Year 8 Curriculum Evening June 2016

Welcome and thank you for attending Introduction Science MFL Curriculum change

Introduction Possibly the biggest shake up to curriculum and content since GCSEs were introduced years ago Structure of them is changing How they are assessed is changing Grading is changing Combinations of subjects you can select are changing

Starting GCSEs in year 9 Attendance at lessons is crucial – missed notes and no catching up will leave gaps when revising You are going to have to revise as you go – you cannot leave three years worth of topics and notes to ‘cram’ at the last minute SPAG in nearly every exam – you must really focus on this and proof read everything Do your Homework and step up in terms of maturity Listen to our advice when we talk to you about which language you should take.

AQA S cience A 3 year course to be examined in summer of Year 11

Two pathways You will study for the 3 separate sciences and achieve 3 GCSEs in the summer of Year 11 Or You will study less content and achieve the ‘combined science’ GCSE which is recognised as 2 GCSEs in the summer of Year 11

Each single science is assessed in a similar pattern There will be two papers for each award – both follow the same outline How it's assessed Written exam: 1 hour 45 minutes Foundation and Higher Tier 100 marks 50% of GCSE Questions Multiple choice, structured, closed short answer and open response. Summary In Year 11 your son/daughter will sit 6 x 1 hour 45 minutes examinations

The Combined Science GCSE is assessed in a similar pattern How it's assessed Written exam: 1 hour 15 minutes Foundation and Higher Tier 70 marks 16.7% of GCSE Questions Multiple choice, structured, closed short answer and open response. Summary In Year 11 your son/daughter will sit 6 x 1 hour 15 minutes examinations

Compulsory practicals These are done in class throughout the three years and will be referred to in the written papers There are 27 in total which you may be asked about in any of the examination papers

How to be successful at science Each fortnight you will have 8 science lessons with 3 different teachers – it essential not to miss any lessons. If you are absent you must come at a lunch time or after school to copy up the work Buy the revision book for home use Prepare for the regular ‘end of unit’ tests

MFL The Rationale: Exams are getting tougher and by choosing one language students will be better prepared and more confident for GCSE.

Some important things to consider Some students do not have a free choice. You won’t be able to change your mind. This does not mean you have to take a GCSE in French/Spanish. You need to be a highly skilled linguist to consider taking a second language at GCSE. The content and assessments in both GCSEs are the same. Do not choose because you like a particular teacher. You might not be in the same classes again next year.

How to choose? Firstly:- Which one do you think you could use the most in the future? Which one do you enjoy the most? Do you have someone at home that could help with your homework?

French You have studied it for longer. You may feel more confident. There are more cognates in French. Spanish It is easier to pronounce and to spell. The grammar is generally easier.

Curriculum Change

Your children will get grades 9-1 in all subjects. The new ‘good’ pass will be a grade 5 which is the top of a ‘C’ and bottom of a ‘B’

What we do know is that each GCSE course is going to be tougher in terms of content and weighted more heavily in favour of exams Increased focus on the English Baccalaureate - English Lang/Lit, Maths, Science, History or Geography, Language - grade 5 or above in all of these Focus on SPAG in every exam

To put all of this into context OCR are not offering any language GCSE’s