KS4 Courses

All Science courses in Years 10 and 11 are courses in 'Balanced Science' which simply means that all students study elements of the Science subjects Biology, Chemistry and Physics. Balanced Science is offered in two ways which allows the best one suited to an individual pupil's needs to be selected.

All choices involve the study of Science for the same number of periods a week unless they opt for the Pre-Vocational course or GNVQ ICT at GCSE where they will only have three periods of Science.

The Separate Sciences - Biology, Chemistry & Physics

This is a course which is taken by those who are aiming for a career in the Sciences or in other areas where entry requirements are high and competition is strong. The course has a higher content that the Co-ordinated Science option and because of this is a more demanding choice. Success in each of the individual Sciences will lead to three GCSE certificates.

Co-ordinated Science

Double Award

In this course the individual Science subjects are taught separately. The syllabus is a reduced content version of the three Separate Sciences. A good result in the course will be an adequate preparation for students to continue with the Science at Advanced level. The final GCSE Certificate will be a 'double award' being credited as two GCSEs.

Single Award

This is a reduced version of the Double Award syllabus taken in half of the curriculum time leading to a single GCSE in Science.

In all courses laboratory work is assessed during the course and the National Curriculum requirements for practical work are covered through investigation work.

Assessment in the Sciences

Candidates can only be entered for one option if they have opted for Double or Single Award. However, for the Separate Sciences the option entered for can be different in each of the three Sciences.