Let’s get deep (pun intended 😉) and explore the art of crafting a Band 6 depth study report! 🏊🏊
What is a Depth Study?
Ever been in Chem class and thought “I wish we spent more time on that”, or “Hmm, what if we tried this?” Well, a depth study is your golden ticket! It’s your chance to be the boss of your own learning, diving into the syllabus concepts that spark your curiosity. ✨
In the words of the Stage 6 Chemistry Syllabus:
“A depth study is any type of investigation/activity that a student completes individually or collaboratively that allows the further development of one or more concepts found within or inspired by the syllabus.”
TLDR; Pick a topic from the syllabus + expand on it = profit. 🤑
How to Write a Band 6 Research Report
The scientific report format is a great, structured way to demonstrate your understanding of your topic and the scientific method.
Step 1: Finding the Right Experiment
(Hopefully) you chose HSC Chemistry because you find it genuinely interesting (or at least some part of it!). So, revisit your notes and start reflecting on which Year 12 topics sparked your curiosity or left you with unanswered questions.
In addition to genuinely interesting you, your chosen topic should:
- Relate directly to at least one syllabus dot point
- Provide quantitative data that you can analyse, graph, and interpret.
- Be feasible with the equipment at your disposal, time constraints, (and the occasional helpful teacher).
🔥 Hot Tip: Aim to repeat your experiment at least three times.
- Raise meaningful scientific questions for an insightful discussion. A strong depth study is exactly that - deep! You want to explore the “why” and the “so what?” behind your findings - going beyond merely presenting your results, to discussing the underlying concepts and broader implications for society, industry, or even human health.
🔥 Hot Tip: Check out KIS Academics’ guide on HSC Chemistry modules and assessments or How to Study for Your HSC Chemistry Practical Exam, which touch upon topics and practical experiments which you can use to get inspired.
Step 2: Design and Conduct Your Experiment
As our focus is report writing, we’ll keep this one brief. But, do remember that a top-tier science experiment is: reliable, valid and accurate.
Reliability (Is the test repeatable?) i.e. your experiment should give consistent results when performed multiple times under the same conditions.
- What are some easy ways to improve reliability? 🤔
- Run multiple trials (ideally 3 or more) and clearly reflect that in your methodology e.g. “Repeat Steps X - Y three times”.
- Use consistent equipment and methods. Follow the same procedure under the same conditions each time.
Validity (Are you testing what you set out to test?) i.e. you should be directly testing your hypothesis and addressing your aim by controlling variables and correctly identifying your independent and dependent variables.
- What are some ways to ensure you have a valid experiment? 🤔
- Address the aim directly. Make sure your method is designed specifically to answer your inquiry question or test your hypothesis.
- Control all variables except one. Typically, you should only be changing one independent variable at a time. Keep all other variables constant.
- Choose appropriate equipment and materials suited to the measurements or observations you need.
- Include a control group.
- Define variables clearly - this means your independent, dependent and controlled variables.
Accuracy (Are your measurements precise?) i.e. the thing you’re measuring is close to the true value.
- What are some easy ways to improve accuracy? 🤔
- Calibrate your equipment where possible, so they can give correct readings.
- Use precise equipment i.e. choose measuring tools with fine scales or small increments.
- Measure carefully e.g. take readings at eye level (for liquid meniscus) to minimise parallax errors.
- Use appropriate techniques e.g. clean your equipment between trials.
Some further tips on designing and conducting your experiment…
🔥 Hot Tip: Plan your time carefully - data analysis often takes longer than expected!
🔥 Hot Tip: If you can’t fully meet some of the things above, acknowledge it in your report Discussion! (see ‘Discussion’ below for further details).
Step 3: Writing Your Report (Section by Section)
Now let’s get to the meat of the matter! In a Band 6 report, each section should be clear, concise and purposeful, presenting a coherent story of your study.
