GCSE/ELCNew GCSE Sciences – Examination FAQs

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FAQs (Frequently Asked Questions)

Here are answers to some of the questions teachers have asked about the new AQA GCSE Science specifications.

How do centres make entries for GCSE Science exams?

  • Each unit (objective test, written paper, centre-assessed unit, portfolio unit) has a separate entry code. This is so that students can take the different units in a GCSE at different exam series. The entry code stays the same even if the unit could be used towards different GCSEs. (There is one exception to this – the common unit in the Applied specifications.)

How do students get results for GCSE subject awards?

  • Each subject award has an entry code. When a student has results for all the units that make up a GCSE qualification (or will have with the exams they are to take in the next exam series), the centre makes a subject award entry. This entry has the effect of telling the AQA computer to look for the marks that student obtained for the units in the subject award and add them up to give a total mark which is reported together with the equivalent grade (A* – G) for the student.

Can students resit units?

  • Yes. The number of resits is unlimited (as long as the specification remains available).

How does the AQA computer work out grades when a student has more than one result for a unit?

  • Before it adds the marks up, it finds the best mark for each unit, so it calculates the maximum total mark possible.

What happens about marks for units in the subject award which are not used towards the total mark?

  • They are ‘used up’ and can’t contribute towards another GCSE subject award.

For which entries are fees payable?

  • There is no fee for subject award entries. There is a fee for every unit entry, including resits.

Will total entry costs for centres increase?

  • The total fee for entering the four units for GCSE Science, GCSE Additional Science, GCSE Biology, GCSE Chemistry and GCSE Physics will match the fee for a linear single award GCSE.
    Similarly the total fee for the three units of GCSE Additional Applied Science will match the fee for a linear single award GCSE, and the total fee for GCSE Applied Science (Double Award) will be the same as the current fee for the equivalent specification, but for these two specifications the unit entry fees will reflect the unit weighting (higher for a unit which contributes more to the subject award). However, resits will cause additional costs. Also, since entries will often be made earlier in KS4, fees may be payable earlier eg if students take units towards GCSE Science A or B in Y10.

Is an entry fee payable for each Investigative Skills Assignment (ISA) in the Centre-assessed units?

  • No. The minimum requirement is a mark for one ISA (plus a mark for the holistic Practical Skills Assessment). If several ISAs are undertaken by students only the highest mark is submitted, therefore there is one fee per centre-assessed unit, not per ISA.

What happens if the examiners set a slightly more difficult paper in one exam series, so the students get lower marks? Won’t that be unfair?

  • All raw marks from units will be transferred onto a Uniform Mark Scale (UMS), on which each score represents the same degree of attainment relative to the A* – G grading scale. So a lower mark on a more difficult paper gets the same UMS score as a higher mark on an easier paper which represents the equivalent attainment. The UMS scores are added up to work out the final grade. (See Section 23 of the general specifications for more details.)

In the centre-assessed units, students who sit an ISA after other students have an advantage, because they will get to hear about the questions. Isn’t this unfair?

  • A similar unfairness applies to many coursework tasks, where the same work is set year after year, or the same task is set for several teaching groups. The ISAs are better in this respect because around half the questions relate to the students’ own data, and so the answers are specific to the student. AQA expects centres to store ISAs securely and they are valid for just two years, so are less likely to become ‘public knowledge’. Students who are first to take ISAs in a centre could be reminded that it is not in their interests to help others get better marks since it may downgrade their own achievement.

Are the units tiered?

  • None of the centre-assessed units or portfolio units is tiered. All the objective tests and written papers are tiered. In all tiered units, the assessment is tiered so that Higher Tier questions are more demanding than Foundation Tier questions. In addition, some units also have tiered content, identified in the specification by HT in the margin. The HT subject content is only examined in Higher Tier papers.

Do students have to do GCSE Applied Science (Double Award) before doing GCSE Additional Applied Science?

  • No. GCSE Additional Applied Science is additional to GCSE Science. It could be taught in parallel with or subsequent to GCSE Science and is an alternative to GCSE Additional Science.

How much curriculum time is required to teach GCSE Science?

  • Approximately 20% over one year or 10% over two years.

Does this apply to other GCSEs in the AQA GCSE Sciences suite?

  • Yes, with the exception of GCSE Applied Science (Double Award) which requires 20% over two years.

What about students who take GCSE Science in Y10, then want to obtain two separate sciences in Y11 eg GCSE Chemistry and Physics?

  • Students taking two separate sciences after GCSE Science should be able to do so in 20% curriculum time over one year. In the example given, in Y11, they need to cover C2, C3, P2 and P3, and continue to develop their understanding in these new contexts of ‘How Science Works’. This is one more unit than for GCSE Additional Science (which requires 20% over one year), so teachers need to plan teaching strategies accordingly.

Students in Y10 at our centre go on work experience in June, which may coincide with exam dates for GCSE Science. Also, for example, if B1 and B2 were in the same exam slot, our centre couldn’t find exam desks for all of Y10 and Y11. How do we solve these problems?

  • Decisions about timetabling have not yet been made. Where possible AQA will timetable exams to cause least inconvenience to centres. If your centre envisages a possible problem like these, please let the AQA GCSE Science department know and we will do what we can to minimise difficulties.

The subject content of these specifications has been reduced compared to the current GCSE Sciences. Will this mean that GCSE Science plus GCSE Additional Science (the nearest equivalent to GCSE Science (DA)) will no longer be an adequate preparation for AS and A Level Sciences?

  • No. GCE specifications, including those for Biology, Chemistry and Physics, are being revised for first teaching from September 2008, which is when the first students undertaking the new GCSE Sciences will start KS5. The revision of GCE Sciences will take into account the reduced subject content so that progression from GCSE Additional Science to, for example, GCE Physics, is unproblematic.

GCSE Science A has objective tests which could easily be taken at a PC. Are there any plans to allow this?

  • Yes. In the first few series, AQA is offering on-screen assessment for objective tests to some centres. Please contact the GCSE Science department if your centre is interested in this option. In time, all centres will be able to choose this option. Printed papers with answer sheets continue to be available for centres not wishing to use on-screen assessment.

A wide range of question types is possible on-screen and questions could use better graphics than is possible on paper. Are there any plans to take advantage of the greater flexibility and sophistication offered by on-screen assessment?

  • Yes, but not in the first few series. Such changes will be introduced gradually and only after timely notification to centres to ensure students can be properly prepared.
  • Contact:
  • tel: 01483 477 756 or 01483 477 736
  • or use our online enquiry service Ask AQA

 

 
This page was last updated on Monday 06 October 2008 at 15 29