1. Year 10 Parents Information Evening
Monday 26th September

2. Important Dates Subject Consultation Evenings
Napier & Trenchard– 24th November
Henning Stratford – 1st December
Tutor Consultation Day
July 21st
Mocks
Week Beginning 26th June – for all subjects

3. Aims of This Evening To outline key areas of changes to GCSEs
To lay out expectations of GCSE students.
To advise you on how best to support your son/daughter.
To give key information about the core subjects.

4. Important Dates Subject Consultation Evenings
Napier & Trenchard– 24th November
Henning Stratford – 1st December
Tutor Consultation Day
July 21st
Mocks
Week Beginning 26th June – for all subjects

5. The New Grading System Grading System will exist for all subjects.
1-9 (where 9 is the best)
5 considered a good pass. If students do not achieve a grade 5, they will need to resit Maths and English Language after Year 11.

6. How will we support students?
Tracking
Mentoring where appropriate
Provide revision material
Outstanding learning in the classroom
Focused homework
Sharing revision strategies – pastorally and academically

7. What do students need to be successful?
In general:
Positive attitude  
• Clear vision
• Display  behaviour  for
 learning
• Self confidence
• Organisation
Specifically:
Routine
Use of planner
Quiet space at home
Good, well kept class work
Build revision up over time
Be active in their revision – doing, not reading, not being passive
Apply their knowledge to exam questions

8. How can you support your children?
Know  what  your  child  is  studying.
Look at their planners regularly.
Be  aware  of  what  is  going  on  in  school.
Keep  the  target  relevant.
Guide learning.
“What homework have you got tonight?”
Ensure they have a suitable place to work – free from distraction.
Support, encouragement and interest.
Let them teach you!

9. Mathematics GCSE
Claire Tanner

10. New GCSE Increased difficulty and content New grades: 9-1
Preparation began in Year 9
8 lessons per fortnight
Year 11 are currently doing this course

11. Year 10: two teachers
Two teachers
The main teacher will cover the majority of the content and set homework every week
The other teacher will cover a few topics and revise the work the main teacher has covered

12. Year 10 and 11: Assessment End of half term tests
Exam questions used in lessons and for homework
End of year ‘mock’ exam
Further formal exams in Year 11

13. Grade Converter

14. Higher/Foundation
Higher: sets 1-5
Foundation: sets 6-10
Subject to change after the first set of national exams have been taken.

15. Grades
Higher: 4 – 9
Foundation: 1 – 5
20% of the questions will be common to both tiers, at grades 4 and 5

16. Preparation
Have calculator (not a phone) and geometry set – don’t miss out the drawing questions.
Know which formulae need to be learnt
Maths clubs are for students to go over classwork and homework as well as get help with revision.
Revision Guides and Workbooks
Exam Practice Workbooks

17. The Exams (1)
3 papers
End of Year 11
1.5 hours each
One non-calculator paper
Learn formulae

18. The Exams (2)
Methods have to be written down – quite a lot is needed for one mark, sometimes more stages of work are needed than marks available
Students will be tested on their understanding of methods by doing standard questions and also explaining mistakes in others

21. Further Help
corbettmaths.com/5-a-day/gcse mymaths mathsorchard.weebly.com hegarty maths go to ‘old HegartyMaths’ for videos exam solutions for videos suitable for higher tier mathsgenie questions, answers and videos

22. English GCSE Advice for Parents
Year 10
English GCSE
Advice for Parents

23. Changes to GCSE Literature and Language
1 – 9 Grading. No higher or foundation tier;
No controlled assessment or coursework. 100% exam based;
2 exams for each subject;
4 texts studied for Literature, including one 19th Century novel, a Shakespeare play, a modern text and a poetry cluster;
Students are not allowed to take books into the exam;
Increased emphasis on spelling, punctuation and grammar.

24. English Literature
Students need to have memorised a range of quotations for each text.
You can help by testing them on quotations to do with characters, settings and themes and by making sure that they begin revision notes early.

25. Easy revision tasks
Pick a character from one of the texts. Make a mind map of everything that you remember about them. Add quotations from the book. Get your parent to test you to see if you can remember 5 key quotations about the character.

26. Easy revision tasks
Make an A3 poster for the wall by putting the key themes in each corner. Choose the quotations that relate to those themes and explain the impact on the audience / reader.
Try and include some quotations that help you to explore the structure of the play / novel as well as the language.

27. The importance of reading.
Teenagers who choose to pick up a book for pleasure are more likely to succeed in life.

28. Reading …. Helps children to do better at school.
Improves concentration.
Improves imagination.
Increases vocabulary.
Helps teenagers develop empathy.

29. Get them to pick up a book!
Fiction is better than non fiction for developing skills but reading any text is better than not reading at all.
Regular reading is the key to success in many GCSE subjects. Encourage children to read as often as possible.

