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the k ing s school ely gcse curriculum september 2011

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introduction art and design business studies classical civilisation design and technology drama english 1 english literature english for speakers of other languages geography history information communications technology latin learning support mathematics 1 media studies modern foreign languages french spanish german music physical education religious studies rs sciences 1 1 2 1 2 2 2 3 4 5 5 6 6 6 7 8 8 9 9 10 10 11 11 12

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introduction choosing gcse courses is a very important aspect of a student s senior school education time and care given to ensuring that the right decisions are made now will be of considerable benefit in the future the curriculum at king s is designed to allow four gcse option choices in addition to the compulsory core gcse subjects this is a greater number than in many other schools and is a feature which we hope gives students and parents greater flexibility career guidance is pivotal insofar as subject choices should not block potential career avenues the year 9 personal development gcse options day is held in the lent term closely followed by student-tutor interviews and a parents evening these events provide opportunities to discuss students future education in detail all gcse courses are for two years the arrangement of core and options in year 10 continues unchanged into year 11 with the gcse examinations being held in summer 2012 examination boards referred to on the following pages are aqa assessment and qualifications alliance ocr oxford cambridge and rsa examinations edexcel edexcel foundation compulsory core curriculum · · · · english,mathematics,religiousstudies,sciencescienceplus additional science or option physics chemistry and biology informationandcommunicationstechnologyiscontinuedintogcse through integration with core curriculum subjects studentsmustnormallyselectatleastonemodernforeignlanguage students wishing to specialise in modern foreign languages may choose from french german and spanish personaldevelopmentandphysicaleducationarealsointhe curriculum 1 2 indicates a subject which is part of the compulsory core curriculum indicates a subject which all students continue to study and apply although not taken as a gcse 1

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unit 3 community life in the classical world option 2 pompeii,focusingonthestudyofpompeiiasauniquesourcefor our understanding of everyday life in a prosperous town at the height of the romanempire.instudyingtheindividualaspectsofpompeii,studentswill assess the evidence provided by the town and will draw conclusions about itsprosperity,thevaluesandprioritiesofitscitizens,andtheattractiveness of living in such a town students will also be expected to understand how the nature of pompeii s destruction was a key factor in its preservation and thereby its value as an archaeological site unit 4 culture and society in the classical world the aim of this unit is to encourage candidates to actively engage in enquiringintotheclassicalworld.studentswillstudyoneoutofachoice of six options sophocles antigone aristophanes lysistrata the olympic games virgil aeneid pliny letters roman britain this unit is assessed through controlled assessment each year two tasks will be set for each option each task will relate to one of the themes specified for that option each student will complete one task of 2000 words · · · · · explorewaysinwhichaesthetic,technical,economic environmental ethical and social dimensions interact to shape designing and making analyseexistingproductsandproducepracticalsolutionstoneeds wantsandopportunities,recognisingtheirimpactonqualityoflife developdecision-makingskillsthroughindividualand collaborative working understandthatdesigningandmakingreflectandinfluencecultures and societies and that products have an impact on lifestyle developskillsofcreativityandcriticalanalysisthroughmaking links between the principles of good design existing solutions and technological knowledge the specification is divided into 2 sections · unit1:creativedesignandmakeactivitiesworth60%ofthe overall gcse and assessed under controlled assessment conditions of 40 hours unit2:knowledgeandunderstandingofresistantmaterials technology is assessed through a 1 ½ hour exam · design and technology edexcel unit 1 creative design and make activities ­ unit code 5rm01 inthisunitassessmentisinternallyassessedundercontrolledconditions taking40hours,60%oftheoverallgcsequalification.studentsmust complete a design and make activity selected from a range of tasks the students will create a portfolio of evidence showing their design and making skills,coveringinvestigation,designanddevelopmentofideas,planning making and testing and evaluation for the design activity students will demonstrate their ability to analyse the design brief research and develop a detailed specification this will enable initial ideas to