Courses

Quebec · Secondary 4

Applied Science and Technology, Secondary Cycle Two

  • 557-306 / 557-406

Quebec’s Secondary 4 science course, from The Material World to The Technological World.

Learn thisPractice exam
Units
4
Lessons
20
Skills
46
Provincial exam
50% of the final mark
Official curriculum
quebec.ca

Unit by unit

Every skill in the course, numbered by unit.

Unit 1 · 17 skills

The Material World

Density, solutions and concentration

  • Density and identifying substances

    I can determine a substance's density and use it, melting point and boiling point to identify it.

    1.1

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  • Solutions and concentration

    I can work with solute, solvent and concentration and identify a substance by a chemical test.

    1.2

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The particle model and changes in matter

  • The particle model

    I can use the particle model to represent matter and judge it as a model.

    1.3

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  • Physical changes and the particle model

    I can describe physical changes and illustrate them with the particle model.

    1.4

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  • Chemical changes, oxidation and combustion

    I can identify chemical changes including oxidation and explain combustion with the fire triangle.

    1.5

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Forms of energy and efficiency

Pure substances and mixtures

  • Pure substances, elements and compounds

    I can define a pure substance and distinguish elements, compounds and mixtures.

    1.8

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Fluids, pressure and buoyancy

  • Fluid pressure and the gas relationship

    I can define fluid pressure and describe how pressure and volume of a gas are related.

    1.9

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  • Buoyancy, Archimedes, Pascal and Bernoulli

    I can explain buoyancy and lift and recognize hydraulic and pneumatic systems.

    1.10

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Waves and geometric optics

  • Waves, frequency, wavelength and the spectrum

    I can describe waves by frequency, wavelength and amplitude and place them on the electromagnetic spectrum.

    1.11

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  • Reflection, refraction and lenses

    I can apply reflection and refraction to mirrors and lenses.

    1.12

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Electricity, magnetism and forces

The official wording · 17 outcomes
1.1
Explains the concept of density
1.2
Recognizes the solute and the solvent in a homogeneous mixture
1.3
Defines the particle model as a means of representing the behaviour of matter
1.4
Describes a few physical changes
1.5
Names chemical changes that occur in the human body
1.6
Describes different forms of energy
1.7
Applies the law of conservation of energy in different contexts
1.8
Defines a pure substance as a substance made up of a single type of atom or molecule
1.9
Defines pressure as the force exerted by particles when they collide with a constricting surface
1.10
Describes the relationship between the weight of the water displaced by an immersed body and the upward acting force
1.11
Defines the frequency of a wave as the number of cycles per second (Hz)
1.12
Describes how light rays are deviated by a plane reflective surface
1.13
Associates elementary particles with their electrical charge
1.14
Qualitatively describes the relationship between voltage, resistance and current intensity in an electrical circuit
1.15
Applies the mathematical relationship between power, voltage and current intensity in an electrical circuit
1.16
Describes the magnetic field produced by a current-carrying wire
1.17
Describes the effects produced by a force

Key ideas

  1. Density = mass / volume; it is a characteristic property that does not change with sample size.

  2. The particle model represents matter as tiny particles in motion; it explains states and changes.

  3. Energy comes in forms: chemical, thermal, mechanical, radiation.

  4. A pure substance is made of a single type of atom or molecule; an element has one kind of atom, a compound two or more chemically joined.

  5. Pressure is force from particle collisions on a surface; some fluids compress (air), others do not (blood).

Watch out for

  • Thinking a bigger piece of the same material has a higher density.
  • Thinking particles of a substance are just small pieces you could see with a strong lens.
  • Thinking a device creates energy.

Every skill’s key ideas, worked examples and checks are in MapleMind.Practise this unit

Unit 2 · 11 skills

The Living World

Digestion and nutrition

  • The digestive tract and its organs

    I can name the parts of the digestive tract and describe their functions.

    2.1

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  • Digestive glands and food transformation

    I can describe the digestive glands, the food constituents and how food is transformed.

