GCSE COMBINED SCIENCE 
GCSE SINGLE SCIENCE 

Core 

What Will You Do? 
Students will begin studying GCSE Science from the start of Year 9 with all students following the same programme of study.

Decisions will be made at the end of Year 9 based on GCSE assessments as to whether students follow:
i) GCSE Combined Science: Students study for two GCSEs that cover aspects of Biology, Chemistry and Physics. 
Ii) GCSE Single Science: Students will study for three separate GCSEs in Biology, Chemistry and Physics.

Both routes enable students to obtain GCSEs at grades 9-1. 

GCSE Combined Science Students will study the aspects of Biology, Chemistry and Physics listed below. Students will receive nine one-hour lessons a fortnight in Years 9, 10 and 11; three lessons each of Biology, Chemistry and Physics. 

How Will Your Work Be Assessed? 
Students will sit tiered exam papers at the end of their course in Year 11 and will be awarded two GCSE grades. All assessments will be through written examinations. 

What Will You Do? 

Biology  

• Cell biology  
• Transport systems  
• Health, disease and the development of medicines  
• Co-ordination and control  
• Photosynthesis  
• Ecosystems 
• Inheritance, variation and evolution 

Chemistry  

• Atomic structure and the periodic table  
• Structure, bonding and the properties of matter  
• Chemical changes and calculations  
• Energy changes in chemistry  
• The rate and extent of chemical change  
• Crude oil and fuels  
• Earth’s resources and atmospheric science 

Physics  

• Energy 
• Forces 
• Forces and motion  
• Waves in matter  
• Light and electromagnetic waves  
• Electricity  
• Magnetism and electromagnetism  
• Particle model of matter  
• Atomic structure 

GCSE Single Science (GCSE Biology, GCSE Chemistry and GCSE Physics) 

The most able students will be offered the opportunity to study three separate GCSEs in Biology, Chemistry and Physics. Students will receive nine one-hour lessons a fortnight in Years 9, 10 and 11; three lessons each of Biology, Chemistry and Physics. 

How Will Your Work Be Assessed? 

Students will sit tiered exam papers at the end of their course in Year 11 and will be awarded three separate GCSEs. All assessment will be undertaken through written examinations.

How Will The Course Differ From GCSE Combined Science?

Along with the content covered in the GCSE Combined Science course, students who study the Single Science GCSE will cover additional content in the following areas: 

Biology 
The genome and gene expression 

Chemistry
Organic chemistry and chemical analysis 

Physics 
Space physics 

For further information, please contact your Science Teacher or Mrs Huxley, Subject Leader for Science.