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Assessment Pack — Science 9

Term 1 · CG Quarter 1: Force, Motion, and Energy · School Year 2026–2027

A Table of Specifications, two summative tests with keys, a weekly check, and the rubrics for the eight performance tasks the curriculum guide supplies across the four quarters.

Quarter 1 is Force, Motion, and Energy, not Materials. Grades 7 to 10 rotate the four domains; Grade 9 opens on mechanics and reaches bonding in Quarter 4. See syllabus.md §3.3.

1. How assessment works this year

Per DO No. 015, s. 2026, for a Key Stage 3 core learning area:

Component Weight What feeds it in Quarter 1
Written Works 20% Weekly worksheets, weekly checks, Summative 1 and 2, the force diagrams from Week 3, the measured push-off distances, the circuit diagrams from Week 5
Performance Tasks 50% The Quarter 1 performance task from the guide, and the two group activities in offline-activities.md
Examinations 30% The Term 1 examination

Half the grade is performance, and the guide sets the task — page 17 requires at least one substantial performance task for each quarter.

⚠️ The weights are reported, not read. Two independent search passes returned the same 20 / 50 / 30 split. Confirm before computing a real grade.

The rule this pack applies that Grade 8's did not

A force named without its two objects scores nothing.

Equal and opposite is four words, and a learner can produce them fluently while believing the forces cancel out. Every third-law item in this pack therefore requires the learner to write which object each force acts on — and awards most of the mark there rather than on the phrase. The model answers below say explicitly what a correct-sounding answer with no objects named looks like, so it can be caught rather than credited.

Tell the class the rule on Monday. It is not a trick and it should not be one.

The other Grade 9 problem: three performance tasks in one quarter

The guide gives Quarter 1 three tasks — a vehicle, an electrical distribution system, and an electromagnetic-spectrum poster — one per topic. Page 17 requires at least one. This pack places task A, the vehicle, in Week 8, because it is the only one of the three that assesses the spine week and the only one that needs no purchased material. Rubrics for all three are in §6 so a school that has the time, or wants to run one per section, can.

2. Table of Specifications

Quarter 1 · Force, Motion, and Energy · 13 competencies · 50 items across the quarter

Quarter 1 competency Week Items Cognitive demand
1. Inertia 1 4 Understanding
2. Acceleration as the result of a net force 2 4 Understanding
3. Force, acceleration and mass 2 4 Application
4. Equal but opposite forces between interacting objects 3 6 Understanding
5. Action–reaction pairs, and force diagrams 3 8 Application and analysis
6. Electricity as a flow of electrons, handled safely 4 3 Recall
7. Current, voltage and resistance, inferred 4 4 Analysis
8. Drawing and assembling series and parallel circuits 5 4 Application
9. Advantages and limitations of series and parallel 5 3 Evaluation
10. EMR as transverse waves from vibrating charges 6 3 Understanding
11. Relative wavelengths and frequencies across the spectrum 6 3 Understanding
12. Practical applications of EMR 7 2 Recall
13. Harmful effects of EMR on living things 7 2 Understanding
Total 50

Fourteen items for competencies 4 and 5 together — more than a quarter of the whole quarter's assessment for two competencies out of thirteen. They earn it: they are the only place in Grade 9 where the third law appears, the Week 8 performance task assumes them, and every one of the four grades of Key Stage 3 that follows will assume them too.

Ten items across the whole electromagnetic spectrum, which is four competencies. That is thin, and it is thin because the quarter is thin: thirteen competencies in seven teaching weeks leaves two weeks for EMR and no more. §7 says what was cut and why.

3. Summative Test 1 — Week 4

Twelve items · 30 minutes · Written Works

Covers competencies 1 to 5 — the whole of the mechanics block.

Section A — the first two laws.

  1. A jeepney brakes sharply and standing passengers lurch forwards. Name the property responsible and explain in one sentence. (2 marks)
  2. Give one example of an object accelerating without changing speed. (2 marks)
  3. The same push is given to a full sack and an empty one. Which accelerates more, and why? (2 marks)

Section B — the third law. Name both objects in every answer.