be produced reviewed and developed students will developarangeofsketchinganddesigningtechniquesincluding2d,3d sketching modelling and computer aided designs of their ideas to enable a detailed final design to be communicated this activity will be assessed in a 20 hour controlled assessment task for the making activity students will demonstrate their making ability and produce a final product and portfolio of evidence the evidence will include production plan diary of making health and safety issues and anexplanationofhowthequalityofmanufactureandoutcomehasbeen achieved before the final testing and evaluation is completed this activity will be assessed in a 20 hour controlled assessment task unit 2 knowledge and understanding of resistant materials technology ­ unit code 5rm02 students will develop their knowledge and understanding of a wide range of materials and processes used in design and technology students will learn aboutindustrialandcommercialpracticesandtheimportanceofquality checks and the health and safety issues that have to be considered at all times the knowledge and understanding students develop in this can be appliedeasilytounit1 3 two courses in gcse design and technology d&t are offered to cater for students withdifferentinterests.eachofthesecoursesmorethansatisfiestherequirements of the national curriculum and the full range of gcse grades is available d&t resistant materials resistantmaterialstechnologyqualificationenablestudentsto · · activelyengageindesignandtechnology makedecisions,considersustainabilityandcombineskillswithknowledge andunderstandinginordertodesignandmakequalityproducts

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this unit is assessed through a 1 ½ hour examination paper set and marked by the exam board the examination paper will consist of multiplechoice,short-answerandextended-writingquestions.theexamforms40 oftheoverallgcsequalification unit b003 principles of food and nutrition 1½ hr exam which forms 40 of the total gcse marks candidates are requiredtoanswerfivecompulsoryquestions,includingshortanswersand free-responseformats.thequestionswillcoverallaspectsofthefollowing · · · · · · nutritionandhealth foodcommodities mealplanning foodpreparationandcooking foodsafetyandpreservation consumereducation drama aqa drama is an important and exciting option but you need to be clear about its intentions the course is not designed to produce actors or stage technicians home economics food and nutrition thespecificationrequiresthecandidatestoplanandcarryout investigations candidates produce tasks in which they analyse issues and problems and identify gather and record relevant information and evidence candidates will also analyse and evaluate evidence make reasoned judgements and present conclusions candidates will develop knowledge and understanding of human needs within a diverse society and relevant technological and scientific developments this specification focuses on food and nutrition issues in relation to nutrition diet and health throughout life factors affecting consumer choice the nutritional physical chemical and sensory properties of foods in storage preparation andcooking;foodhygiene;safety;andtechniquesandskillsusedinfood storage preparation and cooking the specification is made up of three mandatory units unit b001 food and nutrition short tasks candidates submit three short tasks which form 30 of the total gcse marks two of the tasks will assess planning practical work and evaluation the third task will assess investigation skills all tasks are set by the exam board and allow the students to demonstrate their different practical skills and knowledge unit b002 food study candidates submit one task which forms 30 of the total gcse marks the food study will assess research selecting and justifying choices planning practical work and evaluation the task is chosen from a list supplied by the exam board and will allow the students to demonstrate a wide variety of skills 4 drama develops people who can · · · · · solveproblems thinkontheirfeet betotallyreliable workinteams communicatewell drama provides all these skills all theatre productions you have ever seen are good only if those skills are highly developed on and behind the stage inaddition,successinasubjectlikethiscangiveyouplentyofpersonal satisfaction and a lifelong leisure interest inthecoursestudentswillworkonpreparedpieces­performances based on a variety of texts as well as self-devised pieces where as a team theywillbewritingandactingascriptforaspecificaudience­suchas producingaplayonthethemeof`change forjuniorschools­learningabout acting design and technical support be introduced to improvisation and scriptwriting and study text interpretation writtenexamination­candidatesanswerquestionsbasedon · · · livetheatretheyhaveseen partstheyhaveplayedduringthecourse aspectsoftheatredesignandproductione.g.lighting,soundand costume practicalexamination­candidateschoosefromarangeofoptions including · · · · scriptedperformance devisingandimprovisation technicalanddesignskills theatreineducation.

