Work samples

Science

Year 9

Above satisfactory

Travel advice

Summary of task

As part of their teaching and learning unit on biological sciences, students investigated how living organisms maintain the requirements for life through the coordinated function of body systems, such as the respiratory, circulatory, digestive, nervous and excretory systems. Students then focused in more detail on the human immune system and researched how the body responds to changes that occur as a result of the presence of a pathogenic micro-organism.

This work sample consists of two related tasks. In the first task, students were asked to imagine they were a General Practitioner specialising in travel medicine who has been asked to provide advice for a group of students planning an extended stay in Cambodia. They were asked to record a speech, podcast or video informing the prospective travellers about the various types of diseases they are likely to encounter on such a trip. Choosing a minimum of two examples, students were asked to explain how each disease is transmitted, what its main symptoms and possible long-term effects are, and how it can be treated. They were asked to provide advice about how to minimise the risk of contracting the disease and information about the impact of each disease on Cambodia’s society. In addition to the recording, students were asked to submit a transcript of their recording and an annotated bibliography.

The second task formed part of the final summative assessment of the unit. Students were asked to respond to questions relating to the concepts studied in the unit under formal exam conditions. The work sample shows selected questions from this assessment.

Achievement standard

By the end of Year 9, students explain chemical processes and natural radioactivity in terms of atoms and energy transfers and describe examples of important chemical reactions. They describe models of energy transfer and apply these to explain phenomena. They explain global features and events in terms of geological processes and timescales. They analyse how biological systems function and respond to external changes with reference to interdependencies, energy transfers and flows of matter. They describe social and technological factors that have influenced scientific developments and predict how future applications of science and technology may affect people’s lives.

Students design questions that can be investigated using a range of inquiry skills. They design methods that include the control and accurate measurement of variables and systematic collection of data and describe how they considered ethics and safety. They analyse trends in data, identify relationships between variables and reveal inconsistencies in results. They analyse their methods and the quality of their data, and explain specific actions to improve the quality of their evidence. They evaluate others’ methods and explanations from a scientific perspective and use appropriate language and representations when communicating their findings and ideas to specific audiences.

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Defines key terminology and explains scientific concepts with consideration of purpose and target audience

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Summarises components of immune system
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Explains function and purpose of vaccines and good hygiene

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Analyses causes of selected diseases, explains risks of contraction and preventive measures

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Directs audience to infographics to aid understanding

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Analyses in detail social and economic impacts of diseases on society

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Provides annotated bibliography including detailed information about reliability and usefulness

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Defines ‘homeostasis’, describes its function and identifies associated organ systems
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Applies understanding of heat transfer mechanisms to explain in detail how the body maintains homeostasis in response to external temperature change

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Defines key terminology
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Identifies main functions of immune system
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Describes in detail physiological processes involved in immune response
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Describes multiple examples of how homeostasis may be affected in response to a pathogen