Science // Scientific Inquiry

Drawing conclusions from evidence

Report on findings from enquiries using oral and written explanations, draw simple conclusions, make predictions, and suggest improvements

Ages
7 to 9
Type
Thinking skill
Builds on
4 topics
Leads to
3 topics
Standards
2 codes

Quick check

After finishing an experiment, can the learner explain what they found out, what it means, what they'd predict for next time, and how they could improve the test?

Ask this to see whether the topic is secure.

Topic // Mastery

What mastery looks like

What a learner can do once this topic is secure.
  • Write or present a clear report of findings from an investigation
  • Draw a conclusion that answers the original question, supported by data
  • Make a prediction for a new situation based on the results, and suggest improvements to the method

Topic // Map

Where this fits

What to learn first and what this topic opens up, with the reason for each link. Required links come first.
  • RequiredMust come first
  • HelpfulHelps, but not essential

Before this

4 topics
  • Gathering, recording, classifying and presenting dataRequired

    Scientific Inquiry // Ages 7 to 9

    Must present data before reporting conclusions and making predictions

  • Fair testingRequired

    Scientific Inquiry // Ages 7 to 9

    Must conduct fair tests before reporting on findings from enquiries

  • Building Writing StaminaHelpful

    English // Writing Composition // Ages 6 to 7

    Reporting science findings orally and in writing draws on the non-fiction writing skills (recounts, explanations) established in English

  • Teaching It BackHelpful

    Learning to Learn // Learning to Learn // Ages 7 to 8

    Reporting scientific findings in your own words draws directly on the universal self-explanation habit

You are here

Drawing conclusions from evidence

Ages 7 to 9 // Thinking skill

Leads to

3 topics
  • Using evidence to answer questionsRequired

    Scientific Inquiry // Ages 7 to 9

    Must draw conclusions before identifying patterns and using evidence to support findings

  • Fair testing (age 9+)Required

    Scientific Inquiry // Ages 9 to 11

    Must draw conclusions and make predictions before using results to set up further tests

  • Predicting Motion PatternsHelpful

    Forces & Motion // Ages 8 to 9

    Using a measured pattern to predict and test future motion applies the general inquiry skill of drawing conclusions from results and making predictions for new situations

Topic // Research-informed

Teaching notes

From the Marble Skill Taxonomy. These notes have not been validated in classrooms, so treat them as a starting point for your own judgement.

The approach

For ages 7–9: drawing conclusions from evidence. The teaching objective is the child COMPOSING (in their own words, oral and written) a conclusion that answers the original investigation question and is supported by the data — distinct from a recount of what was done — plus making a prediction for a new case and suggesting a method improvement. Core moves: (1) draw a conclusion that closes the loop back to the question with data support; (2) predict for a new situation; (3) suggest an improvement. Activities below centre genuine composition and oral report; recognition tasks and a constrained conclusion-builder are included as scaffolds with their limits stated.

Common misconceptions

  • Writing a recount of what was done ('first we… then we…') instead of a conclusion that answers the question.
  • Drawing a conclusion from expectation or prior belief rather than from the actual results obtained.
  • Restating the results without interpreting them into an answer (data with no conclusion).
  • Treating an unexpected or 'failed' result as something to hide or correct, rather than as the honest conclusion.
  • Confusing a prediction (a new, untested case) with the conclusion (the answer supported by the data already collected).

Useful representations

  • The frame 'We found that ___ (conclusion). We know because ___ (evidence).'
  • A loop diagram: question → test → results → conclusion that answers the question
  • A three-box report: conclusion | prediction for a new case | improvement
  • A results table with the conclusion written directly beneath, referencing it
  • A 'does my conclusion answer the question?' self-check card

Teaching practices

  • Teach the conclusion as answering the QUESTION, not describing the activity: pupils reread the original question and write 'so the answer is… because the data showed…', preventing the common recount ('first we… then we…') that never actually concludes.
  • Use a claim–evidence sentence frame ('We found that ___. We know this because ___') to scaffold the link between conclusion and data at an age where open writing is still developing.
  • Separate the three products explicitly — conclusion, prediction, improvement — so pupils don't collapse them; each has its own prompt.
  • Value 'suggest improvements' as real evaluation ('the ruler was hard to line up, so next time…') rather than a token line, seeding the evaluation skills that grow across the domain.
  • Model conclusions that honestly report a surprising or 'failed' result as valid — the conclusion reports what the data says, even when it wasn't expected.

Activities to try

  1. 1

    Write the conclusion that answers the question

    Why it works: A conclusion answers the question using the evidence; it is not a recount of the steps, a restatement of the raw numbers, nor a guess from prior belief. Prediction and improvement are separate products from the conclusion.

    1. Reread the original investigation question before writing anything (e.g. 'Which cloth soaks up the most water?').
    2. Use the claim–evidence frame to compose a conclusion in your own words: 'We found that ___. We know this because ___.' Fill the second blank with the specific data (e.g. 'the sponge cloth soaked up the most, 55 ml').
    3. In a separate box, write a prediction for a NEW, untested situation that follows from the results (e.g. 'A new cloth that is thick and spongy like the sponge cloth would probably soak up more than the paper towel did') — keep it marked as a prediction, not something the data already proved, and say which result it comes from.
    4. In a third separate box, suggest one genuine improvement to the method that fits this test (e.g. 'We only tested each cloth once, so next time we'll repeat the test to check the numbers are trustworthy', or 'we poured the water in by eye, so next time we'll measure each amount with a measuring jug').
    5. Run a self-check: 'Does my conclusion ANSWER the question, or does it just tell what I DID?'
  2. 2

    Tell a curious listener what you found out

    Why it works: Reporting a conclusion is a communicative act; speaking it aloud and defending it from the evidence exercises the oral-explanation strand and can surface over-claims and recounts.

    1. Explain aloud to a partner or listener what you found out from the investigation.
    2. Answer follow-up questions that push you to justify from the data: 'So what did you find out? How do you know? Which number tells you that?'
    3. When asked 'What would you change next time?', state a concrete improvement.
    4. When asked 'Does this test tell us which cloth is best for drying hands, or only for soaking up spills?', keep your claim within what the test actually measured.
  3. 3

    Spot the conclusion (recognition warm-up)

    Why it works: Being able to tell a conclusion apart from a recount or a raw-data restatement sharpens the target before composing one independently.

    1. Given several statements about an investigation, pick which one is a genuine conclusion that answers the question versus which are recounts of steps or bare restatements of data.
    2. Match a prediction and an improvement to the right scenario.
    3. Say in one sentence why the recount options are not conclusions.

Topic // Standards

Curriculum standards

Codes for the curriculum statements this topic maps to. Each publisher owns its standard text.
The national curriculum in England: Key stages 1 and 2 framework document
KS2L.Sci.WS.6KS2L.Sci.WS.7

Science // Scientific Inquiry

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