Solids, Liquids and Gases — Answers
Answer sheet with model answers and success criteria for the Year 3 states of matter & materials worksheet.
Success TutoringWorksheetsAnswer sheetYear 3 · Science · States of Matter & MaterialsSolids, Liquids and Gases — Answers
Part A: Three states
Read the passage. Then circle the best answer.
Everything around us is a solid, a liquid or a gas.
A solid keeps its own shape, like a rock or a spoon. A liquid flows and takes the shape of its container, like water or juice. A gas spreads out to fill any space it is in, like the air around us.
Heating and cooling can change a material from one state to another. Heating ice makes it melt into liquid water. Cooling liquid water enough makes it freeze into ice.
When liquid water is warmed, it can evaporate and become a gas called water vapour. When water vapour cools, it can condense back into tiny drops of liquid water.
- Aa brick
- Bmilk
- Ca marble
- Da coin
Answer: milk
Milk flows and takes the shape of its container, so it is a liquid.
- Athe air in a balloon
- Ban ice cube
- Cjuice
- Da pencil
Answer: the air in a balloon
Air is a gas. It spreads out to fill the balloon.
- AIt freezes.
- BIt condenses.
- CIt melts.
- DIt stays solid.
Answer: It melts.
Heating a solid can make it melt into a liquid. Ice melts into water.
- AIt froze.
- BIt melted.
- CIt condensed.
- DIt evaporated.
Answer: It evaporated.
The liquid water evaporated: it turned into water vapour, a gas, and went into the air.
Part B: Changes of state
- solid → liquid
- liquid → solid
- liquid → gas
- gas → liquid
- condensation
- melting
- evaporation
- freezing
Answer: solid → liquid → melting; liquid → solid → freezing; liquid → gas → evaporation; gas → liquid → condensation
Answer: melt
The warmth of your hand heats the chocolate, so the solid starts to melt.
Answer: freeze
Cooling the liquid makes it freeze into a solid.
Part C: True or false?
Write True or False.
Answer: False
A liquid takes the shape of the container it is in.
Answer: True
This is called melting, like butter melting in a warm pan.
Answer: False
Water vapour in the air cools when it touches the cold glass and condenses into drops of liquid water.
Answer: True
Melting and freezing can be reversed: the water can change back and forth.
Part D: Working scientifically: the ice cube race
Try it at home with a grown-up — you only need ice cubes, two plates and a clock.
Mia puts one ice cube on a plate in a sunny spot and another ice cube on a plate in a shady spot. She checks them every few minutes to see which melts first.
Answer: Where each ice cube is put (the place, or how warm it is there).
Answer: Any two of: the size of the ice cubes, the kind of plate, the amount of time, starting at the same time, how she checks them.
Model answer: The sunny spot is warmer, so the ice there is heated more. Heating makes ice melt, so it should melt first.
Success criteria:
- Links the sunny spot to more warmth
- Uses the idea that heating causes melting
Marking tips
- Give credit for correct method even when the final answer slips — the working shows where the thinking went right.
- For open-ended tasks, use the success criteria as a checklist rather than looking for one "right" answer.
- Celebrate what went well first, then pick one thing to work on next.
Great work. Here's what to try next: