Year 9 GCSE Options 2019-2021 - The Coopers' Company ...

Year 9 GCSE Options 2019-2021
Wednesday, November 28, 2018

Dear parents and carers of year 9 students,

I am writing to you to give you an overview of the GCSE options process for year 9 and some of the key dates
for this academic year. At CCCS, students in year 9 study a range of core subjects to GCSE level and then
select from a second group of GCSE subjects to study in their four ‘option blocks’. One of these option blocks
is reserved for a modern foreign language, leaving students with three other subject choices to make from a
range of 13 GCSE subjects. These courses are summarised in a table at the end of this letter with more
details for each specification outlined in the Year 9 option booklet which will be made available to students
and parents in December. In addition to the option booklet a range of measures are in place to support you
and your child in making the right decisions. These are outlined in the timeline on the next page.

One important change I would like to highlight for the options process this year is the way that students
choose their science GCSE qualification. By default all students will study Combined Science GCSE (which
covers all three sciences and leads to the award of two GCSEs) as part of their core lessons. Any students
wishing to study triple science instead (biology, chemistry and physics as separate GCSEs) will need to
choose this as one of their options. This will ensure students have sufficient curriculum time to cover the
increased content on the reformed GCSE specifications.

It is important that the decision of whether to opt for triple science is carefully considered by students and
parents and is based on discussions with subject specialist teachers and relevant senior teachers. We
recommend that only students with a strong interest in the sciences opt for this route. Most universities do
not specify a requirement for separate science GCSEs and Combined Science GCSE is sufficient (even for
courses like medicine) to create a pathway to undergraduate study. We encourage students to study a broad
curriculum in line with their ambitions and interests enabling as much freedom as possible in relation to
further education choices.

To inform the decision making process, year 9 students will sit a science assessment on Wednesday January
9th 2019. The results of this assessment will be used to support students, parents and staff in making
appropriate options choices and will inform the guidance given to students at their Beyond 14 interview with
a senior teacher.

The science assessment will take place in the theatre on the morning of Wednesday January 9th 2019.
Information concerning the content of the exam and what sort of preparation is possible is contained in the
attached communication from the science department.

Year 9 Beyond 14 GCSE Options Timeline

 November 30th 2018      Year 9 options launch assembly for students in theatre.

 December 2019           Year 9 GCSE options booklet available on school website

 January 9th 2019        Year 9 Science Assessment in theatre.

 Jan 28th 2019           Year 9 Options Information Evening – 4.30pm-6.30pm Students and parents visit
                         subject stalls to discuss GCSE courses with specialist teachers.
                         Presentation in theatre at 6.00pm by Mr Dudley-Hart and Miss Gibson.

 Jan 29th – Feb 8th      ‘Beyond 14’ discussion between student and a senior member of staff to support
 2019                    them in making their options choices. Students will be given the option form at their
                         B14 interview

 Jan 29th-Feb 8th        Year 11 students visit year 9 forms to discuss options choices.

 Feb 7th 2019            Year 9 parent consultation evening – Meet subject teachers one to one to discuss
                         progress and follow up on options conversations.

 Feb 15th 2019           Deadline for year 9 options forms to be submitted. All forms must be checked by
                         form tutors who will then submit them to Mrs Harris. Options does not operate on a
                         first come-first served basis but forms submitted after the deadline are less likely to
                         get their first choice combination of subjects.

I will write to you closer to the time to outline arrangements for options evening in more detail. If in the
meantime you have any questions or concerns about the options process, please do not hesitate to contact
me via the email address below.

Yours Sincerely,

James Dudley-Hart
Assistant Headteacher
jdh@cooperscoborn.co.uk

GCSE Options Subjects for 2019-21

 Core Subjects             MFL Option Other GCSE option subjects (choice of three)
 English Language GCSE     French      Art (Fine Art)
 English Literature GCSE   German      Business
 Mathematics GCSE          Spanish     Computer Science
 Combined Science GCSE                 Food Preparation and Nutrition
 Religious Studies GCSE                Design and Technology
 Core P.E. (non-GCSE)                  Drama
                                       Geography
                                       History
                                       Media Studies
                                       Music
                                       Physical Education
                                       Second language (French, German, or Spanish)
                                       Separate sciences (biology, chemistry, and physics)
                                       occupies one option block.

Continued overleaf…

Dear Parent or Carer,

As Mr Dudley-Hart outlined in his letter introducing the Beyond 14 GCSE options process, all year 9
students will sit a science exam on the morning of January 9th 2019. The exam will consist of a
section each for biology, chemistry and physics and will last one hour overall. Arrangements will be
made for any students entitled to extra time or any other special provision. The content of each
paper will have been covered over key stage 3, in year 7, 8 or the first term of year 9. In due course,
the exams office will provide each student with their own individual timetable outlining the exact start
time and location for their exam. Students will need to line up at the stated location 15 minutes
before the start of the exam. Procedure for this assessment will mirror that for an external exam and
students will be briefed on this in advance. Students will need a pens, a pencil, a ruler, and an
eraser all contained within a transparent plastic pencil case or bag. They are not permitted to bring
mobile phones or watches into the exam hall.

To prepare for this assessment students should revise for the following topics, a selection of which
will be in the exam:

       Biology:                            Chemistry:                          Physics:
      Unicellular organisms              Rock types and the
      Reproductive system                 rock cycle                         Thermal transfer
           o Human                        Reactivity series                  Electrical circuits
               reproduction               Elements, compounds                Pressure in gases and
               and the role of             and mixtures                        liquids
               the menstrual              Acids and alkalis                  Electromagnets
               cycle                           o Reactions of                 Energy transfer
      Food chains and webs                       acids                       Hooke’s law –
       (interdependence)                       o Neutralisation                behaviour of spring
      Photosynthesis and
       respiration
      Animal and plant cells                                          pto.

We understand that you may wish to support your child in revising for this assessment and we have
some suggestions to help you do this. BBC Bitesize Key stage 3 science is an excellent resource
which covers all the topics, and has a range of revision notes, activities and quizzes. If you wish to
purchase a workbook we recommend the CGP key stage 3 workbook which is available on Amazon
and in WH Smiths. This resource will help your child to practise some common exam-style
questions and self-assess against the mark schemes in the book.

Finally, the website www.ks3sciencecourses.com has videos on the majority of the selected topics
which break the information down and cover the content in a slightly different way. Current
educational literature advises the use of practice questions – repeating questions that students find
difficult or get wrong, and following a structure called “spaced learning” – it is more effective to
revise for ten minutes a day, every day, than doing several hours of “cramming” in the final
weekend. Students will receive further guidance from science teachers and form tutors in the
coming weeks in relation to revision techniques and study skills.

We greatly appreciate your support and understanding throughout this process as we work towards
helping students achieve the best possible outcomes for them at GCSE. If you or your child have
any further questions about the content or preparation for the exams please feel free to get in touch
with me at the email address below.

Yours sincerely,

Rebecca Rosher

Key stage 3 co-ordinator in science
rrs@cooperscoborn.co.uk