revision booklet 2017 summer - Shirley High School Form/revision booklet 2017 summer... · Some...

SUMMER 2017

Dear Students/Parents/Carers

Enclosed in this booklet is information relating to the forthcoming A2 & AS public examinations. These will commence on Friday 5 May 2 017 (resit GCSE English) with study leave for Year 12 commencing from 3pm on Friday 12 May 2017 and for Year 13 on Friday 26 May 2017. Year 12 return from study leave on Tu esday 13 June 2017 at 8.30am. An exam timetable is included within the booklet for y our information.

The main purpose of this booklet is to give student s information on what topics they need to revise prior to the examinations. Some departmen ts have given students revision topics in more depth through individual leaflets.

In order to be successful, students should try to s et aside time every day to revise; in this booklet are some suggested revision techniques. Stu dents must make sure they are fully prepared for each exam with several black pens, pen cils, ruler, rubber and calculator when required.

Teachers are running after school, weekend and holi day revision sessions. Please encourage your son/daughter to attend. It is import ant that students take note of the start times for their exams and arrive early for each. Al l A2 & AS exams take place in the Sixth Form Block. On the morning or afternoon of an exam ination they will be met outside Mrs Kelly’s office, given bottles of water to take into the exam centre, some sweets for sustenance and be reminded of the demands of the ex am by their subject teacher.

During study leave students will come into school f or lessons and examinations only. They MUST sign in and sign out with Mrs Kell y in the C block, when on site, for either a lesson or an examination. BTEC students will need to be in school for all lessons but during independent study periods may go home to wor k, as the study centre will be used for examinations throughout this time. If a studen t wishes to remain on site to revise or complete coursework, provision will be made in eith er C block or the LRC for them to do so. Whilst in school for lessons or examinations A LL Year 12 & Year 13 students MUST follow the sixth form dress code and wear their lan yards.

I wish all students the very best in their examinat ions and if you have any queries please do not hesitate to contact me at [email protected] .

Yours faithfully

Ms B Doherty

Vice Principal – KS5

Recommended Revision Techniques

• Drawing ‘spider maps’ on large pieces o f paper – to show how different parts of a subject hang together.

• Use pictures and big flip-chart sheets and colour to make posters with key points and display these on walls or where you will see th em regularly.

• Put revision aids up around the house – especially for ‘rote learning’ – chemical or mathematical formulae, French verbs – read them at every opportunity.

• Record yourself making 10 key points ab out a particular topic, then play it back when you are travelling, running etc.

• Highlight key areas of notes or book (i f yours), picking out the key points or summaries.

• Read a page and shut the book – what ca n you remember?

• Tell someone about what you have learne d – explain how the heart works over a meal (or perhaps stick to something less gory)

• Get people around you to test you on ‘r ote knowledge’ – have a family quiz.

• Mnemonics are also useful – make up a s illy sentence to help you remember the order of something e.g. never eat shredded wheat (n orth, east, south, west).

• Flash cards – use index (small) cards t o write down key points on a topic, questions with answers on the back and test yourself or test someone else. Highlight key words.

• When you have revised and revisited eac h topic, have a go at some old exam questions – subject teachers will happily give thes e out. These can also be found on the exam board websites:

Web.aqa.org.uk/exams-office/exams-guidance/qp-ms_fi nder.php

Elewebvip.edexcel.org/pastpapers

www.oce.org.uk/i-want-to/prepare-and-practice/pastpapers-finder

Examination Timetable

Day Start Length Board Code Title Level

Fri 5 May 13:30 01:45 CIE 0522/01 ENG IGCSE Reading Passage [Core] GCSE resit Y12/13 RESIT

Fri 5 May 13:30 02:00 CIE 0522/02 ENG IGCSE Reading Passages [Ext] GCSE resit Y12/13 RESIT

Wed 10 May 13:30 02:00 CIE 0522/03 ENG IGCSE Directed Writing +Composition GCSE resit Y12/13 RESIT

Mon 15 May 08:30 01:45 WJEC/GCSE 44510001 RS Religion & Lif Life Issues GCSE Y11

Mon 15 May 08:30 00:45 AQA DRAM1A Drama & Theatre Studies Unit 1A GCE AS legacy resits only

Mon 15 May 09:30 00:45 AQA DRAM1B Drama & Theatre Studies Unit 1B GCE AS legacy resits only

Mon 15 May 13:30 01:30 AQA 7181/1 Psychology AS Paper 1 GCE AS new

Tue 16 May 08:30 01:30 AQA 7191/1 Sociology AS Paper 1 GCE AS new

Tue 16 May 13:30 01:30 AQA 7036/1 Geography AS Paper 1 GCE AS new

Tue 16 May 13:30 01:30 OCR F761/01 Geog: Mangng Physcl Envrnmnts Wrttn GCE AS legacy resits only

Wed 17 May 08:30 01:30 EDEXL/GCE 6663 01 MATHS Core C1 GCE AS GCE AS

Wed 17 May 13:30 01:30 AQA SC02 Applied Science Unit 2 GCE GCE AS legacy resits only

Thu 18 May 08:30 02:00 OCR G322/01 Media Studies: Media Cncpts TV Writn GCE AS

Thu 18 May 13:30 01:30 AQA 42401 Drama Unit 1 GCSE Y11

Thu 18 May 13:30 01:30 AQA 7131/1 Business AS Paper 1 GCE AS new

Fri 19 May 08:30 02:30 EDEXL/GCE 6RU02 Russian 2 Written GCE Y13

Fri 19 May 08:30 01:30 AQA 7711/1 English Literature A AS Paper 1 GCE AS new

Fri 19 May 13:30 01:30 AQA 48903 Physical Education Unit 3 GCSE Y11

Fri 19 May 13:30 01:30 AQA 7036/2 Geography AS Paper 2 GCE AS new

Fri 19 May 13:30 01:30 OCR F762/01 Geog: Mngng Chng in Human Envts Wrtn GCE AS legacy resits only

Mon 22 May 08:30 01:30 AQA 7701/1 English Language AS Paper 1 GCE AS new

Mon 22 May 08:30 01:45 AQA 8702/1 English Literature Paper 1 GCSE Y11

Mon 22 May 08:30 02:00 AQA PROD1 D & T: Product Des [3D-Des] Unit 1 GCE GCE AS

Mon 22 May 13:30 01:30 OCR B561/01 Geog B: Sustain Dcsn Mkng Wrttn Fnd GCSE Y11

Mon 22 May 13:30 01:30 AQA 7181/2 Psychology AS Paper 2 GCE AS new

Tue 23 May 08:30 01:30 AQA 48101 Media Studies Unit 1 GCSE Y11

Tue 23 May 08:30 01:30 AQA 7191/2 Sociology AS Paper 2 GCE AS new

Wed 24 May 08:30 01:30 EDEXL/GCE 6664 01 MATHS Core C2 GCE AS GCE AS

Wed 24 May 08:30 01:00 AQA 413001 Business Studies Unit 1 GCSE Y11

Wed 24 May 13:30 01:30 AQA 7711/2 English Literature A AS Paper 2 GCE AS new

Thu 25 May 13:30 01:30 EDEXL/GCE 8BN0 01 BIOLOGY AS Lifestyle Transport Genes GCE AS new

Fri 26 May 08:30 02:30 EDEXL/GCE F889 Turkish LISTENING/Reading/Writing 1 GCE Y12

Thu 25 May 08:30 01:45 EDEXL/GCSE 1MA0 1F Maths Non Calculator [F] RESIT GCSE resit Y12/13 RESIT

Thu 25 May 08:30 01:45 EDEXL/GCSE 1MA0 1H Maths Non Calculator [H] RESIT GCSE resit Y12/13 RESIT

Thu 25 May 08:30 01:30 EDEXL/GCSE 1MA1 1F Maths 9-1 Non Calculator [F] GCSE Y11

Fri 26 May 08:30 01:30 AQA 7701/2 English Language AS Paper 2 GCE AS new

Fri 26 May 08:30 02:15 AQA 8702/2 English Literature Paper 2 GCSE Y11

Fri 26 May 08:30 01:30 OCR H032/01 Chemistry A: Breadth in Chemistry Wtn GCE AS new

Fri 26 May 13:30 02:15 CIE 9093/31 ENG LANG A LEVEL Text Analysis 31 GCE A2

Fri 26 May 13:30 01:30 AQA 7131/2 Business AS Paper 2 GCE AS new

Mon 5 Jun 08:30 02:15 WJEC/GCE 12410001 IT1 Info. & Communication Tech. GCE AS

Mon 5 Jun 13:30 02:30 OCR F763/01 Geog A2: Global Issues Written Paper GCE A2 Legacy

Tue 6 Jun 13:30 01:30 EDEXL/GCE 8BN0 02 BIOLOGY AS Dev. Plants & Environment GCE AS new

Wed 7 Jun 08:30 01:30 EDEXL/GCE 6683 01 MATHS Statistics S1 GCE AS GCE AS

Wed 7 Jun 08:30 02:00 OCR G325/01 Media Studies: Crtl Prspt Media Wrtn GCE A2

Wed 7 Jun 08:30 03:00 AQA PLSH2 Polish Unit 2 GCE Y12

Wed 7 Jun 13:30 02:15 CIE 9093/41 ENG LANG A LEVEL Language Topics 41 GCE A2

Wed 7 Jun 13:30 02:00 AQA 7182/1 Psychology ADV Paper 1 GCE A new

Wed 7 Jun 13:30 01:45 WJEC/GCSE 44520001 RS Religion & Hum Human Experience GCSE Y11

Thu 8 Jun 08:30 01:45 EDEXL/GCSE 1MA0 2F Maths Calculator [F] RESIT GCSE resit Y12/13 RESIT

Thu 8 Jun 08:30 01:45 EDEXL/GCSE 1MA0 2H Maths Calculator [H] RESIT GCSE resit Y12/13 RESIT

Thu 8 Jun 08:30 01:30 EDEXL/GCSE 1MA1 2F Maths 9-1 Calculator [F] GCSE Y11

Thu 8 Jun 13:30 02:00 AQA 7192/1 Sociology ADV Paper 1 GCE A new

Fri 9 Jun 08:30 02:15 EDEXL/GCE 9HI0 1C History - Britain 1625-1701 GCE A new

Fri 9 Jun 08:30 02:00 AQA PROD3 D & T: Product Des [3D-Des] Unit 3 GCE A2

Fri 9 Jun 08:30 01:00 AQA BL2FP Biology Unit 2 Tier F GCSE Y11

Fri 9 Jun 13:30 01:30 OCR H032/02 Chemistry A: Depth in Chemistry Wtn GCE AS new

Fri 9 Jun 13:30 01:30 OCR F764/01 Geog A2: Geographical Sklls Written GCE A2 Legacy

Mon 12 Jun 08:30 01:45 AQA 8700/2 English Language Paper 2 GCSE Y11

Mon 12 Jun 13:30 02:00 AQA 7132/1 Business ADV Paper 1 GCE A new

Mon 12 Jun 13:30 Internal Internal PE PPE GCE PPE PPE Y12

Mon 12 Jun 13:30 Internal Internal Hist Paper 1 PPE GCE PPE PPE Y12

Wed 14 Jun 08:30 01:30 EDEXL/GCE 6667 01 MATHS Mechanics M1 GCE A2 GCE A2

Wed 14 Jun 08:30 Internal Internal Drama PPE GCE PPE PPE Y12

Wed 14 Jun 08:30 Internal Internal Hist paper 2 PPE GCE PPE PPE Y12

Wed 14 Jun 13:30 02:00 AQA 7182/2 Psychology ADV Paper 2 GCE A new

Thu 15 Jun 08:30 03:00 AQA 7712/1 English Literature A ADV P1 GCE A new

Thu 15 Jun 08:30 01:30 AQA SC14 Applied Science Unit 14 GCE GCE A2 legacy

Thu 15 Jun 13:30 02:00 AQA 7192/2 Sociology ADV Paper 2 GCE A new

Fri 16 Jun 08:30 01:30 EDEXL/GCE 9HI0 2C History - France & Russia Rev 1894-1924 GCE A new

Fri 16 Jun 08:30 01:00 AQA PH2FP Physics Unit 2 Tier F GCSE Y11

Fri 16 Jun 08:30 02:30 WJEC/GCE 12430001 IT3 Info. & Communication Tech. GCE A2

Mon 19 Jun 08:30 02:00 AQA 7132/2 Business ADV Paper 2 GCE A new

Tue 20 Jun 13:30 02:00 AQA 7192/3 Sociology ADV Paper 3 GCE A new

Tue 20 Jun 13:30 01:30 EDEXL/GCE 6665 01 MATHS Core C3 GCE A2 GCE A2

Tue 20 Jun 13:30 02:00 AQA 45501 D & T: Graphic Products Unit 1 GCSE Y11

Wed 21 Jun 08:30 02:15 EDEXL/GCE 9HI0 39 History - Usa Rights & Change in UK GCE A new

Wed 21 Jun 08:30 02:30 EDEXL/GCE 6RU04 Russian 4 Writing Resp & Research GCE Y13

Thu 22 Jun 08:30 02:30 AQA 7712/2B English Literature A ADV P2 Opt B GCE A new

Thu 22 Jun 08:30 01:30 AQA J/507/6497 Key Concepts in Science APPLIED GENERAL APP GEN L3 Y12/13

Thu 22 Jun 13:30 02:00 AQA 7182/3 Psychology ADV Paper 3 GCE A new

Fri 23 Jun 08:30 02:00 AQA DRAM3 Drama and Theatre Studies Unit 3 GCE A2 GCE A2

Fri 23 Jun 08:30 01:30 EDEXL/GCE 6666 01 MATHS Core C4 GCE A2 GCE A2

Fri 23 Jun 13:30 02:00 AQA 7132/3 Business ADV Paper 3 GCE A new

Mon 26 Jun 13:30 01:30 AQA R/507/6499 Science in the modern world APPLIED GENERAL APP GEN L3 Y12/13

CONTENTS

APPLIED SCIENCE

BIOLOGY

BUSINESS STUDIES

DESIGN &TECHNOLOGY – PRODUCT DESIGN

DRAMA AND THEATRE STUDIES

ENGLISH LANGUAGE

ENGLISH LITERATURE

GEOGRAPHY

HISTORY

ICT

MATHEMATICS

MEDIA STUDIES

PSYCHOLOGY

SOCIOLOGY

AS Applied Science Unit 2: Energy transfer systems( Legacy).

Exam Board AQA

Specification AQA AS Applied Science Unit 2 Energy transfer systems

Syllabus content

The structure of the heart and the characteristic features of arteries, veins and capillaries; how

heart rate is affected by nervous inputs; how blood pressure changes with the activity of the body;

the structure of the lungs, how breathing movements are brought about by muscles; how gases are

exchanged between the atmosphere and the blood, through the respiratory surfaces of the lungs;

how pulse rate, breathing rate and tidal volume change in response to changes in carbon dioxide

and oxygen levels in the blood; how the vital capacity of the lungs may be affected by regular

exercise or by lack of exercise; homeostatic mechanisms for controlling body temperature; how

to plan laboratory investigations to investigate the above and evaluate their effectiveness.

You should be aware of how the following physiological indicators are measured:

pulse rate and/or heartbeat; blood pressure (using a manual or an electronic digital

sphygmomanometer); breathing rate; tidal volume and vital capacity of the lungs (using a simple

spirometer, which can also be used to measure the rate of oxygen consumption); peak expiratory

flow rate (using a peak flow meter).

These normal values have to be known by heart

Breathing:

breathing rate 12–15 breaths per min

tidal volume 400–500 cm3

vital capacity (male) 4.8 dm3 vital capacity (female) 3.1 dm3 peak flow 400–600 dm3 min−1

Blood pressure:

18-year-old male 120/80 mm Hg



Females usually have slightly lower blood pressure:

20-year-old female 123/80 mm Hg

40-year-old female 133/85 mm Hg

Pulse rate: typical range of pulse rate is 60–80 beats per minute

For each instrument you should be able to:

recognise a normal trace, or the average value in the case of a peak flow meter, and describe

what it shows; recognise traces for a normal heartbeat, sinus tachycardia, bradycardia, sinus

arrhythmia and ventricular fibrillation; describe what such traces show

The range of body temperatures measured in the mouth: normal 36.8°C ; range 36.5–37.2°C death below 25°C hypothermia 32°C fever above 37.2°C heat exhaustion or heat stroke likely if above 38°C in absence of infection high temperatures that above 43°C would lead to death How temperature is controlled and regulated by the nervous system, the circulatory system and the skin. You should be able to describe the temperature control mechanisms of sweating, vasodilation, vasoconstriction and shivering; the circumstances in which particular individuals may be at risk of hypothermia, heat exhaustion or heat stroke.

