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GCSE Dual Award/Combined Science
GCSE Dual Award/Combined Science
Trilogy (AQA 8464)
This qualification is a two-year linear course, meaning that students will sit all their exams at the end of the course. Science is a set of ideas about the material world. The AQA specification includes all the parts of what good science is at GCSE level: whether it be investigating, observing, experimenting or testing out ideas and thinking about them. The way scientific ideas flow through the specification will support you in building a deep understanding of science.
Students will receive a dual award at the end of the course equivalent to 2 GCSEs.
Subject Content
Subjects are taught as modules through the course covering the following topics:
Biology
Cell biology, organisation, infection and response, bioenergetics, homeostasis and response, inheritance, variation & evolution and ecology.
Chemistry
Atomic structure and the periodic table, bonding, structure and the properties of matter, quantitative chemistry, chemical changes, energy changes, the rate and extent of chemical change, organic chemistry, chemical analysis, chemistry of the atmosphere, using resources.
Physics
Forces, energy, waves, electricity, magnetism and electromagnetism, particle model of matter, atomic structure.
Assessment
There are six papers: two biology, two chemistry and two physics. Each of the papers will assess knowledge and understanding from distinct topic areas. Each paper is a written exam including multiple choice, structured, closed short answer, and open response questions. 1 hour 15 minutes, accounting for 16.7% of GCSE. The course is 100% examination, there is no longer a controlled assessment unit. However, about 15% the marks from each paper will be based on practical investigation tasks that the students will do over the 2 year course and will be expected to keep a record of these.
Progression
The course aims to provide all students with a good foundation for the understanding of science in their lives as well as equip them for further study. If a chosen career pathway requires a focus on a particular science, then the separate science courses may be a better option.
5 Frequently Asked Questions
5 Frequently Asked Questions
What does Combined Science mean?
So this is the course that all students will study as part of the core curriculum, and students will achieve two GCSE grades. The course combines the study of Biology, Chemistry and Physics.
Can you study A-level science if you take this course?
Yes, as a large number of the year group follow this route it covers both higher and foundation tier so students can achieve grades which would allow progression on to A-level. They will study the same modules as taking Separate Science as a GCSE option, however will not cover as much content.
How much science is on the timetable in year 10 and year 11?
There are ten hours a fortnight on the timetable to enable us to cover the large amount of content on the AQA Combined science Trilogy course.
What topics do we learn about?
There are 8 Biology topics, 10 Chemistry topics and 6 Physics topics- which are covered in enough detail to allow you to be scientifically literate and understand the world around you. More detail available at https://www.aqa.org.uk/subjects/science/gcse.
How many exams are there and what do they cover?
There are 6 science exams in May/June of Year 11, each 1 hour 15 minutes which include both short and extended response questions on the content and application of knowledge, as well as numeracy and practical skills questions.
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