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DigiTransact Mastermind
Science•Upper Primary Matter & Energy

States of matter

Upper Primary 6 questions
AI-drafted from platform data — specialist review scheduledBy DigiTransact Mastermind editorial teamLast updated
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What states of matter means

You learn to tell solids, liquids and gases apart by their shape and how they move. This helps you explain everyday changes like melting, evaporation and freezing.

What you will practise

  • Identify solids, liquids and gases from examples
  • Choose the state with a fixed shape or no fixed shape
  • Match changes like melting, freezing and evaporation
  • Decide what a substance becomes after heating or cooling

Before you start

You should already know common materials such as water, ice and air. It also helps to understand the ideas of heating and cooling.

Worked example

One question from this skill's own question bank, shown with its full working.

Question

Which state of matter has a fixed shape?

  • solid
  • liquid
  • gas
  • none
Answer: solid

Working: Solids keep a fixed shape and volume.

Common mistakes to avoid

  • Saying liquids have a fixed shape. Remember they take the shape of their container.
  • Confusing melting with evaporation. Melting turns a solid into a liquid.
  • Thinking gases have a fixed volume like solids. Gases spread out to fill space.
  • Mixing up freezing and melting. Freezing changes a liquid into a solid.

Curriculum and exam alignment

Ghana GES Basic 4 to 6 syllabusGroundwork for the BECE

This topic normally appears in Upper Primary work on matter and its changes, often in Basic 4 to Basic 6 science lessons. It supports school-based assessment and lays a foundation for BECE-style questions on everyday science.

Curriculum notes are a general guide to where this work normally sits. Always check the syllabus your school or examination body is currently using.

Related skills

Other Upper Primary Matter & Energy skills in Science, at the same point in the course.

Other Science topics

My WorldLiving Things Around UsSHS SciencesUniversity ScienceBiologyChemistry

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Exams that assess states of matter

Upper Primary work on this skill feeds directly into these exam papers. Each page lists the Science topics that appear on it.

GESGES practice questionsFree GES practice across the subjects at this stage, with worked answers.BECEBECE practice questionsListed as a related subject on the BECE practice page.

How this page was produced

This text was drafted with AI assistance from the questions and topics already stored on the platform. A subject-specialist review is scheduled but has not yet been recorded, so we do not claim it here.

Written by
DigiTransact Mastermind editorial team
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6 questions with a worked answer after every attempt, and a SmartScore that tracks how close you are to mastery.

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