Title
A brief, specific description of your investigation. Someone should have a clear idea of what you did through the title alone.
Example: “The Effect of Temperature on a Copper Chloride Equilibrium System”.
Abstract
An abstract is what scientists use to decide whether to invest time in reading your full report, or simply to get the gist of what you’ve done and your experiment’s key results. So, your abstract should do two things: (1) convince the reader that your report is worth their time, and (2) clearly present your main findings.
The abstract is usually a short (100-200 word) summary of the whole report, covering:
- The objective of your experiment
- A short description of the method you used
- The main results
- The main conclusion
🔥 Hot Tip: The abstract may be optional; check with your teacher or the assignment guidelines.
Introduction
3-5 paragraphs covering:
- Background theory and relevant chemical principles
- Scientific relevance and real-world application
- Key equipment and methods, and the scientific laws they rely on
- End with your inquiry question - a clear, focused, testable question which includes your independent and dependent variables. Example: “How does temperature affect the rate of the decomposition of hydrogen peroxide catalysed by potassium iodide?”
🔥 Hot Tip: Diagrams and equations can be helpful to help in your explanations. Just remember to reference where you got your sources from!
Hypothesis
- Your prediction about your experiment’s outcome.
- Present tense
- Example: “As the concentration of hydrochloric acid is increased, the rate of reaction with magnesium metal will increase.”
Aim
A one-sentence purpose of the investigation:
- Often starts with “To determine”, “To investigate” or “To prove”.
- Include dependent and independent variables.
- Example: “To determine the Ksp of silver ions in a saturated solution of silver acetate at room temperature using a displacement reaction with copper metal.”
Materials & Equipment
Imagine a scientist holding your paper, preparing to replicate your experiment, and deciding what they need on their bench. This is their “grocery list”.
- A bullet-point list of all chemicals, apparatus, and safety gear.
- State specific quantities and concentrations.
- Example: 1 x conical flask, 5 g of sodium chloride, 50 mL of distilled water.
Methodology
Similar to your ‘Materials & Equipment’ section, your methodology must be clear enough for someone completely unfamiliar with your experiment to be able to replicate it.
- Clear, numbered steps in logical order.
- Consistent voice. Common approaches include:
- Passive voice and past tense e.g. ”The solution was heated…”
- Imperative voice e.g. “Heat the solution…”
- Specify any controlled variables and your control group.
- Specify number of trials. Example: “Repeat Steps X-Y five times.”
🔥 Hot Tip: Include (labelled) photos of your experimental setup if necessary.
Risk Assessment
If you’re working with chemicals, you must always have a risk assessment. Include at least three hazards, covering every potentially hazardous chemical you’re working with. If you’re only working with one or two chemicals, consider physical or procedural hazards (e.g. fire, burns, sharp objects, spills, electric shocks).
A table format is generally the best approach, outlining:
- Hazards
- Risks
- Control measures. Remember: the control measure should fit the risk it’s addressing. For instance, if the risk is ‘skin irritation’, simply wearing ‘safety goggles’ won’t help you - you need gloves or other protective clothing.
🔥 Hot Tip: If you can’t get your hands on your school safety data sheet (SDS) for the chemical you’re handling, look one up online for some inspiration. But be careful - the SDS you find online may cover a different concentration or composition for that chemical. Cross-check and confirm details with your teacher or lab supervisor if you can. 😊
Example:
Results
Now - the fun part! Whip open Excel or Google Sheets - it’s time to present your quantitative data in tables and graphs, alongside any relevant observations. This section is for objective reporting ONLY - no interpretation just yet. 😉
- Include well-labelled tables and graphs (usually scatter graphs).
- Describe trends, patterns, and outliers.
🔥 Hot Tip: It can be easy to visualise outliers from a graph, but you can also numerically determine your outliers using a handy equation which also happens to be in the HSC Mathematics syllabus:
- Low outliers: Q1 - 1.5 × IQR
- High outliers: Q3 - 1.5 × IQR
- Include averages, standard deviations, and relevant calculations e.g. reaction rates, concentrations, equilibrium constants.
