Science

Carbon Footprint Calculator

The Science Department have just implemented a Carbon Footprint Calculator for students to use within school. There is an opportunity for an online version of the same program to be used from outside school. You can find it at:

http://www.bp.com/bpes/cft

GCSE Science

We are following the suite of GCSE Science specifications offered by AQA and Edexcel. These courses place emphasis on ‘How Science Works’, which means not just learning theory but understanding the practical side of Science and its relation to the world in which we live.

There will be four different routes by which Science may be studied in Years 10 and 11. All of these courses will include areas of Biology, Chemistry and Physics. You will have some choice about the amount of time you wish to spend studying Science but will also be given clear guidance as to which is most suitable for you. The three routes are as follows:-

GSCE Science - Single Science

This is a single option of two periods a week designed to cater for students who are weak at Science. It is only available to a very small number of students, generally some of those following an off-site Vocational course.

This course will follow GSCE Science A. The scheme of assessment consists of a centre-assessed unit (25%) and six objective tests (75%) .

The centre-assessed unit comprises of an Investigative Skills Assignment which is normal class practical work followed by an externally set, internally assessed test and a Practical Skills Assessment. The objective tests are each worth 12.5% and consist of matching and multiple choice questions. In Year 10 students will take three objective tests, one in November, one in March and one in June. A similar pattern will follow in Year 11.

Science A will not be suitable for students who may wish to study Science after 16 e.g. BTEC Level 3 or AS and ‘A’ level Biology, Chemistry and Physics, as students following this route will cover a limited range of topics and will miss out on several important scientific ideas. We envisage that GCSE Science A will be appropriate for only a very small proportion of our students.

BTEC Diploma/ Certificate in Science

The BTEC Diploma is worth four GCSEs/ two GCSEs in Science

The BTEC course is 100% coursework assessed. This means that students will not have to sit any exams. Over the two years students complete a number of assessment tasks that will form a portfolio that will be the evidence for their grade.

If they do not complete all the tasks they will not be able to pass. This means as long as they attend regularly and keep up to date with the tasks and deadlines set, they should pass. Each piece of assessed work will be different and not necessarily a piece of written work e.g. presentations, posters, practical work etc.

The BTEC Diploma/ Certificate is made up of six units/ three units .

Please be aware that BTEC is not suitable for students who wish to study a Science at AS or ‘A’ Level. However, BTEC Level 3 courses are available at local college. We expect that four groups of students will be directed to this course from September 2009.

GCSE Science and GCSE Additional Science - Double Science

Students who opt for this route will do a double option consisting of four periods a week.

They will receive two GCSE grades at the end of the course. We envisage that the majority of our students will be directed to this route.

Students would follow GCSE Science in Year 10 and GCSE Additional Science in Year 11.

The assessment for GCSE Science is outlined in the previous section but students following this route will take three objective tests in March and three objective tests in June of Year 10. This results in a GCSE grade for Year 10.

In GCSE Additional Science the scheme of assessment consists of a centre-assessed unit (25%) and three written papers (75%) . The centre-assessed unit comprises of an Investigative Skills Assignment and a Practical skills Assessment. There will be one written paper for Biology, one for Chemistry and one for Physics and they will take place at the end of Year 11. This results in a separate GCSE grade for Year 11.

The Year 11 and Year 10 grade are separate and don’t have any bearing on each other.

Triple Science - GCSE Biology, GCSE Chemistry and GCSE Physics

Students will have to study all three of these specifications. It involves a serious commitment to Science of six periods a week. Students who may want to study mainly Science ‘A’ levels and pursue an academic based Science career will be interested in this route. It will provide them with a very good background as it will cover the material from GSCE Science and Additional Science and build on this in more depth.

In each of these GCSEs 25% of the marks will come from a Centre-Assessed unit comprising of an Investigative Skills Assignment and a Practical Skills Assessment.

A further 25% will come from objective tests taken in March and June of Year 10.

The remaining 50% will come from written papers taken in January (Biology 2, Chemistry 2 and Physics 2) and at the end of Year 11(Biology 3, Chemistry 3 and Physics 3).

Two Groups traditionally take this course. They must be on the Red pathway .