Quality British Education in Saudi Arabia
Year 10 Science from September 2009
From 2009 we will be offering the Edexcel IGCSE in Biology (4BI0), Chemistry (4CH0) and Physics (4PH0) along with Coordinated Science (Double Award) (4SC0)
The course is a linear course and will be examined at the end of Year 11.
All students will study the course content for the coordinated science and some will be invited to study the extra content to enable them to be awarded IGCSE Biology, Chemistry and Physics.
The main areas studied are;
BIOLOGY
Section 1: The nature and variety of living organisms
Section 2: Structures and functions in living organisms
Section 3: Reproduction and inheritance
Section 4: Ecology and the environment
Section 5: Use of biological resources
CHEMISTRY
Section 1: Principles of chemistry
Section 2: Chemistry of the elements
Section 3: Organic chemistry
Section 4: Physical chemistry
Section 5: Chemistry in society
PHYSICS
Section 1: Forces and motion
Section 2: Electricity
Section 3: Waves
Section 4: Energy resources and energy transfer
Section 5: Solids, liquids and gases
Section 6: Magnetism and electromagnetism
Section 7: Radioactivity and particles
Assessment
Students who take the IGCSE Coordinated science course will sit three examinations at the end of Y11, one paper for each of the three disciplines.
Each paper is 2 hours long and worth 33.3% of total marks.
Students will be awarded two identical grades e.g. AA
Students who take separates sciences will sit two examinations per subject giving six examinations in total.
Paper 1 is a 2 hour paper and worth 66.6% of the total marks
Paper 2 is a 1 hour paper and worth 33.3% of the total marks
All papers are externally set and marked by Edexcel and are not tiered.
Students may be required to perform calculations, draw graphs and describe, explain and interpret physical phenomena. Some of the question content will be unfamiliar to students; these questions are designed to assess data-handling skills and the ability to apply physical principles to unfamiliar information. Questions targeted at grades A* – B will include questions designed to test knowledge, understanding and skills at a higher level, including some questions requiring longer prose answers.
Year 11 Science 2009 – 2010
After gaining a GCSE in Science during Y10 students go on to study the Edexcel GCSE Additional Science 2103.
GCSE Additional Science builds on the knowledge and understanding that students have gained from GCSE Science.
Together, these GCSEs allow students to progress to the individual GCE Biology, Chemistry and Physics qualifications, and to higher education.
The course is divided into 12 topics and is equally divided across the three disciplines of Biology, Chemistry and Physics.
The topics studied are:
Biology
Inside Living Cells
Divide and Develop
Energy Flow
Interdependence
Chemistry
Synthesis
In Your Element
Chemical Structures
How Fast? How Furious?
Physics
As Fast as You Can!
Roller Coasters and Relativity Putting
Radiation to Use
Power of the Atom
Assessment is by Internal and External methods.
Internal assessment (40%)
Assessment of practical skills (10%), where the teacher is assessing the student’s ability to follow instructions, collect data (by taking readings and measurements, making observations and by using ICT) and to present their raw results.
Assessment activities (3 x 10%), devised by Edexcel, marked by the teacher and externally moderated by an examiner appointed by Edexcel.
External assessment (60%)
Externally-assessed multiple-choice tiered tests available in November, March and June (30%)
Externally-assessed structured tiered examination papers available in November, March and June. (30%)
