The document provides guidelines for students completing a science coursework assignment on a topic related to science in the news. Students must research the topic in lesson time using supplied resources and are allowed to bring notes to the supervised writing session but not completed work. They have one hour to write a 800-word report answering the given question and must cite all sources used. Reports will be assessed on skills like selecting evidence, data analysis, and relating findings to social issues.

1. GCSE Gateway science coursework (science in the news)

2. The coursework question Are we safe in the sun? 800 word report

3. Skills you need to show select relevant information from an article reference information from different sources process quantitative data and identify patterns evaluate the evidence relate the data to social , economic or environmental issues answer the question set and explain why

4. Coursework RULES Can you draft and redraft Science in the News tasks? No. You must submit your original piece of work. Can you do research in lesson time, and if so can you be given suitable stimulus material by the teacher? Yes. Research can be done in lesson time. You may be provided with a variety of resource material, e.g. relevant newspaper and magazine articles, CD-ROMs, books, Internet addresses etc. Can you take Science in the News tasks to complete at home? No. The final report has to be completed in lesson time under controlled conditions

5. Coursework RULES Can you draft and redraft Science in the News tasks? No. You must submit your original piece of work. Can you do research in lesson time, and if so can you be given suitable stimulus material by the teacher? Yes. Research can be done in lesson time. You may be provided with a variety of resource material, e.g. relevant newspaper and magazine articles, CD-ROMs, books, Internet addresses etc. There should be opportunities for you to choose your sources and not just be given the ones to use. You may be invited to carry out a survey of people’s views on the question asked. This could provide evidence for data handling. Can candidates take Science in the News tasks to complete at home? No. The final report has to be completed in lesson time under controlled conditions i.e. with the supervision of the teacher. The research needed to enable them to complete the report can be done without supervision. You must attach all preliminary work to your final report.

6. What can you bring into class to help you do a Science in the News task? You can bring in notes, pictures, charts or graphs to help. You must not bring in completed answers either electronically or in writing. Can you copy sections straight from a book or the Internet? Yes, but this must be clearly referenced so that the source is clear. Copying too much irrelevant material will make the work too long. What will happen if there is evidence of candidates producing identical work? If this is the case, neither candidate’s work should be counted. Is there a time limit for you completing a Science in the News task? No, but about an hour’s writing up time should be sufficient for most candidates.However, if it carries over into another lesson all the work and the notes must be collected in. Can you be told the results of the task? Yes, but you must not then be given the opportunity to add to or improve the work. This will also be a provisional mark subject to moderation.

7. Summary of requirements 800 words, own work – make use of bullet points/headings Can use writing framework if wish (may lower marks) Week to research different sources and data Consider accuracy of data Manipulate the data (draw your own graphs) One hour to complete in silence No redrafting Bring with you notes from research, but not completed work Reference all sources Relate to environment, social, economic issues Describe patterns , thoughts, in a conclusion Good spelling, grammar and use of science words

8. example Link to a students coursework on another question (page 48)

9. What does sun exposure do to the body? Social/economic/environmental effects Sun damage statistics, trends and patterns Statistics, trends and patterns on sunbeds My survey My answer to the question My references Possible outline for your task

10. How to reference Link to sheet explaining what you need to do And another link of examples

11. Useful resources Information from OCR Slideshow Word document http:// info.cancerresearchuk.org/cancerstats/types/skin / http://www.bbc.co.uk/health/conditions/cancer/prevention_sun.shtml www.metoffice.com http://www.newscientist.com/article/mg19125684.500-keep-slapping-on-that-sunscreen.html http://www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/types/skin http://www.nhs.uk/Conditions/Cancer-of-the-skin/Pages/Introduction.aspx?url=Pages/what-is-it.aspx&r=1&rtitle=Cancer+of+the+skin+-+Introduction

12. How you will be marked You will be marked on 6 skills Each skill is worth 6 marks maximum There is a total of 36 marks Link to mark sheet ( page 35)

13. support Writing framework – this is found towards the end of the document from OCR

14. A. Preparing candidates • should be given the stimulus material and use it to plan their research • should be given about a week to research the Topic • may carry out research during lesson time, undertake it at home, in an ICT room or in a library • may use any resource they wish for their research • do not need to be supervised whilst they are undertaking their research • should be made aware of the requirement to clearly reference their sources in the final report.

15. B. What candidates can prepare in advance A candidate may bring any of the following into the final supervised session: • a prepared list of the references they are using to write their report which must be attached as an appendix • any prepared diagrams, tables, charts or graphs that they have produced when processing data to illustrate points (the original data source should also be submitted to provide evidence that they have manipulated the data in some way) • articles they want to use when writing their report. Candidates need to be reminded that if they bring in too much material it may hamper the writing of their final report • any notes they have produced to help them structure their report. All material prepared in advance must be available as hard copy and it must be attached to the end of the report. Candidates are not allowed to bring in any material in an electronic format for use in the supervised session.

16. C. The supervised session Candidates are expected to be working independently to complete their reports and working in silence The report should be no longer than 800 words, but in many cases candidates will complete their report using fewer. It is expected that the supervised session will last about an hour but the time can be extended (the candidate’s work should be collected in at the end of the first session and handed out again at the start of the second). When a candidate has finished the Science in the News report, they should hand it in together with all the background notes they brought into the supervised session attached to the back of their final report, together with the original Science in the News stimulus. Candidates must not take copies of their final report, either as hard copy or in electronic format, from the supervised session.