1. CCEA Information Event GCE Chemistry Thursday 2 nd October 2014

2. Agenda Introduction: Elaine Lennox (Subject Officer) Specification, Support Resources and Past Papers Imminent changes to the specification Question and Answer Time Overview of Practical Assessment Plenary

3. Accreditation Process Revision every 5 years Criteria/Regulations –Subject criteria (Content and Assessment Objectives) –Qualification criteria (Number of units allowed) –Internal Assessment Regulations Materials submitted to Regulator (Ofqual) –Specification –Specimen papers and mark schemes –Specimen practical assessments and mark schemes –Assessment Objective Grids

4. Specification Reading Time

5. Structure of the AS Course

6. Structure of the A2 Course

7. Support Specification, SAMs, Periodic Table, AS and A2 EEP documents, past papers and mark schemes – on-line Schemes of Work (“Word” version on-line so can be adapted to suit) Chief Examiner’s Reports Student guides Internal assessment guidance for teachers Practical Assessment support – Centre visits and Support Events

8. Support Continued… Support Documents: –Acceptable Colour Changes –Clarification of terms in CCEA GCE Chemistry –Notes on E-Z isomerism –Command words –Practical work support for teachers and pupils Textbooks and Revision Guides –Colourpoint: AS and A2 textbooks –Hodder: AS 1, AS 2, A2 1 and A2 2 Revision Guides

9. SoW and Support Materials Reading Time

10. Assessment Objectives (4.2)

11. AO Weightings (4.3)

12. QwC (4.4)

13. Synoptic assessment (4.5)

14. Stretch and challenge (4.6)

15. Award of A* An A* will be awarded to the A2 candidates who attain: an overall grade A in the qualification; and an aggregate of at least 90% of the uniform marks across the A2 units.

16. Past Papers Reading Time

17. Review of GCE GCE – First teaching Sept 2016 GCSE – First teaching Sept 2017 No January series for candidates starting GCE Chemistry in September 2013 AS will remain part of the A-level qualification 40/60 weighting for AS/A2 Specification should remain unitised Only one repeat opportunity per unit Practical assessment will remain part of the qualification award.

18. Assessment of Practical Skills (New specification) Will be assessed at AS and A2 Remain part of AS and A2 overall grade Weighting – approximately 10 – 20 % Wider Range of experiments More planning and interpretation opportunities

19. Q&A

20. Practical Assessments

21. Apparatus & Materials List CONFIDENTIAL Available to HoD only Can only liaise with relevant technician to order and set-up apparatus and chemicals Available from end of February

22. General Points Teacher’s copy of paper available to HOD only 3 working days before timetabled starting time –Practical Booklet A only Confidentiality – keep doors locked, papers locked away etc. More than one sitting – pupils in isolation ½ hour before the end of the first sitting AS and A2 Practical Booklet A Invigilation: –Needs to be a chemistry teacher present –Teacher who prepared the class cannot be the sole invigilator

23. The Process Feedback from teachers prior to assessment is essential if apparatus or materials issues identified Access to Scripts and Enquiry about Results services available “Instructions to Teachers” booklet - March 2014 – Hard copy issued this year – On Chemistry microsite – Support Materials

24. Practical Format Practical exam split into 2 practical booklets: Practical Booklet A and Practical Booklet B. Practical Booklet A will be a 1 hour 15 min practical exam. –Q1: carry out a titration – Q2: observations exercise

25. Practical Booklet B will be a 1 hour 15 min practical theory examination  assesses data analysis, practical knowledge, and tests practical planning skills Section A:  Q1: answer questions and do a calculation on given titration data.  Q2: make deductions on given observations (or vise versa) for both inorganic and organic compounds Section B:  practical theory/planning questions

26. Procedures No alternative practical – centres can run up to 4 practical sessions on the timetabled day – regulations for isolating pupils set out by JCQ in the ‘Instructions for Conducting Examinations’ document Teacher’s Copy - Practical Booklet A  available to the HoD 3 working days prior to the date of the examination

27. Invigilation Arrangements –Practical Booklet A will be conducted in the laboratory and the invigilation will be carried out by the classroom teachers (see earlier note) –Practical Booklet B will be sat in an examination hall and will be externally invigilated Exam split over two days –Practical exam (1 hr 15 min) – Early May –Practical theory exam (1 hr 15 mins) – Later on in May

28. JCQ Inspection Service AS 3 and A2 3 practical examinations are on the programme for the JCQ Centre Inspection Service Both the practical session and the practical theory session can be inspected The inspectors are provided with a list of ‘Inspection Objectives’ specifically for the practical aspects which are conducted in science laboratories Schools are chosen at random for inspection

29. External Marking Ofqual changed the Internal Assessment criteria following CCEA recommendation No teacher marking for AS 3 or A2 3 from May 2014 – will be examiner marked in the same way as theory papers Applies to both Practical Booklet A and B Please submit chemical issues by email as soon after the practical exam as possible so they can be passed onto the examiners.

30. Collection of Scripts Return Practical Booklet A scripts to your Examination’s Officer as soon as the practical exam session has finished so they can be packaged up and collected from your centre by CCEA the day after the timetabled exam sitting as with other theory examinations Practical Booklet B should be packaged up and collected like any other theory examination

31. Questions ? Senior Examiner

32. Contact Details Elaine Lennox - Subject Officer with responsibility for GCE and GCSE Chemistry (elennox@ccea.org.uk)elennox@ccea.org.uk Nuala Braniff 90261200 ext 2292 (nbraniff@ccea.org.uk)nbraniff@ccea.org.uk