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 Level 1
Pupils describe simple features of objects, living things and events
they observe, communicating their findings in simple ways, such as by
talking about their work or through drawings or simple charts.
Level 2
Pupils respond to suggestions of how to find things out and, with
help, make their own suggestions. They use simple equipment provided and
make observations related to their task. They compare objects, living
things and events they observe. They describe their observations and
record them using simple tables where it is appropriate to do so. They
say whether what happened was what they expected.
Level 3
Pupils respond to suggestions, put forward their own ideas and, where
appropriate, make simple predictions. They make relevant observations
and measure quantities, such as length or mass, using a range of simple
equipment. With some help they carry out a fair test, recognising and
explaining why it is fair. They record their observations in a variety
of ways. They provide explanations for observations and, where they
occur, for simple patterns in recorded measurements. They say what they
have found out from their work.
Level 4
Pupils recognise the need for fair tests, describing, or showing in
the way they perform their task, how to vary one factor whilst keeping
others the same. Where appropriate, they make predictions. They select
suitable equipment to use and make a series of observations and
measurements that are adequate for the task. They present their
observations and measurements clearly, using tables and bar charts. They
begin to plot points to form simple graphs and use these graphs to point
out and interpret patterns or trends in their data. They take account of
these patterns when they draw conclusions, and begin to relate their
conclusions to scientific knowledge and understanding.
Level 5
Pupils identify the key factors they need to consider in contexts
that involve only a few factors. Where appropriate, they make
predictions based on their scientific knowledge and understanding. They
select apparatus for a range of tasks and use it with care. They make a
series of observations or measurements with precision appropriate to the
task. They begin to repeat observations and measurements and to offer
simple explanations for any differences they encounter. They record
observations and measurements systematically and present data as line
graphs. They draw conclusions that are consistent with the evidence and
begin to relate these to scientific knowledge and understanding.
Level 6
Pupils use scientific knowledge and understanding to identify the key
factors they need to consider and, where appropriate, to make
predictions. They make observations and measure with precision a variety
of quantities, using instruments with fine divisions. They make enough
measurements and observations for the task. They choose scales for
graphs that enable them to show appropriate data effectively. They
identify measurements and observations that do not fit the main pattern
or trend shown. They draw conclusions that are consistent with the
evidence and explain these using scientific knowledge and understanding.
Level 7
Pupils use scientific knowledge and understanding to identify the key
factors in situations involving a range of factors and, where
appropriate, to make predictions. They make systematic observations and
measurements with precision using a wide range of apparatus. They
identify when they need to repeat measurements and observations in order
to obtain reliable data. They present qualitative observations clearly
and concisely. They present data in graphs, where appropriate, and use
lines of best fit. They draw conclusions that are consistent with the
evidence and explain these using scientific knowledge and understanding.
They begin to consider whether the data they have collected are
sufficient for the conclusions they have drawn.
Level 8
Pupils recognise that tasks of different kinds require different
strategies, and use scientific knowledge and understanding to select an
appropriate strategy, identifying the key factors to be considered.
Where appropriate, they make predictions based on their scientific
knowledge and understanding. They manipulate apparatus with precision
and skill. They decide which observations are relevant in qualitative
work and include suitable detail in their records of these. They decide
the level of precision needed in measurements and collect data enabling
them to test relationships between variables. They identify and begin to
explain anomalous observations and measurements, allowing for these when
they draw graphs. They use scientific knowledge and understanding to
draw conclusions from their evidence. They consider graphs and tables of
results critically and identify shortcomings in the data they have
obtained.
Exceptional
performance
Pupils recognise that tasks of different kinds require different
strategies; they use scientific knowledge and understanding to select an
appropriate strategy, identifying the key factors to be considered, and
making use of information from a range of relevant sources. They use
their scientific knowledge and understanding to make quantitative
predictions where it is appropriate to do so. They manipulate a wide
range of apparatus with precision and skill. They make records of
relevant observations, clearly conveying points of particular
significance. They decide the level of precision needed in measurements
and collect data that satisfy these requirements. They use their data to
test relationships between variables. They identify and explain
anomalous observations and measurements, allowing for these when they
draw graphs. They use scientific knowledge and understanding to
interpret the salient features of graphs and to draw conclusions from
their evidence. They present their final results to an appropriate
degree of precision. They consider graphs and tables of results
critically and give reasoned accounts of how they could collect
additional data to test their conclusions. 