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english aqa english language gsce english gcse aqa ­ compulsory subject allstudentstakeeitherenglishlanguageorenglish.ifenglishliteratureis alsotaken,thenitispairedwithenglishlanguage.ifmediastudiesistaken as an alternative to english literature then the student would pair it with english gcse which unlike english language contains an element of literature the aims of the english course are that students should · · · · · · · understandfacts,ideasandopinionsastheypassoninformation becriticalofwhattheyreadandbeabletosortoutideasfor particular purposes beabletotalkaboutexperiences knowhowtheenglishlanguageisconstructed beabletousespokenenglish beawareofthedifferencesbetweenformalandinformalenglish enjoyreadingliteraturewhichexpressesmind-wideningideas there are three attainment targets · speakingandlistening,inwhichstudentshavethechancetoshow how well they can put experience into words expressing what they feel and imagine understand order and present facts ideas and opinions show a sense of audience and awareness of style in a variety of situations recognise different levels and kinds of meaning in a variety of contexts make a personal response to what is heard read and understood reflect on the way other people communicate reading,inwhichstudentswillbeabletoshowthattheycan get hold of facts ideas and opinions recognise different sorts of meanings understand how writers use language to get the effects they want writing,inwhichstudentswillhaveplentyofopportunitytoshow that they can write about personal feelings understand and present facts ideas and opinions show they can appreciate good grammar by using it well understand how flexible a tool language is to express what they want to say additional option almost all students will undertake a second complimentary gcse in english englishliteratureormediastudies.studentsinthecgroupswillhavethe option of choosing between the two subjects further details of the literature andmediastudiescourses are issued to the students prior to option choice · english literature aqa the course aims to give students opportunities to explore their literary interestsandtolearntheskillsnecessaryforliterarystudy.inparticular students will develop · · · theabilitytoread,understandandrespondtoawiderangeof literary texts and to appreciate the ways in which authors achieve their effects awarenessofsocial,historicalandculturalcontextsandinfluences in the study of literature theabilitytoconstructandconveymeaninginspeechandwriting · correct spelling and good punctuation will all be important here assessment candidates taking english and english literature will be awarded two grades the course is closely linked to the english language examination and students will study a play by shakespeare a selection of pre-20th and 20th century poetry a modern play and a collection of short stories and a novel 30 of the examination is coursework based 5

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english for speakers of other languages esol the esol department delivers a specialised english language programme for non-native speakers who would benefit from improving their english skills the aim of the course is to develop the four language skills · speaking:tocommunicateideasandinformationclearlyand confidentlyusingpronunciationandintonationintelligibletoa native speaker to interact in conversational english in a range of contexts listening:tocomprehendenglishspokenwithdifferentaccents and for different purposes interviews arguments lectures etc to extract gist and meaning from aural information and record in the form of notes reading:todevelopavarietyofreadingtechniquesscanning skimming and detailed reading to extract facts and main ideas from non-fictional literature to deduce meaning from and respond to fictional literature writing:tocomposeavarietyoftextformatsreports,letters discursiveessaysetc fordifferentaudiences;tocomposeclear accurate notes and summaries · showsensitivitytotheenvironmentandanawarenessofthe contrasts between rich and poor nations the core course content covers four themes · · · · riversandcoasts populationandsettlement naturalhazards economicdevelopment · thereisalsoageographicalenquirythatisassessedontwopiecesof controlled assessment one of which is based on fieldwork there is also an assessed sustainable decision making exercise based on the core course content unit b561 sustainable decision making decisionmakingexercisebasedononeofthefourkeythemes,supportedby pre-release material unit b562 key geographical enquiry twotaskswithanenquiryfocus.oneoftheseisafieldworktask unit b563 key geographical themes theexamconsistsofquestionsonthreeofthefourmainthemesexcluding oneassessedinb561 thispaperrequireslearnerstodemonstratetheir abilitytoapplytheirgeographicalknowledgeandunderstandingtoarange of familiar and unfamiliar contexts · · vocabularyandgrammararedevelopedthroughouttheprogramme with lessons tailored to the students individual needs individual support is also provided to students who experience language difficulties in specialised subjectareaswhichhaveahighlanguagecontent,e.g.religiousstudies