    2.2

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Respiration and blood

Circulation and immunity

Excretion and the nervous system

Cell division and reproduction

The official wording · 11 outcomes
2.1
Names the main parts of the digestive tract
2.2
Names the main digestive glands
2.3
Names the main parts of the respiratory system
2.4
Describes the main function of plasma
2.5
Names the main parts of the circulatory system
2.6
Names the main parts of the lymphatic system
2.7
Names the main parts of the urinary system
2.8
Identifies the parts of the central nervous system
2.9
Describes the functions of mitosis
2.10
Describes physical and psychological changes that occur at puberty
2.11
Names the hormones responsible for the maturation of the ovarian follicle

Key ideas

  1. The digestive tract runs mouth to anus and decomposes food, absorbs nutrients and water, and eliminates waste.

  2. The respiratory system (nasal cavity, pharynx, trachea, bronchi, lungs) exchanges gases between blood and air.

  3. The circulatory system (heart, blood vessels, pulmonary and systemic circulation) transports and exchanges gases, nutrients and waste.

  4. The urinary system (kidneys, ureters, bladder, urethra) filters blood and eliminates cellular waste.

  5. Mitosis (reproduction, growth, regeneration) makes identical cells; meiosis makes gametes.

Watch out for

  • Thinking digestion is finished in the stomach.
  • Thinking the lungs actively pump like a muscle.
  • Thinking all arteries carry oxygen-rich blood.

Every skill’s key ideas, worked examples and checks are in MapleMind.Practise this unit

Unit 3 · 5 skills

The Earth and Space

Minerals, mining and catchment areas

Atmosphere, energy technologies and tides

The official wording · 5 outcomes
3.1
Distinguishes between minerals and ore
3.2
Defines a catchment area as a territory surrounding a waterway
3.3
Describes the properties of an air mass
3.4
Describes technologies used to produce electricity using the energy resources in the lithosphere, hydrosphere and atmosphere
3.5
Describes the tides in terms of the gravitational effect of the Earth-Moon system

Key ideas

  1. Ore is rock rich enough in a mineral to extract profitably; the mineral is the pure substance itself.

  2. Air masses have a temperature, humidity and pressure; clouds form where two air masses meet.

  3. Mining and processing minerals have environmental impacts (tailings, water contamination).

  4. Low-pressure cyclones and high-pressure anticyclones form from pressure differences.

  5. This also covers: describes some of the environmental impacts of mining and of the transformation of minerals.

Watch out for

  • Thinking any rock with metal in it is ore.
  • Thinking high pressure brings storms.
  • Thinking mining leaves no lasting environmental effect.

Every skill’s key ideas, worked examples and checks are in MapleMind.Practise this unit

Unit 4 · 13 skills

The Technological World

Technical drawing and graphic communication

  • Diagram types and motion symbols

    I can choose the right diagram type and represent motions and lines in a drawing.

    4.1

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  • Basic lines and projections

    I can use basic drawing lines and interpret and draw multiview and isometric projections.

    4.2

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  • Scales, developments and freehand sketching

    I can choose and apply scales, sketch freehand and draw developments of solids.

    4.3

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Links, guiding and typical functions

  • Link types and characteristics

    I can describe link types and their characteristics and choose them in a design.

    4.4

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  • Guiding, limiting motion and typical functions

    I can explain guiding, limiting motion and typical functions in a technical object.

    4.5

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Motion transmission and transformation

Electrical power supply and control

Materials and manufacturing

  • Constraints, properties and material choice

    I can describe constraints and material properties and justify a material choice and its treatment.

    4.11

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  • Shaping techniques and measurement control

    I can describe shaping techniques and how measurement controls manufacturing quality.

