AQA combined science trilogy and triple science- what on earth is the difference?

[Toomanytealights]

Rapidly starting to think parents with kids taking options this year could do with a night class in the subject.

What do you get at the end of both?What is the difference? How well regarded is the lesser option? We've had very little info from school.

So why can't they do combined science or 1,2 or 3 separate sciences all covering the same content?

What do you rate as a big difference?

I think it is very sensible.

I think it is far better for pupils to do 2/3 content of all 3 sciences rather than just doing 2 sciences and dropping the third at 14. I did no biology after the age of 13 and I think that's a disgrace.

It really doesn't matter for practically everything ever whether your 66 grade for combined science happened to be made by good phys&chem pulling up poor biology or whatever. If you really need to know then the grades/marks for each paper will be on the results slip.

The title is 'Combined Science' so it is clear from the title it is a mix of everything. After all, your English Lit is a mixture of books and poetry, you don't need a separate grade for each of those.

You can do A level science with combined science. You would need to talk to current school re how they adjust for pupils who hadn't done triple.

Triple in the time for double is very fast paced and only for the most able. My DD's school offers 'normal' triple using an option, and also accelerated.

You asked why can't everyone do triple. a) because it is hard and b) many kids aren't that keen on science to spend 15hrs a fortnight on it and would rather use the additional 5 hrs on a second MFL, or another humanity, or a creative arts.

Both my - bright - children go to a school that only does double (Combined) science GCSEs. It does, as a result, offer 5 free subject choices at GCSE, which is rare, so it is swings and roundabouts in many ways.

Interestingly, the school's A-level Science results are excellent, and very much in line with a similar school (in terms of demographics) that does offer triple.

Discussing it with various people, doing A-levels from the basis of double science where the school only offers double is pretty much as successful as doing A-levels from the basis of triple where the school usually offers triple - the teaching just starts from a slightly different point.

On the other hand, doing A-levels from a starting point of double in a school where most able scientists will have done triple is less successful, because the gap between double and triple is not always systematically filled.

I agree that it is somewhat unfair on those children who are e.g. exceptional at Physics but not at Biology or vice versa that their combined grade may not reflect their strongest subject (though it does disguise their weakest...) However, Double Science with its broad curriculum is still probably a better grounding in science than what was common in my day - that less able science students would do only 2 or 1 science subject and drop e.g. physics entirely at 14.

I'm not sure what you mean there. They have to do all three subjects. Not just one or two. They can do two GCSEs worth, or 3 GCSEs worth. They can't do more biology than physics. There needs to be a balance.

My son’s school is allowing him to drop biology completely as his expected grade is 6/7 in physics, 4/5 in chemistry & 3 in biology. But he’s an exception & has Sen.

Yes, an unbalanced science curriculum is not necessarily unusual for some SEN students.

So is that triple or combined?

But the certificate does have a title: Combined Science.

Many many years ago you used to choose which sciences you did, but that led to a fairly limited science curriculum at KS4, and key concepts that overlap couldn't be taught (science has moved on a lot!) so the syllabus was changed so everyone would still study each Science, and the interface between Bio/Chem or Chem/Phys could be explored.

It's unusual tbh for kids to do really well in one of the sciences and really poorly in another.

So anybody know what the grades for all 3 are as a cut off to make the decision for either course? Do you add all 3 or do all 3 just need to be over a certain mark.

We're getting zilch info from school

Toomany,

What do you mean?

For someone to drop a science, they would have had to start off by studying triple, then drop 1 of the subjects. This is rare for non SEN students. You can't drop a science out of the combined course, and most non-SEN children not doing 3 separate sciences (triple) will do the combined science (double) GCSEs

If you only do 2 subjects, you do a separate GCSE in each one. Triple Science should be referred to as separate sciences, because that is what they are. And AQA calling one of their combined routes Trilogy is a right headache when explaining things!

There is no standard national selection criteria. The school will have chosen their criteria. You can only get the answer from them.

Toomany,

It will depend on the school.

DD has predicted and tracking grades of 9s in all subjects on double (combined) science, but as her school doesn't offer triple science, it isn't 'above the threshold' for doing triple science, just an indication that she's quite good at science and likely to do well.

Equally, other schools will vary as to whether pretty much all students do triple in one way or another, or whether only a top set does, or whether those reaching a particular grade will progress to triple. it's not a 'standard' answer, particularly as the first numbered grade GCSEs in Science have not yet been sat.

I get that but surely as a general rule most would go by a similar expectation.

No.

There is no such qualification as Triple Science. It’s a shorthand way of saying a child is taking 3 separate Science GCSE’s.

My son will be taking 2 separate science GCSE’s in Chrmistry & Physicss.

Toomany,

The first numbered grade GCSEs in Science have not yet been sat. There cannot possibly be the degree of standardisation that you expect,. as nobody knows whether e.g. a current grade of '3 on internal exams' is likely to mean a 1 or a 7 in the real exams....

At my daughter’s school separate science is an option column. She had a choice between 3 separate sciences or drama.

The required grades for double(trilogy) or triple will depend on the school!

One school might have triple as taking up an extra option block so not mind what grades kids get. Another might timetable triple in the same blocks as double with kids having to work really fast to keep up.

For a normal comp I'd suggest 6 or higher across all three, or 7 in two sciences if the third is only a 5, would be reasonable to do triple.

A grammar however would probably want 7s in all three to do triple.

But it's really up to the school to advise keeping in mind your child's post 16 ambitions. (If these include Physics A level btw I'd also suggest at least a 7 in maths.)

Alexander, yes, but in most schools, for the vast majority of pupils, that option isn't available.

They will either allow pupils to take 3 separate sciences, or the 2-GCSE Combined Science. It is - IME - rare except for children with SEN for the 'old fashioned' approach of 'just 2 science subjects, with 1 completely dropped' to be available as a choice at all.

But if it has an impact on Alevels and how students are judged further down the line regard aptitude surely a general cut off is expected or are you saying some schools will let those on track for 4 s do separate whereas others will expect 8s/9s. Doesn't sound very scientific.

I realise that - I was replying to the OP who didn’t seem to be understanding the concept.

Xposted

It's not scientific, because it depends on the school and the child - and also what other options are available.

if separate sciences are in an option block, and the child would get a 3 or 4 in the other subjects in that option block, why shouldn't they do the science option in which they might get a 4 or 5? Yes, a 5 in that separate science may not mean they should go on to do A-level, but it is still preferable to a 3 in Art or a 4 in Music or drama, if those are the other options available?