Assessment pointers validate teachers’ professional judgement when reporting against a
five-point scale. The pointers:
JUDGING STANDARDS IN YEAR 3
SCIENCE

are examples of evidence in relation to the achievement standard

should be used with the annotated student work samples

exemplify what students may demonstrate rather than a checklist of everything they
should do.
YEAR 3 SCIENCE ACHIEVEMENT STANDARD
Science Understanding
At Standard, students use their understanding of the rotation of Earth, the behaviour of heat and its effect on materials to suggest explanations for everyday observations.
They group living things based on observable features and distinguish them from non-living things.
Science as a Human Endeavour
Students describe how they can use science investigations to respond to questions.
Science Inquiry Skills
Students use their experiences to identify questions and make predictions about scientific investigations. They follow procedures to collect and record observations and
suggest possible reasons for their findings, based on patterns in their data. Students describe how safety and fairness were considered and they use diagrams and other
representations to communicate their ideas.
YEAR 3 SCIENCE ASSESSMENT POINTERS
A
B
C
D
E
Excellent achievement
High achievement
Satisfactory achievement
Limited achievement
Very low achievement
Science Understanding
Biological sciences
Groups living things based on
observable features and distinguishes
them from non-living things,
comparing similarities and
differences and providing reasons for
these.
Groups living things based on
observable features and
distinguishes them from
non-living things, providing
some reasons.
Groups living things based on
observable features and
distinguishes them from nonliving things.
Groups living things based on
irrelevant observable features.
Does not meet the requirements
of a D grade.
Chemical sciences
Suggests explanations for changes of
state in a liquid or solid at varying
temperatures. Compares how these
changes occur in different substances
and makes links to real-life contexts.
Suggests explanations for
changes of state in a liquid or
solid at varying temperatures.
Compares how changes of state
occur in different substances.
Suggests explanations for
changes of state in a liquid or
solid at varying temperatures.
Identifies materials as a liquid or
a solid.
Does not meet the requirements
of a D grade.
2016/23279v3 [PDF 2016/25228] Published: 19 December, 2016
Earth and space sciences
Physical sciences
A
B
C
D
E
Excellent achievement
High achievement
Satisfactory achievement
Limited achievement
Very low achievement
Explains and relates regular daily
and seasonal changes to the
rotation of Earth and proximity
to the sun.
Suggests explanations for
regular daily and seasonal
changes and relates them to the
rotation of Earth and proximity
to the sun.
Suggests explanations for
regular daily and seasonal
changes.
Suggests simple explanations for
regular daily changes.
Does not meet the requirements
of a D grade.
Describes the production and
movement of heat to explain
everyday observations using
relevant examples and
representations.
Describes the production and
behaviour of heat to explain
everyday observations using
relevant examples.
Describes the production and
behaviour of heat to explain
everyday observations.
Suggests a simple explanation to
describe how heat is produced.
Does not meet the requirements
of a D grade.
Requires guidance to describe
simple personal examples from
Science Understanding to show
how scientific knowledge helps
to understand people’s daily
lives - living things, change of
state, daily and seasonal
changes, heat.
Does not meet the requirements
of a D grade.
Does not meet the requirements
of a D grade.
Science as a Human Endeavour
Science as a Human
Endeavour
Describes examples from
Science Understanding to show
how scientific knowledge and
discoveries helps to understand
people’s daily lives - living
things, change of state, daily and
seasonal changes, heat.
Describes examples from
Science Understanding to show
how scientific knowledge helps
to understand people’s daily
lives - living things, change of
state, daily and seasonal
changes, heat.
Describes simple personal
examples from Science
Understanding to show how
scientific knowledge helps to
understand people’s daily
lives - living things, change of
state, daily and seasonal
changes, heat.
Science Inquiry Skills
Science Inquiry Skills
Identifies relevant investigable
questions and makes specific
predictions related to the
investigation, based on a wide
range of prior knowledge.
Identifies investigable questions
and makes specific predictions
related to the investigation,
based on prior knowledge.
Identifies investigable questions
and makes general predictions
related to the investigation,
based on some prior knowledge.
With guidance identifies a
simple investigable question
related to the investigation, with
limited use of prior knowledge.
Follows a procedure to conduct
an investigation and correctly
records detailed observations.
Uses equipment safely and gives
reasons for safe practices.
Follows all steps in a procedure
to conduct an investigation and
correctly records observations.
Uses equipment safely and
identifies potential hazards.
Follows a procedure to conduct
an investigation and records
observations correctly. Uses
equipment safely.
With guidance follows some
instructions to conduct an
investigation and records
observations. Uses equipment
safely with assistance.
A
B
C
D
E
Excellent achievement
High achievement
Satisfactory achievement
Limited achievement
Very low achievement
Science Inquiry Skills
Compares results with their
prediction, provides a
conclusion and gives reasons
why a test was fair or not, using
examples.
Compares results with their
prediction and gives reasons
why a test was fair or not.
Compares results with their
prediction and states whether a
test is fair or not.
With guidance, states whether a
test is fair or not.
Does not meet the requirements
of a D grade.
Science Inquiry Skills
Logically organises data to
identify patterns using provided
templates for tables, graphs and
diagrams, and gives plausible
reasons for their findings, linking
to the investigation.
Organises data to identify
patterns using provided
templates for tables, graphs and
diagrams, and gives plausible
reasons for their findings.
Organises data to identify
patterns using provided
templates for tables, graphs and
diagrams, and suggests possible
reasons for their findings.
With support, organises data to
identify simple patterns using
provided templates for tables,
graphs and diagrams.
Does not meet the requirements
of a D grade.
Clearly communicates detailed
ideas using a range of diagrams
and other appropriate
representations.
Communicates ideas using a
range of diagrams and other
appropriate representations.
Communicates ideas using
diagrams and other
representations.
Communicates limited ideas,
using diagrams and other
representations.
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