Science
The Science Department currently consists of eight specialists (seven full-time and one part-time). There are also two technicians. Pupils are taught Biology, Chemistry and Physics separately by subject specialists.
GCSE Double Award Science
From September 2006 there has been a nation-wide revision of all GCSE Science courses. At Durham School all pupils study the OCR Double Award Science Syllabus B (J640 and J641) which is part of the Gateway Science Suite.
Year 10
Pupils sit a 1-hour Science unit (B621) in January and a second 1-hour Science unit (B622) in the Summer Term of Year 10 – both worth one third of the Year 10 assessment. Assessment of practical work and a report on Science in the News (B625) make up the final third, this component being done as part of the normal routine of lessons and homework.
A re-sit of the January unit (B621) is available in the Summer Term. Certification is possible at the end of Year 10 as a single GCSE called Science B. It should be noted that this is a radical nationwide departure from all previous GCSE practice in Science.
Year 11
Year 11 pupils sit a 1-hour Science unit (B623) in January and a second 1-hour unit (B624) in the Summer Term, both units worth one third of the Year 11 assessment. A research study, data task and assessment of practical skills contribute the final one third. A re-sit of the January unit (B623) is available in the Summer Term.
Certification is possible at the end of Year 11 in the form of a second GCSE called Additional Science B. It will therefore be noted that it is necessary for a pupil to study Science for both Years 10 and 11 to achieve a Double Award.
The two grades finally awarded to the candidate may be different. Grade combinations from A*A* through to EE are available for Higher Tier candidates. Foundation Tier candidates can achieve combinations from CC through to GG.
Setting at the start of the start of the GCSE Science course in Year 10 is based on the pupil’s overall performance in all three sciences during the previous year with special reference to Key Stage 3 results and internal school examinations.
It is anticipated that the first cohort of Gateway Science candidates will enter the Sixth Form in September 2008. The Double Award Gateway Science course has been selected at Durham School as an appropriate foundation for further study as well as providing a sound scientific education for pupils who do not intend to study science beyond GCSE.
Past experience with OCR Double Award Staged Assessment (final certification is in Summer 2007) indicates that potential AS and A level science candidates need to show a high level of achievement in the Double Award GCSE course. Grades in the range of A*A* to AA would be evidence of this.
SCIENCE IN THE NEWS
PRODUCING A REPORT ON A TOPIC
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A. PREPARING CANDIDATES
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Candidates:
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· should be given the stimulus material and use it to plan their research
· should be given about a week to research the Topic
· may carry out research during lesson time, undertake it at home, in an ICT room or in a library
· may use any resource they wish for their research
· do not need to be supervised whilst they are undertaking their research
· should be made aware of the requirement to clearly reference their sources in the final report.
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B. WHAT CANDIDATES CAN PREPARE IN ADVANCE
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A candidate may bring any of the following into the final supervised session:
· a prepared list of the references they are using to write their report which must be attached as an appendix
· any prepared diagrams, tables, charts or graphs that they have produced when processing data to illustrate points (the original data source should also be submitted to provide evidence that they have manipulated the data in some way)
· articles they want to use when writing their report. Candidates need to be reminded that if they
bring in too much material it may hamper the writing of their final report
· any notes they have produced to help them structure their report.
All material prepared in advance must be available as hard copy and it must be attached to the end of the report. Candidates are not allowed to bring in any material in an electronic format for use in the supervised session.
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C. THE SUPERVISED SESSION
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Candidates are expected to be working independently to complete their reports and working in silence will help them concentrate on the task i.e. they work under controlled conditions.
The report should be no longer than 800 words, but in many cases candidates will complete their report using fewer.
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It is expected that the supervised session will last about an hour but the time can be extended for candidates who have misjudged how long it will take them to complete their work or for candidates who work very slowly. It is probably best for candidates to complete the work in one supervised session but if for some reason, such as timetable constraints, the work needs to be done in two sessions then all the candidate's work should be collected in at the end of the first session and handed out again at the start of the second.
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When a candidate has finished the Science in the News report, they should hand it in together with all the background notes they brought into the supervised session attached to the back of their final report, together with the original Science in the News stimulus.
