The Junior Cycle Science course is new and 2019 is the first year the final exam will take place. The subject is assessed by two CBA’s (Classroom-Based Assessments), one Assessment Task and one final 2- hour exam in June of 3rd year.

The specification for Junior Cycle Science focuses on the development of students’ knowledge of and about science through the unifying strand, Nature of science, and the four contextual strands: Physical world, Chemical world, Biological world, and Earth and space.

Classroom-Based Assessment (CBA) Overview

Classroom- Based Assessment 1 – Extended Experimental Investigation

• Students will, over a three-week period; formulate a scientific hypothesis, plan and conduct an experimental investigation to test their hypotheses, generate and analyse primary data, and reflect on the process, with support/ guidance by the teacher.
• It must be completed at the end of 2nd year.

Classroom-Based Assessment 2 – Science in Society Investigation

• Student will, over a three-week period: research a socio- scientific issue, analyse the information/ secondary data collected, and evaluate the claims and opinions studied and draw evidence-based conclusions about the issues involved, with support/guidance by the teacher.
• It must be completed in the 1st/2nd term of 3rd year.

The presentation formats for each of the above Classroom-Based Assessments can include the following (this is not an exhaustive list):

• Hand-written/typed report
• Model building
• Multimodel presentation
• Podcasts
• Webpage

The Assessment Task

The Assessment Task is a written task completed by students during class time, which is not marked by the class teacher, but is sent to the State Examinations Commission for marking. It will be allocated 10% of the marks used to determine the grade awarded by the SEC.

• The Assessment Task is specified by the NCCA and is related to the learning outcomes on which the second Classroom-Based Assessment is based.

The Final Assessment

There will be one examination paper at a common level, set by the State Examinations Commission (SEC). The examination will be two hours in duration and will take place at the end of third year.

• During this assessment students will be required to engage with, demonstrate comprehension of, and provide written responses to stimulus material.