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Help With AQA ISA's?

Ok so I am a private candidate doing GCSE science and I have my ISA tests coming up in April.

For the ISAs i have to do three experiments:

Biology: "Investigate fitness by measuring the effects of exercise on heart rate"

Physics: "Investigate the efficiency of an electrical device such as a heater"

Chemistry: "Compare the viscosity of different oils"

Because I am a private candidate and have no tutor/teacher to help me, I am confused about how I would go about conducting these experiments.

I have to draw a table of my results and a chart/graph.

I just wouldn't know where to start doing an investigation on how I would find out the viscosity of different oils!

Can anyone help me? please?

Reply 1

Gemma2010

are you sure there not mocks, I did the biology one you mention for my GCSE last year.

Reply 2

opinionscount66

I don't know I'm so confused....

I read the specification for 2010 and it had these listed as acceptable examples...

Reply 3

safis

I think you should do Biology one it sounds easy. Are you studying with a college like OOL or NEC?

Reply 4

JK.

Sounds similar to ISAs I've done, for the viscosity one we filled different test tubes with different types of oil and dropped a ball-bearing in, measuring the time it took to hit the bottom, hope this helps and if you want any other info just ask. Also, I'm not sure if you knew or not but the practical and drawing the graph are only worth ~25% of the marks on the ISA, the rest will be from a short test on the experiment and related subject matters. At the start of the ISA, or more likely a few days before, you will be given a sheet outlining what you need to investigate and you'll be left to decide how to go about it though I doubt it'll be hugely challenging to work out. Anyway, best of luck, I'd be pretty apprehensive if I was studying it like you but its really nothing to worry about tbh.

Reply 5

Insanity514

Hey. Im doing ISAs too but our teachers all say taht 38/40 is an A*. Can you please tell me what your teachers say as ive heard it mite be 36/40 for A*.

Thanks

Reply 6

JK.

Insanity514

Hey. Im doing ISAs too but our teachers all say taht 38/40 is an A*. Can you please tell me what your teachers say as ive heard it mite be 36/40 for A*.

Thanks

It'll generally be around the 90% mark but examiners have to do UMS and what not so you can't really be sure. For physics AS ISAs last year our class got heavily moderated down and so what our teacher had judged to be and A in many cases got changed down to a B or even C. The simple answer is prepare well and try the best you can, don't worry about what mark is worth an A*, just aim to get them all right, you drop a couple of marks and you should be set for an A* but you can't be guaranteed it whatever you do.