Sparx Science homework helps every student build confidence and independence by transforming challenge into understanding. Using adaptive support and purposeful practice, it delivers consistent, evidence-based learning that builds persistence, accuracy, and curiosity – without adding to teacher workload.
Each homework in Sparx Science aims to contain:
40% Mixed questions on topics set that week by the teacher
30% Consolidation from previous homework
Sparx Science automatically interleaves previously-assigned topics for students to revisit every week
30% Flashcard practice
A specific task type designed to ensure students have the core factual knowledge of the science curriculum at their fingertips
The set of flashcards will be based on the topics they have been set that week and previously attempted flashcards
However, in some cases, these ratios may adjust, for example:
In the first few weeks, we may show little or no consolidation, this practice will be replaced by questions on that week’s topics
If there are fewer flashcards to practise, we will increase the amount of mixed questions and consolidation
Students won't receive any compulsory homework if:
Homework is turned off for them
Homework is turned off for the student's class in the scheme of learning of homework planner
To complete their Sparx Science homework, students must answer every question correctly.
Why 100% completion?
Why 100% completion?
Each week, Sparx Science sets a student's homework adapted to their ability and working speed. In this homework if a student gets an initial question wrong, then they will get a second attempt. If they still get the question wrong again, they will receive guided support that helps them find the correct answer, not just see it.
Because each homework is adapted and has guided support, it should ensure every student is challenged at the right level. This allows us to set the same clear expectation for every student that they complete all questions (or the relevant support questions where they struggle).
We believe that this ensures that we have the same high standards for every student and that each of them experiences the same level of success each week. The support means that gaps in knowledge are filled, and therefore we expect this to be completed to ensure every homework promotes meaningful learning.
How long do students have to complete their homework?
How long do students have to complete their homework?
Compulsory homework should be completed by the hand in day and time that the teacher has set for the homework.
If students don't complete their homework by the hand in day and time, they can still access their homework tasks for 3 months after their due date.
Progress is automatically saved so work can be completed across multiple sessions.
Independent Practice
Independent Practice
All students have access to Independent Practice in addition to their weekly homework. Here they can practice specific topics, work through their personal flashcard deck, or get tailored practice based on their previous work.
For more information see: Independent Learning.
Types of questions in a Sparx Science homework
Sparx Science has a variety of question types. They allow us to deeply assess student understanding in a wide variety of ways and emulate many of the question types they will see in their exams.
You can try many of these question types yourself in the student demo tasks.
Flashcards use only short text and multiple choice questions.
Question type examples
Question type examples
They include:
multiple choice questions
linking boxes
filling out tables
calculations
sorting questions
short answer questions
short text questions
What's the difference between short-text questions and short-answer questions
What's the difference between short-text questions and short-answer questions
Short text questions test key terminology or short answers of 3 words or less. They are marked by our custom spellchecker which permits a range of misspellings, so students are rewarded for the science they know, not their spelling ability.
Short-answer questions require longer form, written answers that are marked using our tailored AI marking system. This allows students to get exam-style practice whilst ensuring not to add to your marking pile. We currently have exam-style questions between 1 and 4 marks.
How homework is adapted
A key aspect of Sparx Science is that every student is challenged at the right level, so success builds confidence, not frustration. To do this each homework adapts to the student, looking at their previous progress and question attempts.
For more information see: How does Sparx Science personalise homework.
What are homework levels?
What are homework levels?
To allow us to ensure we select questions with the right level of challenge for a student, we assign each of them a homework level. Level 1 students are those who need the most support, whilst Level 4 students are those who need additional challenge.
All students see the same flashcards.
You can view the questions at each level and flashcards when you view the questions for any topic.
How do we assign a student level?
How do we assign a student level?
Initially, the difficulty and number of questions is determined by the Initial homework level assigned by the teacher. By default this is set to Level 2.
Over time, Sparx uses the students previous question attempts and time working to understand a student’s ability and adjusts their Homework Difficulty Level. This then determines the difficulty and number of questions in their homework.
Once we have established a homework level for the student, this will be displayed in Student Manager, where a small wand icon next to the level shows you that Sparx has set this level automatically based on their recent activity.
We constantly re-evaluate a student's level as they complete work and will continue to adjust if it is needed.
What if the level is not correct for a student?
What if the level is not correct for a student?
Teachers can override the Homework Difficulty Level at any time. Reducing the homework difficulty level for a student will affect the number and challenge of questions a student is set. Learn more on how to do that here: Changing homework for an individual student.
It is always useful to try to establish why the level is incorrect for the student, they may have been having outside help to complete their homework. We always recommend discussing this with students to encourage them to attempt the homework themselves.
Other considerations when creating Sparx Science homework
Tier and Course
Tier and Course
Sparx Science has filters that make it easy to set homework that ensures students studying different courses (Combined/Separate) and tiers (Foundation/Higher) only see the correct content. These filters can be set independently for each student to give you maximum flexibility.
For example:
If a student is studying Combined Higher, then you should set the “Higher” setting to yes, and the “Separate” setting to no.
If a Student is studying Foundation Separate, then you should set the “Higher” setting to no, and the “Separate” setting to yes.
These settings can be seen and adjusted in Student Manager:
Please Note: KS3 students also have these settings available in case you assign a GCSE topic to a KS3 class. These will not affect any of our KS3 content.
Homework length
Homework length
By default, students will be set approximately 60 minutes of compulsory homework per week. We use this setting to decide the number of questions a student receives. This is not an exact science as individual students will find different questions challenging. We will consider the student's previous pace and the time taken for questions by similar students to fill the set time.
We will show you a students working time. Working time only counts time spent completing questions, and the timer is paused after long periods of inactivity. This is to give you an indication of the effort the student has put into their homework. Students cannot see their working time, and we do not recommend using it to set “minimum working times” for students.
Subject splits and Triple Science
Subject splits and Triple Science
Students will be set one homework each week for all science subjects. This keeps things as simple as possible for students, parents, teachers, and school leaders.
Keeping your workload manageable, whilst students benefit from a single homework with a single deadline, building strong routines and high engagement.
Student homework will always appear split by subject (Biology, Chemistry, Physics, and Skills)
The order these appear will change each week. This is to encourage students to start with different subjects each time.
For more on this and tips to maximise the impact with your triple students.
For more information see: Setting homework for classes with different teachers for biology, chemistry and physics.