Triple Science

[cherylab30]

My DS is in yr10 and working towards his GCSE's and has been doing triple science since the start of yr9, we have just found out that his school are dropping triple science and all the students that were doing it now have to do the combined (double), they say this is because they are something like 80 hours behind because the exams have changed! The students should have had 6 1 hour lessons a week instead of just the 4. We are extremely upset and angry by this and wonder just how long they've known they were falling behind and why didn't they call a meeting with all the parents to discuss options instead of just cutting it out! My DS needs science to be able to get into the job he wants to do and therefore triple science we feel would be better than the combined. Just wanted to ask if this is happening to any other yr10 students or if it's just my DS's school?

"why didn't they call a meeting with all the parents to discuss options instead of just cutting it out!" Coz most schools don't do this with bad news. Most don't want to risk pushback from parents.

Triple Science can't be done effectively in 4 hours week over 3 years. No way. Last year it wasn't even signed off by QCA so they were teaching a bit blind. Y9's don't learn as well as Y11s. Even so 80 hours behind is huge and this is very poor planning.

Two people are to blame: Michael Gove for pissing around with the curriculum in a rush. Whichever deputy head timetabled this. Maybe the head of department, but he/she probably had little choice.

For teachers to deliver core teaching for free is atrocious, schools that pressurise to do this are taking the piss. The school could cheerfully pay for a couple of extra sessions for a few kids who can cope (though most schools are broke and so won't).

Finally, not doing triple is a barrier to A-level. It's easily overcomeable with effort, but it's especially an issue for Chemistry. DS should do some prep after their GCSEs.

lijkk,

Currently, Core and Additional are two separate qualifications, and you can take them at different points (DS has done them a year apart) and get different grades.

I agree, though, that you cannot dissect out of them that e.g. he does well in physics but less well in Biology. However, certainly in the existing double award it isn't necessarily 'the same grade doubled'. I don't know about the new spec - I'll ask at DD's options evening, which is coming up.

I know you can't get A*/D in double science, the grades are a bit more averaged out (although the exact mechanism of dong that wasn't explained to us).

MyVisions, I don't really understand how that can be, from DS's experience. He did core as a separate GCSE at the end of Y10. He has a grade for that, which obviously isn't going to change. He is then going to take Additional with all other GCSEs this summer - and will get a grade for that.

maybe it's different if you do all the exams in one sitting? I didn't investigate particularly, as it doesn't apply to DD, as she's doing triple, but according to our school website:

"Combined Science

Assessment
Practicals are an essential part of student understanding of scientific theory. Parts of the course content are taught through 16 required practicals; these will be examined in the final examinations.

The qualification has six examination papers at the end of the course - two each for Biology, Chemistry and Physics - all 1¼ hours in length

The papers are equally weighted, each being worth 16.7% of the total mark

Grading - There will be a 17 point grading scale from 9-9, 9-8, 8-8, 8-7 through to 2-1, 1-1"

For the "old" double award Science (core + additional), it works like this:
Core : Physics paper 1 + Chemistry paper 1 + Biology paper 1 + CA.
Where CA is controlled assessment.
This may be taken in Year 10 and will appear on the certificate as one grade. On the results slips (given out on results day, the grades for each paper are available). Each exam paper is worth the same percentage of the total marks (I think the CA is a slightly lower percentage).
Additional Science: Physics Paper 2 + Chemistry 2 + Biology 2 + CA
This is taken at the end of Y11 and is given one grade on the certificate.
My daughter took GCSEs in 2016 with Core science in 2015. She has 2 different grades for each, so they won't necessarily be the same!

If they take Triple Science then all exams are taken at the end of Y11 and the exams are:
Physics: Paper 1 + paper 2 + paper 3 + CA
Chemistry: Paper 1 + paper 2 + paper 3 + CA.
Biology: Paper 1 + paper 2 + paper 3 + CA.

The exam papers for each subject Paper 1 and 2 are exactly the same for both Double Award and triple award candidates.

For the new 9-1 syllabus there will no longer be a controlled assessment (CA). I don't think the number of exams will be changing though.

I think that although the practicals will be assessed as part of the new 9-1 GCSE course, they will be graded separately and won't count towards the final overall grade.

the extract form our school website below says that the practicals will be examined as part of the exams - which I take to mean, you do the practicals during school, then in the written exam your'e asked about them.

I believe you are right cats.
At dd's consultation day on 13 Feb, her science tutor confirmed 9 exams all within the Summer 2018 window (DD is Yr10).
The only thing that makes me feel better for poor DD is that she finishes her Fine Art and Graphics GCSEs this term. In theory she could take on a further two GCSEs but will opt to take an accelerated Music GCSE and devote the rest of her time to extra science and maths.
She attends the i-College part of a very large Academy so had a certain amount of flexibility in her sessions. I had very severe misgivings about her working in this way, but actually her cohort are doing quite well with it and are able to arrange extra sessions (as a group) as they need it.

It was 13 Jan.
Wish I could see into the future tho!

Only read your OP and not everything that followed so sorry if this has been repeated - once gets into A-levels it really doesn't matter, i am a biologists and manage teaching labs at a university - no one will look at whether double or triple once accepted onto alevels - hope that reassures you!

Also, I did double science (many years ago!)

Myvisions For the new linear A level science subjects the schools have to produce evidence from a "Science portfolio" that pupils have carried out all the required practical experiments and this is assessed by the teachers and is also moderated by "examiners". There are also written questions on practical work on the new exam papers. I expect the arrangements for the new 9-1 GCSE to be similar.

At my son's school they do 6 lessons a week for science regardless of whether they do double or triple. They don't remove an option for the triple - those who do triple get an extra GCSE.

My son's school have increased the number of lessons a week for each of English, Maths and Science to accommodate the new GCSEs - which means with the other compulsory subjects such as PE etc the students get 3 options and the base is 8 GCSEs, 9 if you do triple science, 10 if you also do additional Maths.