Liverpool Life Sciences UTC
Key Stage 4: Parental Engagement GCSE & BTEC Subject Information Innovation
Opportunity
Achievement
Objectives
Provide an overview of the structure of each course. Provide useful advice for parents to support their child in the lead up to the Mock Exams and Summer Exam Series 2015.
Edexcel GCSE Sciences What skills will be assessed?
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Develop hypotheses and plan practical ways to test them including risk assessment; manage risks when carrying out practical work; collect, process, analyse and interpret primary and secondary data, including the use of appropriate technology to draw evidence-based conclusions; review methodology to assess fitness for purpose, and review hypotheses in light of outcomes Use scientific theories, models and evidence to develop hypotheses, arguments and explanations; develop and use models to explain systems, processes and abstract ideas. Communicate scientific information using scientific, technical and mathematical language, conventions and symbols.
Edexcel GCSE Sciences How will students be assessed and when?
Terminal examinations at the end of the two year course (June exam series). Separate Science = 9 exams Double Science = 6 exams
How will student progress be monitored and tracked?
Progress checks within each lesson. Assessed pieces of Independent Learning. End of topic tests. Mock GCSE assessments.
What can you do to help your child?
Edexcel provide a Parental Guide at the following web address http://www1.edexcel.org.uk/science2011/Parent-guide.pdf
Controlled Assessments and Exam Revision
Separate Science = 3 controlled assessments. Double Science = 2 controlled assessments. Exam revision guides will be available to students at a reduced cost price from us. Revision websites such as BBC Bitesize are extremely useful.
Other
Edexcel BTEC Applied Science What skills will be assessed?
Practical Science skills. Science knowledge and application through examined content. Production of portfolio work to deadlines.
How will students be assessed and when?
75% coursework assessed at Pass, Merit or Distinction level 25% Examined content – Qualification is compensatory but students must pass the exam to pass overall
How will student progress be monitored and tracked?
Mocks in November and January Assignment progress tracking Reports to parents
What can you do to help your child?
Ask to see evidence of progress on assignments – get them to take a picture of their record of achievement to show you Help your child to work out a revision timetable and test them on revision quiz questions that they bring home. Regular attendance – students must be in school to complete assignments.
Controlled 25% examined content. March exam with June resit opportunity Assessments and Exam A revision guide will be provided Revision
AQA GCSE English Language What skills will be assessed?
Reading and writing skills, including literacy, inference, comparison and analysis
How will students be assessed and when?
Spoken Language Study controlled assessment (end of term) Creative writing controlled assessment (January 2015) Mock exam (January 2015) Final Exams External Exam (60%) Section A: Reading & Section B: Writing Controlled assessment (40%) Speak & Listening (Endorsement)
How will student progress be monitored and tracked?
Progress SEEIT assessment tasks – at least 1 per half term
What can you do to help Encourage them to read non-fiction your child? Learn frequently misspelled words or grammatical errors Controlled Assessments and Exam Revision Other
Spoken Language Study (December 2014) Creative writing controlled assessment (January 2015) Ongoing exam revision from January 2015
AQA GCSE English Literature What skills will be assessed?
Reading skills, including inference, comparison, analysis of language, exploration of the writer’s intentions and effects on the reader
How will students be assessed and when?
Romeo and Juliet Controlled assessment (November 2014) Exam (May/June 2015) Final Exams Unit 1 Exploring modern texts – 40% (1 hour 30 mins) Unit 2 Poetry across time – 35% (1 hour 15 minutes) Unit 3 The significance of Shakespeare and the English Literary Heritage – 25 % (Controlled assessment)
How will student progress be monitored and tracked?
PROGRESS SEEIT assessment tasks – at least 1 per half term
What can you do to help your child?
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Controlled Assessments and Exam Revision
Encourage them to revise and reread An Inspector Calls or Lord of the Flies (Pink group only) and Character and Voice cluster of Moon on the Tides poetry anthology Ensure that they revise literary terminology such as metaphor, personification and enjambment.
Romeo and Juliet Controlled assessment (November 2014) Ongoing exam revision from January 2015
Edexcel GCSE Mathematics What skills will be assessed?
All aspects of the mathematics curriculum will be tested. Number, algebra, shape and space, data and probability
How will students be assessed and when?
1 calculator and 1 non-calculator exam. 1 hour 45 minutes each. Thursday 4th June / Monday 8th June
How will student progress be monitored and tracked?
Students have received a full breakdown of their strengths and areas for development from the November mock. This will be repeated after the January mock. From this students will be set online tasks to cover their individual needs.
What can you do to help your child?
Ensure that they are accessing these tasks at home and that they develop a comprehensive revision plan.
Controlled Assessments and Exam Revision
No controlled assessment. Personalised revision plans should be based around the maths department diagnostics from mock exams.
Other
AQA GCSE History (B) What skills will be assessed?
Students understanding of the links between key individuals, events and developments during the 20thC. The focus is on International Relations 1945-2000 in Year 10, followed by Depth Studies on Stalin, Vietnam War and Roaring 20s USA in Year 11. Key skills are analysis and evaluation of events and evidence.
