This set covers the four skills in questions and research scope: narrowing a theme, removing loaded wording, naming a population and period, and planning realistic work. Every school, town, survey and figure is invented.
Cover the answer, write your own response in full sentences, then open the worked answer. The questions move from easy to harder.
Questions
Q1 (easy). Is each of these a theme or a question? (a) “Public transport” (b) “How did the number of daily bus trips at one fictional town change between 2022 and 2025?”
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(a) is a theme: it has no group, place, period or measure. (b) is a question: it names a setting (one town), a period (2022 to 2025) and a measure (daily bus trips).
Q2 (easy). “How can we improve education?” Name three parts that are missing.
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Any three of: a place or setting, a group of people, a period, a measure of “improve”, and a neutral verb. As written, it covers every school everywhere and assumes improvement is needed.
Q3 (easy). Underline the loaded word in “Why do energy drinks damage students’ concentration?” and say what it assumes.
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“Damage” is the loaded word, and “Why” assumes the damage is already established. The question treats the conclusion as settled before any evidence.
Q4 (medium). Rewrite Q3 as an open question about Form 5 students at one fictional school during one term.
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One possible answer: “What relationship, if any, appears between weekly energy-drink consumption and teacher-rated concentration among Form 5 students at one fictional school during one term?” It uses a neutral verb, names the group and period, and allows “no relationship”.
Q5 (medium). Is “To what extent has the new bicycle lane improved road safety in one fictional town?” open or loaded? Explain.
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It is loaded. “Improved” assumes safety got better and only asks how much. A fairer version asks how recorded accidents changed between two named years, and allows for an increase, a decrease or no change.
Q6 (medium). A fictional survey asked 80 members of a cycling club in one town, and 72 said they cycle to work. A report claims “Most people in the town cycle to work.” Name the population the evidence covers and give the fraction who cycle.
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The population covered is members of that one cycling club. The fraction is 72/80 = 9/10, or 90% of those asked. The report’s claim covers everyone in the town, which is much wider than the evidence.
Q7 (medium). Rewrite the claim in Q6 so it matches its evidence.
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One possible answer: “In a survey of 80 members of one cycling club in a fictional town, 72 (90%) said they cycle to work.” The rewritten claim names who was asked and the result, and does not speak for the whole town. The period should also be added if the survey date is known.
Q8 (medium). A student wants to use a table of household recycling rates from 2016 to say “Households recycle less than before”. What should they check before making the claim?
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They should check what the table covers (which households, where) and what period it shows. A single year cannot show change. They need at least two periods to compare, and a comparison point later than 2016 to say anything about “now”.
Q9 (harder). A student has 6 weeks at 2 hours per week. Their tasks are 2, 3, 3, 2 and 3 hours. Is the plan manageable? What would you change?
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Hours available: 6 × 2 = 12. Hours needed: 2 + 3 + 3 + 2 + 3 = 13. The plan is 1 hour over. Cut one hour, for example by reducing the sources to read from 3 hours to 2, or narrowing the period of the question.
Q10 (harder). A plan says: “Interview the town librarian, then survey 150 residents, then compare with official statistics.” Which step is most fragile, and what back-up would you add?
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The interview and the 150-resident survey both depend on other people, and the survey is also large for limited hours. Anchor the plan on the official statistics, which are reachable. Add: “If there is no reply by the checkpoint, rely on published library reports and the statistics, and note that no interview was possible.”
If you got these wrong
- Q1, Q2 wrong: you may be treating a theme as a question. Revisit turning a broad theme into an answerable question.
- Q3, Q4, Q5 wrong: the wording is carrying a conclusion. Revisit separating an issue from a predetermined conclusion.
- Q6, Q7, Q8 wrong: the claim is wider than the evidence. Revisit defining the population and period a claim concerns.
- Q9, Q10 wrong: the plan is too large or relies on replies. Revisit planning manageable research without promising access to participants.
If a mix of types went wrong, return to the module overview and re-read the study order.
Some students find the pattern behind their errors only when someone reads their working with them. That is something our teachers do in online one-to-one Global Perspectives tuition.