Module 5: Scientific Investigations

7 dot points across 4 inquiry questions, in syllabus order. Each dot point has a focused answer, with exam-style questions and worked answers where available.

Inquiry Question 1: What initiates an investigation?

Develop and evaluate questions and hypotheses for scientific investigation

Inquiry questions and hypotheses. Covers what makes a question testable, the difference between a hypothesis and a prediction, falsifiability, and worked HSC past exam questions.

7 min read →

Inquiry Question 2: What type of methodology best suits a scientific investigation?

Conduct risk assessments and consider ethical issues, including the use of animals, plants and humans, in planning a scientific investigation

Risk assessment and ethics. Covers the hierarchy of control, NHMRC ethical guidelines, animal welfare, informed consent, and worked HSC past exam questions.

7 min read →

Plan investigations to ensure that they are valid and reliable, including the use of an appropriate experimental design with consideration of independent, dependent and controlled variables

Variables and experimental design. Covers independent, dependent and controlled variables, control groups, sample size, and worked HSC past exam questions.

8 min read →

Inquiry Question 3: How is the integrity of a scientific investigation judged?

Process, analyse and interpret quantitative and qualitative data, including identifying and accounting for sources of error and uncertainty

Data analysis. Covers means and ranges, error bars, significant figures, random vs systematic error, outliers, and worked HSC past exam questions.

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Plan, source and acknowledge primary and secondary data appropriate to the investigation

Primary and secondary data. Covers the distinction, sourcing and acknowledging secondary data, evaluating source quality, and worked HSC past exam questions.

7 min read →

Evaluate scientific investigations and findings in terms of reliability, validity, accuracy and precision of data

Reliability, validity, accuracy and precision. The four concepts every Investigating Science student must distinguish, with worked HSC past exam questions.

7 min read →

Inquiry Question 4: What is the structure of an investigative report?

Communicate scientific understanding using suitable language and terminology, including the role of peer review and replication in confirming scientific findings

Peer review and replication. Covers what peer review does, why it matters, the reproducibility crisis, and worked HSC past exam questions on confirming scientific findings.

7 min read →