business studies in years 10 and 11 students work towards the igsce in english as a second language history edexcel thehistorycoursewillbringthepastalive.duringthecoursestudents willexplorecauseandconsequence,continuityandchange,similarityand difference in a number of historical periods the development of particular skills will be important how to find out information from first-hand sources and from other people s writings how to present what has been discovered inalogicalway.thisisanopportunitytodevelopaninterestinhistory which will continue into adult life in the examination candidates will be expected to · · · · · recallandselectknowledge,settingitoutclearly showthattheyunderstandsomethingofthepatternofhistorical development provetheycanexplorehistoryusingavarietyofsources­books statistics and documentaries interpretfindings,sortingoutfactfromopinion reachbalancedconclusions geography ocr theaimofthegeographycourseistogivestudentsanunderstandingof the nature of the earth s surface the character of places and how human beingsinteractwiththeirenvironment.studieswillincludeenquirieson small regional national and international scales overall the course should enable students to make more sense of the world and encourage them to holdinformedviewsonrapidlychangingworldissues.intheexamination candidates will be expected to · · · · · showanawarenessofplacesinrelationtoothers explainunderstandingofenvironmentsandtheprocesses which affect them economic and technological developments showunderstandingofhowpeopleinteractwiththeir environment beawareofcommunitiesandculturesbothinoursociety and elsewhere demonstratearangeofskillsdevelopedthroughpractical work:observingfact-findingandanalysis,usingbooks,maps and photographs the gcse now comprises of 4 stand-alone examined modules one of which maybetakenattheendofyear10andincludes · questionswhichwillaskcandidatestorespondtoavarietyofforms of historical evidence 6

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information and communications technology londonlearning iam institute of administration management online certificate in ict compulsory subject ictisafundamentalpartofourlives.thegrowthintheuseofmobile telephones,portablecomputersandtheinternetisaffectingthewayweall liveandwork theaimofthisunitistoenablestudentstoapplytheskillsthey developedinpresentingandhandlinginformationunit1inyear9andto useappropriatesoftwareapplicationseffectivelyinarangeofcurriculum subjectscontexts thecourseworkunitthisyearunit2promotesindependentlearning andencouragesstudentstobediscriminatingintheevidencetheyassemble forassessment.theunitisdeliveredthroughthecompilationofaportfolio ofevidencefortheapplicationofict,innaturallyoccurringlearning situations.ithelpsstudentsprepareforlifeasindependentadultsand enhancesemploymentopportunities thecoursealsoprovidesanessentialfoundationforanyfurthercourses includingthosespecifictotheuseofcomputersandnewtechnology summary of learning outcomes toachieveunit2acandidatemust 1 demonstratesoftwareskillsinarangeofsubjectsorcontexts 2 presentinformationthatisfitforpurposeinarangeofsubjects orcontexts 3 applyappropriategraphicsandimagesfromarangeofsources 4 useicttoolstodraft,bringtogetherandrefineinformationanddata 5 manageanelectronicportfolioofevidence method of assessment · · · short-answerquestionstotestknowledgeandunderstanding questionswhichrequirecandidatestowritecontinuousprose,but notnecessarilylongessays controlledassessmenttask:markedbyteachersandmoderatedby theexamboard thisisapass/failqualification.assessmentisbyoutcomeinunit1.theseare internallyassessedunitsthatwereexaminedinyear9 unit2isachievedbythecompletionofanelectronicportfolioof evidence,accordingtotheunitassessmentcriteria.inordertoachieve theunit,theevidencethatthecandidatepresentsforassessmentneeds todemonstratethatallofthelearningoutcomesfortheunitaremet.the candidatemust · produceeightpiecesofevidencefromsubjectsinthe curriculumordifferentcontextswhereictisusedcorrectly amaximumoffivepiecesmustdrawonskillsfromeither unit1orunit2.50%ofcourseworkevidencemustbeatthe qualificationlevel identifyitskillsappliedincourseworkevidenceandreflectonwhy theywereused 7 thetopicswhichwillbestudiedare year 10 unit1 outlinestudy.thecoldwar1943-1991 unit2 depthstudy.germany1918-1939 year 11 unit3 unit4 25 25 sourceenquiry.warandthetransformation ofbritishsociety1931-51 25 representationsofhistory.vietnam1960-75 controlledassessment 25 ·

