Science at Pangbourne College
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GCSE Courses Our GCSE courses have changed, as is the case in all schools in England and Wales, from September 2006. The new courses are designed around a reduced content of factual material to remember, and a reduced impact of the "spiral curriculum" where students met the same topic time and again. There has been a new emphasis on "How Science Works" - that is the process and thinking behind scientific research and decision making. Details of this can be found in the QCA website, and the reasoning behind it is available in a number of reports. The Science GCSE consists of six multiple-choice modules, two in each of Physics, Chemistry and Biology; the first batch of modules are taken in March of the Fourth Form, and the second batch in June. Additional Science GCSE has one written module in each subject; they are taken in June of the Fifth Form. Biology, Physics and Chemistry GCSE use the modules listed above, plus one more written paper in each subject. The coursework is done entirely in class. It is worth 25% of the whole. 5% comes from holistic teacher assessment of practical skills throughout the course; 20% from a practical task which is written up and analysed under exam conditions (the ISA). Students studying any of these courses need to refer to the section in the textbook "How Science Works" and also to our own support materials. AQA Website: Leaflet for students Specification Specimen Papers Guidance |
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