GCSE Core Science
With the exception of the Applied Science students, all students will follow this course in year 10 before specialising in a second option. This course leads to a single award GCSE but contributes to the double award and Separate Sciences. The award has seven assessment units. The core science units are:
Biology 1a - Human Biology
- How do human bodies respond to changes inside them and to their environment?
- What can we do to keep our bodies healthy?
- How do we use/abuse medical and recreational drugs?
- What causes infectious diseases and how can our bodies defend themselves against them?
Biology 1b - Evolution and Environment
- What determines where particular species live and how many of them there are?
- Why are individuals of the same species different from each other? What new methods do we have for producing plants and animals with the characteristics we prefer?
- Why have some species of plants and animals died out? How do new species of plants and animals develop?
- How do humans affect the environment?
Chemistry 1a - Products from Rocks
- How do rocks provide building materials?
- How do rocks provide metals and how are metals used?
- How do we get fuels from crude oil?
Chemistry 1b - Oils, Earth and Atmosphere
- How are polymers and ethanol made from oil?
- How can plant oils be used?
- What are the changes in the Earth and its atmosphere?
Physics 1a - Energy and Electricity
- How is heat (thermal energy) transferred and what factors affect the rate at which heat is transferred?
- What is meant by the efficient use of energy?
- Why are electrical devices so useful?
- How should we generate the electricity we need?
Physics 1b - Radiation and the Universe
- What are the uses and hazards of the waves that form the electromagnetic spectrum?
- What are the uses and dangers of emissions from radioactive substances?
- What do we know about the origins of the Universe and how it continues to change?
Each unit is examined in 30 minute bite sized, multiple choice, modular test. The tests are available in November, March and June. There are two tiers of assessment: Foundation (G-C) and Higher (D-A*). The centre-assessed unit is not tiered.