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 Level 1
Pupils recognise and name external parts of the body, using words
such as head or arm, and of plants, using words such as leaf or flower.
They observe and describe a range of animals and plants in terms of
features such as colour of coat, or size of leaf. They recognise and
identify a range of common animals, using terms such as fly, goldfish or
robin.
Level 2
Pupils use their knowledge about living things to describe basic
conditions, such as a supply of food, water, air or light, that animals
and plants need in order to survive. They recognise that living things
grow and reproduce. They sort living things into groups, using simple
features. They describe the basis for their groupings in terms such as
number of legs or shape of leaf. They recognise that different living
things are found in different places, such as ponds or woods.
Level 3
Pupils use their knowledge of basic life processes, such as growth or
reproduction, when they describe differences between living and
non-living things. They provide simple explanations for changes in
living things, such as diet affecting the health of humans or other
animals, or lack of light or water altering plant growth. They identify
ways in which an animal is suited to its environment, such as a fish
having fins to help it swim.
Level 4
Pupils demonstrate knowledge and understanding of aspects of life
processes and living things drawn from the Key Stage 2 or Key Stage 3
programme of study. They use scientific names for some major organs of
body systems, such as the circulatory system, and identify the position
of these organs in the human body. They identify organs, such as petal,
stamen or stigma, of different plants they observe. They use keys based
on observable external features to help them identify and group living
things systematically. They recognise that feeding relationships exist
between plants and animals in a habitat, and describe these
relationships, using food chains and terms such as predator and prey.
Level 5
Pupils demonstrate an increasing knowledge and understanding of
aspects of life processes and living things drawn from the Key Stage 2
or Key Stage 3 programme of study. They describe the main functions of
some organs of the human body, such as the heart, and of the flowering
plant, such as the petal, stamen or stigma. They explain how these
functions are essential to the organism. They describe the main stages
of the life cycles of humans and flowering plants and point out
similarities. They recognise that there is a great variety of living
things and understand the importance of classification. They explain
that different organisms are found in different habitats because of
differences in environmental factors, such as the availability of light
or water.
Level 6
Pupils use knowledge and understanding drawn from the Key Stage 3
programme of study, to describe and explain life processes and features
of living things. They use appropriate scientific terminology when they
describe life processes, such as respiration or photosynthesis, in
animals and plants. They distinguish between related processes, such as
pollination or fertilisation. They describe simple cell structure and
identify differences between cells, such as differences in structure
between simple animal and plant cells. They describe some of the factors
that cause variation between living things. They explain that the
distribution and abundance of organisms in habitats are affected by
environmental factors, such as the availability of light or water.
Level 7
Pupils use knowledge and understanding of life processes and living
things drawn from the Key Stage 3 programme of study, to make links
between life processes in animals and plants and the organ systems
involved. They explain the processes of respiration and photosynthesis
in terms of the main underlying chemical change. They use their
knowledge of cell structure to explain how cells, such as the ovum,
sperm or root hair, are adapted to their functions. They identify
characteristic variations between individuals, including some features,
such as eye colour, that are inherited and others, such as height, that
can also be affected by environmental factors. They construct models,
such as food webs or pyramids of numbers, to represent feeding
relationships, and explain how these relationships affect population
size.
Level 8
Pupils demonstrate an extensive knowledge and understanding of life
processes and living things drawn from the Key Stage 3 programme of
study, in describing how biological systems function. They relate their
knowledge of the cellular structure of organs to the associated life
processes, such as the absorption of food in the digestive system or gas
exchange in the lungs. They recognise, predict and explain changes in
the biological systems, such as the effect of increased carbon dioxide
concentration on the growth of greenhouse crops, or the consequences of
smoking for organ systems. They explain how characteristics can be
inherited by individuals and apply their knowledge to contexts such as
selective breeding. They predict the short-term and long-term effects of
environmental change on ecosystems and use their understanding of such
systems to justify their predictions.
Exceptional
performance
Pupils demonstrate both breadth and depth of knowledge and
understanding of the Key Stage 3 programme of study and draw on aspects
of the Key Stage 4 programme of study when they describe and explain how
biological systems function. They recognise that organisms respond to
change to maintain their internal environment and describe ways in which
this is achieved. They relate their understanding of the life processes
of reproduction and growth to the processes of cell division. They use
their understanding of genetics to explain a variety of phenomena, such
as mutation or the production of clones. They recognise the importance
of quantitative data, such as that obtained from pyramids of biomass,
when they describe and explain patterns of nutrient transfer within an
ecosystem.
