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GCSE Triple science - Is this how it is now??

47 replies

bethnella · 26/04/2014 10:39

I posted this in secondary education but thought I might get a better, professional view here!

I had a progress meeting with dd's tutor yesterday, who happens to be head of science. He has explained that next year, Y9, they will start GCSE triple science by spending 1 year doing biology only and sitting the exam! Then in Y10 do Physics for a year, followed by an exam and then Chemistry in Y11!! Is this normal?? I find it hard to understand why? Surely A level biology will be far more difficult if you haven't studied it since Y9!!! Any input would be great!

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PatTheHammer · 26/04/2014 15:47

Hench- the system you are talking about, are you sure that this will still be an option as of next year? A our school we have been told that core science will cease to exist as a single science option. Therefore you cannot sit the exam at the end of the year studying core as it will not be a 'course' in its own right. Pupils will need to either do what is currently core plus additional (so exam after 2 years worth 2 GCSEs) OR the separate sciences (in any combination).

We've had to look into this in detail as we have a small group of pupils with additional needs who have been doing core science over two years, which will no longer be an option.

OP- 9 exams sounds a lot but in reality this is how it is working for triple science students this year;3 lots of 2 hour exams (b2 and b3 paper on the same day etc). Then 3 lots of 1 hour exams (b1, c1, p1 on separate days). So yes it is 9 hours of exams but they only have to come on 6 occasions for the exams iyswim.

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PatTheHammer · 26/04/2014 15:49

By the way, We are in the triple science network for our county and no schools in my county teach triple science as you have mentioned in your OP, just to give you some idea.

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WhereTheWildlingsAre · 26/04/2014 15:54

It may be that they can change the model internally, amongst themselves in the future, but if they have started telling parents this is what they are planning, then it has already been decided.

The reason they have done it is to reduce the number of exams in one go. Gove says that now, all exams for a particular GCSE must be sat in on exam period so you can only do triple this way or the way we have decided to go with it.

The advantage your school's model offers is that it could be possible to retake Biology in either year 10 or 11 if its gone wrong. Whereas we have no chance for retaking at all.

I think your school's model is more likely to be adopted by schools with no sixth form. Anyone with a sixth form must be worried about how well students would bridge a gap between year 9 and picking up AS in year 12.

We have been running a 3 year GCSE for a while and found that students are just not ready for the exams in year 9.

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bethnella · 26/04/2014 15:55

Thanks Pat...that really makes me worried! If it was such a great, beneficial idea, surely more schools would be preparing for this!

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WhereTheWildlingsAre · 26/04/2014 15:57

That's interesting, Pat, and would be my gut feeling. I know of no school that has actually tried teaching triple the way op's school is suggesting

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bethnella · 26/04/2014 16:05

I didn't think re-sits were possible. How could you re-sit something you hadn't studied for a year? It all sounds really disadvantaged. I need a proper talk with the teachers about this. It was just mentioned briefly when I asked when GCSE's start. He said biology would be starting in Y9, on its own, no other sciences studied until the following year when chemistry would begin. My first thought was how on earth would dd be able to sit A level biology with a 2 yr gap??? I don't think it's something that parents have been told about at all. I'm sure I won't be the only one who raises concerns.

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Bunbaker · 26/04/2014 16:10

"yes, Gove has decreed that all exams for any given GCSE have to be sat at the end of the course. It's meant virtually all schools have had to change the way they teach separate sciences."

DD has chosen triple science and will sit 9 science exams in two years time (gulp). The school has no other options for triple science.

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WhereTheWildlingsAre · 26/04/2014 16:11

You have to resit all the exams and coursework for the whole course in a following year, with no timetabled lessons to support. Not ideal, no!

But it's the only advantage I can see. That, and students would be sitting only the work they have studies that year.

I suppose my students are having to revise three years worth of Biology (and chemistry and physics) in one go but they do seem to be ok with that

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PatTheHammer · 26/04/2014 16:29

This is the first year my lot are revising it all in one go too and I have to say they are managing it well. It seems to work too as lots of the knowledge builds upon previous concepts, and of course lots of stuff from the early units is revisited and repeated later on (eg lots of the C2 stuff repeats and builds on early C1 stuff).

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PatTheHammer · 26/04/2014 16:31

I have to say that maybe exam boards could have been a bit smarter and maybe there is a case to be made for making 2.5hour combined papers from all 3 units together....bit like the old A Level synoptic papers that I sat in the dark agesGrin

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WhereTheWildlingsAre · 26/04/2014 16:32

Yes, I agree with that, Pat. I was quite worried about it last year but their holistic understanding of Biology means revising topics that build from each other through B1, B2 and B3 is actually easier than I anticipated.

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WhereTheWildlingsAre · 26/04/2014 16:33

Of course... That's as long as my grade predictions pan out and they do ok!

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PatTheHammer · 26/04/2014 16:41

I'm hoping for no nasty surprises! Spending a lovely weekend moderating ISAs before the big send offBrew

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OddBoots · 26/04/2014 16:43

I'm guessing the different exam boards have different exam names because my ds is doing 1 to 7 in each subject (OCR 21st Century)

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hench · 26/04/2014 17:03

Pat, I assume you are questioning the core science, additional science and further additional science route? I don't know any schools that actually do it, but it still seems to be an option on the AQA site for exams from 2014 (except they've called 'core science' 'science A' with 'science B' being an alternative). You would need the first two of these for ebacc though. The new GCSEs I think apply for science exams from 2018, so I think next year's year 9s will just get through all their science GCSEs before the change.

bethnella, I don't think many schools will choose the path your dd's school is offering. I think doing one or two science subject in year 10 followed by the remaining one or two in year 11 will be more popular, but I think most schools will probably opt for all exams in year 11.

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PatTheHammer · 26/04/2014 17:11

It's the AQA advisor who has been informing us of the changes. Maybe she's just jumping the gun! Anyway our school management have decided for these kids to do just Biology when it happens as there is less Maths in it (its only about 14 kids).

So much for a well rounded Science education for allConfused

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bethnella · 26/04/2014 17:17

That's interesting Hench because I thought the changes were coming in for 2017. Why do they need to change it this year then? I'm confused.com!

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hench · 26/04/2014 17:23

I may well be wrong - all these changes have me very confused (as well as most others too). I thought that they'd put back the GCSE changes in most subjects except maths and english from 2017 to 2018, but I got that from a news article some while ago, so may well not have been definitive. The AQA advisor is far more likely to be right than me!

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WhereTheWildlingsAre · 26/04/2014 17:32

I'd love to be able to comment but I am confused as to which particular set of changes out of all of them you mean Grin

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PatTheHammer · 26/04/2014 17:35

It's so confusing isn't it. Especially since the KS3 changes are also different. We've spent this year writing and introducing that to the new Y7 along with planning and writing schemes for Y8 next year.

And all because one man......Smile

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bethnella · 26/04/2014 17:36

Hahaha - letters changing to numbers, modular exams to linear, is coursework completely done away with???? and goodness knows what else!! I sometimes wish I had had dd just 3 weeks early....

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ithinkineedahug · 28/04/2014 20:00

Hi op. I Tutor for a triple scientist and she is finding it so so daunting sitting 9 exams in the space of 3 weeks...I can understand your concern if she wants to do biology at a level. However, sitting gcses in year 9 and 10 will mean she only has to focus on them and therefore more likely to get better grades. not bonkers at all!

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