Biology, Chemistry and Physics

Studying Science

Science is everywhere and the study of the Sciences will help you to develop problem-solving and critical-thinking skills, while you learn about the world around you. These are lifelong skills that allow you to generate ideas and weigh decisions intelligently while you learn about things such as how trees produce the oxygen we need, which type of polymer can stop a bullet and how to make electricity – it’s magnetic magic.

The recent Ofsted Research Review Series for Science stated that many pupils leave school without a basic knowledge or appreciation of Science and that their interest declines with time spent at school. Often, this decrease in interest and motivation occurs when pupils have to make so-called ‘choices’ about Science pathways. For example, many pupils wrongly assume that Science is not for them when they are prevented from studying the three Sciences at GCSE. This is particularly problematic when the decision whether to study Triple Science comes too early.

At JCG, all students are given the opportunity to study for the higher tier exams in each Science subject from the start of Year 9. This is reviewed at the end of Year 10 and the final exam entry for each student is decided upon following the January Mock Exams in Year 11.

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Progress in each of the three Sciences will be monitored and assessed throughout the course.
There will be internal end of year examinations in all three Sciences at the end of Year 10, which will be in a similar format to the final exams.
The tracking data collected and performance in the January Mocks of Year 11 will help determine the most appropriate route for exam entries.
Each GCSE consists of two externally assessed examination papers. Each paper is a 1 hour 45 minutes exam and is worth 50% of the final grade.
There is no coursework component to the GCSE. However, there are core practical tasks which students will need to describe. A knowledge of these practicals, and the ability to interpret the resulting data, is required for the examinations.
Details about the examination papers are available on the Edexcel website.

Trips, Opportunities, Progression

We encourage JCG Science students to participate in online and face-to-face extra-curricular events such as courses, projects and competitions. Studying for GCSEs in Biology, Chemistry and Physics makes the transition to A level less intimidating. Being familiar with the concepts covered and the practical skills developed at GCSE will be vital to a confident start to A level.