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latin ocr why study latin this subject gives the opportunity to study the language and literature of ancient rome reading the works of authors such as virgil ovid and horace students will experience at first hand elements of the culture language and social and political life of the roman civilisation which has inspired many later generations as well as being exciting and inspiring this course will help develop analytical skills and intellectual flexibility which will be useful in a wide range of jobs or in further study students will study · · · thelatinlanguage,learningtoreadlatintextsintheiroriginal language literaturesettexts,byauthorssuchasvirgil,ovid,pliny,tacitusand horace backgroundtopics,includingtheromanarmy,dailylife,thecityof rome women roman britain and roman religion paper 2 latin translation:1hour candidateschooseeitherone passage for translation into english or one passage for translation into english and a number of short sentences for translation from english into latin paper 3 latin prose literature:1hour candidateshaveachoice between two prescribed texts the paper consists of a series of short extracts in latin with questions which require short answers non-verbal responses and extended responses paper 4 latin verse literature:1hour candidateshaveachoice between two prescribed texts the paper consists of a series of short extracts in latin with questions which require short answers non-verbal responses and extended responses paper 5 sources for latin:1hour candidatesareexaminedontwo roman civilisation topics this paper consists of source-based questions which require short answers and extended responses classical greek ocr classical greek is taught with latin to a group of the most able students in year 9 but is offered as a separate subject outside of the curriculum at gcse its aims are very similar to those of latin giving students the opportunity to study the language and culture of another ancient civilisation which has been profoundly influential in the shaping of modern europe classical greek offers an exciting challenge to students and the chance to read the works of authors such as homer euripides and herodotus the method of assessment of classical greek is the same as that of latin students will learn · · · · · howtodevelopasensitiveandanalyticalapproachtolanguage generally including an awareness of the relationship between latin and the languages of today howtoappreciatedifferentcultures howtoreadtextsinlatin howtoreadandappreciatelatinliteratureinitsculturalcontext and in its original language howtocommunicateclearlyandeffectively the syllabus candidatestakepapers1and2,andtwoofpapers3,4or5 paper 1 latin translation and comprehension:1hour thispaper consists of three linked latin passages for translation and comprehension learning support the learning support department caters for students of all ages with varying degrees of difficulty in language-based subjects and in mathematics and also provides curriculum support in languages the humanities and the sciences the learning support programme is flexible and is dependent on the number of students needing supportive help and the degree of difficulty they are experiencing students depending on their need are taught in a small group situation but with an individualised programme to suit their own needs thesupportprogrammeinyear10allowsforstructuredsupport in basic literacy and study skills in addition students follow a programme of life skills and are given help with the organisation of their coursework this leadstoamoreflexibleprogrammeinyear11.lessemphasisisplacedon skills and students are given more responsibility for their own learning inthemichaelmasterminyear11,timeisallowedforthecompletion of coursework in the lent and summer terms time is given to revision the areas of study are student-generated and depend on the individual need the learning support option is therefore ideal not only for the dyslexic student but also for the student who struggles moves at a slower pace than others or who needs that extra bit of help this helps to ensure success in slightly fewer subjects for those students who need support 8

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mathematicsprovidesausefulsupporttothestudyofmanyothersubjects such as the sciences and geography the syllabus studied is ocr specification aj562 thisisamodularcourseconsistingof3units,thecontentincluding · · · unita25 ratio,equations,pythagoras,trigonometry data handling unitbnon-calculator25 number,indices,angles transformations,bivariatedata,surds,inequalities unitc50 socialarithmetic,bounds,areaandvolume algebraicmanipulation,probability,standardindexform unitawillbetakeninnovemberofyear10,unitbinjuneofyear10andunitc injuneofyear11 thetopsetmayentertheseunitsearlyandalsostudythefreestanding mathematicsqualificationinadditionalmaths media studies ocr it should be noted that teachers throughout the senior school are made aware of students experiencing difficulties and are sympathetic to their needs contemporarysocietyismedia-saturated.itissaidthatthedistinction between reality andmedia-realityisbecomingincreasinglyblurred.every sphereofhumanexperience,thepersonal,theeconomic,thepolitical,the cultural,themoralandtheaesthetic-ismediated.theinstitutionsthat producemediatextsforconsumptionareseenasconsciousnessindustries shapingperceptionsofourselvesandtheworldaroundus there has been a significant increase in the growth of the management and manufactureofinformation,anditsdisseminationbythemedia,andanincreasing predominanceofvisualcommunicationandinformationinmanyareasofsociety the aims of the course are · · 50 30 20 · · · · · todevelopcandidates ownpriorknowledgeandexperienceof themedia,bylearningthekeyapproachestostudyingthemedia throughtheassessmentoftheconceptualframework todevelopcandidates