The process of respiration

You should know: • that respiration involves chemical reactions that use oxygen; • the balanced chemical equation for aerobic respiration and be able to identify any waste products produced; • how respiration can be investigated in the laboratory.

Ethical issues relating to the monitoring, diagnosis and treatment of the

circulatory and respiratory systems . Examples of some ethical issues you should be aware of are: • treatment of self-inflicted problems; • whether the cost of treatment should affect treatment options; • turning off life support systems; • transplants; • withholding distressing information from patients; • using human beings as subjects for investigations and clinical trials.

Imaging methods used in monitoring and diagnosis • X-rays (including CAT scans); • ultrasound; • magnetic resonance imaging (MRI); • radioactive tracers. For each of these you should know the advantages and disadvantages of using each method and suggest, with reasons, which methods could be used in particular situations.

Applications of Energy transfer.

You should be able to design, carry out and evaluate investigations related to forces, momentum, power, energy, energy transfer, efficiency and thermal transfer linked to the content given below. You should: • know about the role of energy in respiration;

• be able to apply knowledge of energy transfer involving other forms of energy, for example, sound, kinetic, potential, electrical and chemical to a variety of situations; • use the formulae given below to calculate energy change and comment on the significance of the results obtained in any calculations potential energy (Ep) = mass (m) × acceleration (g) × height (h) due to gravity kinetic energy (Ek) = ½ × mass (m) × velocity2 (v2) • explain the effects of friction on effective energy transfer; • understand how momentum changes in collisions; • understand the effect of impulse in a collision, how materials and products are manufactured to increase the impact time and reduce the overall effect of the collision; • compare the energy input and work done in a variety of real-life situations and understand that the work done is equal to the energy transferred; • understand that power is the rate of transferring energy. Power can be calculated using the formula power (P) = energy transferred or work done time taken be able to calculate the cost of using electrical appliances using the formula cost (C) = power (P) × time (t) × cost per unit (u) and compare the cost of using a variety of appliances; • understand the meaning of the term efficiency, how it is calculated and the use and manipulation of the formula efficiency (%) = Useful energy output total energy input You should be able to plan, carry out and evaluate simple experiments relating to the calculation of efficiency. You will need to be aware of the limits to the efficiency of energy transfer and consider the most economical methods of transferring energy: • know that when designing various machines and heating systems, consideration of the most economical methods of transferring energy will be required; • know that there is a fundamental limit to the efficiency of some systems – such as heat exchangers and refrigerators – which depends on the limiting temperatures in which they are working; • know how the rate of energy transfer and temperature of a system can be controlled; • know and understand how energy is transferred in the three thermal transfer mechanisms – conduction, convection and radiation; • know which types of materials are good at transferring heat energy by each of these mechanisms and how heat loss through each of these mechanisms can be controlled; • know which types of materials are poor at transferring heat energy by each of these mechanisms and how heat loss through each mechanism can be controlled; • be able to apply this knowledge to temperature regulation in the body, in buildings and in the wider environment. A knowledge of U-values, as used in the construction industry, is a requirement for this; • be able to describe how automatic feedback can control the temperature of a system;

• know how electricity is generated from a variety of energy sources – including coal, nuclear power, hydroelectric power, biogas and solar power – and comment of the relative advantages and disadvantages of each; • know some of the problems, both large and small scale, caused by wasteful energy transfer and be able to suggest some methods of reducing this waste; • be able to discuss practical methods of reducing wasteful energy transfer and consider the social, environmental and financial consequences of using energy inefficiently. Revision strategies

1) Use the Unit 2 Workbook and your question packs to ensure you know all the information

(A01). All our lesson powerpoints are on Fronter as well. Make revision cards/ post it notes

for key processes and definitions. Learn them. Make sure you only use correct scientific

vocabulary when answering questions.

2) Make mindmaps to link the information in a topic together and then use these to make

connections required for A03 and A04. This is essential if you are to achieve a C and above.

Then use these to complete the practice papers. Don’t use the mark schemes. Practice finding

and highlighting the key command words and numeric information in questions so that you

focus in on what the question requires you to do. Get a member of staff to check longer

answers to ensure you are writing in a scientific way.

3) List all the practicals and review these on You tube so you review how the practical was

carried out, what the findings were and any ethical issues.

4) Experience has shown that students MUST know the content covered thoroughly to ensure

that a C pass grade can be achieved. Particular issues are normal body data, cardiac cycle,

homeostatic processes, the formulae, heat transfer processes and the meaning of U values.

Students also find momentum questions challenging.

5) Work as a team to revise, use some of the revision games and strategies you learned in the

revision conference so parents can test your knowledge.

Make sure you have a functioning calculator, a pencil and a ruler for both examinations.

Year 13 APPLIED SCIENCE

Unit 14: The healthy body

Syllabus content summary

You need to Know

• How the cardiovascular and pulmonary systems as part of the respiratory process obtain ATP

from food;

• why the respiratory process is so important to the functioning of all cells in the body;

• The application of physiological measurements in one of the following:

- dietary management in hospitals and in the community – for example Health Action Zones

- health and fitness management in a sporting context – for example football, swimming, athletics,

hockey, netball and basketball

- fitness screening and management in sport centres and swimming pools – for example induction

screening for new clients; GP referrals of patients recovering from heart attacks;

• How monitoring the cardiovascular and pulmonary systems, and analysis of blood samples provides

healthcare workers and sport scientists with information about a person’s state of health and/or

fitness;

• How sports physiologists can investigate the ways in which the body responds biochemically to

different exercise regimes – for example sprinting and long distance running;

• How cells obtain energy from respiration and how this process is linked to the activity of the body

as a whole;

• The structure and function of the digestive system and the components of a balanced diet;

•Some of the substances carried by the blood and how the levels of these substances vary and are

regulated

Exam tips.

• Review all the lesson using the PowerPoints on fronter.

• Make your own summary notes using the PowerPoints and your revision book

• Display your summary notes either as a PowerPoint, mind map, revision cards.

• Complete all the questions in your question pack

• Marked all questions using the mark scheme in the AQA website

• Write exam questions to test on other students.

• Teach each other a topic of the syllabus.

Year 12 Applied General Science certificate 2017

Unit content Key concepts in the application of biology 1(a) Cell structure Cell biologists explore the development and functions of cells and their related systems and interactions. Their work may include developing and testing new pharmaceuticals, diagnosing and screening diseases, testing foods and cosmetics to ensure their safety, developing fertility treatments, and carrying out cancer research, neurological research, genetic engineering, or embryology. Learners will develop their knowledge and understanding of the following key concepts and theirapplications: •• the ultrastructure of eukaryotic and prokaryotic cells on electron micrographs, to include nuclei,smooth endoplasmic reticulum (SER), rough endoplasmic reticulum (RER), mitochondria, vesicles,lysosomes, Golgi apparatus, chloroplasts, vacuoles, cell walls, ribosomes (70S and 80S), flagella,nucleoid, plasmids, mesosomes, pili, slime capsules •• the differences between eukaryotic and prokaryotic cell structure •• the functions of nuclei, SER, RER, mitochondria, vesicles, lysosomes, Golgi apparatus, chloroplasts, vacuoles, cell walls, ribosomes, flagella, nucleoid, plasmids, mesosomes, pili, slime capsules •• nucleic acid structure (DNA/RNA) •• calculating magnification or object size using: magnification =observed size/actual size 1(b) Transport mechanisms Those working in the pharmaceutical industry need to understand how substances are absorbed and transported in cells. Knowledge of these mechanisms has applications in the development of drug therapies to treat cancer, dementia, diabetes and HIV, and in the production of amino acids for food products. Learners will develop their knowledge and understanding of the following key concepts and their applications: •• the structure of cell membranes as a phospholipid bilayer with proteins interspersed •• the function of intrinsic proteins, including their role in facilitated diffusion and active transport •• the function of extrinsic proteins.

1(c) The heart Those working in cardiac sciences diagnose and monitor diseases that affect the structure andfunction of the heart, carry out exercise stress testing to determine whether the blood vessels supplying the heart are working properly, and programme pacemaker devices to ensure that they function correctly. Learners will develop their knowledge and understanding of the following key concepts and their applications: •• key structures of the heart, including bicuspid valve, tricuspid valve, mitral valves, sinoatrial node (SAN), atrioventricular node (AVN), Purkinje fibres, bundle of His •• myogenic stimulation of the heart •• the role of the SAN, AVN, Purkinje fibres and bundle of His in cardiac stimulation •• the role of carbon dioxide chemoreceptors and baroreceptors in controlling heart rate •• artificial pacemakers as treatment for arrhythmia (abnormal heart rate), and how they work to re-establish normal heart rate

•• the advantages and disadvantages of different types of artificial pacemakers. conceptsn the

application of biology

1(d) Homeostasis Health professionals need to be able to relate the principles of homeostasis to health and illness, and maintaining a patient’s homeostasis is one of the most important roles of a nurse. Many of the tests that a nurse performs on a patient, such as measuring temperature or blood pressure, determine whether the patient’s body is in homeostasis or in distress. Nurses need to know about the importance of maintaining insulin levels in people suffering from diabetes, in order to prevent severe consequences of blood sugar imbalance. Learners will develop their knowledge and understanding of the following key concepts and their applications: •• how homeostasis involves physiological control systems that maintain the internal environment within restricted limits: •• body temperature range (35.8 – 37.5 °C) •• blood glucose range (82 – 110 mg/dL) •• blood pH range (7.35 – 7.45) •• negative feedback as a homeostatic mechanism, eg controlling water retention using anti-diuretichormone (ADH, also known as vasopressin) produced by the pituitary gland •• the role of different hormones in body function, including: •• insulin •• glucagon •• ADH •• aldosterone •• the roles of the pancreas and liver in regulating blood glucose concentration •• the body’s normal system for regulating blood glucose concentration: •• the action of insulin in activating enzymes to convert glucose to glycogen •• the action of glucagon in activating enzymes to convert glycogen to glucose •• the action of adrenaline in activating enzymes to convert glycogen to glucose •• the causes of Types I and II diabetes •• the control of Types I and II diabetes •• how health professionals and patients with diabetes use physiological measurements to inform diagnosis and treatment of diabetes, including the use of: •• fasting glucose levels •• urine dipsticks •• blood glucose ‘pinprick’ tests •• the roles of the hypothalamus, pituitary and ADH in osmoregulation •• the different parts of the nephron and their roles, including: •• Bowman’s capsule as an ultrafiltration unit •• convoluted tubules in selective reabsorption of glucose, sodium ions and water •• the roles of the adrenal cortex, convoluted tubules and aldosterone in the reabsorption of sodium ions •• the consequences of sodium chloride (salt) deficiency in the short term, and the long-term effects on health •• the circumstances in which certain people may be at risk of losing too much salt •• why excess salt in the diet might create health problems •• the consequences of excess/deficiency of ions and hormones on health.

1(e) Breathing and cellular respiration

An understanding of respiration is vital to many scientists and healthcare professionals. Biochemists can analyse the rates of cellular respiration in samples of tissues. Sport physiologists can determine whether an individual is respiring aerobically or anaerobically using non-invasive methods. Engineers use their understanding of cellular respiration to clean up contamination in the environment, using cells which convert contaminants into energy. Learners will develop their knowledge and understanding of the following key concepts and their applications: •• the distinction between breathing and cellular respiration: •• breathing as a physical, external process •• cellular respiration as a chemical, internal process •• methods of monitoring the respiratory system (breathing rate and volumes) •• how, during cellular respiration, adenosine triphosphate (ATP) is produced by phosphorylation, in which a phosphate group is added to a molecule of adenosine diphosphate (ADP) •• how ATP is used to release energy for cell activity •• the stages in respiration of glucose that result in the production of ATP, and the site of each process: •• glycolysis (in the cell cytoplasm) •• Krebs cycle (in the mitochondria) •• electron transfer chain (in the mitochondria) •• the process of glycolysis, to include: •• phosphorylation of glucose to glucose phosphate, using ATP •• production of triose phosphate (TP) •• oxidation of TP to pyruvate with a net gain of ATP and reduced nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide NAD (NADH) •• the process of the Krebs cycle, to include: •• pyruvate is converted to acetyl coenzyme A (acetyl-CoA) which enters the Krebs cycle •• acetyl-CoA reacts with a four-carbon molecule, to form a six-carbon molecule •• a series of oxidation-reduction reactions generates reduced coenzymes and ATP, and carbon dioxide is lost •• the process of the electron transfer chain, to include: •• reduced NAD (NADH) or reduced flavine adenine dinucleotide FAD (FADH2) release hydrogen atoms which provide electrons to transfer down the electron transfer chain •• as electrons are passed down the chain, energy is released which is used to phosphorylate ADP to ATP •• the final acceptor of the electrons is oxygen, which forms water •• the amount of ATP that can be produced from aerobic and anaerobic pathways •• what is meant by basal metabolic rate (BMR) and how it can be determined by direct or indirect methods •• the differences in BMR for males and females, and for different age groups of both genders, using secondary data. 1(f) Photosynthesis and food chain productivity Many scientists try to understand and control the photosynthetic process in order to increase crop yields and health, producing plants that are tolerant to insects, drought and disease. Knowledge of photosynthesis in plants can also be adapted to man-made systems to provide efficient ways to collect and use solar energy. Learners will develop their knowledge and understanding of the following key concepts and their applications: •• photosynthesis as a process of organic carbon capture, to include: •• essential raw materials and their sources

•• two stages in photosynthesis: light-dependent (water hydrolysed into oxygen and hydrogen) and light-independent (hydrogen combines with carbon dioxide to produce carbohydrate) •• initial conversion to carbohydrates and subsequent conversions to lipids and proteins •• green plants (producers) as the initiators of food chains •• efficiency of food chains, to include: •• constraints •• solar, temperature, water, nutrient and space availability for plants •• energy transfer out of the food chain through respiration, excretion and movement •• gross primary production (GPP) •• net primary production (NPP) •• biomass/energy pyramids to demonstrate productivity •• advantages/disadvantages of following a meat-free/reduced meat diet.

2(a) Atomic structure Scientists working in any area of chemical industry or research require a firm understanding of atomic structure and electron configurations and their use in providing the fundamental basis for chemical structures and reactions. Radiographers, environmental chemists and archaeologists all make use of specific isotopes in their work. Analytical chemists use UV/visible spectra and flame emission spectra to help characterise substances and colorimetry as a quantitative analytical technique. The origin of colour in compounds is of great importance in the dye-, pigment-, and paint-based industries and to development chemists researching new products. Learners will develop their knowledge and understanding of the following key concepts and their applications: •• atomic structure in terms of protons, neutrons and electrons, and their relative charges and relative masses •• the terms atomic (proton) number (Z), mass number (A), isotope, isotopic abundance •• electron configurations for atoms and ions up to Z = 36 in terms of shells •• the origin of coloured flame emission spectra and of colour in transition metal compounds in terms of electron transitions •• calculating relative atomic mass, relative molecular mass and relative formula mass in terms of 12 C. 2(b) The Periodic Table The patterns evident in the Periodic Table enable industrial and research and development chemists to predict properties and potential new applications of elements, from the inert nature of the noble gases to semiconductor properties of Group 4 (14), to the many applications and uses of the transition metals. Learners will develop their knowledge and understanding of the following key concepts and their applications: •• that the Periodic Table lists elements in increasing order of proton number •• how each row is equivalent to the filling of an electron shell up to two (in row 1) or eight electrons •• how each column or group contains elements with the same number of outer shell electrons and thus •• similar chemical properties •• how each row begins with a highly reactive alkali metal (Group I) and ends with a noble gas (Group 0 (18)) •• how, across a period (row), properties of elements change from metallic to non-metallic •• the properties (including radii, ionisation energy and electronegativity) of: •• the s-block elements •• the d-block metals (including the transition metals and their coloured compounds in solution)

•• Group VII (17), the halogens •• Group 0 (18), the noble gases.

