Science
Assessment is the responsibility of OCR. See the link on the right to the OCR website.
GCSE 'Science' prepares students for science as they will meet it in their daily lives. The emphasis on scientific literacy is for all students regardless of whether they intend to study science post-GCSE. They are therefore assessed on their knowledge and understanding of both science explanations and ideas about science.
The assessment of GCSE Science is based on:
- Three short, objective tests, covering the modules in groups of three
- A terminal 'Ideas in context' exam with pre-release stimulus material
- Internal assessment of practical skills:
- analysis and interpretation of primary data collected in class
- a case study of a topical scientific issue related to the content of the course.
The Case Study is an individual student report of a topical science-related issue. Students must use information critically from a range of sources to consider different viewpoints, before reaching their own conclusion based on the evidence. They may present their Case study in a variety of ways. The Case Study has proved to be motivating for student of all abilities.
Everyone need to be able to make sense of scientific data which they are presented with. So in 'Science' students are assessed on how they interpret and evaluate data that they have collected.
For OCR specification, past papers and mark schemes, coursework guidance and more see the OCR website (see link below).
Teacher support and coursework guidance, which you can download from the OCR page, includes skills development and assessment, suggestions for student tasks and guidance in marking them, notes on moderation, guidance for students. Here on this website is a list of contents for the GCSE Science teacher support and coursework guidance including case studies.
