GCSE Combined Science - Core
Why do we teach this course?
Combined Science is a core subject at BMAT STEM Academy that all students have to complete. Teaching in the Sciences in Key Stage 4 continues with the process of building upon and deepening scientific knowledge and the understanding of ideas developed in earlier key stages in the subject disciplines of Biology, Chemistry and Physics. For some students it will be their last formal study of subjects that provide the foundations for understanding the natural world and will enhance their lives in an increasingly technological society.
The aim of the course is to ensure all students have the foundations for understanding the natural world and will enhance their lives in an increasingly technological society.
Why I should study Combined Science
Science is changing our lives and is vital to the world’s future prosperity, and all students should be taught essential aspects of the knowledge, methods, processes and uses of science. They should be helped to appreciate the achievements of science in showing how the complex and diverse phenomena of the natural world can be described in terms of a number of key ideas relating to the sciences which are inter-linked, and which are of universal application. These key ideas include:
• the use of conceptual models and theories to make sense of the observed diversity of natural phenomena
• that change is driven by interactions between different objects and systems
• that many such interactions occur over a distance and over time
• that science progresses through a cycle of hypothesis, practical experimentation, observation, theory development and review
• that quantitative analysis is a central element both of many theories and of scientific methods of enquiry.
What does the course involve?
We use the Edexcel Exam Board. The course contains six exam papers:
Biology Paper 1 (marked out of 60)
Chemistry Paper 1 (marked out of 60)
Physics Paper 1 (marked out of 60)
Biology Paper 2 (marked out of 60)
Chemistry Paper 2 (marked out of 60)
Physics Paper 2 (marked out of 60)
The exams are marked separately out of 60, the scores are then added together to give a final mark out of 360, the total then reflects two GCSE grades 4-3 to 9-9 are a pass.
FUTURE PROSPECTS
All jobs consider Combined Science a highly desirable qualification.
NEXT STEPS
For some students, studying the sciences in key stage 4 provides the platform for more advanced studies, establishing the basis for a wide range of careers.
A Level / AS Level Biology, Chemistry and Physics, as well as access to a range of BTECH options at level 3.
Study Links:
Maths Made Easy Past Paper Practice
Physics and Maths Tutor Topic by Topic Biology Revision
Physics and Maths Tutor Topic by Topic Chemistry Revision
Physics and Maths Tutor Topic by Topic Physics Revision