- Add any qualitative observations e.g. colour changes, soot, bubbling.
Checklist for Tables
- Title or label, above the figure. Example: “Table 2: Change in NaCl concentration over time.”
- Headings (with units).
- Consistent significant figures.
- Average and standard deviation.
Checklist for Graphs
- Title or label, below the graph.
- Labelled x- and y-axes (with units).
- Appropriate scale for axes. Example: If your independent data points start at ‘2.40 mol’ and end at ‘2.60 mol’, you wouldn’t want to start your x-axis at ‘0.00 mol’ - this would make your graph too tiny!
- Independent variable on the x-axis (i.e. what you’ve been changing), dependent variable on the y-axis (i.e. what you’ve been measuring)
- Trendline
- Legend (if needed)
- Average values plotted with error bars (standard deviations)
Discussion
This is your section for qualitative analysis i.e. where you demonstrate your understanding of your results and the concepts behind your experiment. This involves interpreting and analysing your findings, linking them back to what you’ve learned in class.
You must include a thorough error analysis and insightful suggestions for improvement.
- Answer your hypothesis. State whether it was supported or not.
- Explain trends using chemical principles.
- Provide error analysis.
- Identify sources of error
- Explain impact on results
- Propose fixes to minimise error in future investigations
- Evaluate your procedure. Critically assess your method in terms of validity, accuracy, and reliability.
- Future studies. Propose further questions arising from your findings and potential future investigations. This could be modifying the independent variable, or changing the equipment you used.
Conclusion
Summarise your main findings (2-3 sentences):
- State whether your aim was achieved or your hypothesis was supported.
- Refer briefly to your key results.
References
- Alphabetically list all sources used in your report.
- Use a consistent referencing style throughout, such as:
- Harvard
- In-text example: “... limited data is available surrounding the equilibrium constant for this system (Kolling 1970, p. 453) …”
- References example: Kolling, O. W. 1970, “The Bromine-Tribromide Ion Equilibrium in Anhydrous Acetic Acid”, Transactions of the Kansas Academy of Science, vol. 73, no. 4, pp. 452-463, https://doi.org/10.2307/3627074.
- APA
- In-text example: “... these results are consistent with previous studies (Bürgmayr et al., 2022, p. 186) …”
- References example: Bürgmayr, S., Tanner, J., Batchelor, W. & Hoadley, A. (2022). CaCO3 solubility in the process water of recycled containerboard mills. Nordic Pulp & Paper Research Journal. 38(1), 181-195. 10.1515/npprj-2022-0042.
- Harvard
🔥 Hot Tip: In a pinch, you can try using free citation generators. But always double-check their outputs, as they’re not always perfect.
- Aim for a variety of source types, such as:
- Textbooks
- Websites
- Articles
- Lab handouts
- Videos
- Try to stick to reliable sources like ‘.edu’, ‘.gov’ or ‘.org’ websites, books from your school or local library, or even your school textbook. Great databases and search engines to look for high-quality articles include:
Many of these sites have a handy ‘cite’ button that generates the reference for you! Simply copy and paste it into your bibliography.
🔥 Hot Tip: Sometimes you’ll track down the perfect paper, only to find that it’s locked behind a paywall. 😒 Before giving up completely, do some sleuthing - a free version might be available elsewhere online. Otherwise, ask your school librarian or science teacher - your school may already have a subscription that gives you full access.
Manoj Arachige
More Tips and Tricks
- Maintain formal scientific language. Avoid using first-person pronouns (e.g. “I”, “we”), and steer clear of colloquialisms.
- When introducing an acronym, define it at its first mention. Example: “sodium chloride (NaCl)”.
- Start early and manage your time. Do not leave writing until the last minute. Having a draft report ready before conducting your experiment can be very helpful - annotate and refine it as you progress through your practical work.