knowledgeandunderstandingofthewaysin whichmeaningisconstructedthroughtheformsandconventionsof the media todevelopcandidates criticalknowledgeandunderstanding ofthevariouswaysinwhichthemediafunctionandofthe associated debates arising from its functions todevelopcandidatesawarenessofhistoricalcontextsofmedia texts and the relationship between media representation and culturaldiversity toenablecandidatestodevelopaninformedunderstandingofthe factorsthatinfluencemediaproductionprocesses,byengaginginthe productionandevaluationoftheirownpracticalmediaproduction todeveloppracticalmediaproductionskills,whichofferopportunities forcreativity,imagination,enjoymentandself-expression toenablecandidatestoutiliseictopportunitiesintheirmedia productionwork mathematics ocr compulsory subject the main aims of the course as a whole are to · · · useandapplymathematicsineverydaysituations solveproblemsthatwilltestconceptualunderstanding encounter,consideranddiscussalternativelinesofargument thesyllabusisdividedintothreeassessmentobjectives · · · recallandusetheirknowledgeofthe prescribed content selectandapplymathematicalmethodsina range of contexts interpretandanalyseproblemsandgenerate strategiestosolvethem withineachtopicareatheskillsrequiredare · · · · · · · · usecalculatorsandcomputersefficiently developflexibilityincomputationalmethods expressrelationshipsinreal-lifesituations modelrealsituationsalgebraically explorethegeometryofgraphicimages undertakepurposefulenquiriesbasedontheanalysisofdata exploretheprinciplesthatgovernrandomevents useappropriatediagrammaticrepresentations 60%oftheexaminationiscoursework-basedandhasopportunitiesfor creativeworkbasedonthestudent sknowledgeofthemedia 9

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modern foreign languages french german spanish the gcse courses are designed so that students are encouraged to evaluate foreign languages in terms of their practical uses within a wholly contemporary framework the broad aims of the courses are to · · · · · · developtheabilitytouselanguageseffectivelyforpurposesof practical communication formasoundbaseoftheskillsandattitudesrequiredforfurther study work and leisure offerinsightsintothecultureandcivilisationofothercountries develop an awareness of the nature of language and languagelearning provideenjoymentandintellectualstimulation encouragepositiveattitudestoforeignlanguagelearningandto speakers of foreign languages as far as possible in french and students have ample opportunity to increase their confidence through role play pair work and debates authentic reading material is used wherever possible the course proves successful in preparing students for top-grade performance at gcse and smooth transition to as level study for the able linguist moreover students are offered the chance to practise and improve their language skills on an annual trip to france german thisisalivelyandinspiringcoursethatwillequipstudentswithpracticallanguage skillsthroughtheuseofvariedandenjoyableactivities.aswellaslearningto communicate in german in a wide variety of everyday situations they are steered toward high achievement in the gcse examination interest and motivation is ensured through the use of a range of authentic and up to date media and material to which young people can relate in addition to regular exposure to feature films satellite tv and various reading material from german speaking countries the use of ict is strongly emphasised with regular lessons in the it suite all students have easy access to engaging materials on the school intranet including interactive exercises in order to practise revise and enhance their skills in the language the schoolenjoyscloselinkswiththeliebfrauenschulemühlhausengymnasiuminely s twin town of kempen in germany which provides opportunities for regular visits exchanges and contact with pen friends spanish this course is taught in a new and exciting way traditional classroom instruction is combined with the latest technologies to motivate and facilitate learning the text books used are supplemented by a wealth of dvds worksheets interactive activities and computer games created especially for the students some of the lessons will also be delivered in the new state of the art language laboratory where students will have the opportunity to practise listening and oral skills in an innovative and challenging way during year 10 a school exchange is organised withourpartnerschool iesbenjamíndetudela intudela,northofspain.this will allow students to enhance their confidence and oral skills similarly a wide rangeofjointactivitiesbetweenbothschoolswillalsotakeplaceduringyear10 the combination of all these different activities will lead to a smooth transition to aslevelstudywhileacquiringadeepunderstandingofboth,spanishlanguage and culture the emphasis on topics in the gcse syllabus means that students have the opportunity to prepare more thoroughly within a limited range of clearlydefined topic areas such as house and home school meeting people shopping etc students are therefore given credit for what they achieve rather than being penalised for lack of specific knowledge in a certain area the gcse