2(c) Amount of substance Chemical engineers and synthetic chemists rely on their knowledge of mole and reaction stoichiometries to determine reacting masses and yields for large-scale industrial production of chemicals. Analytical chemists also apply similar concepts in quantitative analysis, together with the selection of correct reagents to ensure accuracy of outcomes. Learners will develop their knowledge and understanding of the following key concepts and their applications: •• the mole as the amount of a substance that always contains the same number of entities (eg atoms, molecules, ions, electrons) •• the relationship between mass of substance and amount in moles, moles = mass Mr

•• the relationship between volume of gas at RTP and STP and amount in moles, PV = nRT •• concentrations of solutions in terms of mol dm–3 and g dm–3

•• molecular formulas •• empirical formulas •• calculating empirical formulas •• writing balanced equations for typical reactions including: •• acid–base neutralisation •• thermal decomposition •• acid/metal •• acid/carbonate •• precipitation •• combustion reactions •• calculating reacting masses based on correct stoichiometries •• equivalence point of an acid–base titration •• how the choice of indicator for an acid–base titration depends on the types (strengths) of acid and base used and the resulting pH titration curve •• calculating unknown concentrations and volumes from results involving volumetric analysis (limited to acid–base titrations); moles = vol (dm3) x concentration (mol dm–3) •• plotting and interpreting pH curves.

2(d) Bonding and structure Materials scientists are involved in the applications of existing materials to new contexts, and the developments of new materials such as graphene-based nanomaterials. They need a knowledge and an understanding of the structures of those materials and the type and strength of forces present. Learners will develop their knowledge and understanding of the following key concepts and their applications: •• formulas for common cations •• formulas for common anions (sulfate, carbonate, nitrate, hydroxide) •• deducing formulas for ionic compounds •• ionic bonding and ionic crystal lattices in terms of strong electrostatic forces of attraction •• a covalent bond as a shared pair of electrons •• multiple bonds, neutral molecules, non-conductors and weak intermolecular forces of attraction •• metallic bonding •• structures of: •• ionic crystal lattices typified by sodium chloride, magnesium oxide •• metallic lattices typified by magnesium

•• covalent structures typified by iodine, methane, carbon dioxide •• giant covalent structures (macromolecular), eg diamond, graphite, graphene, fullerene •• predicting types of bonding for compounds given their typical properties and vice versa •• typical properties based on the type of bonding, particles present and forces between particles •• common physical properties of materials related to their structure and bonding, to include: •• electrical conductivity •• melting point and boiling point •• volatility •• solubility in water •• non-polar solvents •• drawing diagrams to represent: •• a named ionic lattice •• a generalised metallic lattice •• an alloy •• giant covalent structures, including silicon, graphite, graphene.

2(e) Enthalpy changes The knowledge of enthalpy changes and the applications of Hess’s Law are important in many areas of scientific research and industry. Biotechnologists develop new fuels such as biodiesel and must compare their energy values with other types of fuel. Development scientists working in the food industry analyse new products for their calorific value and these will also be checked by chemical analysts working for Trading Standards. Chemical engineers in industry will apply Hess’s Law to enable the calculation of enthalpies of reaction in order to determine and better understand the likely effect of reaction conditions on yields. Learners will develop their knowledge and understanding of the following key concepts and their applications: •• energy profiles for exothermic and endothermic reactions •• activation energy using an energy profile •• types of enthalpy changes from equations (limited to combustion, neutralisation, formation and mean bond enthalpies) •• units for molar enthalpy change (kJ mol –1) •• enthalpy changes as the heat energy change (at constant pressure) •• enthalpy of formation, enthalpy of combustion and enthalpy of reaction, as represented by Δ f H, ΔcH and ΔrxH •• the term ‘mean bond enthalpy’ •• calculating enthalpy changes based on Hess’s Law cycles •• calculating enthalpy changes based on mean bond enthalpies and why these values are only approximate •• determining practically the molar enthalpy of combustion of a liquid fuel (eg ethanol) •• determining practically the molar enthalpy of neutralisation for a simple acid–base reaction,

Q=mcΔT

3(a) Useful energy and efficiency It is useful for energy consultants to be able to compare the efficiency of different devices in our homes and workplaces. Energy is transferred by different devices, and the rate at which energy is transferred is called ‘power’. Architects and energy consultants use U values to measure how effective different materials used in buildings are as insulators. That is, how effective they are at preventing heat energy from transmitting between the inside and the outside of a building. Many people are concerned about the environmental problems caused by traditional methods of producing electricity and by the potential dangers of nuclear fuels. These concerns have given rise to

the use of alternative methods for the generation of useful energy. Learners will develop their knowledge and understanding of the following key concepts and their applications: •• the meaning of ‘efficiency’ •• why efficiency is important and why a device can never be 100 % efficient •• methods of improving the efficiency of a system or device •• the formula: efficiency =useful energy or power output/total energy o

( )( r power) input •• the importance of efficiency in making the best use of available energy •• ways in which efficiency can be increased in mechanical and thermal systems •• examples of situations where thermal transfer needs to be maximised and situations where it needs to be minimised •• the meaning of U values •• the formula: U =QAt_T •• the generation of useful energy through the use of a range of different sources, such as: •• fossil fuels •• nuclear fuels •• renewable fuels such as: •• solar power (both heat and light) •• wind power •• wave power •• tidal power •• traditional hydroelectric power •• geothermal sources •• biomass •• the advantages and disadvantages of these sources and their suitability for use in a range ofcontexts •• experiments related to measurement of efficiency.

3(b) Electricity and circuits Electric circuits are found in a huge number of devices. Electrical and electronic engineers are able toalter the properties of an electrical circuit by adding different components.Learners will develop their knowledge and understanding of the following key concepts and theirapplications: •• calculating current, voltage, power and resistance in a range of electrical circuits •• calculating the heating effect of a current •• the formulas: I = Q/t P = IV I = V/R rate of heat loss = I 2 R •• the behaviour of electric current, voltage and resistance in series and parallel circuits •• calculating the total resistance of a circuit which contains resistors in series, resistors in paralleland a combination of both •• the formulas: R total = R1 + R2 + R3

1/R total = 1/R1 + 1/R2 + 1/R3

•• uses of potential divider circuits •• free electrons and the electrical behaviour of conductors and semiconductors

•• the effect of temperature on the resistance of conductors and semiconductors •• the behaviour of thermistors and light-dependent resistors (LDRs) •• graphs of V against I to find resistance •• graphs of voltage against current for a range of components including standard resistors,thermistors and lamps. 3(c) Dynamics Many types of scientists and engineers use Newton’s laws of motion to predict the motion and interaction of objects. For instance, automotive engineers when designing crumple zones in cars and sports scientists in suggesting improvements in athletic abilities. Learners will develop their knowledge and understanding of the following key concepts and their applications: •• application of Newton’s First Law of Motion to both stationary and moving objects •• inertia •• Newton’s Second Law of Motion •• the formula: F = ma •• weight = mg as an example of Newton’s Second Law of Motion •• Newton’s Third Law of Motion including its relationship to the Law of Conservation of Momentum •• the meaning of ‘momentum’ •• the formulas: p = mv F = Δp/t •• applying the Law of Conservation of Momentum to a range of situations including collisions and/or the motion of objects •• the formulas: (average) v = s/t v = u + at v2 = u2 + 2as s = ut + at 1 2 2

•• representing motion through the use of graphs of displacement against time and velocity againsttime •• calculating the gravitational potential energy of an object •• the formula: GPE = mgh •• calculating the kinetic energy of a moving object •• the formula: KE = mv 122

•• calculating the power of a mechanical system •• the formula: P = E/t

Science in the modern world

Unit content Topical scientific issues obtained from a variety of media sources Learners will develop their knowledge and understanding of the following key concepts and their applications:

•• topical scientific issues and the related scientific ideas •• interpretation of both textual and numerical scientific information from the media and demonstration of clear understanding of the content •• processing of data acquired from the media and determining the usefulness and appropriateness of these data •• presenting of data in an appropriate form.

The public perception of science and the influence that the media have Learners will develop their knowledge and understanding of the following key concepts and their applications: •• how scientific knowledge is developed and used when communicating with different audiences •• the differences in approach and style used by the media when communicating with scientists and wider society •• how scientists publish and share their work, including peer reviewing •• ways in which data, hypothesis, argument and theory are gained and used •• how society and the media interact with science; that the media give scientists a platform for explaining their work, and provide the public with a way to understand the key scientific features.

The ethical, moral, commercial, environmental, political and social issues involved in scientific

advances, and how these are represented in the media

Learners will develop their knowledge and understanding of the following key concepts and their

applications:

• The benefits and drawbacks of topical scientific advances and how these are represented in the

media, eg GM crops, fracking

• The environmental and commercial considerations associated with these advances, and any health

and safety implications

• The social, ethical and moral matters which might be raised by scientific advances, eg animal

research, drug trials, transplants

• How the media treat these social, ethical and moral issues

• The importance of national and/or local political pressure groups in influencing scientific

advancements.

The roles and responsibilities that science personnel carry out in the science industry Learners will

develop their knowledge and understanding of the following key concepts and their applications:

• The varied roles that scientists can perform in an organisation, including: • biologist (including

marine and zoologist)

• Biomedical scientist, including microbiologist

• chemist, including biochemistry and analysts • environmental scientist (ecologist) • geneticist •

material scientist

• Pharmacologist • physicist • product/process developer or technologist, eg polymers or food

(biotechnologist)

• Radiographer/radiologist • research scientist

• Scientific laboratory technician

• Sport and exercise scientist

• Toxicologist •

the scientifically-related skills, techniques and experience needed to undertake specific roles and

responsibilities within an organisation

• The roles and responsibilities associated with science personnel within an organisation

• The benefits of scientific roles to society • the relations between science personnel in an

organisation.

AS Biology Revision information

Examination Board Edexcel

Specification Context-led approach based on the Salters-Nuffield Advanced Biology Project.

http://qualifications.pearson.com/en/qualifications/edexcel-a-levels/biology-a-2015.html

Topic 1: Lifestyle, Health and Risk This topic builds on students’ knowledge and understanding of the

functioning of the circulatory system and the importance of lifestyle choices to health. The role of

diet and other lifestyle factors in maintenance of good health is considered with particular reference

to the heart and circulation and to cardiovascular disease (CVD). The structures and functions of

some carbohydrates and lipids are also detailed within this context. Ideas about correlation,

causation and the concept of risks to health are covered. Students should be encouraged to carry out

a range of practical experiments related to this topic in order to develop their practical skills. In

addition to the core practicals detailed below, possible experiments include heart dissection to relate

heart structure to function, investigation of the structure blood vessels by measuring the elastic

recoil of arteries and veins and by examining slides of blood vessels, measurement of blood pressure,

and investigation of the hydrolysis of disaccharides. Opportunities for developing mathematical skills

within this topic include calculating probabilities, plotting two variables from experimental data,

calculating % change, substituting numerical values into algebraic equations using appropriate units

for physical quantities, constructing and interpreting frequency tables and diagrams, bar charts and

histograms, translating information between graphical, numerical and algebraic forms and using

scatter diagrams to identify a correlation between two variables. (Please see Appendix 6:

Mathematical skills and exemplifications for further information.)

Students should:

1.1 Understand why many animals have a heart and circulation (mass transport to overcome limitations

of diffusion in meeting the requirements of organisms).

1.2 Understand the importance of water as a solvent in transport, including its dipole nature.

1.3 Understand how the structures of blood vessels (capillaries, arteries and veins) relate to their

functions.

1.4 i) Know the cardiac cycle (atrial systole, ventricular systole and cardiac diastole) and relate the

structure and operation of the mammalian heart, including the major blood vessels, to its function. ii)

Know how the relationship between heart structure and function can be investigated practically.

1.5 Understand the course of events that leads to atherosclerosis (endothelial dysfunction,

inflammatory response, plaque formation, raised blood pressure).

1.6 Understand the blood-clotting process (thromboplastin release, conversion of prothrombin to

thrombin and fibrinogen to fibrin) and its role in cardiovascular disease (CVD).

1.7 Know how factors such as genetics, diet, age, gender, high blood pressure, smoking and inactivity

increase the risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD).

1.8 Be able to analyse and interpret quantitative data on illness and mortality rates to determine

health risks, including distinguishing between correlation and causation and recognising conflicting

evidence.

Students should:

1.9 Be able to evaluate the design of studies used to determine health risk factors, including sample

selection and sample size used to collect data that is both valid and reliable.

1.10 Understand why people’s perceptions of risks are often different from the actual risks, including

underestimating and overestimating the risks due to diet and other lifestyle factors in the

development of heart disease.

1.11 i) Be able to analyse data on energy budgets and diet. ii) Understand the consequences of energy

imbalance, including weight loss, weight gain, and development of obesity.

1.12 i) Know the difference between monosaccharides, disaccharides and polysaccharides, including

glycogen and starch (amylose and amylopectin). ii) Be able to relate the structures of

monosaccharides, disaccharides and polysaccharides to their roles in providing and storing energy (β-

glucose and cellulose are not required in this topic).

1.13 Know how monosaccharides join to form disaccharides (sucrose, lactose and maltose) and

polysaccharides (glycogen and amylose) through condensation reactions forming glycosidic bonds, and

how these can be split through hydrolysis reactions.

1.14 i) Know how a triglyceride is synthesised by the formation of ester bonds during condensation

reactions between glycerol and three fatty acids. ii) Know the differences between saturated and

unsaturated lipids.

1.15 i) Be able to analyse and interpret data on the possible significance for health of blood

cholesterol levels and levels of high-density lipoproteins (HDLs) and low-density lipoproteins (LDLs).

ii) Know the evidence for a causal relationship between blood cholesterol levels (total cholesterol and

LDL cholesterol) and cardiovascular disease (CVD).

1.16 Understand how people use scientific knowledge about the effects of diet, including obesity

indicators, body mass index and waist-to-hip ratio, exercise and smoking to reduce their risk of

coronary heart disease.

CORE PRACTICAL 1: Investigate the effect of caffeine on heart rate in Daphnia.

1.17 Be able discuss the potential ethical issues regarding the use of invertebrates in research.

CORE PRACTICAL 2: Investigate the vitamin C content of food and drink.

1.18 Know the benefits and risks of treatments for cardiovascular disease (CVD) (antihypertensives,

statins, anticoagulants and platelet inhibitors).

Topic 2:

Topic 2: Genes and Health

This topic considers the following biological principles through the context of the genetic disease

cystic fibrosis: the properties of and transport of materials, across cell membranes and gas exchange

surfaces, DNA structure and replication, protein synthesis, enzymes and monohybrid inheritance

through the context of the genetic disease cystic fibrosis. The topic also allows for discussion of the

social and ethical issues surrounding the genetic screening for genetic conditions. Students should be

encouraged to carry out a range of practical experiments related to this topic in order to develop

their practical skills. In addition to the core practicals detailed below, possible experiments include

investigation of the effect of surface area to volume ratio on uptake by diffusion, examination of

slides of alveoli to observe the features that aid diffusion into the bloodstream, investigation of

osmosis and diffusion across membranes, and investigation of inheritance using, for example, corn

ears. Opportunities for developing mathematical skills within this topic include calculating areas of

circumferences and areas of circles, surface areas and volumes of rectangular blocks and spheres,

using ratios, fractions and percentages, plotting two variables from experimental or other data,

determining the slope and intercepts of a linear graph, understand that y=mx+c represents a linear

relationship, drawing and using the slope of a tangent to a curve as a measurement of rate of change,

understanding simple probability and completing a statistical test. (Please see Appendix 6:


Students should:

2.1 i) Know the properties of gas exchange surfaces in living organisms (large surface area to volume

ratio, thickness of surface, difference in concentration).

ii) Understand how the rate of diffusion is dependent on these properties and can be calculated using

Fick’s Law of Diffusion.

iii) Understand how the structure of the mammalian lung is adapted for rapid gaseous exchange.

2.2 i) Know the structure and properties of cell membranes.

ii) Understand how models such as the fluid mosaic model of cell membranes are interpretations of

data used to develop scientific explanations of the structure and properties of cell membranes.