30. Revision Guides
Revision guides can be useful to help students to focus their revision. Most will contain self test questions to check their understanding.
We have guides available in the English dept. if students wish to buy them for both Literature and Language
Your son / daughter should check with their class teacher about the appropriate guide for them.
16/11/2018

31. Useful Websites http://www.bbc.co.uk/education/subjects/zr9d7ty
Kerboodle support
Sparknotes
16/11/2018

32. New Science GCSE Specifications
Slide 1
Follow us on

33. Regulatory requirements
Biology, Chemistry, Physics, Combined Science only
Subject content specified by DfE – 100% compulsory
All assessment at end of course
More demanding content
No coursework
Grading change from A*-G to 9-1
No UMS
No mixing of tiers for combined award
Slide 5

34. Grading in Combined Science
Either two numbers the same:
9-9, 8-8, 7-7, 6-6, 5-5, 4-4, 3-3, 2-2, 1-1
Or one number different:
9-8, 8-7, 7-6, 6-5, 5-4, 4-3, 3-2, 2-1
No zero, so no 1-0 or 1-U
No other grades
Slide 6

35. Combined Science: Trilogy
All content in Trilogy is common to separate sciences
Fully co-teachable with separates
Some common content between Chemistry and Physics
Some fundamental content in Biology which will be assessed in either paper
Some fundamental content in Chemistry, which will be assessed in either paper
Logical topic order but not prescribed teaching order
Required practical activities identical to separate sciences
Assessment split by content
Slide 35

36. Combined Science: Trilogy outline content
Biology
Chemistry
Physics
4.1. Cell biology
4.2. Organisation
4.3. Infection and response
4.4. Bioenergetics
4.5. Homeostasis and response
4.6. Inheritance, variation and evolution
4.7. Ecology
5.1. Atomic structure and the periodic table
5.2 Bonding, structure, and the properties of matter
5.3 Quantitative chemistry
5.4 Chemical changes
5.5 Energy changes
5.6 The rate and extent of chemical change
5.7 Organic chemistry
5.8 Chemical analysis
5.9 Chemistry of the atmosphere
5.10 Using resources
6.1 Energy
6.2 Electricity
6.3 Particle model of matter
6.4 Atomic structure
6.5 Forces
6.6 Waves
6.7 Magnetism and electromagnetism
Slide 36

37. Assessments: separate sciences
Qualification
Papers
Content
Length
Biology
2 papers equal weighting
Topics 1-4 Topics 5-7
Under arching principles
1 hour 45 mins
100 marks
Chemistry
Topics 1-5 Topics 6-10
(topics 1-3 on both common content)
Physics
Topics 1-4 Topics 5-8
Questions on practical work woven throughout the paper
Slide 37

38. Assessments: combined sciences
Trilogy
Six papers, 1¼ hours, 70 marks
Two papers for each subject
Assessment split by content as separates
Questions on practical work in all papers
Slide 38

39. Levels of challenge ‘Ramping’ of demand through questions and paper
Slide 39

40. Extended response questions
‘A question that requires a response of sufficient length to demonstrate the ability to construct and develop a sustained line of reasoning which is coherent, relevant, substantiated and logically structured’
Means an extended answer in prose or a multi-step calculation
Students may need to bring together knowledge and understanding from different areas of the specification
Questions worth 4 or 6 marks
Marked by levels of response mark scheme
On the front of each paper we indicate which questions require an extended written response
Minimum marks per paper:
Foundation 10% of marks
Higher 15%
Slide 40

41. Physics equations
23 equations students need to know and be able to apply (21 in combined science)
12 equations students must be able to select and apply (7 in combined science)
Grades 1-3 will be given equation to apply. Simple equations with substitution of two numbers, no transformations
Grades 4-5 will be given prompt ‘Write down the equation that links…’ Calculation will involve something ‘extra’
Grades 6-7 no prompt. Questions will involve transformations or ‘something extra’
Grades 8-9 no prompts. Include complex equations. Will involve transformations and multiple steps
Slide 41

42. Practicals in exam papers
No ISAs – assessed in the written papers
At least 15% of the overall marks will cover practical work
Three main types of question:
questions assessing knowledge and understanding of the required practical activities
questions assessing knowledge and understanding of specific apparatus and techniques, but not relating to a specific required practical activity
questions set in a practical context, requiring students to demonstrate understanding of the science rather than direct experience of the practical
Questions may cover any of the assessment objectives (AO1, AO2 or AO3)
Slide 42

43. Science at The Thomas Hardye School
Students start GCSE on arrival in Y9. Put into sets at end of first term. Then have tests each ½ term to track progress. Also end of year exams and mock exams in Year 11.
Students in Y10 sets 1-4 are following Triple Award (Biology, Chemistry, Physics). Sets 5-10 follow Double Award Combined Science (Trilogy).
Lots of STEM clubs after school to join. Curriculum support happens closer to exams in Year 11.
Slide 43

44. Science at The Thomas Hardye School
Slide 44

45. Science at The Thomas Hardye School
Triple Award £5.50 each
Double Award £4.00 each
Slide 45