Checkpoint 6 Science: The Test and How to Prepare

British & IGCSE › Checkpoint 6 › Checkpoint 6 Science — Complete Course

Written by Mohamed Abdelkriem for students in British and international schools and their parents. Read this page first: it explains the real test, so that every other page in the course makes sense.

What is the Checkpoint 6 Science test?

Cambridge Primary Checkpoint Science is a test taken at the end of Cambridge Primary, that is, at the end of Stage 6. It is set and marked by Cambridge International, not by your school. The test code is 0097, the same code as the Stage 6 science curriculum (framework). Older papers with the code 0846 belong to the previous curriculum, so if you practise with them, some topics will be different.

The curriculum has four content strands — Biology, Chemistry, Physics, Earth and space — plus Thinking and Working Scientifically (how scientists plan, measure and explain). There is also a part called Science in Context (how science is used in your area and how scientific ideas change over time). Cambridge says Science in Context is not directly assessed in the test, but it helps you understand the topics.

The two papers

Together the two papers give 80 marks in 70 minutes. The cover says no additional materials are needed: everything you need (diagrams, tables, graph grids) is printed in the booklet. You write your answers and any working in the spaces in the booklet.

Recent papers have had about 10 to 13 numbered questions, printed on 16 to 20 pages. Each numbered question is about one context (for example, "Sara investigates how quickly sugar dissolves") and is split into parts (a), (b), (c), (d). A whole question is usually worth 2 to 5 marks. Most parts are worth 1 mark, and some are worth 2 marks. The number of marks is printed next to each part, like this: [1] or [2].

How to use your 35 minutes

40 marks in 35 minutes means you have about 52 seconds per mark (35 × 60 = 2100 seconds; 2100 ÷ 40 = 52.5 seconds). That is fast. Checkpoint science questions are short, so you can do it — but only if you do not stop for too long on one part.

1. Read the context at the top of each question (the stem). It often contains information you need in part (c) or (d).
2. Look at the marks. [1] = one fact or one word. [2] = two separate points, or a point + a reason.
3. Answer every part. A blank space can never get a mark; a sensible scientific guess sometimes can.
4. If a part is hard, write something short, mark it with a small star in the margin, move on, and come back at the end.
5. Use the last few minutes to check units, ticks (did you tick the right number of boxes?) and graphs (points plotted in pencil, exactly).

Question styles you will meet

Checkpoint Science questions are context-based: each question tells a short story about a learner, an investigation or an object. Most questions mix a content topic with Thinking and Working Scientifically. For example, a question about dissolving may also ask you to name the independent variable or to spot an anomalous result.

Understanding the mark scheme

After the test, examiners mark your answers with a mark scheme. Knowing how it works helps you write answers that earn every mark. The mark scheme has four columns: Question, Answer, Marks, Further information. The important ideas are below.

Two more rules help you: spelling — a word spelled the way it sounds still gets the mark, unless the spelling turns it into a different science word (for example, "vain" for vein is fine, but writing "artery" when you mean "vein" is simply wrong). Grammar is not marked — only the science. Examiners can also use professional judgement for answers that match the marking points in different words.

Worked examples: how marks are given

Worked example 1 — a 1-mark naming question

Question: Omar boils some water in a kettle. Name the change of state when water turns into water vapour. [1]

Common mistake: writing two answers to be safe. The examiner cannot choose for you.

Worked example 2 — a 2-mark explanation

Question: Huda puts an ice cube on a metal tray and another ice cube on a plastic tray. The ice on the metal tray melts first. Explain why. [2]

1. Count the marks: [2] means two separate points.
2. Point 1 (fact): metal is a good thermal conductor / plastic is a poor conductor (an insulator).
3. Point 2 (reason): so heat moves from the warm room, through the metal, into the ice faster.
4. Answer: "Metal is a better thermal conductor than plastic, so heat travels into the ice faster through the metal tray and it melts sooner."

Common mistake: "Metal is cold." This is not a scientific reason and earns 0. Metal only feels cold because it conducts heat away from your hand quickly.

Worked example 3 — a calculation with error carried forward

Question: A bottle of fizzy drink has a mass of 525 g. After the lid is opened and the gas escapes for an hour, its mass is 518 g. (a) Work out the change in mass. [1] (b) Explain what your answer tells you about gases. [1]

1. (a) 525 − 518 = 7 g (write the unit).
2. (b) The mass went down because gas left the bottle, so gas has mass.
3. If a student wrote 525 − 518 = 17 g in part (a) (a mistake), they lose the mark in (a), but in (b) "the mass decreased because gas (with mass) escaped" still earns the mark — the mistake is not punished twice (ecf).

How results are reported

Your papers are sent to Cambridge and marked there. Each learner then receives a statement of achievement, and the school receives a diagnostic feedback report. Results are reported for the subject as a whole and for each strand (for example, how well you did in Biology compared with Physics). This shows your teachers and parents which areas are strong and which need more practice.

Thinking and Working Scientifically (TWS)

TWS is not a separate topic — it is in almost every Checkpoint question. It has four parts. The page Thinking and Working Scientifically in this course teaches each one with many examples; here is the big picture.

Scientists use five main types of scientific enquiry. You must know what each one is and choose the right one for a question:

How to use this course

The course follows the Stage 6 curriculum strand by strand. Each lesson page has the objectives, key words with Arabic meanings, clear diagrams, worked examples, common mistakes, exam tips and an interactive practice quiz with full solutions. At the end there are three full practice tests in the Checkpoint style (Paper 1 and Paper 2, 35 minutes and 40 marks each).

A suggested study plan (about 12 weeks before the test, two short sessions a week):

1. Week 1: this page and Thinking and Working Scientifically. Learn the variables words by heart.
2. Weeks 2–4: Biology pages (one or two a week).
3. Weeks 5–6: Chemistry pages.
4. Weeks 7–8: Physics pages.
5. Week 9: Earth and space pages.
6. Weeks 10–12: one practice test each week, timed (35 minutes per paper). After each test, mark it, write down every topic where you lost marks, and go back to that page.
7. Every session: read the page, cover the key words and test yourself, then do the quiz without looking. Redo any wrong question a few days later.

Practice

All pages in this course

Start here

• Checkpoint 6 Science: The Test and How to Prepare
• Thinking and Working Scientifically: Investigations, Variables, Tables and Graphs

Biology

• The Heart and Circulatory System
• The Lungs and Respiratory System
• Human Reproductive System and Puberty
• Diseases, Hygiene and the Body's Defences
• Food Chains, Food Webs, Energy and Toxins

Chemistry

• Properties of Substances: Melting and Boiling Points, Gases, Conductors
• Reversible Changes and Dissolving
• Boiling and Evaporation
• Chemical Reactions: Reactants, Products and Evidence

Physics

• Mass, Weight and Gravity
• Force Diagrams and Forces on Moving Objects
• Floating and Sinking
• Light: Reflection and Refraction
• Electric Circuits, Symbols, Series and Parallel

Earth and space

• Rocks and Fossils
• Types of Soil
• The Rock Cycle
• The Solar System and the Phases of the Moon

Practice tests

• Checkpoint 6 Science — Practice Test 1
• Checkpoint 6 Science — Practice Test 2
• Checkpoint 6 Science — Practice Test 3