CORE PRACTICAL 3: Investigate membrane structure, including the effect of alcohol concentration

or temperature on membrane permeability.

2.3 Understand what is meant by osmosis in terms of the movement of free water molecules through

a partially permeable membrane (consideration of water potential is not required).

2.4 i) Understand what is meant by passive transport (diffusion, facilitated diffusion), active

transport (including the role of ATP as an immediate source of energy), endocytosis and exocytosis.

ii) Understand the involvement of carrier and channel proteins in membrane transport. 2.5 i) Know the

basic structure of mononucleotides (deoxyribose or ribose linked to a phosphate and a base, including

thymine, uracil, cytosine, adenine or guanine) and the structures of DNA and RNA (polynucleotides

composed of mononucleotides linked through condensation reactions). ii) Know how complementary

base pairing and the hydrogen bonding between two complementary strands are involved in the

formation of the DNA double helix.

2.6 i) Understand the process of protein synthesis (transcription) including the role of RNA

polymerase, translation, messenger RNA, transfer RNA, ribosomes and the role of start and stop

codons. ii) Understand the roles of the DNA template (antisense) strand in transcription, codons on

messenger RNA and anticodons on transfer RNA.

2.7 Understand the nature of the genetic code (triplet code, non-overlapping and degenerate).

2.8 Know that a gene is a sequence of bases on a DNA molecule that codes for a sequence of amino

acids in a polypeptide chain.

2.9 i) Know the basic structure of an amino acid (structures of specific amino acids are not required).

ii) Understand the formation of polypeptides and proteins (amino acid monomers linked by peptide

bonds in condensation reactions).

iii) Understand the significance of a protein’s primary structure in determining its three-dimensional

structure and properties (globular and fibrous proteins and the types of bonds involved in its three-

dimensional structure).

iv) Know the molecular structure of a globular protein and a fibrous protein and understand how their

structures relate to their functions (including haemoglobin and collagen).

2.10 i) Understand the mechanism of action and the specificity of enzymes in terms of their three-

dimensional structure.

ii) Understand that enzymes are biological catalysts that reduce activation energy. iii) Know that

there are intracellular enzymes catalysing reactions inside cells and extracellular enzymes produced

by cells catalysing reactions outside of cells.

CORE PRACTICAL 4: Investigate the effect of enzyme and substrate concentrations on the initial

rates of reactions.

2.11 i) Understand the process of DNA replication, including the role of DNA polymerase. ii)

Understand how Meselson and Stahl’s classic experiment provided new data that supported the

accepted theory of replication of DNA and refuted competing theories.

2.12 i) Understand how errors in DNA replication can give rise to mutations. ii) Understand how cystic

fibrosis results from one of a number of possible gene mutations.

Students should:

2.13 i) Know the meaning of the terms: gene, allele, genotype, phenotype, recessive, dominant,

incomplete dominance, homozygote and heterozygote. ii) Understand patterns of inheritance,

including the interpretation of genetic pedigree diagrams, in the context of monohybrid inheritance.

2.14 Understand how the expression of a gene mutation in people with cystic fibrosis impairs the

functioning of the gaseous exchange, digestive and reproductive systems. 2.15 i) Understand the uses

of genetic screening, including the identification of carriers, pre-implantation genetic diagnosis (PGD)

and prenatal testing, including amniocentesis and chorionic villus sampling. ii) Understand the

implications of prenatal genetic screening.

2.16 Be able to identify and discuss the social and ethical issues related to genetic screening from a

range of ethical viewpoints.

Topic 3:

Voice of the Genome This topic follows the development of multicellular organisms from single cells

to complex individuals. Cell structure and ultrastructure, cell division, the importance of fertilisation,

the roles of stem cells, gene expression, cell differentiation and tissue organisation are all

considered within this topic, as is the role of the genotype, epigenetics and the effect of

environment on phenotype. Students should be encouraged to carry out a range of practical

experiments related to this topic in order to develop their practical skills. In addition to the core

practicals detailed below possible experiments include examination of animal cells under the

microscope and using electron micrographs, plant tissue culture to demonstrate the totipotency of

plant cells, and demonstration of how a gene can be switched on by, for example, the induction of β-

galactosidase. Opportunities for developing mathematical skills within this topic include using ratios,

fractions and percentages, making order of magnitude calculations using decimal and standard form

and using the appropriate number of significant figures, understanding the terms mean, median and

mode, constructing and interpreting frequency tables and diagrams, bar charts and histograms, and

completing a statistical test. (Please see Appendix 6: Mathematical skills and exemplifications for

further information.)

Students should:

3.1 Know that all living organisms are made of cells, sharing some common features.

3.2 Know the ultrastructure of eukaryotic cells, including nucleus, nucleolus, ribosomes, rough and

smooth endoplasmic reticulum, mitochondria, centrioles, lysosomes, and Golgi apparatus.

3.3 Understand the role of the rough endoplasmic reticulum (rER) and the Golgi apparatus in protein

transport within cells, including their role in the formation of extracellular enzymes.

3.4 Know the ultrastructure of prokaryotic cells, including cell wall, capsule, plasmid, flagellum, pili,

ribosomes, mesosomes and circular DNA.

3.5 Be able to recognise the organelles in 3.2 from electron microscope (EM) images. 3.6 Understand

how mammalian gametes are specialised for their functions (including the acrosome in sperm and the

zona pellucida in the egg).

3.7 Know the process of fertilisation in mammals, including the acrosome reaction, the cortical

reaction and the fusion of nuclei.

3.8 i) Know that a locus (plural = loci) is the location of genes on a chromosome. ii) Understand the

linkage of genes on a chromosome and sex linkage.

3.9 Understand the role of meiosis in ensuring genetic variation through the production of non-

identical gametes as a consequence of independent assortment of chromosomes and crossing over of

alleles between chromatids (details of the stages of meiosis are not required).

3.10 Understand the role of mitosis and the cell cycle in producing identical daughter cells for growth

and asexual reproduction.

13 Students should: CORE PRACTICAL 5: Prepare and stain a root tip squash to observe the stages

of mitosis.

3.11 i) Understand what is meant by the terms ‘stem cell, pluripotency and totipotency’. ii) Be able to

discuss the way society uses scientific knowledge to make decisions about the use of stem cells in

medical therapies.

3.12 Understand how cells become specialised through differential gene expression, producing active

mRNA leading to synthesis of proteins, which in turn control cell processes or determine cell

structure in animals and plants, including the lac operon. 3.13 Understand how the cells of

multicellular organisms are organised into tissues, tissues into organs and organs into systems.

3.14 i) Understand how phenotype is the result of an interaction between genotype and the

environment. ii) Know how epigenetic changes, including DNA methylation and histone modification,

can modify the activation of certain genes. iii) Understand how epigenetic changes can be passed on

following cell division.

3.15 Understand how some phenotypes are affected by multiple alleles for the same gene at many loci

(polygenic inheritance) as well as the environment and how this can give rise to phenotypes that show

continuous variation.

14 Topic 4:

Biodiversity and Natural Resources The topic focuses on biodiversity and the wealth of natural

resources used by humans. Why there are so many different species is considered first, with the

concept of niche and adaptation explored. The topic looks at how all this diversity has come about

through adaptation and natural selection and how this leads to evolution. The concerns for

disappearing biodiversity and loss of potential natural resources are used to highlight the need for

biologists to identify, name and classify species. The topic has sections on both traditional and novel

uses of plants and plant fibres and the use of chemical extracts from animals and plants. The

relationship of plant anatomy to function and the structure and role of cellulose and starch is

studied. The topic ends with the issue of sustainability and the role of zoos and seed banks in

conservation of endangered species. Students should be encouraged to carry out a range of practical

experiments related to this topic in order to develop their practical skills. In addition to the core

practicals detailed below possible experiments include investigation of the biodiversity of different

habitats, investigation of taxonomic hierarchy using biological specimens, and examination of animal

cells under the microscope and using electron micrographs. Opportunities for developing

mathematical skills within this topic include using ratios, fractions and percentages, calculating areas

of circumferences and areas of circles and volumes of cylinders, substituting numerical values into

algebric equations using appropriate units for physical quantities, solving algebraic equations and

understanding the principle of sampling as applied to scientific data. (Please see Appendix 6:


Students should:

4.1 Know that over time the variety of life has become extensive but is now being threatened by

human activity.

4.2 i) Understand the terms biodiversity and endemism. ii) Know how biodiversity can be measured

within a habitat using species richness and within a species using genetic diversity by calculating the

heterozygosity index (H): iii) Understand how biodiversity can be compared in different habitats

using a formula to calculate an index of diversity (D):

4.3 Understand the concept of niche and be able to discuss examples of adaptation of organisms to

their environment (behavioural, physiological and anatomical).

4.4 Understand how natural selection can lead to adaptation and evolution.

Students should:

4.5 i) Understand how the Hardy-Weinberg equation can be used to see whether a change in allele

frequency is occurring in a population over time. ii) Understand that reproductive isolation can lead to

accumulation of different genetic information in populations, potentially leading to the formation of

new species.

4.6 i) Understand that classification is a means of organising the variety of life based on

relationships between organisms using differences and similarities in phenotypes and in genotypes,

and is built around the species concept. ii) Understand the process and importance of critical

evaluation of new data by the scientific community, which leads to new taxonomic groupings, including

the three domains of life based on molecular phylogeny, which are Bacteria, Archaea, Eukaryota.

4.7 Know the ultrastructure of plant cells (cell walls, chloroplasts, amyloplasts, vacuole, tonoplast,

plasmodesmata, pits and middle lamella) and be able to compare it with animal cells.

4.8 Be able to recognise the organelles in 4.7 from electron microscope (EM) images.

4.9 Understand the structure and function of the polysaccharides starch and cellulose, including the

role of hydrogen bonds between β-glucose molecules in the formation of cellulose microfibrils.

4.10 Understand how the arrangement of cellulose microfibrils and secondary thickening in plant cell

walls contributes to the physical properties of xylem vessels and sclerenchyma fibres in plant fibres

that can be exploited by humans.

CORE PRACTICAL 6: Identify sclerenchyma fibres, phloem sieve tubes and xylem vessels and their

location within stems through a light microscope.

4.11 Know the similarities and differences between the structures, position in the stem and function

of sclerenchyma fibres (support), xylem vessels (support and transport of water and mineral ions) and

phloem (translocation of organic solutes).

4.12 Understand the importance of water and inorganic ions (nitrate, calcium ions and magnesium ions)

to plants.

CORE PRACTICAL 7: Investigate plant mineral deficiencies.

CORE PRACTICAL 8: Determine the tensile strength of plant fibres.

4.13 Understand the development of drug testing from historic to contemporary protocols, including

William Withering’s digitalis soup, double blind trials, placebo, three-phased testing.

4.14 Understand the conditions required for bacterial growth.

Students should: CORE PRACTICAL 9:

Investigate the antimicrobial properties of plants, including aseptic techniques for the safe handling

of bacteria.

4.15 Understand how the uses of plant fibres and starch may contribute to sustainability, including

plant-based products to replace oil-based plastics.

4.16 Be able to evaluate the methods used by zoos and seed banks in the conservation of endangered

species and their genetic diversity, including scientific research, captive breeding programmes,

reintroduction programmes and education

REVISION – TIPS AND SKILLS

Start early

Don’t leave it to the last minute

Make a timetable – be productive in your free time

Understand what techniques work best for you and use them (see below)

Look after yourself – eat well, exercise, get enough sleep

Find out! Are you a visual, auditory or kinesthetic learner?

Here are a range of techniques that you could use to revise more effectively. Try some of

them out and see what works best for you:

� Highlight key points - Colour code important aspects of work.

� Use to chunk your work down, giving you key information to process.

� You can keep going back to this throughout your revision period.

� Make a mind map ¬ Like a spider diagram.

� You could use colour coding and pictures as well as words.

� This could be used as a summary from highlighting key points.

� A good way to remember things visually.

� The shrinking mind map - The aim of revision is to shrink as many key points down into

a small space. The process actually helps you learn the information. The result is that

you have a portable device that you can carry around with you.

� Cut off the legs of your spider diagram and use the main stems to stimulate your

brain to remember the other parts.

� Cassette tapes/ ipods - Record your key points onto a tape/ ipod.

� Get other people to do some so you have a variety of voices to listen to.

� Try using background music – it might help you make associations with particular bits

of information. Another useful revision resource to carry round with you during “dead

time”, on the bus, walking home etc.

� Song and rhyme ¬ Making up catch phrases or rhymes can help with crucial bits of

info. Eg: to help you sort out which is the x and y axis on a graph, how about, “x below

y because y goes up high!” Don’t worry about what other people think about your silly

rhymes, as long as it helps you in the exam!

A level revision strategies 2

� Menomincs and acronyms ¬ A mnemonic is a word or abbreviation that helps you

remember ¬ An acronym is a word make up using the first letters of a series of other

words eg to remember the advantages of carrying credit cards (for a business studies

question)

� COPSE ¬ Convenient to carry ¬ Outlets for use everywhere ¬ Pay later ¬ Security ¬

Extras, insurance air miles .

� Flash Cards ¬ Flash cards can be a big help in remembering information- try using

different colours for different subjects

� Wall posters (large scale flash cards!) ¬ Put these up around your bedroom and in

your house. You will subconsciously look at these points each day ¬ You could use

different rooms for different subjects – the kitchen is maths room etc

� Word walls ¬ Clusters of key words for each topic are a great way to learn the

language you need for your A level course. ¬ Cover your walls with these too Lists,

charts and notes ¬

� More traditional methods still work! ¬ Bullet pointed lists are a good way to

summarise information ¬ Charts are a great way to memorise info – again, you could

make them big enough to put on your wall! ¬ Concentrate on shrinking down the

information down as far as possible. ¬ Eliminate excessive words from lists, focus on

key terms Visual and pattern notes ¬ Good if you’re a visual learner. This is like a mind

map but with more images to help things stick in your mind.

A level revision strategies 3

� Fact sheets

Keep fact sheets of key information, dates, formulas etc to hand. You could use

clipboards, ring binders or cards. This is like making revision cards but just for key

bits of info that are essential. List of key exam words ¬ for example: analyse,

compare, contrast, describe, justify, evaluate…..know what they mean and understand

what examiners are looking for.

� Study buddies ¬ One of the most effective ways to learn is to teach someone else ¬

This helps you process information yourself as you explain it to others ¬ Use friends

and family to test you Practicing past exam questions ¬ Test yourself against the

clock ¬ These give you a great idea of the style of question, how many questions in

each section and timing ¬ It gives you an excellent experience of decoding the trigger

words Show you know ¬ Show yourself that you know your stuff! ¬ Don’t fool yourself

that you know something because you spent 2 hours reading it! ¬ How effective was

that time? ¬

� Recite things out loud ¬ Write down lists after revising to see if you can recall things

Take a break ¬ People learn best at the start and finish of revision sessions, so have

lots of starts and ends! ¬ The maximum time you can concentrate is 40 minutes ¬

� Reward yourself by finishing something and then taking 5 minutes out for a coffee –

then back to it! ¬ Re-read it ¬ Illustrate it ¬ Think about it ¬ Look at reworded notes

¬ Sing it ¬ Attach it to your memory by linking it to a personal memory or emotion ¬

Make up a mnemonic ¬ Mind map ¬ Poster it ¬ Shrink it down

Even more revision strategies…………

� Use the Edexcel AS biology revision guide and your SNAB book to ensure you

know all the information (A01). All our lesson powerpoints are on Fronter as well.

Make revision cards/ post it notes for key processes and definitions. Learn

them. Make sure you only use correct scientific vocabulary when answering

questions.

� Use the SNAB website and review all the interactive activities. Make mindmaps

to link the information in a topic together and then use these to make

connections required for A03 and A04. This is essential if you are to achieve a C

and above. Then use these to complete the practice papers on Fronter. Don’t use

the mark schemes. Practice finding and highlighting the key command words and

numeric information in questions so that you focus in on what the question

requires you to do. Get a member of staff to check longer answers to ensure

you are writing in a scientific way.

� List all the core practicals and review these on You tube so you review how the

practical was carried out, what the findings were and any ethical issues.