  1. Write the partner of each force as a full sentence: (4 marks) a. The hammer hits the nail. b. The Earth pulls a mango down. c. The swimmer pushes the water backwards. d. The wheel pushes backwards on the road.
  2. Two learners on chairs push off each other. One is much heavier. Who experiences the larger force? (1 mark)
  3. Which of them moves further, and why? (2 marks)
  4. A book rests on a table. Write the two forces acting on the book, and say which object each one acts on. (2 marks)
  5. Are those two an action–reaction pair? How do you know? (3 marks)
  6. Write the true partner of each of the two forces in item 7. (2 marks)
  7. In a tug of war, how does Team A's pull on the rope compare with Team B's? What decides who wins? (3 marks)
  8. A rocket is fired in space where there is no air. Explain, using the third law, why it still accelerates. (2 marks)
  9. Draw a force diagram for a person stepping off a boat. Show the two forces, label each with the object it acts on, and write one sentence saying why the boat moves. (3 marks)

Key and marking notes

# Answer Note
1 Inertia 2 marks. 1 for the word; 1 for the passengers keep moving because no force acted to stop them
2 Any object turning at constant speed — a tricycle on a curve, a fan blade, a ball on a string 2 marks. 1 for the example; 1 for the direction is changing, and that is a change in velocity
3 The empty sack 2 marks. 1 for the answer; 1 for less mass, so the same force produces more acceleration
4 The nail pushes back on the hammer · the mango pulls the Earth up · the water pushes the swimmer forwards · the road pushes the wheel forwards 4 marks, 1 each. An answer that does not name both objects scores 0 for that part, including there is an equal and opposite force
5 Neither — they are equal —
6 The lighter one 2 marks. 1 for the answer; 1 for equal force on a smaller mass gives a bigger acceleration
7 The Earth pulls the book down (on the book); the table pushes the book up (on the book) 2 marks
8 No — both act on the book, so they are balanced forces, not a pair 3 marks. 1 for no; 2 for the two-object reason. "No, they cancel" scores 1 — cancelling is the consequence, not the test
9 The book pulls the Earth up; the book pushes the table down 2 marks
10 Exactly equal; friction between each team's feet and the ground decides it 3 marks. 1 for equal; 2 for friction. "Whoever pulls harder" scores 0 and is the item to count
11 It pushes its exhaust gas backwards and the gas pushes it forwards; nothing outside is needed 2 marks
12 — 3 marks. 1 for two arrows in opposite directions; 1 for each arrow labelled with the object it acts on; 1 for they act on different objects, so nothing cancels

Total: 28 marks. As a percentage: marks ÷ 28 × 100.

4. Weekly Check — Week 3, Day 5

Seven items · 12 minutes · Written Works

  1. Write the partner of the person pushes the boat backwards, as a full sentence.
  2. The two forces of an action–reaction pair act on how many objects?
  3. TRUE or FALSE: in a collision between a truck and a small car, the car experiences a larger force.
  4. TRUE or FALSE: the action happens first, and the reaction follows.
  5. Two learners on chairs push off. One is heavier. Who moves further?
  6. A book rests on a table. Its weight pulls it down; the table pushes it up. The two forces are equal and opposite. Are they an action–reaction pair? Say how you know.
  7. Why does a person slip and go nowhere on perfectly smooth ice? Answer using the words push and partner.

Key

# Answer
1 The boat pushes the person forwards
2 Two
3 False — the forces are equal; the damage is not
4 False — they begin and end together
5 The lighter one
6 See below
7 They cannot push backwards on the ice, so the ice cannot push them forwards — no push, no partner

About item 6

This is the item that reads. Items 1 to 5 are on the wall chart by Wednesday, and item 7 was the last thing said on Thursday.

What the learner wrote What it means
No — both forces act on the book, so they are balanced forces Full understanding
No, with no reason, or no, because they cancel Half. Right answer, wrong test. Cancelling is what follows from being on one object, not the reason
Yes — they are equal and opposite The diagnostic answer. Equal-and-opposite is being used as the definition of a pair. It is the default belief of most adults and it needs Day 2 repeated, not repeated louder
No — the table is not really pushing A different error and a better one. Answer it in front of the class with a book on an outstretched palm

5. Summative Test 2 — Week 8

Twelve items · 30 minutes · Written Works

Covers competencies 6 to 13, and returns to competencies 4 and 5 in items 11 and 12.

  1. What is an electric current a flow of? (1 mark)
  2. Give two safety measures for handling electricity at home, and say what each one prevents. (4 marks)
  3. In a series circuit, a second identical bulb is added. What happens to the brightness of the first, and why? (2 marks)
  4. In a parallel circuit, one bulb is unscrewed. What happens to the other, and why? (2 marks)
  5. Draw a circuit with a cell, a switch, two bulbs in parallel, an ammeter and a voltmeter, correctly placed. (4 marks)
  6. Give one advantage and one limitation of a series circuit. (2 marks)
  7. Why are the lights in a house wired in parallel rather than in series? (2 marks)
  8. What produces electromagnetic radiation? (1 mark)
  9. Put these in order of increasing wavelength: x-rays, radio waves, visible light, infrared. (2 marks)
  10. Name one practical use of radio waves and one of gamma rays. (2 marks)
  11. Name one harmful effect of ultraviolet radiation on living things, and one way people reduce it. (2 marks)
  12. Explain, using the third law and naming both objects, how the vehicle you built in Week 8 moved forwards. (3 marks)

