Task
When people mine, they leave piles of leftover rock called waste-rock stockpiles. When it rains, water can wash acids and chemicals out of the pile — this is called chemical weathering and erosion, and it can pollute the soil and waterways. Your job is to plan and test a design that reduces how much washes out.
Part A — Plan your fair test
1. Write the question your investigation will answer.
2. Write your prediction and a reason.
3. Complete your fair-test plan.
| Part of the test | What I will do |
|---|---|
| I will CHANGE | |
| I will MEASURE / OBSERVE | |
| I will KEEP THE SAME |
Part B — Safety
4. Name one risk and how you will manage it.
Part C — Design and result
5. Draw and label your design for reducing the run-off.
6. What happened when it 'rained'? How did the amount that washed out compare with the uncovered pile?
Part D — Explain and improve
7. Use what you know about weathering and erosion to explain why your design worked (or did not work), and how you would improve it.
Rubric criteria (weights as a percentage of this assessment)
| Criterion | Weight | Descriptor |
|---|---|---|
| Conducting, observing and recording | 30% | High (5–6): Produces a clear labelled design, conducts the test, and records a careful observation comparing the run-off with the uncovered pile. Sound (3–4): Produces a labelled design and records what happened. Limited (1–2): Basic design and observation with little detail. |
| Planning a fair investigation | 30% | High (5–6): Writes a clear question and reasoned prediction, and identifies what to change, what to measure/observe, and what to keep the same to make a fair test. Sound (3–4): Writes a question and prediction and identifies the variable to change and something to keep the same. Limited (1–2): With guidance, identifies a variable; the plan is incomplete. |
| Explaining results and improving (using science) | 25% | High (5–6): Explains the result using correct weathering and erosion knowledge and proposes a sensible improvement, communicating clearly with scientific vocabulary. Sound (3–4): Explains the result with some science understanding and suggests an improvement. Limited (1–2): States what happened with little scientific explanation. |
| Identifying and managing risk | 15% | High (4): Describes a safety risk and a sensible way to manage it. Sound (2–3): Describes a safety risk. Limited (1): Lists a risk with little detail. |