Combined/Separate Sciences
Head of Department: Mr D Somers
GCSE teaching starts in Year 9 with all students. During this time they will study the foundations of Biology, Chemistry and Physics. They will also complete practical tasks allowing them to develop the skills required for this element of the GCSE course.
In Year 9, Science is taught for 3 periods a week and then in Years 10 and 11 for 6 periods a
week. The courses studied are either: Combined Science (2 GCSEs) or the Separate Sciences in
Biology, Chemistry and Physics. All students have the opportunity to gain a minimum of two
GCSEs from grades 1-9, with some students gaining three GCSEs in the Separate Sciences.
Combined Science and the Separate Sciences form part of the English Baccalaureate qualification.
Biology
Cell Biology, Transport Systems, Health, Disease and Development of Medicines , Coordination and Control, Photosynthesis, Ecosystems, Inheritance, Variation and Evolution
Chemistry
Atomic Structure and the Periodic Table
Structure, Bonding and the Properties of Matter
Chemical Changes
Energy Changes in Chemistry
The Rate and Extent of Chemical Change
Chemical Analysis
Chemical and Allied Industries
Earth and Atmospheric Science
Physics
Energy
Forces
Forces in Motion
Waves in Matter
Light and Electromagnetic Waves
Electricity
Magnetism and Electromagnetism
Particle Model of Matter
Atomic Structure
Combined Science (2 GCSEs)
This course delivers content covering topics from Biology, Chemistry and Physics GCSEs.
Students who show a high level of interest and aptitude will be considered for the separate GCSEs.
As a result they will obtain individual GCSEs in Biology, Chemistry and Physics. This will be completed in the same curriculum time as the Combined Science course. This is a challenging curriculum choice for students and the final
decision regarding an individual's suitability will be made by the school. A separate process for selecting which students will study Separate Sciences will be undertaken in Year 9.
Separate Sciences - 3 GCSEs
The Separate Science qualifications will expand on the combined science topics and have the addition of the following topics: Biology - The Genome and Gene expression; Chemistry - Organic Chemistry; Physics - Space Physics
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