Key

# Answer Note
1 Electrons —
2 Any two, each with what it prevents 4 marks. Dry hands, no overloaded sockets, no damaged cords, no metal into an outlet, switch off before repairing. 2 marks for the measures, 2 for the reasons — a list with no reasons scores half
3 Both dimmer 2 marks. 1 for the answer; 1 for the same supply is shared, and the total resistance has increased
4 The other stays lit 2 marks. 1 for the answer; 1 for each has its own path to the cell
5 — 4 marks. 1 for the two bulbs genuinely in parallel; 1 for the switch in the main line; 1 for the ammeter in series; 1 for the voltmeter across a component. The last two are the ones that go wrong
6 Advantage: simple, one switch controls everything, fewer wires. Limitation: one break stops all of them; adding loads dims them 2 marks
7 So each lamp gets the full supply and one failure does not darken the house 2 marks
8 The vibration of electrically charged particles —
9 X-rays, visible light, infrared, radio waves 2 marks. 1 mark if one pair is transposed
10 Radio waves: telecommunications, broadcasting. Gamma rays: medicine — treating cancer, sterilising equipment 2 marks
11 Sunburn, skin cancer, eye damage — any one, plus shade, clothing, sunscreen or sunglasses 2 marks
12 — 3 marks. 1 for naming what the vehicle pushed on; 1 for naming what pushed the vehicle; 1 for two objects, so nothing cancels. A description with no objects named scores 0

Total: 27 marks.

6. Performance Task Rubrics

Eight tasks across four quarters, all of them the guide's own. Page 17 requires at least one substantial task per quarter; the guide supplies three for Quarter 1, two each for Quarters 2 and 3, and one for Quarter 4.

Each rubric is 4 criteria × 4 levels = 16 marks. As a percentage: marks ÷ 16 × 100.

Levels: 4 = Full · 3 = Sufficient · 2 = Partial · 1 = Just beginning

6.1 Quarter 1 · Task A — The action–reaction vehicle — placed in Week 8

Design a model vehicle from recycled materials using the Law of action-reaction to carry a 15-gram payload over a 5-meter displacement. Describe the forces interacting and the motions evident when your vehicle is moving, including any vectors that are relevant.

Criterion 4 — Full 3 — Sufficient 2 — Partial 1 — Just beginning
It performs Carries 15 g over the full 5 m, repeatably Carries 15 g over 5 m once Moves, but short of 5 m or without the payload Does not move under its own action
Action–reaction identified Names both objects in the driving pair — the vehicle pushes the air backwards, the air pushes the vehicle forwards Names the pair loosely Says action and reaction with no objects Not addressed
Forces and vectors described Every force named with its direction and the object it acts on, including friction Driving force and one other Driving force only Absent
Recycled materials Built entirely from reused or found material Mostly reused Some reused Bought

The naming rule applies here too. A vehicle that works beautifully and whose write-up says action and reaction made it go scores 4 on the first criterion and 2 on the second. Say so before the task is set.

6.2 Quarter 1 · Task B — The electrical distribution system

Use secondary sources regarding problems associated with the distribution of electrical energy from power plants to homes. Use the findings to develop a system that can address the problems.

Criterion 4 — Full 3 — Sufficient 2 — Partial 1 — Just beginning
The problem is real and sourced A named, documented distribution problem with the source given A real problem, source vague A generic problem Invented
Sources evaluated, not just collected Says why each source was trusted; notes where two disagree Sources listed with dates One source None named
The proposal answers the problem Each feature traced to a specific problem it addresses Proposal relates to the problem A proposal, loosely connected Not addressed
Feasibility Says what it would cost or need, and what it would not fix Mentions one limitation Claims it solves everything Not addressed

6.3 Quarter 1 · Task C — The electromagnetic spectrum poster

Develop a poster that identifies the useful and dangerous attributes of the 7 main energies of the EMS.

Criterion 4 — Full 3 — Sufficient 2 — Partial 1 — Just beginning
All seven bands All seven, correctly ordered by wavelength or frequency All seven, order imperfect Five or six Fewer than five
Useful and dangerous, both Both given for every band, and correct Both for most bands One or the other Neither, or decorative only
Accuracy No factual error; the order and the relationship between wavelength and frequency are right One minor error One significant error — usually wavelength and frequency the wrong way round Substantially wrong
Readable from two metres Legible across a classroom, clearly organised Legible close up, well organised Crowded Not legible

6.4 Quarter 2 · Task A — The 3D model of the Earth's interior

Design and build a 3D model of the features of the Earth including its interior structure.