Level 1
Pupils know about a range of properties, such as texture or
appearance, and they describe materials they observe in terms of these
properties.
Level 2
Pupils identify a range of common materials and know about some of
their properties. They describe similarities and differences between
materials. They sort materials into groups and describe in everyday
terms, such as shininess, hardness or smoothness, the basis for their
groupings. They describe ways in which some materials are changed by
heating or cooling or by processes such as bending or stretching.
Level 3
Pupils use their knowledge and understanding of materials when they
describe a variety of ways of sorting them into groups according to
their properties. They explain why some materials are particularly
suitable for specific purposes, such as a metal for making electrical
cables. They recognise that some changes, such as the freezing of water,
can be reversed and some, such as the baking of clay, cannot, and they
classify changes in this way.
Level 4
Pupils demonstrate knowledge and understanding of aspects of
materials and their properties drawn from the Key Stage 2 or Key Stage 3
programme of study. They describe differences between the properties of
different materials and explain how these differences are used to
classify substances as solids, liquids and gases. They describe some
methods, such as filtration, that are used to separate simple mixtures.
They use scientific terms, such as evaporation or condensation, to
describe changes. They use knowledge about some reversible and
irreversible changes to make simple predictions about whether other
changes are reversible or not.
Level 5
Pupils demonstrate an increasing knowledge and understanding of
aspects of materials and their properties drawn from the Key Stage 2 or
Key Stage 3 programme of study. They describe some metallic properties,
such as good electrical conductivity, and use these properties to
distinguish metals from other solids. They identify a range of contexts
in which changes, such as evaporation or condensation, take place. They
use knowledge about how a specific mixture, such as salt and water, or
sand and water, can be separated to suggest ways in which other similar
mixtures might be separated.
Level 6
Pupils use knowledge and understanding of the nature and behaviour of
materials drawn from the Key Stage 3 programme of study, to describe
chemical and physical changes and how new materials can be made. They
recognise that matter is made up of particles, and describe differences
between the arrangement and movement of particles in solids, liquids and
gases. They identify and describe similarities between some chemical
reactions, such as the reactions of acids with metals or the reactions
of a variety of substances with oxygen. They use word equations to
summarise simple reactions. They relate changes of state to energy
transfers, in contexts such as the formation of igneous rocks.
Level 7
Pupils use knowledge and understanding drawn from the Key Stage 3
programme of study, to make links between the nature and behaviour of
materials and the particles of which they are composed. They use the
particle model of matter in explanations of phenomena such as changes of
state. They explain differences between elements, compounds and mixtures
in terms of their constituent particles. They recognise that elements
and compounds can be represented by symbols and formulae. They apply
their knowledge of physical and chemical processes to explain the
behaviour of materials in a variety of contexts, such as the way in
which natural limestone is changed through the action of rainwater, or
ways in which rocks are weathered. They use patterns of reactivity, such
as those associated with a reactivity series of metals, to make
predictions about other chemical reactions.
Level 8
Pupils demonstrate an extensive knowledge and understanding of the
Key Stage 3 programme of study in describing and explaining changes to
materials. They use the particle model in a wide range of contexts. They
describe what happens in a range of chemical reactions and classify
some, such as oxidation or neutralisation. They represent common
compounds by chemical formulae and use these formulae to form balanced
symbol equations for reactions, such as those of acids with metals,
carbonates or oxides. They apply their knowledge of patterns in chemical
reactions to suggest how substances, such as salts, could be made.
Exceptional
performance
Pupils demonstrate both breadth and depth of knowledge and
understanding of the Key Stage 3 programme of study and draw on aspects
of the Key Stage 4 programme of study when they describe and explain the
nature and behaviour of materials. They recognise that there are
differences in the structure and bonding of different materials and
relate these differences to the properties of the materials. They
recognise and classify a range of chemical reactions, such as reduction
or thermal decomposition. They routinely use balanced symbol equations
for the reactions they describe. They recognise that the way in which an
element reacts is related to its electronic structure.
Level 1
Pupils describe the changes in light, sound or movement, which result
from actions such as switching on a simple electrical circuit, or
pushing and pulling objects. They recognise that sound and light come
from a variety of sources and name some of these sources.