� Use your study guide and the Snab mathematical skills help to review the

mathematical skills required in the examination and make sure you can complete

the calculations. Learn any formulae you have been given. You know that you

have to be able to calculate percentage risk and Simpsons biodiversity index.

� Experience has shown that students MUST know the content covered

thoroughly to ensure that a D pass grade can be achieved. Particular issues are

blood clotting, the cardiac cycle, atherosclerosis, oedema, structure and

formation of carbohydrates, lipids, protein structure and transcription and

translation, the detailed structure of a membrane. The ultra structure of animal

and plant cells, meiosis, the cell cycle polygenic inheritance, classification

systems, Work of Woese and peer review, cellulose structure, genetic drift and

studbooks.

� Work as a team to revise, use some of the revision games and strategies you

learned in the revision conference so parents can test your knowledge. � Make sure you have a functioning calculator, a pencil and a ruler for both examinations.

AQA AS BUSINESS Year 1

Assessment Paper 1: Thurs 18th May PM – 50% of As Mark – 90 marks – 1 hour 30 minutes written paper

Paper 2: Fri 26th May PM – 50% of As Mark – 90 marks – 1 hour 30 minutes written paper

Paper 1 – Three compulsory sections:

• Section A has 10 multiple choice questions (MCQs) worth 10 marks.

• Section B has short answer questions worth approximately 20 marks.

• Section C has two data response stimuli with questions worth approximately 25

marks.

Paper 2 – One compulsory case study consisting of approximately seven questions

Subject Content

3.1 What is business?

3.1.1 Understanding the nature and purpose of

business

3.1.2 Understanding different business forms

3.1.3 Understanding that businesses operate

within an external environment

3.2 Managers, leadership and decision

making

3.2.1 Understanding management, leadership

and decision making

3.2.2 Understanding management decision

making

3.2.3 Understanding the role and importance of

stakeholders

3.3 Decision making to improve marketing

performance

3.3.1 Setting marketing objectives

3.3.2 Understanding markets and customers

3.3.3 Making marketing decisions: segmentation,

targeting, positioning

3.3.4 Making marketing decisions: using the

marketing mix

3.4 Decision making to improve operational

performance

3.4.1 Setting operational objectives

3.4.2 Analysing operational performance

3.4.3 Making operational decisions to improve

performance: increasing efficiency and

productivity


performance: improving quality


performance: managing inventory and supply

chains

3.5 Decision making to improve financial

performance

3.5.1 Setting financial objectives

3.5.2 Analysing financial performance

3.5.3 Making financial decisions: sources of

finance

3.5.4 Making financial decisions: improving cash

flow and profits

3.6 Decision making to improve human

resource performance

3.6.1 Setting human resource objectives

3.6.2 Analysing human resource performance

3.6.3 Making human resource decisions:

improving organisational design and managing

the human resource flow


improving motivation and engagement


improving employer-employee relations

Exam Equipment You must bring to the exam a black pen (and a spare just in case!), a pencil, rubber & ruler (PED/YED) & a

simple calculator.

Revision Strategies

Ladders to practice analysis – Diamonds to practice evaluation - Mind maps – key term tests – practice

papers – practice use of connectives to achieve L3 analysis – case studies – revision guide – reading –

highlight notes – look at the feedback from your previous test paper – make judgements (L4) and list the

most important reasons – summarise on flash cards – test each other – diagrams to represent theories -

plan 9/16 mark answers using +&-

PeCAn PiE practice to make sure you are including all the assessment objectives in your answers

Mark Allocation Each question will have a word which will show you the level of detail you need in your answer;

Assessment Objectives

A2 BUSINESS STUDIES

Assessment Paper 1: Mon 12th June PM – 33.3% of A-level - 100 marks in total - 2 hr written paper

Paper 2: Mon 19th June PM – 33.3% of A-level - 100 marks in total - 2 hr written paper

Paper 3: Fri 23rd June PM – 33.3% of A-level - 100 marks in total - 2 hr written paper

Paper 1 – Three compulsory sections:

• Section A has 15 multiple choice questions (MCQs) worth 15 marks.

• Section B has short answer questions worth approximately 35 marks.

• Section C has two essay questions (choice of one from two and one from two) worth

25 marks each

Paper 2 – Three data response compulsory questions worth approximately 33 marks each and made up

of three or four part questions

Paper 3 - One compulsory case study followed by approximately six questions

Subject Content

3.1 What is business?

3.1.1 Understanding the nature and

purpose of business

3.1.2 Understanding different business

forms

3.1.3 Understanding that businesses

operate within an external environment

3.2 Managers, leadership and decision

making

3.2.1 Understanding management,

leadership and decision making

3.2.2 Understanding management decision

making

3.2.3 Understanding the role and

importance of stakeholders

3.3 Decision making to improve

marketing performance

3.3.1 Setting marketing objectives

3.3.2 Understanding markets and

customers

3.3.3 Making marketing decisions:

segmentation, targeting, positioning

3.3.4 Making marketing decisions: using

the marketing mix


operational performance

3.4.1 Setting operational objectives

3.4.2 Analysing operational performance

3.4.3 Making operational decisions to

improve performance: increasing efficiency

and productivity


improve performance: improving quality


improve performance: managing inventory

and supply chains


financial performance

3.5.1 Setting financial objectives

3.5.2 Analysing financial performance

3.5.3 Making financial decisions: sources of

finance

3.5.4 Making financial decisions: improving

cash flow and profits

3.6 Decision making to improve human

resource performance

3.6.1 Setting human resource objectives

3.6.2 Analysing human resource

performance


improving organisational design and

managing the human resource flow


improving motivation and engagement


improving employer-employee relations

3.7 Analysing the strategic position of

a business

3.7.1 Mission, corporate objectives and

strategy

3.7.2 Analysing the existing internal

position of a business to assess strengths

and weaknesses: financial ratio analysis

3.7.3 Analysing the existing internal

position of a business to assess strengths

and weaknesses: overall performance.

3.7.4 Analysing the external environment

to assess opportunities and threats:

political and legal change


to assess opportunities and threats:

economic change


to assess opportunities and threats: social

and technological


to assess opportunities and threats: the

competitive environment

3.7.8 Analysing strategic options:

investment appraisal

3.8 Choosing strategic direction

3.8.1 Strategic direction: choosing which

markets to compete in and what products

to offer

3.8.2 Strategic positioning: choosing how

to compete

3.9 Strategic methods: how to pursue

strategies

3.9.1 Assessing a change in scale

3.9.2 Assessing innovation

3.9.3 Assessing internationalisation

3.9.4 Assessing greater use of digital

technology

3.10 Managing strategic change

3.10.1 Managing change

3.10.2 Managing organisational culture

3.10.3 Managing strategic implementation

3.10.4 Problems with strategy and why

strategies fail

Assessment Objectives

Mark Allocation Each question will have a word which will show you the level of detail you need in your answer;

Revision Strategies

Ladders to practice analysis – Diamonds to practice evaluation - Mind maps – key term tests

– practice papers – practice use of connectives to achieve L3 analysis – case studies –

revision guide – reading – highlight notes – look at the feedback from your previous test

paper – make judgements (L4) and list the most important reasons – summarise on flash

cards – test each other – diagrams to represent theories - plan 20/25 mark answers using

+&-

PeCAn PiE practice to make sure you are including all the assessment objectives in your

answers

Exam Equipment You must bring to the exam a black pen (and a spare just in case!) and a simple calculator.

DT - AS Product Design Exam Board: AQA DT Product Design (3-D Design) Prod 1

Date of Exam: Monday 23rd May (8.30 am) Length of Paper: 2 Hours

Topics for Revision:

• GRP and CFRP • HDPE • Rotational Moulding and Injection Moulding. • Quality Control in Manufacturing. • Smart Materials. • Health and Safety. • Hardwoods. • Melamine Formaldehyde. • Man-manufactured Boards

Equipment Needed: Black pen, pencil, ruler and a rubber. (No colour pencils or pens)

Useful Resources:

WWW.focuselearning.co.uk/u/3037/wjmrlrbBBbkCBcgvwthlsvkvAuorduzzD (site and password)

www.technologystudent.com

www.aqa.org.uk (past papers, subject content and more)

AQA Product Design Text Book. Chapters 1, 2 and 3.

Exam Tips: (from the exam board)

• Generally 6 mark questions require 3 relevant prope rties and 3 explanations.

• 8 mark questions require 4 relevant properties and 4 explanations.

• Manufacturing process diagrams need to have step by step descriptions with line diagrams. Moulds/dies must resemble product for ma x marks.

• List of generic properties only will achieve max 2- 3 marks.

• Section C design modification/development will only achieve 2-4 marks if students produce a complete redesign.

• You answer section ‘C’ first. (You could ask why i t is not first in paper then!)

Exam Day Revision:

On the day of the exam we will provide tea/coffee and biscuits from 8am in G05.

DT- A2 Product Design Exam Board: AQA DT Product Design (3-D Design) Prod 3

Date of Exam: Friday 10th June (8.30am) Length of Paper: 2 Hours

Topics for Revision:

• Casting Methods (large and small). • QA and QC. • Measuring and Testing Materials • Die Cutting. • Vacuum Forming. • Injection Moulding. • EPS and the Environment. • Ergonomics and the Anthropometric Data. • Social and Moral Concerns. (When Designing) • Electrical Safety Features. • Disposal of Products and the Environment including Legislation.

Equipment Needed: Black pen, pencil, colour pencils, ruler and a rubber.

Useful Resources:

www.technologystudent.com

www.aqa.org.uk (past papers, subject content and more)

WWW.focuselearning.co.uk/u/3037/wjmrlrbBBbkCBcgvwthlsvkvAuorduzzD (site and password)

AQA Product Design Text Book. Chapters 4, 5 and 6.

Note: For relaxation you should be watching design/business programs such as: George Clarke’s Amazing Spaces (C4), The Apprentice (BBC1), Kevin McCloud – Grand Designs and on 4OD Kevin McCloud’s program on ‘upcycling’ an airplane.

Exam Day Revision:

On the day of the exam we will provide tea/coffee and biscuits from 8am in G05.

DRAMA AS - STUDENT INFORMATION

EXAM BOARD: AQA

Written Exam is 40% of the total mark for both the AS and A level

The AS paper with be 2 hours in length. The A level paper is three hours long.

You will answer on 2 aspects of the paper out of the three on offer

Section A: Drama through the ages – A Servant to Two Masters

Section C: Live Theatre Production - Confessional

RESOURCES TO HELP YOU REVISE

• Live theatre evaluation notes for ‘Confessional’

• Fronter materials focusing on ‘Confessional’

• Southwark Playhouse Website

• Feedback on essays

• Exemplar answers

• AQA exam board past papers – See AQA website

ESSENTIAL TOPICS TO REVISE

Live Production

• The performance of 2 actors in at least 3 scenes in detail

• Design of the immersive production to create intended effect for an audience

• A4 Sketch carefully labelled of the set/ costumes/ props in the production

STRATEGIES FOR REVISION

• Look at the feedback from previous essays and make notes (avoid the same mistakes)

• Read exemplar materials

• Check the Assessment Objectives on the marking criteria on Fronter or the AQA website

for Component One ‘Drama & Theatre’

• Buddy up and discuss the production, its effect on you, the atmosphere created and its

immersive staging.

• Rewrite notes of the production. Then revise by breaking the notes into bitesize chunks.

• Make flashcards for 2 actors; state what each character needed to communicate, give 3 or

4 moments describing what they did to achieved this and finally reference the audience

response

• Watch clips of scenes on Youtube/ BAC website

• Attend revision sessions

EXAM EQUIPMENT

A black pen, copies of the play, a pencil & ruler for sketches

DRAMA A2 - STUDENT INFORMATION

EXAM BOARD: AQA EXAMINATION PAPER (known as DRAM 3) is 2 hours long

FINAL A2 GRADE MADE UP OF 40% COURSEWORK AND 60% EXAM MARK PLUS UMS POINTS

FROM AS

RESOURCES TO HELP YOU REVISE

• Your overviews and notes of each play

• Notes from A2 guide on Our Country’s Good (OCG)

• Teacher’s booklet on OCG

• Exemplar answers

• Trip to V&A on 6th January to see Max Stafford-Clark’s second revival

• AQA exam board past papers

• Notes from A2 guide on A Servant to Two Masters (Servant)

• Teacher’s booklet on ‘Servant’

• ‘Pintrest’ page for Director’s vision

• Research materials

ESSENTIAL TOPICS TO REVISE

• Scenes 1-5 of OCG

• Detailed Blocking for scenes 1-5 of OCG

• A4 Sketch carefully labelled of scenes 1-5 of OCG

• Act 1-3 of A Servant to Two Masters (ASTTM)

• Creative overview for the whole play of ASTTM, including scene blueprints

• A4 Sketch carefully labelled of Act 1 scenes in Servant

• Creating comedy and comedic conventions

STRATEGIES FOR REVISION

• Recap ideas from the original production by watching clips from the ‘Out of Joint’ website

• Buddy up and share visions for scenes 1-5 of OCG, getting your partner to FULLY justify

choices

• Recap notes from the teacher pack and the OCG guide and cross reference with your ideas

for each scene of OCG

• Plan a director’s essay – it is ALWAYS THE SAME QUESTION – for scenes 1-5 of OCG

• Practice papers – practice explaining ideas fully

• Look at the feedback from previous essays

• Check the Assessment Objectives on the marking criteria on Fronter or the AQA website

for DRAM 3

• Watch clips from ‘One Man Two Guvnors’ on Youtube

• Recap notes on Goldoni and original intentions

• Visit Goldsmiths library for research purposes

• Exemplar material on AQA website

• Establish 3 of the best quotes for each character in relation to creating comedy - Servant

• Be clear with your creative overview and its justification/ intention

EXAM EQUIPMENT A black pen, copies of both plays, a pencil & ruler for sketches

ENGLISH LANGUAGE AS

Exam board: AQA (Course code: 7701)

Five assessment objectives (AOs) are used to underpin the A Level. These are:

AO1: Apply appropriate methods of language analysis, using associated terminology and coherent written expression.

AO2: Demonstrate critical understanding of concepts and issues relevant to language use.

AO3: Analyse and evaluate how contextual factors and language features are associated with the construction of meaning.

AO4: Explore connections across texts, informed by linguistic concepts and methods.

AO5: Demonstrate expertise and creativity in the use of English to communicate in different ways.

Language study and language skills are both important for AO1. When you break down and evaluate a text or a set of data you need to make sure you use metalanguage or terminology in a way that is genuinely applicable to it. You also need to make sure that what you write is clear and makes sense.

For AO2 you have to show that you understand the ideas and concepts behind the terminology you use. Basic understanding of terminology might consist of being able to give a simple definition, but for the more challenging ‘critical understanding’ a student of language would need to adopt a more critical approach, not just accepting ideas because other people take them for granted but questioning them and challenging their definitions.

The idea of AO3 is that the meaning of a text or an utterance depends on the context, or information from the setting, as well as on the words and phrases that the text is made up of. For example, the literal meaning of the seemingly complimentary utterance, ‘Well done, Sherlock!’ might be ‘You are very clever.’ But if the context is that someone has obviously drawn a wrong conclusion then the real meaning is more likely to be: ‘You are not very clever at all.’

For AO4 you will be expected to compare how texts make use of language. When you study textual variations and representations you will be asked to explore similarities and differences in the ways two texts use language. For your original writing non-exam assessment you will make connections between your own text and a style model you have used through a reflective commentary.

AO5 relates to communication and creativity. Students of language continually use their imagination to devise solutions to problems. For example, for your original writing you will be assessed on your ability to express yourself clearly and accurately as well as on your creativity.

Remember to revise from your purple books (you must use terminology) and your

yellow books for theorists and linguists.

Paper 1: Language and the individual

(1 hour and 30 minutes)

Consider Text and discourse:

As you’re working through the exam – you need to consider how you analyse the text. It

can be tempting to think about the texts that you are exploring and analysing simply as

decontextualised extracts on the page. One of the keys to success in more advanced

study will be your ability to move beyond thinking about ‘texts’ in this way, and instead

consider them as rich and complex acts of communication that are part of what we can

term a discourse event made up of text producers (writers or speakers) and text

receivers (readers or listeners) engaged in the process of making meaning. The term

‘discourse event’ is a useful one as it enables you to explore how texts are produced and

received in specific times and places, by real people with their own beliefs and

intentions, using language to express and understand their ideas and meanings. It adds

a strong contextual dimension to any analysis that you might undertake by emphasising

the fact that where there is language, there are always language users.