examination is divided into four main skill areas · · · · listening reading writing speaking the successful candidate should therefore be capable of understanding nativespeakers,askingandrespondingtoquestions,understandingformal yet authentic written material and writing informally e.g letters relating personal experiences reporting recent events etc in years 10 and 11 there is the option to study two modern languages to gcse those students who do not intend to proceed further will have acquirednewinsightsintooneormoremajoreuropeanlanguagesand cultures those who wish to continue their languages to a level and beyond will find the gcse courses suitable preparation for the revised a level specifications french this is a modern and dynamic course with a strong emphasis on the use of french in the classroom materials are up to date and intended to appeal to young people s interests students will be exposed to a variety of language through dvd cd rom and satellite a thorough grounding in grammar is also assured and students have regular slots in the language laboratory to practise topic work and interactive grammar exercises lessons are lively and conducted 10 music edexcel the gcse music course combines performance composition and listening andappraising.studentswillenjoyanopportunitytostudyawiderange of musical styles and will analyse compose and perform music from the classicalrepertoireaswellasfromthefolktradition,jazz,populargenres and world music the examination is in three parts unit 1 students will perform a solo piece and an ensemble piece at some stage during the course these performances will be recorded and assessed.

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four activities the course is an ideal foundation for students that wish to undertake physical education at a level or those who aim to pursue a career in the leisure industry the aims of the course are · · · toencouragecandidatestoimprovetheirplanning,performance and analysis of selected physical activities toencouragecandidatestoimproveinknowledge,understanding and skills in a range of relevant physical activities toenablecandidatestoknowandunderstandbothwhy people participate in games and the factors that affect performance unit 2 students will produce two compositions the combined length of which will not exceed 4 minutes the score writing programme sibelius will be used to create musical scores unit 3 ina1hour30minuteexam,studentsrespondtoquestions based around the set works for the unit section a features shortquestionsbasedonrecordedextractsandsectionbisan essayquestion inordertoaccessthiscourse,studentsarerecommendedtohavereached a reasonable level of proficiency approximately ab grade iiieitherasan instrumentalist or singer and to have a related understanding of the basics of musical notation approximately 60 of course time will be given to practical work and 40 of course time will be spent in the classroom these percentages are a reflection of the weighting given to practical and theory work in the final grade the examination consists of assessment of four activities from within a specified list religious studies rs edexcel this is a compulsory subject and all students will study for the full gcse course the unexamined life is not worth living ­ socrates religious studies offers students the opportunity to consider and reflect upon thoseexistentialquestionsconcerningthepurposeandmeaningoflife.the course consists of preparation for two examination papers one of the papers consists of ethical and philosophical issues such as relationships marriage and divorce sexuality contraception abortion euthanasia prejudice and discrimination atheism and agnosticism evil and suffering intheotherpaper,studentsstudyarangeoffurtherethicalissues consideringthesefromthestandpointsofchristianity,islamandanonreligious view the issues covered include rights genetic engineering and cloning environmental ethics war and pacifism and crime and punishment religious studies significantly contributes to the national curriculum crosscurricularthemesofcitizenshipandpersonalsocialeducation the main aim of the course is to give students the opportunity to · · · · acquireanddevelopknowledgeandunderstandingofthebeliefs values and traditions of two religions and a non-religious tradition humanism considertheinfluenceofbeliefs,valuesandtraditionsonpersonal local and international levels considerreligiousandnon-religiousresponsestomoralissues identify,investigateandrespondtofundamentalquestionsoflife raised by human experience 11 physical education ocr the ocr gcse in physical education is an ideal option for the practically able student as 60 of the overall mark is awarded for practical performance in

