I hope this information will help you.

Sheila

http://www.york.ac.uk/org/seg/gcsescience/pages/examinations...
GCSE Examinations and Assessment

Nationally validated assessment and certification for students taking the Salters GCSE course is provided by Oxford and Cambridge and Royal Society of Arts Examinations (OCR).

OCR provide a nationally validated assessment which matches the teaching course and rewards the skills and competence it promotes, as well as the scientific knowledge and understanding which it delivers.

The topic-based nature of the course allows each area of science to be revisited in several units, providing gradual development and reinforcement of science ideas. This leads to terminal examinations, supported by coursework that is assessed using the scheme common to all GCSE sciences. The exmainations are set in two tiers, Foundation (grades GG - CC) and Higher (grades DD - A*A*; with an allowed grade EE).

In each tier, for the double award course (code 1974), candidates take three, 90 minute, papers. Each paper includes questions drawn from all three attainment targets. Questions are set in context, often based on story-lines which students solve using their science knowledge. This arrangement of content is unique to Salters, and allows candidates to demonstrate that they can draw on knowledge from different areas of science to understand real-life situations.

A specification for Science: Single Award (1975) is based on a sub-set of the course units. In each tier, single award candidates take the first of the three double award papers, then a second paper of 45 minutes, containing half of the content of the second double award paper.



http://216.239.39.100/search?q=cache:IE45rRK03wIC:www.edexce...

What is GCSE science all about?
GCSE Science involves the study of
*
Living Processes and Living Things
*
Materials and their Properties
*
Physical Processes
The Double Award science qualification is the most popular choice counting as two
GCSE grades. You might, depending on the advice of your teacher, follow a Single
Award, equivalent to one GCSE, or you might be able to do Biology, Chemistry and
Physics as separate subjects.
The qualification you follow will depend on courses available in your school and your
progress during Key Stage 3.
In your science lessons as well as studying theory, you will carry out practical
investigations, such as finding out the effect of temperature on germination, what
conditions effect how fast chemicals react or the use of solar panels in heating water.
How does it follow on from what I have learnt before?
Your GCSE science lessons carry on from the work you have already done in Key Stage
3. Some new topics will be met during the course, these develop from earlier topics
you will have covered in Key Stage 3.
Why do I have to take GCSE science?
Throughout your life you will have contact with the products of science and
technology; think how many people own a mobile phone, the advice you receive from
your doctor based on science or articles in the newspapers and TV about issues linked
to space science. In your science lessons you will develop the skills to help you
understand and use your scientific knowledge in the context of your everyday life.
Scientific knowledge has developed over time and new discoveries continue to be
made in all parts of the world. In your science lessons you will explore how ideas and
evidence in science have developed, for example you may use resources exploring the
development of digital signals or examining the discovery of antibiotics.
A student's guide to the GCSE in
SCIENCE SINGLE AWARD A (1521)
SCIENCE DOUBLE AWARD A (1522)
BIOLOGY A (1520)
C H E M I S T RY A (1530)
PHYSICS A (1540)
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Page 2
How will I be tested?
At the end of your course you will take written
exam papers in each of the three strands:
*
Living Processes and Living Things
*
Materials and their Properties
*
Physical Processes
Students taking GCSE Biology, Chemistry or
Physics will take an additional paper(s) in the
separate science(s).
For all qualifications the written papers taken at
the end of the course count as 80% towards your
total marks.
Is there any coursework?
Yes, coursework is similar to the style of
investigations carried out during Key Stage 3. You
will need to show that you are able to plan an
investigation, carry this out, collect results and
observations and from this explain what has
happened. An example would be looking at the
effect of exercise on your pulse rate. At the end of
your course you will have to present a folder
containing pieces of coursework which will count
towards your final grade. Your teacher will let you
know the number of pieces of work required for
your qualification.
What about my results?
You will receive your final results towards the end
of August. The double award certificate will show
two grades from A*A* - GG, it will show the same
grade twice. The single award certificate and the
separate science certificates will only show one
grade from A* - G.