The concept of a discourse event allows you to explore the familiar terms ‘purpose’ and

‘audience’ in more detail. These terms can be explored by considering more closely the

kinds of motivations behind writing and speaking, and interpreting that producers and

receivers might have.

Remember to look at how meaning is created:

• Text producers and receivers –

Purpose and audience

• Mode and Genre

• Language use and Language

users

• Lexis and semantics

• Grammar

• Graphology

• Pragmatics

• Discourse

• Phonetics, phonology, prosodics

When analysing texts, you should explore how language is:

• shaped according to audience, purpose, genre and mode

• shaped according to context

• used to construct meanings and representations

• used to enact relationships between writers, speakers and audiences or between

participants within a text.

Paper 2: Language varieties

(1 hour and 30 minutes)

Consider how language feeds into our identity.

• What is meant by the term identity?

• How do idiolect and sociolect link to this concept of identity?

• Consider the prescriptivism and descriptivism view-points.

Think about what impacts our language

• Regional dialects

• National varieties

• Personal and social varieties including – age, gender, occupation and sexuality

How is identity created through language?

Are judgements/ stereotypes attached to language?

Key ideas/ terms to understand:

• Standard English

• Slang

• Dialect

• Taboo

• Technology influenced words

and phrases

• Neologisms

• Occupational Register

• Received Pronunciation

• Regional dialect

• Sociolect

• How identity is constructed

• Attitudes to language diversity

Remember you are also tested on your writing skills

You will need to:

• Write discursively about language issues in an academic essay

• Write about language issues in a variety of forms to communicate your ideas to a

non-specialist audience.

Revise theories including Naomi Baron/ continuum models etc. – you must be able to

discuss the difference between spoken and written language.

Writing is: Speech is:

Objective Interpersonal

A monologue A dialogue

Durable Ephemeral

Planned Spontaneous

Highly structured Loosely structured

Grammatically complex Grammatically simple

Concerned with the past and

future

Concerned with the present

Formal Informal

Decontextualized Contextualised

You must have a good knowledge of linguists and theory

• Howard Giles CAT theory

• William Labov

• Robin Lakoff

• Deborah Tannen

• Your yellow books!

Speech sounds and IPA is important – especially for paper 2.

Representation is important in both papers.

• How is the text representing the speakers/ text producers?

• How is the text representing the text receivers?

• How is the text representing a particular group?

• How is the text representing particular ideologies?

Link your points to language (spoken and written) features and graphological features

ENGLISH LANGUAGE A2

Exam board: Cambridge (Course code: 9093)

Paper three: Text Analysis:

(2 hours and 15 minutes)

You will be given two questions and you must answer both. In one of the questions

there will certainly be a transcript of spoken language.

General advice:

Every time you come across a text or are asked to create one, you need to think about

the circumstance of its production and its effectiveness. The writer or speaker beings

with a purpose (an intention for the text) and then choses a genre (type of writing: for

example, a diary, a leaflet). He/ She then thinks about how to shape the text for an

audience (the person/ people who will listen to or read this text). At the same time the

writer or speaker needs to consider the context (the situation in which the audience will

receive the text). Once that is done, the text creator must choose an appropriate form

(shape and length) and start to consider appropriate words (style) in order to create an

effective text.

Ensure that you have thoroughly read and annotated the extract. You will need to

consider the conventions of different texts. Revise the conventions for:

� Brochures

� Leaflets

� Editorials

� News stories

� Articles

� Reviews

� Blogs

� Investigative journalism

� Letters

� Podcasts

� Biographies and autobiographies

� Diaries

� Essays

� Speeches (both scripted and

spontaneous)

� Narrative and descriptive

� Advertisements/ advertorials

� Transcripts

Remember the key ideas you must discuss:

Voice

Topic

Purpose

Style

Form

Audience

Context

Terminology

Ensure that you have revised literary

features. Use your purple books. You

must be able to identify literary

features/ group the features and

discuss the effect.

Consider you must use the correct

terminology, which includes basic word

classification (Noun/ Abstract Noun/

Concrete Noun/ Pronoun/ verb/ modal

Verb etc.).

Remember in all questions, you are required to:

• identify distinguishing features of the texts, relate them to the function and context of

the writing, and organise information in your answers

• comment on aspects such as vocabulary, figurative language (e.g. use of metaphor and

simile), word ordering and sentence structure, formality/informality of tone, and the

communication of attitudes, bias or prejudice, structure

Skills to revise

• Punctuation and punctuation for effect (to use and analyse)

• How to use literary features effectively and to understand which literary feature

lends itself to a particular genre/ audience etc.

Remember to keep to the word limits.

You must be able to use the correct terminology to analyse the transcript. Including:

Discourse

Utterances

Opening greetings

Conversational floors

Clashing

Topic shift

Meta language

Repetition

Ellipsis

Adjacency pairs

Turn taking

Phatic communication

Voiced pauses

False starts

Overlaps

Hedges

Modality

Transactional language

Back channel

Discourse markers

Non standard features

Tag questions

Deixis

Fixed expressions

Non-verbal

Remember discuss the effect. Do

not just feature spot!

Question one:

In question 1 you will be given a

passage to read.

A Question

The questions will ask you to recast the original for a different purpose or audience.

Consider the skills you learnt for unit one (passages) – what is the purpose of the

original text? How would this be conveyed to a new audience? What changes would

you make?

Skills to revise

• Literary features

• Punctuation for effect

• Voice, Topic, Purpose, Style, Form, Audience, Context

B question

Once you have recast the original, you will then be asked to compare your text with that

of the original.

• Use comparative language to justify the changes you have made.

Question 2

In question 2 you will be presented with two linked texts, each of a different type

(spontaneous speech / magazine article, for example).

You will be asked to compare the language and style of the texts

Skills for 1B and 2

• Comparative language

• Identify and comment literary features – look at your purple books! – Why do

features and language differ depending on audience/ reader

• Remember: Voice, Topic, Purpose, Style, Form, Audience, Context

Paper four:

(2 hours and 15 minutes)

You will write two essays, each from a different topic area. There will be a choice of

three questions. There will be a choice of three questions. The topic areas are:

• Spoken language and social groups

• English as a global language

• Language acquisition by children and teenagers

In the test you will be given some material to work on, but you will also need to discuss

material that you have prepared in relation to the topic in order to demonstrate that

you have an understanding of a range of issues that the topic might raise. You will need

to produce lots of examples from your own experience (of the module – data/articles/

theories/ linguists etc.), and your research into language communities around you

(observations/ transcripts).

Revise: Grice’s maxims

Spoken language and social groups

Revise from your yellow books

Revise:

1. Paul Grice

2. Howard Giles: Communication

Accommodation Theory (CAT)

3. William Labov: Post Vocalic /r/

4. Peter Trudgill: Social Class

5. Naomi S Baron: Teenagers

(remember can be used for child

acquisition)

6. James Millroy: ‘Golden Era’

7. Jean Aitcheson: Language

continually developing

8. Guy Delitsher

9. Harry Harlow

10. Edward Sapir/ Benjamin Lee

Whorf: Political correctness

11. Don Zimmerman/ Candice West:

Gender

12. Deborah Tannen: Gender

• Examples of national and international exclusion – England/ South America/

New Zealand/ North America/ South Africa

• Consider Language and religion/ Language and immigration/ Language and

negative stereotypes/ Language and civil rights movements (American civil

rights movement)

• Social Class

• Inclusion/ exclusion

• Group identity

• Teenage groups

• Language in cyberspace – fansites

• Interviews

• Standard/ Non - standard English/ jargon

• Language change (Reasons for change: immigration (changing communities)/

technology/ geography/ social conditions/ increasing specialisation/

international travel and contacts. Terms: pejoration/ amelioration/widening/

narrowing)

• Theories of social variation (ethnicity/ workplace changes/ age/ disability/

religious beliefs – remember politically correct language)

• Language and gender

• Dialect, Sociolect and idiolect

• Speech sounds and accents/ accent neutralisation

English as a global language

Revise:

1. Jared Diamond (Scientist) (language steam rollers)

2. David Crystal

3. Kachru’s circles model

4. Gorlach’s circle model of English

5. Modiano’s model

• Language takeovers

• How did English become a global language (British Empire)

• The status of English as a global language

• Received Pronunciation (RP)

• New forms of nonstandard English – Mockney

• The rise of Estuary English

• English: Standard and nonstandard

• Varieties of English – Singapore English (Singlish)/ South African English/ Australian

English/ American English

• Language decline, endangerment and death/ language shift

Language acquisition by children and teenagers

Revise: Basil Bernstein

1. Michael Halliday: seven functions

2. BF Skinner

3. Ivan Pavlov

4. Vygotsky

5. Piaget’s stages of development

6. Berko

7. Noam Chomsky: Language acquisition Device (LAD) – two studies JIM and GENIE/

Language acquisition Support system (LASS)

• The main stages of development (remember terminology holophrastic

stage/ over-extension/ under-extension)

• Language acquisition by children and teenagers

• Restricted and elaborated code – remember the link to a child’s class

• Code-switching and teenagers

• Teen Slang

• The influence of TV on children’s language development (Children who watch

cartoons and entertainment television during preschool years have a poorer pre-

reading skill as at age five –Macbeth 1996 – Children who watch entertainment

television are also less likely to read books and other print - Wright & Houston

1995)/ Case study JIM (Bards and Sachs)

• Theories – including imitation and reinforcement (behaviourist theories)/ Innate

language competence (LAD)

• LASS

• Cognitive development – LAD and LASS

Remember there are overlaps in your research/ theories.

All points have to show links to the text. Do analyse language, conventions (of the

form), effects and qualities conveyed by language, structure, purpose and contexts.

Consider how the audience helps establish mode of address, tone and meaning.

Remember to revise from your purple books (you must use terminology) and your

yellow books for theorists and linguists

Specific equipment needed: highlighters

ENGLISH LITERATURE AS

Exam board: AQA (Course code: 7711 Specification: A)

Remember the AOS – and be clear on their weighting:

The exam is designed to test your skills as an informed, independent reader in order to develop

cogent, personal responses. Close reading of a text will enable you to analyse and explore a writer’s

technique – his or her choices of form, structure and language. You will need to be able to use these

skills in your response:

• Careful and close reading of a text which provides you with appropriate and specific

evidence to support your interpretation

• Consideration and understanding of other possible readings

When exploring a text, your answers need to be related to your interpretation of the extract. Some

questions you should ask yourself are:

• What kind of text is this?

• When was it written?

• What is the subject matter?

• Who is speaking and how does the writer use the idea of ‘voice’ in the text?

• How does the writer use setting(s)?

• How does the writer use ideas of time? (past, present, future)

• How does the writer structure, organise and develop the ideas in the extract?

• Is there anything distinctive about the way the extract is written? (structure, use of

vocabulary, sentence structure, variations in pace …)

• Are there any patterns, repetitions of key ideas or images, uses of contrasts?

• What kinds of language are used? (formal, informal, descriptive, dialogue and so on)

• Is the language the same or does the writer use contrasts?

• What is the tone of the extract?

• What might be the writer’s purpose(s) in this text?

Revise

• Content of the texts – know the texts inside out!

• Terminology

• Methods used by the writers to shape meaning and the effect

• Critics

• Context

Create a sense of argument in your essay.

English Literature AS and A2 Exam Information- May-June 2017

Assessment Objectives and the following advice apply equally to AS and A2 literature exams.

The exams are designed to test your skills as an informed, independent reader in order to develop

cogent, personal responses. Close reading of a text will enable you to analyse and explore a writer’s

technique – his or her choices of form, structure and language. You will need to be able to use these

skills in your response:

• Careful and close reading of a text which provides you with appropriate and specific

evidence to support your interpretation

• Consideration and understanding of other possible readings

Revise

• Content of the texts

• Subject Specific Terminology

• Methods used by the writers to shape meaning and the effect

• Critics

• Context

• Links between texts and to other texts

When exploring an unseen text – be it prose or poetry – your answers need to be related to your

interpretation of the text. Some questions you should ask yourself are:

• What kind of text/poem is this?

• When was it written?

• What is the subject matter?

• Who is speaking and how does the writer use the idea of ‘voice’ in the text?

• How does the writer use setting(s)?

• How does the writer use ideas of time? (past, present, future)

• How does the writer structure, organise and develop the ideas in the extract?

• Is there anything distinctive about the way the extract/poem is written? (structure, use of

vocabulary, sentence structure, variations in pace …)

• Are there any patterns, repetitions of key ideas or images, uses of contrasts?

• What kinds of language are used? (formal, informal, descriptive, dialogue and so on)

• Is the language the same or does the writer use contrasts?

• What is the tone of the extract?

• What might be the writer’s purpose(s) in this text?

• What are the obvious links, what the subtle deeper links (poetry)?

This is what an examiner said:

• There are no right answers in English Literature but there are right ways to address tasks

and support ideas. The student is the maker of meaning and the examiner assesses how

successfully that meaning has been developed, supported and conveyed.

Year 13D A2 English Exams: What to expect

Paper 1: Love Through the Ages

Time: 3 hours

There are 3 Sections in the Exam

You are to answer three questions

Section A: answer one question on your chosen Shakespeare play - Othello

Section B: answer one question on unseen poetry – comparative task

Section C: answer one question about a prose text and poetry (at least 2 poems must be discussed) –

one of which must be pre 1900: suggest: Rebecca and pre-1900 poems

*You will have access to clean copies of the texts for Section C

All 3 questions are worth 25 marks

Paper 2B: Texts in Shared Contexts: Modern Times: Literature from 1945 to the Modern Day

Time: 2 Hours 30 minutes

There are Three Questions to be answered in the exam

Choose your option 1, 2 or 3 and then answer the relevant texts. Please ensure that you only write

about your texts once.

For example:

Option 2:

Section A: Drama text = A Streetcar Named Desire – answer one of the questions

Section B: Prose and Poetry Contextual Linking = Oranges are Not the Only Fruit and Feminine

Gospels

Read the extract and then answer both questions- one is on the extract, the other is the linking

question on the prose and poetry texts.

*You will have access to clean copies of the relevant texts

All 3 questions are worth 25 marks

What to revise:

Paper1: Othello, Pre-1900 poetry, Rebecca

Paper2: A Streetcar Named Desire, Oranges are Not the Only Fruit, Feminine Gospels

How to revise: read over class notes, critics, assessments, Mocks, on-line sites such as Spark-notes,

practice exam style questions, drop in to see Dr Swift as and when you need to check or discuss any

areas related to the texts or exam techniques: remember the AO’s and their relevant weightings

Year 12C AS English Exam Information: What to expect

Paper 1: Love Through the Ages: Shakespeare and Poetry

Time: I hour + 30 minutes

Answer one question from Section A and one question from Section B

Section A: Shakespeare: chose the extract from the relevant play to answer – Taming of the Shrew

Section B: Poetry: answer one question from this section.

There will be one question on Pre-1900 poetry and one question on Post-1900 poetry. You are to

choose the question from the cluster you have studied. A copy of the poem will be included in the

exam paper.

*You will not be allowed copies of the play or poetry anthology for this paper.

Both questions are worth 25 marks each.

Paper 2: Love Through the Ages: Prose texts

Time: 1 hour + 30 minutes

You must respond to both sections of the paper; answering two questions in total.

Section A: Unseen Prose. Read the text carefully and answer the question. There is only one

question in this section.

Section B: Comparing Prose Texts: Answer one question from a choice of two based on your study of

The Great Gatsby and Wuthering Heights

*You will have access to clean copies of the relevant texts for this paper

Both questions are worth 25 marks each.