How will students be assessed and when?
Students are continually assessed for performance and effort in class, complimented by regular timed essays on each topic. Students are also formally assessed in termly mock exam cycles. Final Summer Exams Unit 1 – International Relations (Cold War 3 sections: Topic 4: Origins, Topic 5: Crises, Topic 6: Détente and Post Cold War) Unit 2 – Depth Studies (Stalin, Vietnam USA 1920s) Both 1hr 45mins, each worth 37.5% of total mark, SPaG=5% which is a boundary changer Controlled Assessment = 25%
How will student progress be monitored and tracked?
Students are aware of their target grades which they regularly update to chart progress, plus after each mock exam cycle, students will undergo a scrutiny of their own paper to identify strengths and weaknesses to address next cycle.
What can you do to help your child?
Ask your child to explain what they are learning in detail, using key leading questions such as: ‘What caused that event, and what happened after it?’, and ‘Why were tensions so high between USA and USSR at this point?’
Controlled Assessments and Exam Revision
One controlled Assessment will be undertaken in YR11, covering the topic of Britain at War 19141945. Revision should be ongoing throughout the year, using the resources provided on the VLE, the hand outs that are regularly distributed, the trusted website addresses students have been given, or recommended revision guides.
AQA GCSE Geography (A) What skills will be assessed?
• Recall, select and communicate their knowledge and understanding of places, environments and concepts. • Apply their knowledge and understanding in familiar and unfamiliar contexts. • Select and use a variety of skills, techniques and technologies to investigate, analyse and evaluate questions and issues.
How will students be assessed and when?
November Mock resit week commencing 15th December January Mock Controlled Assessment completed by end of January End of topic tests for last two units before Easter Ongoing exam practice Final exams – Summer 2015 Exam : Paper One : Physical : Tectonics, Rivers, Coasts (37.5%) Paper Two : Human : Population, Tourism, Globalisation (37.5%) Controlled Assessment: Coastal Management (25%)
How will student progress be monitored and tracked?
Exam and end of topic results will be checked and intervention put in place if students are not hitting targets.
What can you do to help your child?
Help create a clear, long term revision plan Provide revision guides such as CGP, Letts Ensure regular attendance
Controlled Assessments and Exam Revision
Students attended the coasts fieldtrip to Anglesey in October. Low level CA is taking place in lessons until Christmas High level CA will take place in late January Revision in class once curriculum has been taught. Catch-up sessions Wednesday lunchtimes Intervention sessions Week 1, Thursday’s lesson 2 Websites: BBC Bitesize, Cool Geography, Geography Pods and Ace Geography
AQA GCSE Spanish What skills will be assessed?
Spanish uses AQA exam board. Students will be assessed on 4 skills, listening, reading, speaking and writing. Speaking and writing are each worth 30% of the total GCSE and reading and listening each worth 20%.
How will students be assessed and when?
Speaking and writing units are assessed by controlled assessment. Students will complete three controlled assessments in year 10 and three in year 11. At the end of the two year course students will sit the reading and listening external exams. Final Assessment in Summer 2015 Unit 1 Listening – 20% 35 or 45 minute exam Unit 2 Reading – 20% 30 or 50 minutes exam Unit 3 Speaking – 30% Controlled assessment Unit 4 Writing – 30% Controlled assessment
How will student progress be monitored and tracked?
Student progress is tracked using personal trackers in books and on a detailed spreadsheet held centrally in the UTC, monitored by Spanish department staff and senior leadership team. Mock examinations in Nov, Jan and May
What can you do to help your child?
Please help your child to revise their weekly vocabulary and most importantly their controlled assessment work.
Controlled Assessments and Exam Revision
Controlled assessment is worth 60% of the whole course. Students have their own log ins for Kerboodle, an online text book that they can use at home for exam revision purposes.
Other
We also put all our resources on www.missmallo.weebly.com for students to print or to access at home or in UTC.
OCR GCSE Applied Business What skills will be assessed?
· Reading, writing, applying subject knowledge in a range of contexts and building arguments from a range of perspectives. · Students must also be able to reflect and make judgements on given scenarios.
How will students be assessed and when?
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60% Controlled Assessment (Internally assessed) 40% Exam (Externally assessed) Controlled Assessment deadline: 1st May External Exam: 20th May PM
How will student progress be monitored and tracked?
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Controlled Assessment assessed throughout the course Exam questions set on each topic ½ termly collection of Mock results
What can you do to help your child?
· Aim for 100% attendance up to the end of the school year · Encourage your child to do research outside of the classroom for their controlled assessment · Ensure your child is well prepared for controlled assessment lessons (these have to be sat in exam conditions and under time constraints) · Monitor your child’s mock exam results and discuss areas of strength and weaknesses · Encourage revision at home by using the resources on the VLE (and maybe purchasing a Business Studies revision guide)
Controlled Assessments and Exam Revision
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Other
Adhere to deadlines for controlled assessments and classwork Be punctual for all lessons Attempt past papers Attend revision sessions that will be on offer nearer the exam
Edexcel BTEC L2 Health & Social Care What skills will be assessed?
