This pack supports fair, consistent marking of the Waste Rock Stockpile Investigation. It contains a model exemplar, an annotated marking guide for each rubric criterion, a worked on-balance judgement, and notes for marking adjusted responses. It is for teacher and moderation use — not shown to students beforehand.
Model exemplar response (a "High" answer)
Part A — plan (model). Question: "Will covering the waste-rock pile reduce how much coloured 'acid' washes out when it rains?" Prediction: "Yes, because the cover will stop some rain soaking into the pile, so less will wash out." Fair-test plan: Change — whether the pile is covered (and with what). Measure/observe — how much colour washes into the tray. Keep the same — the size of the pile, the amount of dyed salt, the amount of water and how it is poured.
Part B — safety (model). "Risk: water and dyed salt could spill and make the floor slippery, or stain. Manage it: work over a tray, wipe spills straight away, and wash hands after."
Part C — design & result (model). A labelled drawing of the pile covered with a layer of small rocks and a plastic sheet, in a tray. Result: "The uncovered pile leaked a big patch of colour. My covered pile leaked only a small patch — much less."
Part D — explain & improve (model). "The cover worked because it stopped some of the rain reaching the salt, so less was eroded and washed out (less chemical weathering and erosion). To improve it, I would add a layer of soil and plants on top, because roots hold material in place and soak up water, so even less would wash out."
Comprehensive marking guide — applying the four criteria
This marking key is inquiry-weighted because the content description sits alongside four inquiry sub-strands.
1. Planning a fair investigation (30)
| Band | What you should see |
|---|---|
| High (5–6) | Clear question and reasoned prediction; correctly identifies what to change, what to measure/observe, and what to keep the same. |
| Sound (3–4) | Question and prediction; identifies the variable to change and something to keep the same. |
| Limited (1–2) | With guidance, identifies a variable; plan is incomplete. |
Look for / common issues: the frequent slip is naming only what to change but not what to keep the same — the "keep the same" list is what makes it fair, so weight it.
2. Identifying and managing risk (15)
| Band | What you should see |
|---|---|
| High (4) | Names a safety risk and a sensible way to manage it. |
| Sound (2–3) | Names a safety risk. |
| Limited (1) | Lists a risk with little detail. |
3. Conducting, observing and recording (30)
| Band | What you should see |
|---|---|
| High (5–6) | Clear labelled design; conducts the test; records a careful observation comparing the run-off with the uncovered pile. |
| Sound (3–4) | Labelled design and a record of what happened. |
| Limited (1–2) | Basic design and observation with little detail. |
Look for: the comparison to the uncovered pile is the key evidence of High here — "less than the uncovered one", not just "some leaked".
4. Explaining results and improving using science (25)
| Band | What you should see |
|---|---|
| High (5–6) | Explains the result using correct weathering/erosion knowledge and proposes a sensible improvement, with good scientific vocabulary. |
| Sound (3–4) | Explains with some science understanding and suggests an improvement. |
| Limited (1–2) | States what happened with little scientific explanation. |
Worked on-balance judgement
Marking adjusted (ABLEWA) responses
Where a student used the additional-support approach (placing plan cards, building the model, pointing to which pile leaked more, yes/no responses, a "more/less cover" improvement), mark the science evidence. Placing the change/keep-the-same cards is valid for Planning at an emerging level; pointing to the smaller leak is valid for Conducting/observing. Record adjustments beside the result; see the lesson's additional-support approach for Stage A–D descriptors.