Level 2
Pupils know about a range of physical phenomena and recognise and
describe similarities and differences associated with them. They compare
the way in which devices, such as bulbs, work in different electrical
circuits. They compare the effects of similar phenomena, such as the
brightness or colour of lights, or the loudness or pitch of sounds. They
compare the movement of different objects in terms of speed or direction.
Level 3
Pupils use their knowledge and understanding to link cause and effect
in simple explanations of physical phenomena, such as a bulb failing to
light because of a break in an electrical circuit, or the direction or
speed of movement of an object changing because of a force applied to
it. They begin to make simple generalisations about physical phenomena,
such as explaining that sounds they hear become fainter the further they
are from the source.
Level 4
Pupils demonstrate knowledge and understanding of aspects of physical
processes drawn from the Key Stage 2 or Key Stage 3 programme of study.
They describe and explain physical phenomena, such as how a particular
device in an electrical circuit may be switched on or off, or how the
apparent position of the Sun changes over the course of a day. They make
generalisations about physical phenomena, such as motion being affected
by forces, including gravitational attraction, magnetic attraction and
friction, or sounds being heard through a variety of materials. They use
the idea that light travels to explain phenomena such as the formation
of shadows.
Level 5
Pupils demonstrate an increasing knowledge and understanding of
aspects of physical processes drawn from the Key Stage 2 or Key Stage 3
programme of study. They begin to apply ideas about physical processes
to suggest a variety of ways to make changes, such as altering the
current in a circuit or altering the pitch or loudness of a sound. They
begin to use some abstract ideas in descriptions, such as forces being
balanced when an object is stationary, or objects being seen when light
from them enters the eye. They use models to explain effects that are
caused by the movement of the Earth, such as the length of a day or year.
Level 6
Pupils demonstrate understanding of how to apply some abstract ideas
about physical processes drawn from the Key Stage 3 programme of study.
They use abstract ideas in descriptions and explanations, such as
electric current being a flow of charge, the sum of several forces
determining changes in the direction or the speed of movement of an
object, or wind and waves being energy resources available for use. They
recognise that many physical concepts, such as the transfer of energy by
light, sound or electricity, or the refraction and dispersion of light,
apply in a variety of contexts, and describe some of these. They
recognise that a number of factors may have to be considered when
phenomena, such as the relative brightness of planets and stars, are
explained.
Level 7
Pupils use knowledge and understanding of physical processes drawn
from the Key Stage 3 programme of study, to make links between different
phenomena. They make connections between electricity and magnetism to
explain phenomena such as the strength of electromagnets. They use some
quantitative definitions, such as those for speed or pressure, and
perform calculations involving physical quantities, using the correct
units. They apply abstract ideas in explanations of a range of physical
phenomena, such as the appearance of objects in different colours of
light, the relationship between the frequency of vibration and the pitch
of a sound, the role of gravitational attraction in determining the
motion of bodies in the solar system, or the dissipation of energy
during energy transfers.
Level 8
Pupils demonstrate an extensive knowledge and understanding of the
physical processes in the Key Stage 3 programme of study. They use
models to describe and explain phenomena, such as the flow of charge in
parallel circuits or the passage of sound waves through a medium. They
use quantitative relationships between physical quantities in
calculations that may involve more than one step. They offer detailed
and sometimes quantitative interpretations of graphs, such as speed-time
graphs. They consider ways of obtaining data, such as data relating to
the solar system, and they use their knowledge of physical processes to
explain patterns that they find. They consider physical phenomena from
different perspectives, such as relating the dissipation of energy
during energy transfer to the need to conserve limited energy resources.
Exceptional
performance
Pupils demonstrate both breadth and depth of knowledge and
understanding of the physical processes in the Key Stage 3 programme of
study and draw on aspects of the Key Stage 4 programme of study when
they describe and explain physical phenomena. They make effective use of
a range of quantitative relationships between physical quantities such
as resistance, acceleration or wave speed. They understand how models,
such as the wave model, are useful in explaining physical phenomena,
such as the transmission of light and sound. They apply their
understanding of physical phenomena to a wide range of systems, such as
recognising the role of gravitational attraction in determining the
movement of satellites, planets and stars. They recognise the importance
of quantitative data and make effective use of this when they consider
questions such as energy efficiency.
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