    4.12

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Biotechnology

The official wording · 13 outcomes
4.1
Chooses the appropriate type of diagram for a given representation
4.2
Names basic lines in a drawing
4.3
Associates scales with their use
4.4
Describes the advantages and disadvantages of different types of links
4.5
Explains the purpose of limiting motion (degree of freedom) in a technical object
4.6
Names motion transmission systems in technical objects
4.7
Names motion transformation systems in technical objects
4.8
Defines power supply as the ability to generate electrical current
4.9
Describes the role of a protective device in a circuit
4.10
Associates the transformation of energy with different components of a circuit
4.11
Describes the constraints to which different technical objects are subject: tension, compression, torsion
4.12
Associates shaping processes with the types of materials used
4.13
Describes the pasteurization process

Key ideas

  1. A construction diagram shows assembly; a diagram of principles shows operation - you choose by purpose.

  2. Links can be direct or indirect, rigid or flexible, removable or permanent, partial or complete, each with trade-offs.

  3. Transmission systems (friction gears, pulleys and belt, gear assembly, sprocket and chain, wheel and worm gear) pass motion from a driving to a receiving unit.

  4. Power supply is the ability to generate current (chemical battery, solar cell, alternator, thermocouple, piezoelectric).

  5. Objects face constraints (tension, compression, torsion, deflection, shearing); materials have mechanical properties (hardness, ductility, elasticity, malleability, corrosion resistance).

Watch out for

  • Thinking one diagram type serves every purpose.
  • Thinking a permanent link is always better than a removable one.
  • Thinking any transmission system gives the same speed and torque.

Every skill’s key ideas, worked examples and checks are in MapleMind.Practise this unit

The exam

The mark you need

Your class mark counts for 50% of the final mark, the exam for 50%. Quebec may moderate your class mark before it’s blended.

You need

65% on the exam

With 75% in class, your final mark lands between 37.5% (0 on the exam) and 87.5% (100% on it).

Which course?

Quebec has 4 science courses for Secondary 4. Here they are side by side.

What a university, college or program asks for is theirs to say: check its admission page, and your school’s course guide.

The official curriculum

This page follows Quebec’s own curriculum for Applied Science and Technology, Secondary Cycle Two.

Progression des apprentissages au secondaire - Science and Technology, Applied Science and Technology program groupquebec.ca · Read August 8, 2026

Study it in MapleMind

MapleMind teaches Applied Science and Technology, Secondary Cycle Two one skill at a time. Each skill gets a short lesson, practice as you go and a check worth up to three stars. It remembers where you stopped.

Mathematics, Secondary 3 in the MapleMind app on a tablet: its units, Unit 1 open, and the skills done so far with their starsMathematics, Secondary 3 in the MapleMind app on a phone: its units, Unit 1 open, and the skills done so far with their stars
Pictured: Mathematics, Secondary 3, another Quebec course, partway through Unit 1.

Practise it

Course Companion

Your year in one workbook

A fun way to keep Applied Science and Technology, Secondary Cycle Two organized, get to know your child better and see early when they need a hand. Fill it in on a screen, or print it.

Pages
33
Fillable fields
1,673
Price
$4.99
See the Course Companion

Questions about Applied Science and Technology, Secondary Cycle Two

What is Applied Science and Technology, Secondary Cycle Two?

Quebec’s Secondary 4 science course: 4 units and 46 skills, from The Material World to The Technological World.

What units are in Applied Science and Technology, Secondary Cycle Two?

1. The Material World, 2. The Living World, 3. The Earth and Space and 4. The Technological World.

Is there a provincial exam for Applied Science and Technology, Secondary Cycle Two?

Yes. The Applied Science and Technology, Secondary IV, theory component counts for 50% of the final mark. Next sitting: January 20, 2027.

What comes after Applied Science and Technology, Secondary Cycle Two?

Chemistry, Secondary 5 and Physics, Secondary 5.

Can MapleMind help with Applied Science and Technology, Secondary Cycle Two?

Yes. MapleMind teaches every skill of Applied Science and Technology, Secondary Cycle Two, step by step, with practice and checks, and its tutor answers questions about any of them. It’s free with daily limits, on iPhone, Android and the web.

Before this course

After this course

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