Science

Lower Secondary

Our 2020-2021 year 7 cohort started our new science curriculum two years ago which has been followed by subsequent years.  The curriculum is designed around the Best Evidence Science Teaching (BEST) resources which have been developed by the University of York Science Education Group and funded by the Salters’ Institute and the Institute of Physics.  The resources have been developed using evidence on common misconceptions in science, effective diagnostic questioning and formative assessment, constructivist approaches to building understanding, and effective sequencing of key concepts.  

At Landmark, we are using the framework of this scheme, and the Big Ideas that students develop throughout their three years of study, the big ideas being:

Biology Chemistry Physics

The cellular basis of life Substances and properties Matter

Heredity and life cycles Particles and structure Forces and motion

Organisms and their environment Sound, light and waves Chemical reactions

Variation, adaptation and evolution Electricity and magnetism Earth chemistry

Health and disease Earth and space Dynamic earth

In addition to the BEST resources, we have incorporated additional practical tasks; project work; activities to develop practical and presentation skills; and opportunities for students to explore aspects of the topic that particularly interest students in their Science and Me lessons. STEM-lesson activities have also been linked to the science curriculum so students can reinforce and extend their understanding of a topic.

Details of the topics covered each term are provided in the document below.

Science curriculum for all students key stage 3 students is based on the BEST model

Upper Secondary

In upper secondary, students choose to do the Edexcel IGCSE. We run the following options:

IGCSE Biology

Biology (9-1) - SPECIFICATION

IGCSE Chemistry

International GCSE Chemistry 2017 Specification

IGCSE Physics

International GCSE Physics specification

IGCSE Double Award Science

International GCSE Science (Double Award) 2017 Specification

Assessment of the course is detailed in the diagram below.  Students taking the Triple Science option will sit two papers for each science:  paper 1 (2 hours); and paper 2 (1 hour 15 minutes).  The specifications clearly highlight aspects of each course that would only be assessed in the second paper.

Those students following the Double Award will take paper 1 (as above) for each science (three papers in total).  Students will be able to plan their revision precisely knowing that an exam will be either biology, chemistry or physics.