KS4 Combined Science (Double Award)

This path applies ONLY to students who are not expressing a preference for the “Triple Science” option.  They will follow a curriculum leading to a double award (two GCSEs) in Combined Science.

Common Aims (All Science Courses)

• To provide scientific knowledge and understanding which will enable students to engage with science based issues as informed citizens.
• To help students make sensible, informed decisions about their lifestyle and environment.
• To provide students with an enjoyable and exciting course of study, which will build on their work from Key Stage 3, and stimulate a genuine interest in how and why things happen in their world.
• To enable students with good GCSE grades to embark on a range of scientific A-Levels and post-16 courses, leading to a huge range of career options.

Content: Year 9-11 Combined Science

• Pupils will work towards a GCSE Double Award in Science, starting in Year 9.
• The GCSE Double Award covers all the main aspects of biology, physics and chemistry.
• The course includes practical skills and scientific thinking, as well as everyday scientific issues and scientific knowledge.  There is a considerable amount of practical work, which includes, but is not limited to, 16 defined practical tasks that pupils must complete so that they have the experience to answer questions about them in the end-of-course examinations.
• The content of the course is an adequate base for moving on to any Science A-Level or post-16 course if the examinations are passed well enough at the end of the course in Year 11. Candidates must also be prepared to complete independently a “bridging task” during the summer holiday, before the start of Year 12.

Examination: Year 9-11 Combined Science

• The assessment is administered by AQA and the course code is 8464.  The full name of the course is Combined Science: Trilogy.  “Trilogy” in this context refers to the examinations being based on equal weightings of biology, chemistry and physics.  It counts as TWO GCSEs, not three.
• Pupils will take six written examinations (1h15min each) at the end of year 11, all worth an equal amount (16.7%).  There are two papers each for biology, chemistry and physics.  Questions on the defined practical tasks will be included, so good attendance throughout the course is important.
• A decision will be made in Year 11 as to whether the papers will be taken at foundation or higher Tier.  This is NOT a mix-and-match specification – ALL six papers have to be taken at the same tier.  Foundation papers can lead to awards from grade 1-1 (lowest) to grade 5-5.  Higher papers can lead to awards from grade 4-4 to grade 9-9 (highest) with a safety net award of grade 4-3 for a borderline performance.  Anyone entered for higher examinations but performing below this level would get an Unclassified (U) grade.  The grades have two numbers to reflect that the qualification is worth two GCSEs.  The highest grade is 9-9, and the grades then go 9-8, 8-8, 8-7 and so on down to 2-2, 2-1 and the lowest pass, grade 1-1.  In effect it is a seventeen-point scale.

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_{Updated 10/03/2022}