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assessment objectives intheexaminationcandidatesmustdemonstratetheirabilityto · · · recall,select,organiseanddisplayknowledgeofthesyllabuscontent describe,analyseandexplaintherelevanceandapplicationofthe differing ideas beliefs and themes evaluatedifferentresponsestoreligiousandmoralissues the year 9 biology chemistry and physics courses provide a common grounding for those taking either of the options outlined above gcse material is taught so pupils entering year 10 will be starting the second year of their three-year science course centre-assessed unit thecentre-assessedunitiscompletedatschoolduringlessontime.it assesses practical skills together with a significant element of the `how science works component the collection and use of scientific evidence and can contribute up to 25 of the marks for each of the gcse awards this consists of the following · · · practicalwork­laboratoryorfieldworkbased collectionandprocessingofdata anisatestwrittenbyaqa­40marks,45minutes examination there are two written examination papers at the end of year 11 sciences aqa biology chemistry and physics we are flexible in our approach to teaching sciences at king s while every pupil studies all three sciences there is the choice in year 10 to either continue to take biology chemistry and physics as three separate gcses or to study all three sciences in less breadth and take two gcses science and additionalscience.mostofthesciencesaretaughtbyasubjectspecialist this provides each pupil with a balanced science curriculum in which all three sciences are studied and the separate subject areas remain clear we are also flexible in assessment from january 2012 onwards all pupils will take modular assessments as they progress through the courses thismodularassessmentwillprovideacompetitiveedge­eachpupilhasone opportunity to re-sit any module in order to improve their overall final grade ­whilstatthesametimeitwillintroduceevenmorepurposeandrigourto the courses which course both pathways provide a solid background to a level studies in biology chemistry and physics we hope that the numbers of pupils wishing to study biology chemistry and physics separately carries on growing these pupils will remain competitive as numbers nationally of pupils taking biology chemistry and physics gcses rise year on year pupils wishing to take the three gcses must indicate their preference by choosing biology chemistry physics from the option blocks available at option choice time all other pupils will take the course leading to awards in science and additional science science additional science the specifications used are aqa science b draft and aqa additional science b draft students take three written papers biology chemistry and physics for the science award and three written papers for the additional science award with each paper lasting 1 hour each of the three papers can contribute up to 25 of the marks for a gsce award the first papers will be taken in 2012 science b science b offers students the opportunity to gain a good understanding of a broad range of topics across biology chemistry and physics with an emphasis on every day contexts topics include · · · materialsourplanetprovides chemistryinactioninthebody selectivebreedingandgeneticengineering scienceb­assessmentoverview unitb1­1hr­25 unitc1­1hr­25 unitp1­1hr­25 controlledassessment­practicalfollowedbya45minutewrittenpaper­25 additional science gcse additional science offers students the opportunity to gain a good understanding across topics such as · · · tissues,organsandorgansystems structureandbonding forcesandtheireffects 12

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inaddition additional science places a greater emphasis on explaining theorising and modelling science additionalscience­assessmentoverview unitb2­1hr­25 unitc2­1hr­25 unitp2­1hr­25 controlledassessment­practicalfollowedbya45minutewrittenpaper­25 biology chemistry physics the specifications used are aqa biology draft aqa chemistry draft and aqa physics draft students taking biology plus chemistry plus physics will be prepared for the higher tier papers giving them access to grade a in each individual subject for each of the three gcse awards biology chemistry and physics there will be three written papers with each paper lasting 1 hour biology gcse biology offers students the opportunity to gain a good understanding of · · · · humanbiology organisms evolution theenvironment physics gcse physics offers students the opportunity to gain a good understanding of · theuseandtransferofenergy · waves,radiationandspace · theapplicationofphysics assessment overview unitp1­1hr-25 unitp2­1hr-25 unitp3­1hr-25 controlledassessment­practicalfollowedbya45minutewrittenpaper­25 assessment overview unitb1­1hr­25 unitb2­1hr­25 unitb3­1hr­25 controlledassessment­practicalfollowedbya45minutewrittenpaper­25 chemistry gcse chemistry offers students the opportunity to gain a good understanding of · · · thenatureofsubstancesandhowtheyreacttogether howourknowledgeofchemistryisusedinbusinessandindustry howouruseofrawmaterialsasfuelsandinmanufacturingcan affect the local and global environment biology 1 chemistry 1 physics 1 gcse science a b1 c1 p1 biology 2 chemistry 2 physics 2 assessment overview unitc1­1hr­25 unitc2­1hr­25 unitc3­1hr­25 controlledassessment­practicalfollowedbya45minutewrittenpaper­25 biology 3 chemistry 3 physics 3 gcse additional science b2 c2 p2 gcse biology b1 b2 b3 gcse chemistry c1 c2 c3 gcse physics p1 p2 p3 13

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