How can a science student make a good prediction about what will happen an investigation that has not been done yet

Do not use the words “I, we” or any other first/ third person words. Instead, start off by saying “it is predicted that...” instead of “I predict.” Also, make the prediction short. Don’t try and make it long because it doesn’t need to be longer than two lines. I hope this helps

Take what you already know from prior knowledge and make an educated guess on what is most likely to happen

Most populations do not experience: a) exponential growth

Explanation:

Populations that experience exponential growth models show an increase in proportion to their size. The increase in the population size depends on the individual´s reproduction rate: a population that grows at constant exponential rate gains individuals faster as the population increases in size.

This model states that populations live in an environment with unlimited resource availability, so the density factor does not influence population growth. There is no density-dependence effect nor competition for resources. Natality and mortality rate do not depend on density. There is a constant growth rate per capita, and it is proportional to the population size.

Exponential growth is hardly seen in nature due to its characteristics.

Almost every environment shows a carrying capacity point. Carrying capacity is the capability of the environment to support a population. Commonly environments have limited resources and space, and as the population grows, competition increases too. The per capita growth rate decreases as population size increases. Finally, the population reaches the maximum point of carrying capacity, delimited by available resources, such as food or space.

The carrying capacity might be affected by limiting factors, which might be a result of the population density (for example, competition) or might be density-independent. This last case refers to dense-independent factors, and among these, we can mention human impact or natural disasters (fires, volcanic eruption, flooding).    

Only a few species can experience exponential growth, such as bacterias.