Department ESL policy 3.1Outline assessment scheme of work for teaching

4Chemistry Department Level Descriptors

4.1iGCSE Grade Descriptors:

A level 7 student will

• 
  Consistently demonstrate the skills and abilities described for a level 6 student
  
• 
  Include understanding of awareness of the subject beyond the iGCSE syllabus and will be able to confidently extend the task to include relevant material that is included, for instance in the IB syllabus.
  

A level 6 student often:

• 
  Displays very broad knowledge of factual information in the syllabus and a thorough understanding of concepts and principles.
  
• 
  Selects and applies relevant information, concepts and principles in most contexts.
  
• 
  Analyses and evaluates quantitative and/or qualitative data with a high level of competence. Constructs explanations of complex phenomena and makes appropriate predictions.
  
• 
  Communicates effectively using appropriate terminology and conventions.
  
• 
  Shows insight or originality.
  
• 
  Demonstrates personal skills, perseverance and responsibility in a wide variety of investigative activities in a very consistent manner.
  
• 
  Displays competence in a range of investigative techniques, paying due attention to safety, and is generally capable of working well within a group.
  

A level 5 student will be able to often:

• 
  Relate facts to principles and theories and vice versa
  
• 
  State why particular techniques are preferred for a procedure or operation
  
• 
  Select and collate information from a number of sources and present it in a
  
• 
  Clear, logical form
  
• 
  Solve problems in situations which may involve a wide range of variables
  
• 
  Process data from a number of sources to identify any patterns or trends
  
• 
  Generate a hypothesis to explain facts, or find facts to support a hypothesis
  

A level 4 student will often be able to:

• 
  Link facts to situations not specified in the syllabus
  
• 
  Describe the correct procedure(s) for a multi-stage operation
  
• 
  Select a range of information from a given source and present it in a clear, logical form
  
• 
  Identify patterns or trends in given information
  
• 
  Solve a problem involving more than one step, but with a limited range of variables
  
• 
  Generate a hypothesis to explain a given set of facts or data
  

A level 3 student will often be able to

• 
  Recall facts contained in the syllabus
  
• 
  Indicate the correct procedure for a single operation
  
• 
  Select and present a single piece of information from a given source
  
• 
  Solve a problem involving one step, or more than one step if structured help is given
  
• 
  Identify a pattern or trend where only minor manipulation of data is needed
  
• 
  Recognise which of two given hypotheses explains a set of facts or data
  

A level 2 student:

• 
  Displays little recall of factual information in the syllabus.
  
• 
  Shows weak comprehension of basic concepts and principles and little evidence of application. Exhibits minimal ability to manipulate data and little or no ability to solve problems. Offers responses which are often incomplete or irrelevant.
  
• 
  Rarely demonstrates personal skills, perseverance or responsibility in investigative activities.
  
• 
  Works within a team occasionally but makes little or no contribution.
  
• 
  Occasionally approaches investigations in an ethical manner, but shows very little awareness of the environmental impact.
  
• 
  Displays competence in a very limited range of investigative techniques, showing little awareness of safety factors and needing continual and close supervision.
  

A level 1 student:

• 
  Recalls fragments of factual information in the syllabus and shows very little understanding of any concepts or principles.
  
• 
  Rarely demonstrates personal skills, perseverance or responsibility in investigative activities. Does not work within a team.
  
• 
  Displays very little competence in investigative techniques, generally pays no attention to safety, and requires constant supervision.