Learning Map
ScienceScientific Inquiryusually ages 7–9

Fair testing

Set up simple practical enquiries, comparative tests, and fair tests, understanding the importance of changing only one variable at a time

How to tell they’ve got it

Tick these off as you see them — no test required.

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Try this together

If your child wants to find out which soil is best for growing beans, can they set up a fair test where only the soil changes and everything else stays the same?

Where this sits on the map

Stuck here? Check the skills it builds on first. Confident? Here’s what it unlocks.

Builds on
Simple tests and experimentsages 5–7Must do simple tests before setting up formal fair tests with controlled variables
Fair testingthis skill · ages 7–9
Unlocks
Drawing conclusions from evidenceages 7–9Must conduct fair tests before reporting on findings from enquiries
Controlling variablesages 9–11Must set up simple fair tests before independently planning enquiries with variable control

solid = must come firstdashed = helps

Curriculum alignment

Candidate matches to official curriculum codes — machine-suggested, unreviewed (v0.1).

Show candidate curriculum codes · 3 ACARA · 2 NSW · 2 VIC

Australian Curriculum v9 candidate

AC9S3I05low confidenceYear 3 · Science inquiry

compare findings with those of others, consider if investigations were fair, identify questions for further investigation and draw conclusions

AC9S5I02low confidenceYear 5 · Science inquiry

plan and conduct repeatable investigations to answer questions, including, as appropriate, deciding the variables to be changed, measured and controlled in fair tests; describing potential risks; planning for the safe use of equipment and materials; and identifying required permissions to conduct investigations on Country/Place

AC9S4I02low confidenceYear 4 · Science inquiry

use provided scaffolds to plan and conduct investigations to answer questions or test predictions, including identifying the elements of fair tests, and considering the safe use of materials and equipment

NSW syllabus codes & stages only

ST3-PQU-01medium confidenceScience and Technology K-6 · Stage 3
ST2-PQU-01low confidenceScience and Technology K-6 · Stage 2

Victorian Curriculum 2.0 codes & levels only

VC2S4I05low confidenceScience · Levels 3 and 4 · Science Inquiry strand
VC2S4I02low confidenceScience · Levels 3 and 4 · Science Inquiry strand

These are candidate alignments generated by semantic matching — machine-suggested and unreviewed (v0.1), not official or verified mappings. For official curriculum content see australiancurriculum.edu.au, curriculum.nsw.edu.au and f10.vcaa.vic.edu.au. Don’t rely on them for registration or compliance purposes.

Nearby on the map

All Scientific Inquiry skills →