The course supports learners’ development of transferable interpersonal skills, including working with others, problem-solving, independent study, and personal, learning and thinking skills The students will develop their research, communication, revision, practical and thinking skills to apply to health and social care related scenarios.
How will students be assessed and when?
This qualification involves 4 units of work. External examinations will be taken in January 2015 and May 2015 for Unit 1 Human Lifespan Development.
How will student progress be monitored and tracked?
Students will complete 4 units of work for the award. 1 is an examined unit – 25%, the remainder are coursework based. Tracking sheets will be on the reverse of student exercise books.
What can you do to help your child?
Support and monitor revision activities from the guide and workbook at home. Further support is available from the exam board website- edexcel.com Regular attendance.
Controlled Assessments and Exam Revision
Coursework will be set and students will have deadlines to keep to. There is a noticeboard on the first floor corridor with essential dates for examinations. Students have been provided with a revision books and workbook to support their revision.
Other
Work is available on the student shared area at the UTC to be accessed in lesson and own time to support coursework. Students can download this onto a pen drive.
Edexcel BTEC L2 - Children’s Play, Learning and Development What skills will be assessed?
Research, communication, revision, practical skills, presentation skills, thinking skills, theoretical knowledge and understanding to apply to early years setting related scenarios.
How will students be assessed and when?
Students will be assessed on 4 units of work. 1 is an externally examined Unit 1 – 25%. Patterns of Development. The students will take the exam on the 13th January 2015 and in May 2015.
How will student progress be monitored and tracked?
Students will complete 4 units of work for the award. 1 is an examined unit, the remainder are coursework. Tracking sheets will be on the reverse of student exercise books.
What can you do to help your child?
Support and monitor revision activities from the revision book at home. Further support is available from the exam board website- edexcel.com Using the exam board website to access past paper questions and marks schemes is also good practice. Help them to be organised- brining books and pens for the timetabled lessons. Regular attendance.
Controlled Assessments and Exam Revision
Coursework will be set and students will have deadlines to keep to. There is a noticeboard on the first floor corridor with essential dates for examinations. Students have been provided with a revision books to support their revision. Class notes and activities have been taught to promote learning.
Other
Books and pens need to be available for every lesson.
Edexcel GCSE Physical Education What skills will be assessed?
Leadership, communication, confidence, practical ability, application of theory and practical aspects, research skills, reflectiveness.
How will students be assessed and when?
Students will undertake an exam at the end of Year 11, which will be a weighting of 40% of their overall grade. This will assess everything they have been taught over the two years. The practical element of GCSE PE caters for 60% of their overall grade which includes an analytical piece of coursework. Within the practical activities, students will be assessed across at least two different areas of sport as a Performer, Official and Coach.
How will student progress be monitored and tracked?
Students’ progress is tracked every lesson in terms of their Achievement tasks and ATL. A Progress SEEIT form is completed at the end of each module for students to identify areas of strength and areas for improvement. Reports are fed back to Parents in terms of progress termly. Within the current GCSE group the students have now been split in terms of ability so we can challenge the more able and provide more focus and attention to those who are finding the theory content difficult.
Edexcel GCSE Physical Education What can you do to help your child?
Controlled Assessments and Exam Revision
Other
Encourage their participation in their areas of sporting ability. Knowledge of the course and observe their tracker sheets with regards to what they have covered and what is to be covered. Extra learning tasks to be completed. Revision with mock exams and adhering to their revision timetable. Mock papers for GCSE PE will be November, February and June. Achievement tasks will take place within the lesson. GCSE PE is under the Edexcel examination board. 60% Practical 40% Theory
AQA GCSE Psychology What skills will be assessed?
Ability to understand research and how psychological research affects everyday life. Students will develop the ability to evaluate studies identifying strengths and weaknesses
Student will sit a Unit 1 and 2 examination in the summer of Year 11. In year 10 students will be taught unit 1 and in year 11 students will be taught unit 2. There are 10 topics and students will be assessed at the end of How will student progress be monitored each topic over the 2 years. Results will be monitored and and tracked? intervention plans will enable all student to achieve and succeed. What can you do to help Ensure your child takes time to revise what has been taught in your child? class and complete homework and projects to a high standard. Encourage your child to understand the wider implications of the subject. Controlled Assessments GCSE Psychology is an exam based course. How will students be assessed and when?
and Exam Revision
AQA GCSE Sociology What skills will be assessed?
Ability to understand research and how sociological research affects everyday life. Students will develop the ability to evaluate studies identifying strengths and weaknesses.
How will students be assessed and when?
Student will sit a Unit 1 and 2 examination in the summer of Year 11. In year 10 students will be taught unit 1 and in year 11 students will be taught unit 2. Students will be assessed at the end of each topic over the 2 years. Results will be monitored and intervention plans will enable all student to achieve and succeed.
How will student progress be monitored and tracked?
What can you do to help your child?
Controlled Assessments and Exam Revision
Ensure your child takes time to revise what has been taught in class and complete homework and projects to a high standard. Encourage your child to understand the wider implications of the subject. GCSE Sociology is an exam based course.
What next?
What next?
