Years 3 and 4 science · Key Stage 2 · Working scientifically

Years 3 and 4 science: recording results and drawing conclusions

Running an experiment is only half of science: the other half is making sense of what you found. In Years 3 and 4, children record results in tables, bar charts, labelled diagrams and drawings, explain them aloud and in writing, spot patterns, and use the evidence to draw a simple conclusion, make a prediction, suggest an improvement and ask a new question.

Results and conclusions, explained

Children first record what they see or measure, using simple scientific words rather than everyday ones. A table is often the first step, with a heading and unit for each column. Bar charts come next, and children learn to give the chart a title, label both axes and choose a sensible scale, such as going up in 10s or 50s. Drawings and labelled diagrams are just as important, especially when the observation is about how something looks, such as the parts of a flower or the layers in a rock. A key, which is a set of yes or no questions, is another way to record how living things or objects are sorted.

The next skill is reporting. Children share what they have found out in several ways: by explaining it aloud to the class, writing it up, making a display or giving a short presentation. This is where scientific language really matters. “It went further” becomes “The car travelled further on the smooth surface than on the carpet.” Teachers expect children to compare, noticing differences, similarities and changes that connect to a scientific idea, such as noticing that the stronger magnet lifted more paper clips.

A conclusion is a short statement that answers the original question using the evidence. A good one at this age does three things: it says what the results show, it uses numbers from the table, and it gives a reason from the science the class has been learning, using the word “because”. Children also use results to make a prediction for a value they haven’t tested, such as “If the ramp were 40 cm high, I think the car would travel about 210 cm.” That idea of continuing a pattern is the foundation for graph work in later years.

Reflection is the last part. Children suggest how the test could be improved (using a tape measure instead of moving a short ruler along the floor, repeating each test, or releasing the car in the same way every time) and raise a new question that their results suggest. Notice that the curriculum asks for straightforward evidence, used to support or answer an idea. Children are not expected to write long reports. A clear, honest sentence or two with numbers in it is better than a long account of everything they did.

Words your child will hear

Results: What you measured or observed in your test, usually shown in a table or chart.
Bar chart: A chart that uses bars of different heights to compare groups, with labels on both axes.
Pattern: Something that happens again and again in the results, such as “the higher the ramp, the further the car”.
Conclusion: A statement saying what your results show and why, answering your question.
Evidence: The observations and measurements that support an idea.
Prediction: A reasoned guess about what will happen, including for a value you didn’t test.
Improvement: A change that would make the test more accurate or fairer next time.

What the National Curriculum says

In Years 3 and 4, pupils should be taught to:

Record findings using simple scientific language, drawings, labelled diagrams, keys, bar charts, and tables
Report on findings from enquiries, including oral and written explanations, displays or presentations of results and conclusions
Use results to draw simple conclusions, make predictions for new values, suggest improvements and raise further questions
Identify differences, similarities or changes related to simple scientific ideas and processes
Use straightforward scientific evidence to answer questions or to support their findings

Objectives from the National Curriculum in England, © Crown copyright, used under the Open Government Licence v3.0.

Try it: making sense of a ramp test

A class rolls a toy car down a ramp made from a board resting on a pile of books and measures how far it travels along the floor afterwards. These are sample results: with the ramp 10 cm high the car goes 60 cm, at 20 cm high it goes 110 cm and at 30 cm high it goes 160 cm. What can they conclude?

Look for the pattern. Each time the ramp goes up by 10 cm, the car travels 50 cm further (60, 110, 160). The higher the ramp, the further the car goes.
Show the data as a bar chart. Write a title, label the bottom axis “Ramp height (cm)” and the side axis “Distance travelled (cm)”, and use a scale going up in 50s from 0 to 200. Each bar stops a little above a line: 60 is just past 50, 110 just past 100 and 160 just past 150.
```
Distance (cm)
200 |
150 |             ██
100 |       ██    ██
 50 | ██    ██    ██
  0 +----------------
      10    20    30
   Ramp height (cm)
```
Write a conclusion using numbers and a reason. “The results show that the higher the ramp, the further the car travelled. At 10 cm it went 60 cm and at 30 cm it went 160 cm. I think this is because the car on a higher ramp is going faster when it reaches the floor.”
Make a prediction for a value that wasn’t tested. The pattern adds 50 cm for each extra 10 cm, so a 40 cm ramp should give about 210 cm.
Suggest an improvement and ask a new question. “We should repeat each height three times, because the car did not always go straight.” “Would the car go the same distance on a carpet floor?”

Conclusion: the higher the ramp, the further the car travelled (60 cm, 110 cm, 160 cm). A 40 cm ramp should make it go about 210 cm. The test could be improved by repeating each height three times, and a new question is whether the floor surface changes the distance.

Common mistakes and how to help

Repeating the results instead of drawing a conclusion

Writing “the car went 60 cm, then 110 cm, then 160 cm” feels like the answer because the numbers are right there.

What helps: Ask “What does that tell us about the question?” and “What pattern can you see?” Turn it into a sentence that begins “The results show that…”.

Leaving out labels, units or a sensible scale on a chart

Children focus on drawing the bars neatly. Without labels the bars cannot be understood, and with an uneven scale the chart gives the wrong picture.

What helps: Use a checklist: title, label for each axis with units, scale that goes up in equal steps, bars of the same width. Ask someone else to read the chart without help.

Thinking a surprising result is wrong and should be changed

Children want results to match their prediction, and may rub out a figure that doesn’t fit the pattern.

What helps: Keep every result. Talk about what might explain it, whether the test was fair, and what to do next, such as repeating that measurement.

Suggesting vague improvements such as “be more careful”

It is true but it doesn’t say what to do differently, so it can’t be used to improve the next test.

What helps: Ask “What exactly would you change?” Good answers are specific: use a tape measure instead of a short ruler, release from the same spot, repeat three times, measure to the nearest centimetre.

How to help at home

Make a quick table. Record something simple, such as the number of minutes it takes ice to melt in different rooms or how far several toy cars roll. Let your child decide the headings and units, then say one sentence about what the table shows.
Draw a bar chart together. Use squared paper to chart family favourites, daily weather or the number of steps from the door to different places. Check for a title, labelled axes and an even scale.
Say it with “because”. After any experiment or observation, ask your child to finish the sentence “The results show that… because…”. Push for a number from the results.
Predict the next one. Look at a pattern of numbers your child has found and ask for a prediction for a new value, then test it if you can. Talk about how close the prediction was and why.
Present it. Ask your child to explain their findings to a relative or friend, with a drawing or chart to point to. Explaining out loud shows quickly what they have really understood.

Builds on

Key Stage 1: Working scientifically

Leads on to

Years 5 and 6: Working scientifically