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Required practicals — AQA GCSE Combined Science Synergy

The 21 required practicals on this course, as named in the specification.

Required practical activity 1: use appropriate apparatus to make and record the densities of regular and irregular solid objects and liquids. Volume should be determined from the dimensions of a regularly shaped object and by a displacement technique for irregularly shaped objects. Dimensions to be measured using appropriate apparatus such as a ruler, micrometer or Vernier callipers.
Go to Density
Required practical activity 2: an investigation to determine the specific heat capacity of one or more materials. The investigation will involve linking the decrease of one energy store (or work done) to the increase in temperature and subsequent increase in thermal energy stored.
Go to Heating and changes of state
Required practical activity 3: use a light microscope to observe, draw and label a selection of plant and animal cells. A magnification scale must be included.
Go to Cell structures
Required practical activity 4: investigate the effect of a range of concentrations of salt or sugar solutions on the mass of plant tissue.
Go to Transport into and out of cells
Required practical activity 5: make observations to identify the suitability of apparatus to measure the frequency, wavelength and speed of waves in a ripple tank and waves in a solid and take appropriate measurements.
Go to Transverse and longitudinal waves
Required practical activity 6: investigate how the amount of infrared radiation absorbed or radiated by a surface depends on the nature of that surface.
Go to Electromagnetic waves
Required practical activity 7: use qualitative reagents to test for a range of carbohydrates, lipids and proteins. To include: Benedict's test for sugars, iodine test for starch and Biuret reagent for protein.
Go to The human digestive system
Required practical activity 8: plan and carry out an investigation into the effect of a factor on human reaction time.
Go to The human nervous system
Required practical activity 9: investigate how paper chromatography can be used to separate and tell the difference between coloured substances. Students should calculate R_f values.
Go to Chlorophyll and other plant pigments
Required practical activity 10: investigate the effect of light intensity on the rate of photosynthesis using an aquatic organism such as pondweed.
Go to Factors affecting the rate of photosynthesis
Required practical activity 11: analysis and purification of water samples from different sources, including pH, dissolved solids and distillation.
Go to Sources of potable water
Required practical activity 12: measure the population size of a common species in a habitat. Use sampling techniques to investigate the effect of a factor on the distribution of this species.
Go to Field investigations
Required practical activity 13: investigate the relationship between force and extension for a spring.
Go to Elastic deformation
Required practical activity 14: investigate the effect of varying the force on the acceleration of an object of constant mass and the effect of varying the mass of an object on the acceleration produced by a constant force.
Go to Newton’s Second Law
Required practical activity 15: use circuit diagrams to construct appropriate circuits to investigate the I–V characteristics of a variety of circuit elements including a filament lamp, a diode and a resistor at constant temperature.
Go to Current, resistance and potential difference
Required practical activity 16: use circuit diagrams to set up an appropriate circuit to investigate the factors affecting the resistance of an electrical component. This should include:
Go to Current, resistance and potential difference
Required practical activity 17: preparation of a pure, dry sample of a soluble salt from an insoluble oxide or carbonate, using a Bunsen burner and a water bath or electric heater to evaporate the solution.
Go to Making salts
Required practical activity 18: investigate the variables that affect the temperature changes of a series of reactions in solutions, eg acid plus metals, acid plus carbonates, neutralisations, displacement of metals.
Go to Energy changes and reactions
Required practical activity 19: investigation of how changes in concentration affect the rates of reactions by a method involving measuring the volume of a gas produced and a method involving a change in colour or turbidity. This should be an investigation involving developing a hypothesis.
Go to The effect of temperature, concentration and pressure on rates of reaction
Required practical activity 20: investigate the effect of pH on the rate of reaction of amylase enzyme. Students should use a continuous sampling technique to determine the time taken to completely digest a starch solution at a range of pH values. Iodine reagent is to be used to test for starch every 30 seconds. Temperature must be controlled by use of a water bath or electric heater.
Go to Enzymes
Required practical activity 21: investigate what happens when aqueous solutions are electrolysed using inert electrodes. This should be an investigation involving developing a hypothesis.
Go to Electrolysis of aqueous solutions

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Required practicals — AQA GCSE Combined Science Synergy

Required practical activity 2: an investigation to determine the specific heat capacity of one or more materials. The investigation will involve linking the decrease of one energy store (or work done) to the increase in temperature and subsequent increase in thermal energy stored.

Required practical activity 3: use a light microscope to observe, draw and label a selection of plant and animal cells. A magnification scale must be included.

Required practical activity 4: investigate the effect of a range of concentrations of salt or sugar solutions on the mass of plant tissue.

Required practical activity 5: make observations to identify the suitability of apparatus to measure the frequency, wavelength and speed of waves in a ripple tank and waves in a solid and take appropriate measurements.

Required practical activity 6: investigate how the amount of infrared radiation absorbed or radiated by a surface depends on the nature of that surface.

Required practical activity 7: use qualitative reagents to test for a range of carbohydrates, lipids and proteins. To include: Benedict's test for sugars, iodine test for starch and Biuret reagent for protein.

Required practical activity 8: plan and carry out an investigation into the effect of a factor on human reaction time.

Required practical activity 9: investigate how paper chromatography can be used to separate and tell the difference between coloured substances. Students should calculate R_f values.

Required practical activity 10: investigate the effect of light intensity on the rate of photosynthesis using an aquatic organism such as pondweed.

Required practical activity 11: analysis and purification of water samples from different sources, including pH, dissolved solids and distillation.

Required practical activity 12: measure the population size of a common species in a habitat. Use sampling techniques to investigate the effect of a factor on the distribution of this species.

Required practical activity 13: investigate the relationship between force and extension for a spring.

Required practical activity 14: investigate the effect of varying the force on the acceleration of an object of constant mass and the effect of varying the mass of an object on the acceleration produced by a constant force.

Required practical activity 15: use circuit diagrams to construct appropriate circuits to investigate the I–V characteristics of a variety of circuit elements including a filament lamp, a diode and a resistor at constant temperature.

Required practical activity 16: use circuit diagrams to set up an appropriate circuit to investigate the factors affecting the resistance of an electrical component. This should include:

Required practical activity 17: preparation of a pure, dry sample of a soluble salt from an insoluble oxide or carbonate, using a Bunsen burner and a water bath or electric heater to evaporate the solution.

Required practical activity 18: investigate the variables that affect the temperature changes of a series of reactions in solutions, eg acid plus metals, acid plus carbonates, neutralisations, displacement of metals.

Required practical activity 19: investigation of how changes in concentration affect the rates of reactions by a method involving measuring the volume of a gas produced and a method involving a change in colour or turbidity. This should be an investigation involving developing a hypothesis.

Required practical activity 21: investigate what happens when aqueous solutions are electrolysed using inert electrodes. This should be an investigation involving developing a hypothesis.

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