Science(Core)
Students will be placed on the science curriculum pathway that leads to greatest academic success. All will be taught Biology, Chemistry and Physics separately. Some will be examined in the Combined Science, worth 2 GCSEs, and some will take separate Biology, Chemistry and Physics, worth 3 GCSEs. To gain access to A Level Biology, Chemistry or Physics a grade 6 in science is required, this can either be in the Combined Science or in Biology, Chemistry or Physics. Neither pathway takes up any of the 4 option blocks. Students will be placed on the science curriculum pathway that best meet their individual needs.
Both Science Pathways offer a good knowledge of science through studying the core units of GCSE Biology, GCSE Chemistry and GCSE Physics. This will give students a firm foundation from which they can go on to study A-level Science subjects. The Separate Science pathway covers a greater amount of content and has longer exams. Pathway choices will be made by teaching staff and will be based on student’s attainment in the Year 10 exams.
Both courses feature many of the major theories of science, presented in a way that will encourage young people to appreciate their significance. Students explore the key science explanations which help us to make sense of our lives. In order to respond to scientific information presented in the media and everyday situations, it is also important to understand how this information is obtained, how reliable it is, what its limitations are, and how it is used. The Science courses also explore these aspects of science so as to prepare young people to deal with issues such as childhood vaccinations, air quality and mobile phone safety as they arise.
Possible Career Destinations:
There are many career possibilities i.e. Engineering, Medics, Teaching, Pharmacy, Criminology, Forensics, Genetics, Dentistry, Accountancy, Research Science and many more.
Further details about each pathway are shown over the next pages:
Combined Science (Double Award)
| Awarding Board: AQA | Course Code: 8464 |
GCSE combined science is worth two GCSEs.
Subject Content
| Biology | Chemistry | Physics |
| 1. Cell biology 2. Organisation 3. Infection and response 4. Bioenergetics 5. Homeostasis and response 6. Inheritance, variation and evolution 7. Ecology | 1. Atomic structure and the periodic table 2. Bonding, structure, and the properties of matter 3. Quantitative chemistry 4. Chemical changes 5. Energy changes 6. The rate and extent of chemical change 7. Organic chemistry 8. Chemical analysis 9. Chemistry of the atmosphere 10. Using resources | 1. Forces 2. Energy 3. Waves 4. Electricity 5. Magnetism and electromagnetism 6. Particle model of matter 7. Atomic structure |
Assessment:
Six papers: two Biology, two Chemistry and two Physics. Each will assess different topics.
Duration: all the papers are 1 hour 15 minutes.
Tiers: Foundation and Higher
Weighting: the papers are equally weighted. Each is worth 16.7% of the grade and has 70 marks.
Question types: multiple choice, structured, closed, short answers and open response.
Separate Sciences – Biology, Chemistry & Physics
| Awarding Board: AQA | Course Code: 8461, 8462 & 8463 |
Separate sciences are three separate GCSEs.
Subject Content
Although many of the topics are similar to combined science GCSE the breadth of content is increased.
Assessment:
Two papers per GCSE: two Biology, two Chemistry and two Physics. Each will assess different topics.
Duration: all the papers are 1 hour 45 minutes.
Tiers: Foundation and Higher
Weighting: the papers are equally weighted. Each is worth 50% of the GCSE grade and has 100 marks.
Question types: multiple choice, structured, closed, short answers and open response.