- Label your tables and figures clearly and consistently.Table labels typically appear above the table; and figure labels are usually positioned below the figure.
- Optional elements to consider adding:
- A table of contents and page numbers to help with navigation, especially for longer reports.
- An appendix for additional data that doesn’t fit neatly into the main body of the report. This could be: large raw data tables, images, material data sheets, or calculations.
- A diagram of your experimental setup - clear and well-labelled, to help readers quickly understand your method.
FAQs
How long should my HSC Chemistry depth study report be? 📝
The typical range is 1500 - 2500 words, but always check the specific requirements in your task guidelines..
What should I do if my experiment gives weird results? 😔
Option 1: Analyse and Explain Your Unexpected Results
Step 1 - Don’t panic. The amazing thing about science is this: an experiment that doesn’t go as planned can be just as valuable as one that does! It gives you a chance to undertake some juicy scientific error analysis, personal reflection and experimental critique.
In the case where you get funky results, include the following in your Discussion:
- Discuss potential reasons for anomalies.
- Suggest improvements to the experimental method.
- Recommendations for future investigations.
If your results significantly contradict established scientific principles, reference (and appropriately cite) reliable secondary data, such as published research papers, that demonstrate the expected trends.
What not to do: Fake your results. I know, it can be tempting to “tidy up” your data if it looks messy or unexpected. However, remember that you’re not being marked on how “perfect” your data is; you’re assessed how well you interpret, analyse, and reflect on your findings.
In fact, a thoughtful discussion of errors or anomalies often earns more marks than presenting fabricated, “flawless” data because it shows you understand the scientific process, are capable of critiquing your method, and appreciate the limitations of real-world experiments. Most importantly, maintaining academic integrity is a crucial part of being a good scientist. Own your results - warts and all - because that’s where the real learning happens. 💕
Option 2: Revise your Procedure
If you have time, critically review your procedure. Where might things have gone wrong? Did you use faulty or inconsistent equipment? Were there uncontrolled variables? Did you follow each step precisely?
If you identify a clear issue, consider re-doing the experiment with the fixes in place - or, if you realise that your original design wasn’t feasible, design a backup experiment that uses similar materials but explores a slightly different aspect of your chosen scientific concept. You can briefly mention how (and why) you revised your experiment under the Discussion section.
Option 3: Complete a Secondary Data depth report
If your assignment does not require you to conduct your own experiment, you could base your depth study on secondary data. Use reliable sources such as peer-reviewed scientific journals or reputable educational materials. Ensure you cite all sources properly and critically evaluate their reliability.
Manoj Arachige
What’s the difference between the Results and Discussion sections? 😭
The Results section presents your data clearly and objectively - without interpretation. Report what happened, using tables, graphs, or summaries.
The Discussion is where you analyse your results and delve into the underlying scientific principles. Discuss why the trends appear as they do, and connect them to the relevant chemistry concepts.
Example:
- Results section: “As variable x increases, variable Y increases at an increasing rate.”
- Discussion section: “This trend is explained by collision theory, which states that…”
TLDR;
- Results = where you flex your graph-building and math skills.
- Discussion = where you flex your chemistry knowledge.
✨ Final Thoughts
A depth study is your chance to step into the role of a scientist beyond the confines of the usual classroom. It’s your chance to ask meaningful questions, test ideas, and draw insightful conclusions on your own. Stay curious, stay critical, and don’t be afraid to reflect honestly on what worked and what didn’t.
With that, good luck, and happy experimenting! 🔬🌟
Written by KIS Academics Tutor, Celeste Thomson. Celeste is currently working as a Chemical Risk Engineer with a Bachelor of Chemical Engineering (Honours) / Master of Biomedical Engineering. She has been tutoring (and loving it!) since 2017, with a particular focus on English, Mathematics, and Science. You can view Celeste’s profile here and request her as a tutor.
