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Physics isa ( help!! )

Hey, so long story short I have the worlds worst physics teacher, me and the rest of the class have reported to our head about her many times however I still have her, last week she said "you will be having an isa on thermistors" and that was it, no information of what to include in an isa, how isa's are set out, ive been on a school trip till yesterday so ive done no planning, ive emailed her and she replied with "use resources around you, good luck" so please anyone how can I achieve my target of an A/A*? its basically like chucking a new born baby into a river and expecting it to swim out safely.

Please help, thankyou so much
-Gub

Reply 1

username1530463

Why don't you look at past ISAs? I did for Core Science and I got an A. Obviously, it got scrapped because I decided to do Triple Science, but I think it will work again.

Reply 2

ruudiwolf

ISAs are basically controlled assessments.
In class, you take two papers, section 1 and section 2, based around a topic/practical you research, complete and evaluate.

You teacher should give you preliminary information including context and definitions of key words you need to know, which you can find here: http://www.gcse.com/science/AQA_ISA.htm
(Definitions our teacher said you definitely need to know include:
Anomaly
Accuracy
Repeatable
Reproducible
Precision)

Before section 1, you need to research a method relating to the practical you are given. This includes making a hypothesis (what you are measuring), a risk assessment, variables, and at least two methods preferably with a diagram which you can draw in section 1.
For this you will be given a research sheet, I advise to write as much as possible on it as it will be useful in both paper 1 and 2.

In section 1, you record what you have researched, you are also expected to draw a table and compare the two methods you have chosen. Also, you need to compare two sources you used in your research (one internet, one textbook) and state which one was more useful (eg. Textbook is more reliable because it has been endorsed and reviewed by the exam board etc.)

You are then given a practical and method to complete in pairs, and you record your results on a graph. You also need to be able to compare your results with the results of another group.

Finally, you do section two, where you explain how the results prove your hypothesis, identify anomalies, draw a sketch graph, talk about how results can be made more accurate/repeatable/reproducible. You will also need to identify errors in your experiment.
Make sure when you talk about accuracy you mention that you obtain multiple results, allowing you to identify anomalies (define an anomaly otherwise you don't get the mark), and how you would calculate an average (add all values together and divide by number of values, emitting anomalies).

Also in section two you get case studies, which relate to your experiment and you use your knowledge to answer them. Remember to include issues such as cost, and efficiency.

Where possible quote values, because if you don't you can lose a ton or marks (eg quote them for comparison, in case studies and to support your explanation of how the results supported your hypothesis).

Even though your teacher may not say much, listen to what they say because it could be useful.

I also advise you check out past papers and look over the mark schemes, as they will show you what you need to include and help with case studies which can vary a lot.

I hope this helps :smile: