Coconut palms are trees often found growing close to the sea.

A student formed the hypothesis that

the yield of coconuts from each tree would decrease as the distance from the sea became less
because the salt levels in the soil might inhibit growth.
Plan an investigation to test this hypothesis.
Your answer should give details under the following headings.
(a) A consideration of what sampling techniques might be appropriate to this investigation and any
safety or ethical issues you would need to consider.
Since there are hundreds of coconut trees running inland away from the beach, it would not be possible to
include each and every tree in the investigation. So, we need an unbiased mechanism to select a few trees
that would be used in the study. Two ropes are tied parallel to each other and drawn inland away from the
beach for a distance of 150m. Any coconut tree found at intervals of 15m, within the belt, will be chosen for
the experiment. This is a form of systematic sampling called the belt transect
The risks include the danger of coconuts falling and injuring students. Climbing up the trees to harvest the
coconuts for measuring the yield could be risky, as coconut trees are quite tall. Poisonous snakes, spiders,
beetles and other insects usually inhabit the coconut trees and could cause fatal bites.
Care must be taken to minimise disturbance to the habitat, which may be the breeding ground for birds and
other organisms.
(b) Suggestions for preliminary work that you might undertake to ensure your proposed method
would provide meaningful data.
To ensure that the method will work, a survey of the area could be carried out to determine whether the 15m
interval for sampling of trees is feasible or not. An assessment of variables like competition, pests, light
intensity, mineral content of the soil, salt content, etc must be carried out and we must decide on exactly
which variables to control or monitor.
A reliable way of measuring the yield of coconuts (dependent factor) would be to measure the mass of
coconuts from each of the trees, as other parameters are difficult to measure accurately.

Commented [SVR1]: Either random or systematic

sampling (Line transect or Belt transect)

Commented [SVR2]: Systematic sampling is used to

investigate changes as we travel from one point in the
habitat to another region. Changes in the yield of
coconuts as we move away from the shore.
Commented [SVR3]: Risk assessment will vary from
question to question. However, look for any factor that
could cause harm to the experimenter or damage to the
habitat. Do not hesitate to include any thought that may
pass through your mind, however silly it may seem, as
there is no negative marking and only the right answers
will be marked.
Commented [SVR4]: There may not be an ethical issue
always. So, if you cannot think of any issue then move on
and ponder over it as you write. Do NOT get stuck at a
question for a long time as time management is a major
factor in this paper.
Commented [SVR5]: Some students have a tendency to
quote the marking scheme points and thereby end up
making vague statements. Instead relate marking scheme
information to the context of the question and make a
clear indication of what exactly you are going to do as
preliminary work. Remember to state the variables and
any other relevant information.

(c) A detailed method explaining exactly how you would carry out this investigation and how
important variables are to be controlled or monitored.
Sampling of coconut palms belt transect
Extend two ropes from the water edge towards the coconut palms for a distance of 150m inland. The two
ropes should be parallel to each other with a gap of 2m between them. Select 10 coconut trees that lie within
the two ropes at regular intervals of 15m.

Commented [SVR6]: Identify the independent and

dependent variables and state these variables.

Variables to be controlled
Independent variable the distance from the sea shore
The independent variable in this experiment is the distance from the sea shore. There are ten values for this
variable ranging from 0 to 150m from the seashore, assuming that the first coconut tree lies at the water
edge.

Commented [SVR8]: State the independent variable,

dependent variable and all other variables that can
influence the dependent variable.

Light intensity and competition

There could be many other plants around the coconut trees. These will absorb nutrients from the soil and
compete with the coconut palms, reducing the yield. If the plants are as tall as the coconut palms and are
clustered too close then the light intensity may be reduced and could influence the yield. So we need to
monitor the light intensity for all the ten plants to ensure that it is almost the same.

Commented [SVR7]: Even though there is no specified

format for writing this section, it is useful to write under
sub headings, as it encourages elaboration of points and
also helps to acquire the marks for organisation and
sequence of writing.