What to revise:

Paper1: Taming of the Shrew; pre 1900 poetry – all 14 of the poems

Paper2: The Great Gatsby and Wuthering Heights; the unseen texts booklet

How to revise: read over class notes, critics, assessments, Mocks, on-line sites such as Spark-notes,

practice exam style questions, drop in to see Dr Swift as and when you need to check or discuss any

areas related to the texts or exam techniques: remember the AO’s and their relevant weightings

Geography AS AQA (New Course)

Year 12 Revision Exam information: Exam board: AQA 16th May 2017 = Phycisal component 19th May 2017 Human componant Essential topics to revise – As shown on PLC’s and Case study sheets Revision strategies: Mind maps, case studies PLC’s Revision sessions/ resources; To be arranged with Students. You have a specific revision book, PLC’s and case study checklists Information about the exam: Physical component

Section A: Coastal systems (there are 2 other topics, but we don’t do these)

Section B: Hazards (again there is another topic, but we don’t do this

How it's assessed:

Written exam: 1 hour 30 minutes

80 marks

50% of AS

Questions

Section A: answer either question 1 or question 2 or question 3 (40 marks)

Section B: answer either question 4 or question 5 (40 marks)

Question types: multiple-choice, short answer, levels of response and

extended prose

Component 2: Human geography and geography fieldwork investigation

What's assessed?

Section A: Changing places

Section B: Geography fieldwork investigation and geographical skills

How it's assessed

Written exam: 1 hour 30 minutes

80 marks

50% of AS

Questions

Section A: answer all questions (40 marks)

Section B: answer question 2. Answer either question 3 or question 4 (40

marks)

Question types: multiple-choice, short answer, levels of response and

extended prose

Geography - AS OCR

Year 12 Revision

Exam information: Exam board: OCR Unit F761 and F762 Information about the exam: Managing physical environments 1hour 30 minutes 16th May 2017 Managing Change in Human Environments 1 hour 30 minutes 19th May 2017 Essential topics to revise – As shown on PLC’s and Case study sheets Revision strategies: Mind maps, case studies PLC’s Revision sessions/ resources; To be arranged with Students. You have a specific revision book, PLC’s and case study checklists, also the digital library has purchased copies of 2 revision books (enough for each pupil). What the exam involves (the Rubric!) F761 Managing Physical Environments

Section A: Two structured questions, one from either River environments or Coastal environments, AND one from either Cold environments or Hot arid and semi-arid environments.

Section B: One extended-writing question, chosen from a topic not selected for the two structured questions. Given these restrictions on choice of questions, it is clear that to maximise your score you must, at the outset, read all of the questions in Sections A and B. For instance, if you found that you could answer the structured questions on River environments and Coastal environments equally well, but that the extended-writing question on Coastal environments was the easiest of the four, the sensible option would be to select the structured question on River environments and the essay on Coastal environments. F762 Managing Change in Human Environments

Section A: Two structured questions, one from either Urban or Rural AND one from either Energy or Growth of Tourism.

Section B: One extended-writing question, chosen from a topic not selected for the two structured questions. Given these restrictions on choice of questions, it is clear that to maximise your score you must, at the outset, read all of the questions in Sections A and B. For instance, if you found that you could answer the structured questions on River environments and Coastal environments equally well, but that the extended-writing question on Coastal environments was the easiest of the four, the sensible option would be to select the structured question on River environments and the essay on Coastal environments. Structured questions The structured questions are divided into four sub-questions, worth 4, 6, 6 and 9 marks respectively. Two of these sub-questions require knowledge of one or more geographical examples, and two are usually linked to stimulus materials, such as maps, charts, photographs and diagrams. Structured questions are worth 50 out of the 75 raw marks available for each unit. Thus, in a 1.5-hour exam, you should devote approximately 30 minutes to each structured question.

Around one-third of this time (10 minutes) should be used to answer the 9-mark sub-question. Extended-writing questions Section B in Units F761 and F762 requires you to answer an extended-writing or essay-style question. You should allow yourself approximately 30 minutes to do this. The questions demand description, explanation, some evaluation and, most importantly, detailed reference to examples and case studies. Mark scheme criteria Examination answers are assessed against a number of criteria. For AS Geography there are three Criteria or assessment objectives (AOs).These are as follows: 1 Demonstrate knowledge and understanding of the specification content, concepts and processes. 2 Analyse, interpret and evaluate geographical information, issues and viewpoints, and apply them in unfamiliar contexts. 3 Investigate, conclude and communicate, by selecting and using a variety of methods, skills and techniques to investigate questions and issues, reach conclusions and communicate findings. It is useful for you to know exactly how your answers will be judged. If you look at the mark

Table 1.2 Assessment objective weightings at AS% of AS Unit Title AO1 AO2 AO3 Total F761 Managing Physical Environments 25 10 15 50 F762 Managing Change in Human Environments 25 10 15 50 Total 50 20 30 100 The importance of case studies An important feature of the OCR AS Geography specification is its emphasis on exemplification through in-depth case studies. All of the extended-writing questions in Section B, and at least one structured question in Section A, require examples that refer to specific geographical areas. For this reason, generalised answers cannot achieve the highest levels of attainment. Your revision of content for each topic must therefore include one, or sometimes two, case studies. In your textbook, each option topic is illustrated with several case studies. However, you should note that many of these case studies are appropriate for more than one topic How to answer exam questions Answering structured questions Structured questions have a gradient of difficulty. The initial sub-questions are less demanding than the later ones, and therefore carry fewer marks. Thus sub-question (a) often uses command words such as ‘describe’ or ‘outline’, while subsequent questions may require explanation, examples and evaluation.

Stimulus materials are used both directly and indirectly. For direct use, OS maps and photographs are provided to assess key skills, such as map reading and interpretation. Charts and sketch maps may be supplied, to assess your ability to summarise and recognise spatial patterns and trends. For indirect use, stimulus materials are presented as a catalyst for assessing your wider knowledge and understanding of a topic. All mark schemes for structured questions are levels-based, with two levels of attainment for 4- and 6-mark questions,

EXAMPLE Identify and describe the main fluvial features sho wn in Figure 2.1. The main features are: meander, point bar, river cliff, floodplain, bluff. Level Mark Descriptor 2 3–4 marks Candidates use clear description of landscape and individual features within

it. Use of accurate terminology to describe the features. 1 0–2 marks Candidates use basic descriptions that identify the whole nature of the

landscape. Limited or inaccurate appreciation of individual features and limited use of terminology

and three levels for 9-markers. Level Mark Descriptor 3 8-9 Candidates use well-chosen examples to explain in detail why some river

basins are more naturally vulnerable to flooding than others. Answers are well structured,with accurate use of spelling and grammar.Geographical terminology is used accurately.

2 5-7 Candidates use examples to explain why some river basins are more naturally vulnerable to flooding than others. Answers may have poor structure with some inaccurate spelling and grammar.Use of geographical terminology shows some inaccuracy.

1 0-4 Candidates make limited use of examples.Answers are largely descriptive and generalised.Communication is basic,with little structure and inaccurate spelling.

You will notice that marks are loaded towards the top end. So, for example, in a 9-mark question a level 3 answer will achieve 8 or 9 marks. When answering structured questions, you should follow these guidelines:

Read through all parts of the question before attempting to answer. This will help you to avoid repetition in later answers and allow you to get an overview of how the topic is developed. _ Study any stimulus material carefully. _ Before you start writing, make sure that you understand precisely what each question is asking you to do. _ For 9-mark questions, which may run to 20 answer lines, you will need to plan. Make a list of the key points and specific examples you want to include in your answer.

_ Divide your time realistically and adjust the length of your answers to the mark weighting. A 4-mark question is unlikely to require more than 10 lines, whereas for a 9-mark question you would need to write approximately twice as much. Answering extended-writing questions Have a close look at the mark schemes to appreciate the criteria against which your extended writing will be assessed. You will see that each assessment objective is divided into three attainment levels, with

• a maximum of 13 marks for knowledge and understanding,

• 5 for analysis and application and

• 7 for skills and communication. The relatively large weighting given to skills and communication emphasises the importance of accurate spelling and grammar, as well the ability to structure your answer and provide a clear conclusion AO1 Knowledge and understanding Level Mark Descriptor 3 11–13 marks Detailed knowledge and understanding of how management can help resolve

conflicts between development and flood risk issues.Cause and effect are well understood, and there is effective use of detailed examples.

2 7–10 marks Some knowledge and understanding of how management can help resolve conflicts between development and flood risk issues.Cause and effect are understood and some examples are given

1 1–6 marks Limited knowledge and understanding of how management can help resolve conflicts between development and flood risk issues.Cause and effect are not well understood and there is limited use of examples.

AO2 Analysis and application Level Mark Descriptor 3 5 marks Clear analysis of how management can help resolve conflicts between

development and flood risk issues. 2 3-4 marks Some analysis of how management can help resolve conflicts between

development and flood risk issues 1 1-2 marks Limited analysis of how management can help resolve conflicts between

development and flood risk issues. AO3 Skills and communication Level Mark Descriptor 3 6-7 marks Answer is well structured, with effective use of grammar and spelling.

Geographical terminology is used accurately. There is a clear conclusion 2 4-5 marks Answer may have poor structure, with some inaccurate spelling and

inaccurate use of geographical terminology. There is a limited conclusion 1 1-3 marks Communication is basic, with little structure and inaccurate spelling. There is

no attempt at a conclusion. All extended-writing questions are based on the content of the last two ‘questions for investigation’ for each topic in the specification. As a result, they focus mainly on geographical problems, opportunities and management responses. Extended-writing questions have a number of common features: _ They require description and explanation. _ They require some evaluation (i.e. the questions often include some conditional words, such as ‘might’, ‘may’, ‘could’or ‘can’). _ They always require detailed exemplification using at least two (sometimes contrasting) geographical case studies. An example of a typical extended-writing question is given in Figure 1.3. It shows how, within the question, there are opportunities to assess knowledge and understanding, evaluation and exemplification. 8

You should reserve 4 or 5 minutes for thinking time and for writing a brief plan of your answer. The plan should outline the general content of each paragraph and the geographical examples you intend to use to support your answer. Remember that the structure of your answer (including spelling, punctuation and conclusion) will be measured against AO3. Careful planning, therefore, is of particular importance. Your answer should have three main components: an introduction, a main body and a conclusion. _ Introduction The introduction should (a) define any key terms used in the question, such as ‘human activities’ and ‘conflict’, and (b) indicate the broad structure of your answer. In this example, you might list the human activities and the conflicts they create. The introduction should be brief and businesslike: four or five lines should be sufficient. _ Main body This is where you develop the list of points in your introduction. For example, you could write a paragraph to show how the offshore mining oil in a coastal area might give rise to the loss of habitats or environmental damage. The connection between mining and damage would be explained and then illustrated with reference to specific examples, such as Isle of Purbeck in Dorset. Other paragraphs could concentrate on: the impact of hard-engineered coastal defences on sediment supplies and beach erosion (e.g. Happisburgh in Norfolk, Holderness in east Yorkshire); managed retreat leading to planned flooding of lowland coasts; and coastal industrial development in environmentally sensitive areas. _ Conclusion This should be a brief summary of the points developed in your answer. Where appropriate, it may need to include some evaluation. In this example, there may be scope for arguing that human activities do not necessarily result in conflict. Command words and phrases Command words and phrases in examination questions are crucial because they tell you what you have to do. You must respond precisely to their instructions. For example, the instruction :- ‘describe’ is very different from ‘explain’. Ignoring command words and phrases is a fundamental error, and is a common cause of under-achievement. Table 3 lists the common command words and phrases used in questions in the OCR AS Geography examination and explains what they require you to do. With reference to named examples, explain the ways in which human activities Command word/phrase Requirements Describe Provide a picture in words of a feature, pattern or process. Descriptions in short-answer questions are likely to be worth 4 or 6 marks and will require some detail. Outline The same as ‘describe’ but requiring less detail. The idea is to identify the basic characteristics of a feature, pattern or process. Compare Describe the similarities and differences of at least two features, patterns and processes. Examine Describe and comment on a pattern, process or idea. ‘Examine’ often refers to ideas or arguments, which demand close scrutiny from different viewpoints.

Why?/Explain/Account for/ Give reasons Provide the causes of a feature, phenomenon or pattern. This usually requires an understanding of processes. Explanation is a higher-level skill than description and this is reflected in its greater mark weighting in examinations. To what extent?/Assess/ Discuss These commands are evaluative. You need to consider the evidence connected to an issue or problem and make reasoned judgements. This is the highest-level skill required by the AS examination and is more appropriate for extended writing answers in Section B. Practise writing your own answers Before sitting the final examination you will need plenty of practice answering structured and extended-writing questions. In total, your textbook and your CD contain many structured questions and extended-writing questions. Together, these cover most of the themes that are likely to appear in the final examination. You should integrate the answering of examination questions with your revision of each topic.

GOOD LUCK!

GEOGRAPHY A2

Scheme of assessment

Table 1.1 shows what you have to do in the written examinations for Units F763 and F764.

Each paper consists of two Sections, A and B. In F763, Section A contains six data response

questions: three on Environmental issues, and three on Economic issues. Candidates must

answer three questions, at least one from Environmental issues and one from Economic

issues. Section B has 12 open-ended essay questions, two for each option. (Only one

question for each option is provided in this online resource.) Candidates answer two essay

questions, choosing one from the Environmental issues options and one from the Economic

issues option.

The scheme of assessment for F764 is broadly similar. Section A comprises three structured,

data response questions based around various stimulus materials. Candidates answer one

question. Section B includes two open-ended essay questions that examine fieldwork and

research skills. Candidates answer both questions.

Section A: Three data response questions, at least one from Environmental issues (i.e. Earth

hazards, Ecosystems and Climatic hazards) and at least one from Economic issues (i.e.

Population and resources, Globalisation, and Development and inequalities). Candidates

choose three from six questions.

Section B: Two essay questions, one from Environmental issues (i.e. Earth hazards,

Ecosystems, and Climatic hazards) and one from Economic issues (i.e. Population and

resources, Globalisation, and Development and inequalities). Candidates select two from

twelve questions.

F764 Geographical Skills

Section A: One data response question on the general stages of geographical investigation

(e.g. data collection, data analysis).

Section B: Two essay questions on specific geographical investigations undertaken by

candidates.

Structured/data response questions

In Section A of Global Issues (F763), questions are based on data presented as tables, charts,

maps, newspaper clippings etc., which are related to the six options that comprise the

content of the unit. All the questions have exactly the same wording:

‘Outline an issue indicated and suggest appropriate management.’

While the data sets will change for each examination, the question will retain the same

wording.

Section A of Geographical Skills (F764) consists of three data response questions. Data sets,

in the form of maps, charts, satellite images and tables, are provided for each question and

provide the stimulus to assess understanding of the various stages of geographical enquiry.

Unlike the standard question in Section A of F763, the structured questions on geographical

skills are varied, and change from one examination to the next. Your choice of question

might be influenced by the extent to which you can develop synoptic material from other

parts of the specification.

Essay-type questions

Section B of Global Issues consists of six essay-type questions on Environmental issues, and

six on Economic issues. Assuming that most candidates have studied three out of the six

options in this unit, the choice amounts to three questions out of six. The essay questions

are discursive, evaluative and wide-ranging, and all provide scope for synoptic

Section B of Geographical Skills has two compulsory essay-type questions. These questions

include description and explanation, as well as evaluation.

Synoptic assessment

Synoptic assessment is included in both A2 units. The definition of synoptic assessment is:

...assessment of candidates’ ability to draw on their understanding of the connections

between different aspects of geography represented in the specification, and to

demonstrate their ability to ‘think like a geographer’.

Synoptic assessment requires candidates to use knowledge, understanding and skills drawn

from outside the content of an A2 unit — that is, from studies at AS and elsewhere at A2.

For example, specimen question 3 on global climate change (see page 32) in Section B of

Global Issues, provides opportunities to make connections with the content of Cold

environments and Hot arid and semi-arid environments of AS.

Study of the mark schemes in this online resource reveals the importance of synopticity. To

achieve Level 3 for Analysis, interpretation and evaluation (AO2) in the essay-type questions

in the Global Issues (F763) unit, candidates must demonstrate clear evidence of synopticity.

The synoptic requirement also appears in the structured, data response questions in Section

A of Geographical Skills (F764). In sub-question 1c, Level 2 is only reached where clear

synopticity is demonstrated. Synopticity is implicit in the fieldwork and research essay

questions in Section B of this unit, where candidates are expected to draw on the fieldwork

and research experience they have gained throughout the A-level course.

