factors (variables) and
label them.

INDEPENDENT FACTOR (VARIABLE): This is the variable/factor that is

selected and manipulated by the investigator in an experiment. Example:
concentration, temperature, etc.

DEPENDENT FACTOR (VARIABLE): the result (s) you get (or you want to get)
from changing the first and here again you must decide on only one even though
there may be many. It is the variable in which values are measured in the
experiment.

CONTROLLED FACTORS (VARIABLES): These are factors that can affect the
experiment but which you keep constant/do not touch during the experiment.
Example: pressure.

APPARATUS
• All the apparatus used must be stated (listed) including the number
required and other specifications. Example: volume of measuring cylinder
to be used.

DIAGRAM
• It must be suitable and boldly drawn and labeled.
• It must represent the experiment that you did.

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METHODOLOGY/PROCEDURE/METHOD
 The methodology of the investigation is highly appropriate to address the
research question. The method must outline the step by step approach to
how the experiment should be carried out. If the method is given to
anyone, he/she should be able to go to the lab and carry out the
experiment without coming to the person who designed it to ask for further
instructions.
 The steps in the method must be numbered.
 State the fair test in the method.
 The source(s) of all information must be clearly referenced in MLA format.

SAFETY, ETHICAL OR ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES

 The report shows evidence of full awareness of the significant safety,

ethical or environmental issues that are relevant to the methodology of
the investigation. Here, you must state all the precautions that must be
taken when conduction the experiment: dressing properly for the
experiment, caution about the chemicals being used and how to dispose
of the resulting chemicals.
 Example: should a metal product or an insoluble salt be poured in the
sink? Should you work with ammonia in the fume chamber or in the lab?

OBSERVATION MEASURING AND RECORDING DATA

 Makes relevant observations, measurements or estimates to a degree of
accuracy appropriate to the instruments or techniques used. Records
results in an appropriate manner given no format.
 There are two types of data: qualitative data and quantitative data.

QUALITATIVE DATA: Refers to non-numerical data or information that is difficult

to measure in a numerical way.
This is data that has no figures associated with it. This has to do with what you
see (observe) e.g. colour changes, effervescence, smoke etc, smell examples:
pungent smell, irritating smell or sweet smell, feel examples: hot or cold OR hear
examples: a pop sound, fizzing sound during the experiment. It better to express
yourself hence this data should not be recorded in a table.

QUANTITATIVE DATA: Refers to numerical measurements of the variables

associated with the investigation.
This is data that has figures (numbers) associated with it. A complete table must
be drawn with the columns and rows clearly outlined.

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 QUALITIES OF A GOOD TABLE
1. It must have a heading
2. Table must be vertical
3. The outline of the table must be clearly drawn
4. Each column in the table must be labelled with quantity (e.g. Mass,
volume, temperature, etc), unit (e.g. g, cm3, oC, etc) and the uncertainty
in the apparatus you used to measure the quantities.
5. Values in each column must be recorded to the same number of decimal
places.
6. Values in each column must be recorded to the same number of decimal
places as the uncertainty in the apparatus.
7. If time is an independent variable, the time must start at time t=0.
8. The independent factor (variable) is always placed in the first column of
the table.

EXAMPLE:
HEADING: A table showing the volume of solution used and the time it took for
the reaction to be completed
QUANTITY UNIT UNCERTAINTY

TIME/S + 0.01 VOLUME/cm3 + 0.05

OUTLINE
UNCERTAINTIES
ANALOGUE INSTRUMENTS
In some analogue instruments the uncertainty is written on the instrument. If it is
not written, then you look for the least reading on the instrument and divide it by
2. That is the uncertainty in the instrument. Example in a titration the least
reading on the burette is 0.1cm3 so the uncertainty in the burette is + 0.05cm3

DIGITAL INSTRUMENTS
In digital instruments your uncertainty will only be reliable to the last decimal
place of the reading. So if the instrument records to two decimal places, the
uncertainty will be + 0.01 and if it reads to three decimal places, the uncertainty
will be + 0.001 etc.

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Processing or Transforming data - Involves processing raw data into a form
suitable for visual representation. This process may involve, for example,
combining and manipulating raw data (by adding, subtracting, squaring or
dividing) to determine the value of a physical quantity and also taking the
average of several measurements. It might be that the data collected are already
in a form suitable for visual representation in the case of the distance travelled by
a woodlouse, for example. If the raw data are represented in this way and a best-
fit line graph is drawn the raw data have been processed.

QUALITIES OF A GOOD GRAPH

Tips for Good Graphs

1. Give your graph a title for example: "The dependence of (your dependent
variable) on (your independent variable)" or a graph of (dependent variable)
against (the independent variable)

2. The x-axis is your independent variable and the y-axis is your dependent
variable.

3. LABEL your x-axis with its quantity and its unit and y-axis with its quantity and
its unit.

4. When graphing data from lab, make line graphs or curves because they tell
you how one thing changes under the influence of some other variable. If the
data you have plotted is for a straight line draw a line of best fit otherwise, draw a
smooth line through the points.

5. NEVER connect the dots on your line graph.

COMMENTS ON THE GRAPH

To comment on a graph, comment on the relationship between the independent

variable (x) and dependent variable (y). Example: as x increases, y increases or
as x increases, y decreases. Also, you have to comment on the slope; does the
graph have a positive slope or a negative slope.

Deals appropriately with anomalous or inconsistent results; to do this,

indicate the result(s) that are anomalous and explain how you dealt with the
result. The first treatment for anomalous result(s) is to redo that particular
experiment, and then you can explain the possible cause of the anomalous
result.

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CONCLUSION:
Conclusions must be based on the results of the experiment. I.e. State the
findings of your experiment. Example: In answering the research question, “What is
the effect of concentration of hydrochloric acid (0.1, 0.2, 0.3, 0.4, and 0.5) moldm -
3
on the time it takes for the reaction between 0.1moldm -3 sodium thiosulphate
and hydrochloric acid?” for concentrations of 0.1, 0.2, 0.3, 0.4, and 0.5 moldm -3
the time it took for the reaction to occur were: 20, 15, 10, 5, 3, and 2 minutes
respectively. It can be concluded that as temperature increased, the time it too for
the reaction to occur decreased.

Validity of the hypothesis

It is always important to state your hypothesis and explain whether the
conclusion supported your hypothesis or not. Did your conclusion support the
hypothesis? How did the conclusion support the hypothesis? If the conclusion did
not support the hypothesis, explain why.

Validity of the method - Refers to whether the method allows for the collection
of sufficient valid data to answer the question. This includes factors such as
whether the measuring instrument measures what it is supposed to measure, the
conditions of the experiment and the manipulation of variables (fair testing). You
must evaluate the method including the challenges you encountered during the
experiment. The errors are not recorded in any textbook or the internet. Sources
of error can come from the apparatus that are used for the experiment as well as
the method used. Some steps taken can introduce error into your work so you
have to think through the experiment and the steps you used to conduct the
experiment in order to come up with the sources of error.

IMPROVEMENTS:
State how the plan can be modified to make it work better. It is better to use the
difficulties encountered and the sources of error to modify the plan and explain
briefly why you did the modification.

Extensions to the method:

Developments for further inquiry as related to the outcome of the investigation.
What con someone investigate to add to (extend) the work that you have done. It
can be in the form of a question.

REFERENCES:
All the sources that you referenced in the investigation should be listed here in
alphabetical order.