In Years 8, 9 and 10 pupils benefit from a broad science curriculum studying and discovering Biology, Chemistry and Physics in ever increasing depth. Pupils learn how to safely work together to plan and carry out practical investigations and develop skills to enable them to draw valid conclusions from experimental data and deliver scientific explanations for their observations. Pupils enhance their computer skills using the internet as a research tool and learn how to apply mathematics in a scientific context. Many famous scientific discoveries have been made through people making mistakes! In our Science department we encourage pupils not to see mistakes in their work as a failure but as a step along the road to improving their progress and knowledge of the subject with the support of their teacher.
Crumlin Integrated College currently offers two Key Stage 4 Science courses, GCSE Single Award Science and GCSE Double Award Science. Pupils receive guidance during Year 10 as to which course is most suitable for their needs depending on their aptitude and their future career choices.
Qualification Title: GCSE Single Award Science
Exam Board: CCEA
In this course pupils enhance their knowledge and understanding of Biology, Chemistry and Physics as well as further developing the skills needed to plan, conduct and draw conclusions from scientific investigations.
The course is unitised which means GCSE assessment takes place at intervals throughout the course. There are four units assessing Biology, Chemistry, Physics and Practical Knowledge and Skills. The usual timeline for assessment is February of Year 11, November of Year 12 and then the final two units (including the Practical Unit examination) in May of Year 12. While this course may not provide direct entry to studying Science at A-Level it provides a doorway to a wide variety of post 16 science related courses.
Units 75% 3 unit exams x 25%
1, 2 & 3
Practical 25% 1 x 2 hr practical assessment in class time between Jan and April of Year 12 – 7.5% plus a written practical examination in June of Year 12 – 17.5%
Total 100%
Compared to Single Award Science, pupils gain a much broader and deeper knowledge and understanding of Biology, Chemistry and Physics as well as enhancing the skills needed to plan, conduct and draw conclusions from more complex scientific investigations. Pupils also learn how to apply mathematics in a variety of scientific contexts. The Double Award Science course is also unitised with assessment taking place at intervals throughout the course. Given the diversity and depth of the topics studied, pupils are awarded a double GCSE accreditation, in other words, two GCSE grades. Double Award Science is recognised by as entry preparation for studying Biology, Chemistry and Physics at A- Level or equivalent level science related courses.
Units covered, how they are assessed and weighting:
Units B1, C1 & P1 (33%): 3 unit exams x 11% taken during Year 11
Practical (25%): 3 x practical assessments in class time between Jan and April of Year 12 – 7.5% plus 3 x written practical examinations in June of Year 12, total 17.5%
Units B2, C2 & P2 (42%): 3 final exams x 14% taken at the end of Year 12
Total 100%
