Writing a conclusion

[walkec]

Hi again,
I was also wondering how you write a conclusion for a biology prac report? My teacher last year was terrible and said we didn't need to, so I never learnt how to.

I need to include one for the SAC writeup I have on monday.

Thanks 

[Stick]

• State the results in relation to the aim.
• State whether the hypothesis was supported or negated.
• Explain the results using your biological knowledge.
• Comment on the accuracy of your results by evaluating the impact of any errors in your experiment (it might be wise to consider the control and/or other controlled variables in the experiment).

With these four main bullet points addressed you should receive full marks.

[walkec]

• State the results in relation to the aim.
• State whether the hypothesis was supported or negated.
• Explain the results using your biological knowledge.
• Comment on the accuracy of your results by evaluating the impact of any errors in your experiment (it might be wise to consider the control and/or other controlled variables in the experiment).

With these four main bullet points addressed you should receive full marks.

Thanks so much Stick! 

[lesfleurs]

Wouldn't addressing all these bullet points make the conclusion a 'discussion'? If not, what is the ideal length for a conclusion? Just a bit confused. Thanks!

[Stick]

At my school, our conclusions were about half a page long (handwritten) and were worth 4 marks. You'll find more often than not that your conclusion really summarises other elements of the report.

[alchemy]

Wouldn't addressing all these bullet points make the conclusion a 'discussion'? If not, what is the ideal length for a conclusion? Just a bit confused. Thanks!

I guess you could address all those points with a sentence each. That should fit your answer space succinctly.

[MM1]

At my school, our conclusions were about half a page long (handwritten) and were worth 4 marks. You'll find more often than not that your conclusion really summarises other elements of the report.

Good to know it's recommended for it to be that lengthy. It's quite challenging to condense all the points in a few sentences; My school doesn't prefer long paragraphs.

Also, in the results, can there more than one diagram?

[alchemy]

Also, in the results, can there more than one diagram?

If appropriate, I don't see why not. Teachers seem to love diagrams

[Stick]

I was never good at writing things succinctly, but see it this way - if your answer is correct, does it really matter how many words you use? It's much better to explain yourself more to a greater extent to combat any ambiguity and show that you really understand what you mean than it is to write a concise answer that leaves a few holes here and there. I often went over the lines (much to the dismay of my teachers) while not losing marks.

The only time it backfired was when one question specifically stated we had to use less than 30 words. They got me that time.