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GCSE Chemistry · key term
A relationship in which two measured variables change together; it does not, by itself, show that one causes the other.
Used by AQA, Edexcel and OCR
Specification 4.9.2.2 · Paper 2
Revise: Anthropogenic Greenhouse Gas SourcesCarbon dioxide concentration and global surface temperature have both risen, but a correlation by itself does not prove that one caused the other.
Specification 8.25 · Paper 2
A relationship in which two measured variables change in a connected pattern; it does not by itself establish that one causes the other.
Revise: Climate Change EvidenceWhen two variables tend to increase together, they have a positive correlation. Long-term records show positive correlations between fossil-fuel consumption, atmospheric carbon dioxide and global temperature. The lines would not be expected to match exactly in every year: temperature has short-term fluctuations as well as a long-term trend.
A relationship in which two measured variables tend to change together; this alone does not show that one causes the other.
Paper 1 (Foundation), Paper 2 (Foundation), Paper 3 (Higher), Paper 4 (Higher)
A relationship in which two measured variables change together; it does not, by itself, establish that one causes the other.
Revise: Evidence for climate changeSince the Industrial Revolution, fossil-fuel consumption and atmospheric carbon dioxide concentration have both risen substantially. This is a positive correlation: as one variable has increased, so has the other. Direct measurements at Mauna Loa, for example, show average atmospheric carbon dioxide rising from 316 ppm in 1959 to more than 425 ppm in 2025.
A relationship in which two variables change in a connected way; correlation alone does not prove that one variable causes the other.
A relationship in which two variables change together; this alone does not show that one causes the other.
A relationship in which two variables show a pattern of changing together.
Do not write that correlation alone proves causation. Strong conclusions draw on several independent lines of evidence and a known mechanism.
For an “evaluate” question, present the correlation, explain the supporting greenhouse mechanism, discuss uncertainties and finish with a justified judgement.
Do not claim that correlation alone proves causation. Explain why the known greenhouse mechanism makes the correlation stronger evidence.
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