Candidates must not take copies of their final report, either as hard copy or in electronic format, from the supervised session.
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Quality Assessed |
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2 |
3 |
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6 |
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A |
Approach to the task Mark /6 |
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some research is carried out; some data is collected from at last one suitable source |
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Information provided is used to plan their research; data is relevant and collected from more than one. Suitable source |
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makes good use of the information provided to structure their research; data is relevant, detailed and logically presented and collected from more than one suitable source |
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B |
Analysis of the data Mark /6 |
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at least one trend/pattern is identified and outlined correctly |
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the main trend(s)/pattern(s) are described correctly and there is some evidence of processing quantitative data |
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The main trends/patterns are described correctly with reference to the quantitative data. The data has been processed to reveal additional information and/or detect anomalies |
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C |
Evaluation of the data Mark /6 |
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an attempt has been made to consider the accuracy of the evidence |
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there is consideration of the reliability of the evidence with an attempt to identify which evidence is most/least reliable |
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there is detailed consideration of the evidence showing a good understanding of the relative merits of the evidence gathered in terms of both validity and reliability |
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D |
Relating to the data Mark /6 |
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an attempt has been made to relate some of the data/information to the impact on people/the environment |
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the report shows some understanding of how the data/ information relates to the social/ economic/environmental issues of the task |
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The report shows a clear understanding of the way in which the data/information relates to the social/economic/environmental issues of the task and the way in which scientific evidence can be used in decision making. |
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E |
Justifying a conclusion Mark /6 |
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a conclusion is given with justification based on at least one piece of evidence |
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a considered conclusion is given with justification based on the significance of more than one piece of evidence |
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a considered conclusion is given with a well-argued justification based on careful analysis of the relative significance of more than one piece of evidence |
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F |
Quality of written communication Mark /6 |
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spelling, punctuation and grammar are of generally poor quality; little or no relevant scientific or technical vocabulary is used |
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Spelling, punctuation and grammar are generally sound. Appropriate scientific or technical vocabulary is used |
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Spelling, punctuation and grammar show very few errors. The report shows full and effective use of relevant scientific and technical terms |
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TIPS FOR PUPILS |
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SCIENCE IN THE NEWS: ‘CANDIDATE-SPEAK’ LEVEL OF RESPONSE GRID |
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The statements below show you what the teachers will be looking for when marking your work. Your teachers will look at six different qualities in your final report. They will use a scale of 1-6. Your mark is a total out of 36. 6 is the highest mark for each factor. |
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Quality Assessed |
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6 |
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'What am I going to do, and how am I going to do it?' |
I can do some research and collect some information for myself. |
I can collect useful information of different types from different sources to help me with my research. |
I am able to collect sufficient relevant and detailed information from a variety of sources and can sort the information out logically. |
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'What does the evidence I have collected actually mean?' |
I can identify a trend in the information I have collected. |
I can identify trends in the evidence I have collected and I can show that I can process it correctly. |
I can identify all the trends in the evidence I have collected and I can also say which pieces of evidence do not fit the patterns. |
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'How good is the evidence I have collected?' |
I can make a comment about how accurate my evidence is. |
I can say which parts of my evidence are most reliable and which are not very reliable. |
I can make detailed comments on the relative reliability of the evidence I have collected. |
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'What is the importance of the information to the world around me?' |
I can say how the information I have collected is important in our lives. |
I can write about the impact of the information on the social, economic or environmental issues of the task. |
I can say how my information is related to the social, economic and environmental issues and I can link these to the scientific principles involved. |
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'Can I come to a conclusion about the question I was asked?' |
I can use one piece of my information and link it to my conclusion. |
I can justify my conclusion by reference to several pieces of information. |
I can make a detailed and well-argued conclusion based on a detailed consideration of all the evidence I have collected. |
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'How well have I presented my report?' |
My report is clear enough for other people to understand what I have written about. |
I can produce my report in good English and can use some scientific words correctly. |
I can produce my detailed report in a clear and correct format using technical terms which are correct and appropriate. |
Post GCSE Science
All three sciences can be studied at both AS and A2 levels as separate subjects.
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