Criterion 4 — Full 3 — Sufficient 2 — Partial 1 — Just beginning
All the layers Crust, lithosphere, asthenosphere, mantle, outer core and inner core, all labelled Four or five of the six Two or three Crust and core only
Proportion Thicknesses to a stated scale, with the scale written on it Roughly proportional Layers present, proportions wrong No attempt at scale
Evidence named States that the layers are known from seismic wave data, not from digging Mentions seismic evidence Says how it is known, vaguely Not addressed
Construction Sturdy, handleable, made from reused material Sturdy Fragile but complete Incomplete

The third criterion is the one that carries the science. A beautiful cross-section built from a memorised diagram teaches nothing about how the interior is known, and the content standard is about the model being built from evidence.

6.5 Quarter 2 · Task B — The space technologies information report

Develop an information report to describe and explain how modern space technologies are used to conduct groundbreaking research about the nature and origin of the Solar System.

Criterion 4 — Full 3 — Sufficient 2 — Partial 1 — Just beginning
Technologies described At least two — a telescope and a probe — with what each can do that the other cannot Two described One Named only
Tied to a real finding Names a specific discovery and the instrument that made it A discovery mentioned General claims Not addressed
Sources Cited, dated and evaluated Cited Listed None
Written as a report Structured, in the learner's own words, followable by someone who was not in the class Mostly structured Copied passages joined together Not organised

6.6 Quarter 3 · Tasks A and B — The environmental report, or the ecosystem research project

A. Write a report on an environmental action group analyzing their principles and their actions or activities regarding the human impact on the biosphere. B. Conduct a research project on a specific Philippine ecosystem and investigate its biodiversity, ecological interactions, and conservation challenges. Present your research findings through a scientific report or multimedia project.

One rubric covers both — they are the same kind of work with different subject matter.

Criterion 4 — Full 3 — Sufficient 2 — Partial 1 — Just beginning
Specific, not general A named group or a named ecosystem, with where and when Named subject A category — a forest, an NGO Unspecified
The science is there Biodiversity, interactions and threats all present and correctly used Two of the three One Description without science
Sources evaluated Cited, dated, and the learner says which they trusted and why Cited and dated Listed None
Analysis, not summary Reaches a judgement the sources did not state outright, and supports it Draws a conclusion Restates the sources Copied

6.7 Quarter 4 — The ionic, covalent and metallic comic strip

Create a cartoon/comic strips portraying the main characters as "ionic", "covalent", and "metallic" bonds. The cartoon should communicate each character's role in holding atoms and/or molecules together and may show what happens to them in the way the substances are used in everyday life.

Criterion 4 — Full 3 — Sufficient 2 — Partial 1 — Just beginning
All three bonds All three, each behaving in character — transferring, sharing, pooling All three present Two One
The science is correct Nothing that would have to be untaught later One minor slip One significant error — usually ionic bonds drawn as sharing Substantially wrong
An everyday consequence Each bond linked to a real property of a real substance — salt dissolving, water's shape, a wire conducting Two linked One linked Not addressed
It works as a comic A reader who has not studied bonding follows the story and learns from it Clear Needs the maker present to explain Not followable

6.8 The group activities

The two group activities carry their own 12-mark rubrics in offline-activities.md. They are not repeated here.

7. What is deliberately not here

Absent Why
F = ma as a calculation Competency 3 says investigate the relationship among force, acceleration, and mass. Investigating a relationship and substituting into a formula are different competencies, and only the first one is set
Momentum, impulse and collisions as calculations Not in any Grade 9 competency. The truck-and-car item in §4 asks only about the forces, which is competency 4, and stops there
V = IR as a calculation Competency 7 says infer the relationship from an assembled circuit. Inference from observation is what is assessed; the formula is not in the competency
Resolving vectors into components The Quarter 1 task says including any vectors that are relevant, which asks for size, direction and the object acted on. Component arithmetic is beyond Grade 9 and is not required to describe a vehicle's motion
Full marks for equal and opposite with no objects named The two objects are the competency. A learner who omits them has almost always omitted them because they do not yet know what they are, and crediting the phrase hides exactly that
A single Quarter 1 test covering all thirteen competencies Thirteen competencies across three unrelated topics do not make one coherent paper. Summative 1 is mechanics, Summative 2 is electricity and the spectrum, and each is markable in one sitting
A mark for the game game.html is formative. Marking it would advantage learners with a device at home

Part of the E-turo MATATAG artifact set. Companion files: syllabus.md · lesson-plan.md · lesson-plan-ilaw.md · class-record.html