Changes to the AQA GCSE Science Specifications

2

Changes to content of Specifications

• Many topics have been removed from ‘Double Science’ (Science + Additional) to allow more time for teaching ‘How Science Works’

• Some of these topics have been moved into Separate Sciences

• To accommodate these topics, several topics have been removed from Separate Sciences

• There are a limited number of new topics, mainly due to changes to the National Curriculum

3

Specification Layout e.g. Section 11.8

• Question– How do humans affect the environment?

• Introduction– Humans often upset the balance of different

populations in natural ecosystems, or change the environment so that some species find it difficult to survive. With so many people in the world, there is a serious danger of causing permanent damage not just to local environments but also to the global environment.

4

Specification LayoutProcedural Content

• Candidates should use their skills, knowledge and understanding of how science works:– to analyse and interpret scientific data

concerning environmental issues; – to weigh evidence and form balanced

judgements about some of the major environmental issues facing society, including the importance of sustainable development;

– to evaluate methods used to collect environmental data and consider their validity and reliability as evidence for environmental change.

5

Specification LayoutSubstantive content

• Their skills, knowledge and understanding of how science works should be set in these substantive contexts:– Rapid growth in the human population and an

increase in the standard of living means that:• raw materials, including non-renewable energy

resources, are rapidly being used up;• increasingly more waste is produced;• unless waste is properly handled more pollution

will be caused……………………

6

Specification Symbols•Identifies content which lends itself to investigative work of the type needed to explore Sections 10.2 – 10.6 of the procedural content.

•About obtaining valid and reliable scientific evidence

•May form contexts for ISAs

•Identifies content which lends itself to activities which allow Sections 10.1 and 10.7-10.8 of the procedural content to be considered

•These sections are about using scientific evidence e.g. how scientific evidence can contribute to decision making.

•Identifies content that provides opportunities for using IT

7

Changes to content of Specifications

• Many topics have been removed from ‘Double Science’ (Science + Additional) to allow more time for teaching ‘How Science Works’

• Some of these topics have been moved into Separate Sciences

• To accommodate these topics, several topics have been removed from Separate Sciences

• There are a limited number of new topics, mainly due to changes to the National Curriculum

8

What has gone from ‘Double Science’ (Science + Additional)?

• Biology B1 and B2– Human Biology

• Eye• Digestive system (except enzymes)• Ventilation• Anaerobic respiration B3• Blood system B3 (but content reduced)• Kidney B3

– Exchange surfaces and active transport B3

– Plant hormones – Transport in plants B3– Eutrophication– Nitrogen cycle

9

What has gone from ‘Double Science’ (Science + Additional)? (2)

• Chemistry C1 and C2– Detail of industrial processes (blast

furnace and aluminium extraction)– The rock record– Periodic table (History and some detail)

C3– Enzymes B2– Reacting volumes– Empirical formula– Energy diagrams and calculations C3

10

What has gone from ‘Double Science’ (Science + Additional)? (3)

• Physics P1 and P2– Electromagnetic forces P3– Electromagnetic induction P3– Sound and ultrasound P3– Seismic waves– Tectonics C1– Solar system– Satellites P3– Life history of a star P3

11

What has gone from Additional Content in Separate Sciences

• Biology– Moving and feeding– Controlling disease (except kidney)– Blood grouping

• Chemistry– Alcohols and Carboxylic acids– Industrial

• Physics– Electronics– Momentum P2

12

New topics• Biology

– B1• Diet including obesity, cholesterol• Testing and using of drugs• Infection control• Indicator species

– B2• Enzymes (from Chemistry)• Stem cells

– B3• Biogenesis

13

New topics (2)• Chemistry

– C1• Alloys• Plant oils• Some tectonics (from Physics)

– C2• Nanotechnology• Quantitative chemistry include mole and

atom economy– C3

• Measuring energy changes

14

New topics (3)

• Physics– P1

• Advantages and disadvantages of different types of telescope

– P2• Momentum (from Separate Physics)

– P3• Mirrors and prisms