Commented [SVR9]: Give a detailed explanation about

how each variable is to be controlled or monitored and a
brief consequence of variations in these variables.
Quote approximate values wherever possible, instead of
making statements like a known amount, or a fixed
distance, or specific volume, etc.

Water content of soil

The water content of the soil can be monitored at each site by taking a homogenised soil sample and finding
its initial mass. The sample is then heated till its mass becomes constant and the water content is calculated
by the difference in mass. Preferably the water content should be the same for all sites.

Commented [SVR10]: Describe at least five variables

that are to be controlled. It is always better to state more
variables than the marking schemes normally have.
Remember when you are writing the experiment you are
not sure which variables will be awarded marks so it is
better to play safe and describe many variables, however
take the time management into account.

Salinity of soil
The soil can be dug up to a depth of 15cms in each site and 200g of homogenised soil can be suspended
into 500cm3 of distilled water. A salinity meter can then be used to test the salinity of the soil at each site.

Give full practical details of how each variable may be

controlled or monitored.

Measuring the dependent variable the yield of coconuts

Model answer and comments on how to write a planning answer for 6B. by Stafford Valentine Redden. www.staffordeducationalservices.com

Commented [SVR11]: The dependent variable is to be

measure to give you data for final analysis. Choose a
method that can be measured accurately. It should also
provide reliable data.

The yield of coconuts can be measured in different ways, like mass of coconuts, number of coconuts,
diameter of coconuts, etc. However measurement of mass can be done most accurately. So, all the coconuts
are plucked and the mass of coconuts from each tree is measured.
Repeat the entire procedure at three different transects and find the mean.

(d) A clear explanation of how your data is to be analysed in order to make conclusions concerning
this hypothesis.
The data can be recorded in the table shown below and the results can be plotted on a scatter diagram as shown
below.
Distance from Mass of coconuts per tree / kg
the sea / m
Transect 1
Transect 2
Transect 3
Mean

Commented [SVR12]: Repeating helps us to check the

reliability by giving us and idea of the variation if repeated
experiments.

Commented [SVR13]: Table should have columns with

appropriate headings and units. It should match the
method used in the plan.

0
15
30
45
60
75
90
105
120
135
150

Hypothetical graph

A correlation coefficient can be used to analyse the data and draw a valid conclusion.
Null hypothesis: there is no significant relationship between the distance from the sea and the mean mass
of coconuts produced.
If the calculated value is greater than the critical value, at the 5% significance level, then the null hypothesis
must be rejected and we must conclude that there is a significant relationship between the two variables.

(e) The limitations of your proposed method.

It is difficult to standardise the measurement of yield as factors like water content of coconuts can vary with
ripeness. Older coconuts are dry and hence lighter.
It is difficult to harvest coconuts as they grow high on the palm.
Some coconuts may fall of due to strong winds and these will not be measured, resulting in inaccurate
measurements.
It is difficult to control all abiotic factors affecting the yield, as the factors change as we move inland. It may
also be difficult to sample the trees as they are not evenly arranged.

Analyse the model plans that follow and write a few plans on your own.
Ask your teacher to give you a feedback.

Model answer and comments on how to write a planning answer for 6B. by Stafford Valentine Redden. www.staffordeducationalservices.com

Commented [SVR14]: A hypothetical graph should label

the axes appropriately and state the units. It may also
show the trend of the expected results if the hypothesis is
proven to be true.

Commented [SVR15]: State the statistical test used to

analyse the data.
Commented [SVR16]: The statistical test will test the
validity of the null hypothesis.
Commented [SVR17]: State the rule for acceptance or
rejection fo the null hypothesis.
Commented [SVR18]: State the significance level or
probability level used
Commented [SVR19]: Limitations will be genuine
sources of error that cannot be controlled.
Warning: do not deliberately ignore factors that must be
controlled and state them as limitations.