'How science works' in A2 Science in Society

Understanding of ideas about how science works is the core of the A2 course as it was at AS. Many of the ideas encountered at AS are covered again, some of them in more detail. A few new ideas are included at A2, these are indicated in bold in the summary in section 3.5 of the specification. A wider knowledge of ways of handling data and of statistical ideas is expected but modelling of complex situations is the only completely new set of ideas.

Students are expected to draw on their knowledge of how science works in all the work they do and to refer to the relevant ideas in their written answers. They will use the ideas to help interpret the main features of a scientific paper or other reports in the case study. And many of the questions they formulate as part of problem based learning activities will arise from an understanding of how science works.

Most ideas about how science works are covered at least twice in the topics of the AQA specification. This is reflected in the activities on this web site or in the textbook. Although ideas have been linked to particular topics in the specification they are relevant to a wider range of issues and may be examined in any context.

Under each how science works idea you will find links to the activities that develop these ideas and to web sites and other sources of information.

For more detailed information about How Science works, see the specification for the course which is available on the AQA website. Section 3.5 of the specification is a helpful summary that sets out what is required in one place.

Last updated: 4 February 2010