Preparing for SuccessScience

Y11Combined Science

Separate Science

Course Structure

Combined students have 5 lessons per week

Subject specialists (most groups have three teachers)

Lessons taught in discrete topic areas (across Biology, Chemistry and Physics)

Skills taught within each subject/topic

Separate science students have 8 lessons per week

Subject specialists (all groups have three teachers)

Skills taught within each subject/topic

Assessment structureCombined Science

• There are six exam papers:

two biology, two chemistry and two physics.

Each of the papers will assess knowledge and understanding from distinct topic areas (weighting 16.7% per paper) . Each exam is 1 hour 15.

Separate Sciences• There are two papers for each of the separate sciences.

Biology

Chemistry

Physics

Each of the papers will assess knowledge and understanding from distinct topic areas (weighting 50% per paper). Each exam is 1 hour 45.

What to expect in Y11 lessons:

• Lessons that have pace and challenge

• Exam practice every lesson

• Development of skills – maths and how science works

• Review of Y10 concepts or skills every lesson

Exam questions – style

Multiple choice - recall

Match key definitions

Short answer

Extended answer

Calculations

Graphical

Practical recall

Practical application

Equations

Common mistakes• Not showing stepped working in calculation questions

• Missing off units

• Not learning the correct Physics formula

• Lines of best fit on graph questions

• Not referring to the periodic table in Chemistry questions

Tips for success:

• Underline command words in questions.

• Look at number of marks for describe and explain questions.

• Start a revision programme now. Plan a revision timetable that covers all the topics covered in Y10 and then allows time to go over new content.

• Complete as many exam style questions as you can.

What to expect your son/daughter to be doing at home:

• Kerboodle online review tasks

These will be a combination of online tests and homework tasks

Follow up tasks called ‘bump up your grade’

• Examination questions in a booklet format

• Creating revision resources for all the units covered to date

(focus on Y10 topic areas)

Good resources

• Online kerboodle textbooks

• Kerboodle online quizzes and homework

• Unit by unit exam question booklets

• CGP AQA 9-1 Combined Science revision guide (these can be purchased through parent pay and cost £5.95 for combined and £9.00 for separates)

Revision websites:

• GCSEPod

• http://www.s-cool.co.uk/gcse

• http://www.bbc.co.uk/education/subjects/

Kerboodle

An online resource as a course companion and to help students be independent and achieve their full potential in

GCSE Science.

Resources

Logging in to Kerboodle

gra0

You will have be given your username by your teacher. The first time

you log in your password will be the

same as your usernamebut you will need to

change this.

This one!

Student Interface

These are the tabs you use to navigate around the site.

Three Choices

There are more books than this – some say Combined Science on them.

These are the text books we have in

school.

This takes you to the content page.

Content for Separate Sciences has * at the side. Students taking

Combined Science do NOT need this content. If you are

unsure of your course check with

your teacher.

Each page may look fuzzy at first but don’t worry –you can zoom in

and then it won’t!

Synoptic links are where topics relate to each other. You should always refer back to them when revising as questions will often have parts from each topic in.

This tab links to other parts of the site that are related to this particular topic.

Zoom, contents and scroll through pages.

These tabs allow you to make notes and bookmark the page. The pen icon gives you access to tools to annotate and save your page.

Homework

Teachers can set this or you can try progress quizzes for yourself that give you instant feedback so that you know

what you need to work on.

Missed a Lesson? Want to recap a lesson?

Use these along with the digital book. They are not a substitute for good learning and teaching in lessons but do

give you information on what you missed.

Resources

Resources are in Word or PDF format so they are accessible even if you don’t have Microsoft Office. There are videos and interactive resources to help you practice.

Revision support

This will take place every Thursday after school.

Each session will have a topic or skill focus.