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that require a low level of cognitive demand. They are able
to identify
straightforward patterns in simple sources of data in a few familiar contexts
and can offer attempts at describing simple causal relationships. They can
identify the independent variable in a given scientific enquiry or in a
simple
design of their own. They attempt to transform and describe simple data
and apply them directly to a few familiar situations.
111. The proposed level descriptors are based on the 2015 framework described
in this document
and offer a qualitative description of the differences between levels of performance. The factors
used to determine the demand of items assessing science achievement that have been
incorporated into this outline of the proficiency scales include:
The number and degree of complexity of elements of knowledge demanded by the item;
The level of familiarity and prior knowledge that students may have
of the content,
procedural and epistemic knowledge involved;
The cognitive operation required by the item e.g., recall, analysis, evaluation;
The extent to which forming a response is dependent on models or abstract scientific ideas.