Gcse science grade (combined trilogy)

[lshazzawazzavazz]

Hi everyone, just a quick question. Could anyone explain how the trilogy double science award grades work? My daughter is doing the double aqa science award but is studying all 3 subjects. Is the grade just an average in which case the two grades will be the same eg. 4, 4 or is it more complex and therefore could be 4, 5 or any other combination? Thanks in advance.

It's an average and is either 2 grades the same or 2 consecutive grades.

So it could be 55 or 65 or 54 but not something like 85.

They sit 6 exams (papers 1 and 2 in each subject) and the grades as far as I know are for one set of 3 exams and the other set of 3 exams so it can be any combination of grades.

Thank you. Makes sense.

www.aqa.org.uk/about-us/what-we-do/policy/gcse-and-a-level-changes/9-to-1/gcse-combined-science-new-grading-system

My son did 'double science' and came out with 2 grades.

There appear to be three levels in triple, and two in double; I can't recall what they're called, maybe 'foundation', 'additional' and 'extended'? Something like that so double takers do the first two.

It was broken up into Physics, Chemistry and Biology; so he did P1, C1 and B1; then P2, C2 and B2; I guess the end single grade was an average?- however, the triple scientists at our school didn't do P1, 2 and 3 etc; they did three separate, distinct GCSEs, Physics, Chem and bio.

Hope I've recalled this correctly!

Exams officer here
The two grades won't necessarily be the same - they could be adjacent, but it's always the second grade that's lower. There shouldn't be a gap of more than one grade. AQA advice on Combined Science grades (with all possible combinations) here: AQA

Some misinformation and out of date information here.

If you are taking combined science you will take 2 papers in each of biology, chemistry and physics. They will ALL be at foundation tier or higher tier. You will be given 2 grades based on the total score on all six papers. (The grades given are defined by the exam board's grade boundaries). These are 2 grades the same or 2 consecutive grades. If you take foundation tier, the highest you can achieve is 55.

If you take triple science you still sit 2 papers in each of biology, chemistry and physics but they are longer. Again, you can sit foundation or higher tier, but don't have to take the same tier for each science. Your grade for each science is then calculated using the sum of the 2 papers for each science, relative to grade boundaries, so you will end up with 3 grades, one for each science.

• I used the term "average" in an informal way up thread. Totals of the papers are actually used; no average is calculated.