Synoptic assessment has two main purposes. First, it encourages candidates to adopt a

broad perspective when analysing people and environment issues. This is a quintessential

geographical approach, seeking to integrate (and synthesise) understanding of society,

economy and the physical environment. Second, it gives the A-level Geography specification

a coherence, which because of modularity, and the reduction of the subject into a series of

discrete units, it might otherwise lack.

Mark scheme criteria

Examination answers are assessed against a number of criteria. For A2 Geography there are

three criteria or assessment objectives (AOs).They are:

1 Demonstrate knowledge and understanding of the specification content, concepts and

processes.

2 Analyse, interpret and evaluate geographical information, issues and viewpoints, and

apply

them in unfamiliar contexts.

3 Select and use a variety of methods, skills and techniques (including the use of new tech-

nologies) to investigate questions and issues, reach conclusions and communicate findings.

It is important for you to know exactly how your answers will be judged. If you look at the

mark schemes you can see how these assessment criteria are applied. Table 1.2 shows the

weighting given to each AO.

Preparing for exams

Success in examinations at A-level depends primarily on two things:

• your knowledge and understanding of the specification content

• your ability to apply your knowledge and understanding accurately to the questions

in the examination

How to revise

The bulk of your revision will focus on improving your knowledge and understanding. This

will involve learning ideas, theories, explanations, examples and case studies. However, this

must be done intelligently and effectively. The best way to prepare is to structure your

revision around the questions for investigation and key ideas set out for each topic in the

specification. Structured revision will help to focus your learning on those themes

commonly used in assessment in the examination. For example, if you were revising flood

hazards, it would be most effective to organise your learning around key ideas such as the

physical and human factors that create flood risks, the environmental, social and economic

effects of flooding, and the human responses to flood hazards (see Figure 1.1). These ideas

would be studied within the context of actual river and coastal flood events.

Lists of key ideas are essential revision tools, and these are headlined in your PLC’s.

It must be emphasised that effective revision cannot be an automatic and unthinking

process, where you work chronologically, page by page, through your notes. Meaningful

revision must be structured to reflect the requirements of assessment in the final exam. You

will find that an organised and structured revision approach is the most rewarding and,

ultimately, the most productive way to revise.

The importance of examples and case studies

An important feature of the OCR A-level Geography specification is its emphasis on

exemplification through in-depth case studies. At A2, the essay-type questions in Section B

of Global Issues require detailed examples, even though the question may not ask for them

explicitly. The mark schemes make this clear: to achieve Level 3 for knowledge and

understanding (AO1), candidates must make ‘effective use of detailed exemplification’.

More generalised answers, containing some, or limited exemplification, cannot achieve

more than Level 2 for knowledge and understanding. For this reason, generalised answers

cannot access the highest levels of attainment.

In the Geographical Skills unit, exemplification is provided by the experience of fieldwork

and research enquiries that you have undertaken. References to this work should be place-

specific and provide details of the area studied, the character of the investigation, the

influence of the local environment on hypothesis formulation and sampling strategies, and

the unique problems encountered.

How to answer exam questions

Two types of exam question are used in the A2 examination. Shorter answer, data response

questions are used in Section A on the Global Issues (F763) and the Geographical Skills

(F764) papers. Section B on both papers uses a different style of assessment based on essay-

type questions.

Data response questions

There are six structured, data response questions in Section A, three on Environmental

issues, and three on Economic issues. You must answer three questions, with at least one

chosen from Environmental issues and one from Economic issues. Each question is worth 10

marks. All the questions are the same: only the stimulus resources vary (see page 12). The

resources suggest a wide range of possible issues and management responses, and it is

likely that some of your answers will draw on parts of the AS specification, as well as A2. You

have approximately 50 minutes to spend on this part of the examination, which means just

less than 20 minutes for each data response question. Thus a typical answer is not likely to

exceed one to one and a half sides of A4.

Your first task is to outline an issue suggested by the resource material. This part of the

question focuses on knowledge and understanding, and requires a clear statement of the

issue, its causes and the conflict that might arise between different interest groups. The

second part of the question asks for possible management strategies to address the issue.

These strategies should be described briefly, outlining their cost (economic and

environmental), feasibility, timescale and impact. Some evaluative comments on their

relative suitability and likelihood of success are needed for answers to achieve Level 3. Care

should be taken to ensure that there is reasonable equality in the length of answers to the

two parts of the question.

Open-ended essays

You have to answer two open-ended essay questions from Section B, one on Environmental

issues and one on Economic issues. Each essay is worth 30 marks and should be allocated

approximately 50 minutes’ writing time. All the questions are discursive and evaluative,

require some synoptic input, and are wide ranging and summative. Successful answers will

be supported with appropriate examples and case studies. Essays are marked according to

three assessment objectives (see page 28): there are 9 marks for knowledge and

understanding (AO1); 17 marks for analysis, interpretation and evaluation (AO2); and 4

marks for investigation, conclusion and communication (AO3). You should note that to

achieve Level 3 on AO2, answers must ‘show clear evidence of synopticity’ and ‘clear

evaluation’. Figure 1.2 shows a typical open-ended essay question and the opportunities to

demonstrate knowledge, understanding, synopticity and the skills of discussion and

evaluation.

Planning answers to open-ended questions

With 50 minutes to write your essay, you can afford to reserve 4 or 5 minutes for thinking

time and writing a brief plan of your answer. Your plan should outline the content of each

section of your answer and the geographical examples and case studies that you intend to

use. It is important to include in your plan some substantial and identifiable synoptic

content. It is also important to remember that the emphasis in your essay is discussion and

that evaluation should permeate the entire answer, not just be left to the conclusion. Your

answer should have a clear structure, with three main components: an introduction, a main

body and a conclusion. This simple structure, based on the essay question in Figure 1.2, is

shown in the plan in Table 1.3.

F764 Geographical Skills

Structured data response questions

Section A consists of three structured, data response questions designed to test candidates’

research skills. Each question is divided three sub-sections (a (i), a (ii) and b or a, b and c)

worth 5, 10 and 5 marks respectively. Candidates choose one question. Unlike the data

response questions in F763, the format of these data response questions is highly variable.

Moreover, in contrast to F763, the questions on F764 require a specific response to the

resource materials. The main opportunity for synoptic input occurs in sub-questions (b

(i)/(ii) or b/c), which test the wider knowledge and understanding of the research topic. For

example, the specimen data response questions (see pages 41–44) require some

understanding of sampling, statistical significance and mapping, which are not directly

related to the stimulus material and question (a). In selecting a question you should

consider its scope for including synoptic material from AS fieldwork/research investigations

as well as from other parts of the A2 specification.

You can spend around 30 minutes on Section A. Be sure to read all parts of the question

before making your choice and ensure that the length of your answer to each sub-question

is proportional to the mark weighting.

The core content for Section A of Geographical Skills, and the focus of your revision, are the

six stages of geographical enquiry. Each question on the paper will deal with one or more

aspects of geographical enquiry such as data collection, data presentation, and data analysis

and interpretation. There is also a significant emphasis on new technologies in geographical

research, including computer skills and the application of Geographical Information Systems

(GIS).

The mark schemes give two attainment levels for sub-questions (a) and (c), and three for

sub- question (b). The term ‘clear’ is the descriptor for the highest attainment level: answers

at the lowest level are termed ‘limited’. Synopticity is also likely to be a feature of answers

at the highest level.

You should note that there is no expectation that you will have carried out fieldwork

investigation on the topics referred to in the questions in Section A.

Open-ended essays

Section B of Geographical Skills comprises two essay-type questions, each worth 20 marks.

This is the only part of the AS/A-level specification where you have no choice of question:

you must answer both. However, this is less of a constraint than first appears, because both

questions invite you to write about aspects of fieldwork investigations that you have

completed during the A-level course. The mark weighting suggests that you should spend

around 30 minutes on each essay. This will include 3–4 minutes of thinking time and

planning.

The essay questions in Section B typically include two or three command words, such as

‘describe’,‘how’ and ‘explain’. In addition they always include some evaluation, with

commands such as‘assess’,‘to what extent...?’and‘how important...?’.The mark scheme has

three levels of attainment, and unlike the essays on F763, it is not structured by the

assessment objectives. Instead, all the assessment objectives are subsumed within the

description of each level.

To score well on the essay questions it is clear that your answer must relate specifically, and

in depth, to research and fieldwork investigation you have undertaken. There should, for

example, be detailed references to the local area of study, its specific character, sources of

data, the problems (often unique) of data collection and interpretation and so on.

Generalised responses, however accurate, are unlikely to achieve more than Level 1.

Examiners can further differentiate answers by the extent to which they evaluate theories,

methodologies and outcomes. Thus, Level 3 answers will contain ‘detailed evaluation’ while

Level 1 answers have ‘little, if any, evaluation.’

Command words and phrases

Command words and phrases in examination questions are crucial because they tell you

what you have to do. You must respond precisely to their instructions. For example, the

instruction ‘describe’ is very different from ‘explain’. Ignoring command words and phrases

is a fundamental error, and is a common cause of under-achievement. Table 1.4 lists the

common command words and phrases used in questions in the OCR A2 Geography

examination and explains what they require you to do.

HISTORY Year 12 Exam board details: Edexcel

http://www.edexcel.com/quals/gce/gce08/history/Pages/default.aspx PAPER 1: Breadth study with interpretations

Britain, 1625-1702: conflict revolution and Settlement

2 HOURS AND 15MINS

• Why did Monarchical government fail in the years 1625-29? • Charles’ personal rule • The causes of the English civil war • The rule of the rump • Oliver Cromwell and the protectorate • The rule of the major generals • The restoration of the monarchy • The Whigs and the Tories and the exclusion crisis • The collapse of total power • Laud’s policies and religious uniformity • Parliaments re-ordering of the church and the rejection or Armenians • The restoration of Anglicanism • Puritanism under Charles I • Presbyterianism and religious radicalism • The persecution of dissenters • Interpretations of the period

PAPER 2: Depth Study

Russia in Revolution, 1894-1924

1 hour and 30 mins

Topics

• Russia at the time of the Tsars • How oppressively was Russia governed? • Economic and social change • Radical parties and Marxist theory • The rule of Nicholas II • Stolypin • 1905 revolution • The October Manifesto and the Dumas • The impact of the First World War • The February Revolution • The provisional government • The return of Lenin

• July days and Kornilov • Bolshevik seizure of power

Revision strategies

• Make notes of key points • test yourself on the key points. • Use the key points to help you answer practice questions (from

website above). • Read over your notes and makes notes on cards or produce mind

maps. • Pay close attentions to exam questions done during the year and

revise main factors from exam question • Consider type of question • Read through your notes to get a general view of the material. • Make key notes on areas of importance for contextual

knowledge • Make sure you understand reliability, utility, cross referencing

and provenance of a source • Remember NOP when answering source based questions • Remember SPAG

NOP

• NATURE – What kind of source is it? What tone and language is being used?

• ORIGIN – Who produced it? When was it produced? Where was it produced?

• PURPOSE – Why has it been written?(Motive) Who for?(audience)

Types of questions

Were…….… the main reason for the…..…… in the years………... ? (20 marks) To what extent did….. in the years…. arise from…………. ?(20 marks) Using your existing knowledge with which interpretation do you agree? Historians have different views about how … analyse and evaluate the extract and

use your knowledge of the issues to explain your answer to the following question……………..

How far do you agree with the view that………..…. ?(20 marks) Why is source 1 valuable to the historian for an enquiry into the reasons………….? (8

marks)

How much weight do you give the evidence of Source……..….. for an enquiry into.. …..?(12 marks)

To what extent did………?(20 marks) How far was………………. ?(20 marks) How accurate is it to say that……………………….?(20 marks) .Revision strategies

• Make notes of key points • Test yourself on the key points. • Use the key points to help you answer practice questions (from



revise main factors from exam question • Consider type of question • Remember SPAG • Read through your notes to get a general view of the material. • Make key notes on areas of importance for contextual


and provenance of a source • Remember NOP when answering source based questions • Consider interpretations when answering controversy questions • Remember SPAG

NOP




HISTORY Year 13 Exam board details: Edexcel

http://www.edexcel.com/quals/gce/gce08/history/Pages/default.aspx PAPER 1: Breadth study with interpretations

Britain, 1625-1702: conflict revolution and Settlement

2 HOURS AND 15MINS

• Why did Monarchical government fail in the years 1625-29? • Charles’ personal rule • The causes of the English civil war • The rule of the rump • Oliver Cromwell and the protectorate • The rule of the major generals • The restoration of the monarchy • The Whigs and the Tories and the exclusion crisis • The collapse of total power • Laud’s policies and religious uniformity • Parliaments re-ordering of the church and the rejection or Armenians • The restoration of Anglicanism • Puritanism under Charles I • Presbyterianism and religious radicalism • The persecution of dissenters • Interpretations of the period

PAPER 2: Depth Study

Russia in Revolution, 1894-1924

1 hour and 30 mins

Topics

• Russia at the time of the Tsars • How oppressively was Russia governed? • Economic and social change • Radical parties and Marxist theory • The rule of Nicholas II • Stolypin • 1905 revolution • The October Manifesto and the Dumas • The impact of the First World War • The February Revolution • The provisional government • The return of Lenin

• July days and Kornilov • Bolshevik seizure of power

Revision strategies




revise main factors from exam question • Consider type of question • Read through your notes to get a general view of the material. • Make key notes on areas of importance for contextual


and provenance of a source • Remember NOP when answering source based questions • Remember SPAG

NOP




Types of questions

Were…….… the main reason for the…..…… in the years………... ? (20 marks) To what extent did….. in the years…. arise from…………. ?(20 marks) Using your existing knowledge with which interpretation do you agree? Historians have different views about how … analyse and evaluate the extract and

use your knowledge of the issues to explain your answer to the following question……………..

How far do you agree with the view that………..…. ?(20 marks)

Why is source 1 valuable to the historian for an enquiry into the reasons………….? (8 marks)

How much weight do you give the evidence of Source……..….. for an enquiry into.. …..?(12 marks)

To what extent did………?(20 marks) How far was………………. ?(20 marks) How accurate is it to say that……………………….?(20 marks) .Revision strategies




revise main factors from exam question • Consider type of question • Remember SPAG • Read through your notes to get a general view of the material. • Make key notes on areas of importance for contextual


and provenance of a source • Remember NOP when answering source based questions • Consider interpretations when answering controversy questions • Remember SPAG

NOP




•

Paper 3 Mass Media and Social change in Britain 1882-2004

Aspects in breadth

The main focus of the ‘Aspects in breadth’ is on social change within the family, home and leisure across the period 1882–2004.

Women, family and work

• changes brought about to women’s lives as wives and mothers, and of changes to their world of work outside the home.

• family leisure opportunities and use of leisure time changed over the period and the reasons for this, including

• the impact of shorter working hours, increasing affluence, new technology and changes in transport.

• change in the use of leisure in the home, the locality and further afield.

• continuations, for example in hobbies, clubs, reading and gardening. • key turning points in social change within the family, home and

leisure, • the 1888 Bryant and May’s matchgirls’ strike, • the opening of Marie Stopes’ family-planning clinics from 1921, • the first Butlin’s holiday camp opening in 1936, • setting up the NHS in 1948, • the Equal Pay Act of 1970 and the ending, in 1991, of the composite

tax system

. Leisure • Change and continuity in leisure, 1882–2004: entertainment in the

home; • changes in excursions and holidays (key developments: • the first Butlin’s holiday camp 1936, • Holiday Pay Act 1938 • foreign package holidays from the 1950s). • Reasons for change in leisure patterns, 1882–2004: • impact of changes in means of transport (key developments: the

safety bicycle from the late 1880s, • increasing car ownership in the 1920s, growth of air travel from

1950s); • the impact of increasing affluence and reduced time at work; • the impact of technology (key developments: cinema in the early

twentieth century, • radio from the 1920s, TV from 1945 • the use of the internet for leisure from the late twentieth century).

• Although the topics are clarified separately below, students should appreciate the linkages between them since questions, including document questions, may be set which target the content of more than one topic. Students will be required to interpret and evaluate a documentary extract in its historical context, but the knowledge they will need to have will be central to that specified in the topics.

Topic 1: The age of the press barons 1914–36

• knowledge of the named press barons and the power they had to influence public opinion through editorial policy and its impact on their readership.

• Beaverbrook’s influence as owner of the Daily Express and Sunday Express and Lord Northcliffe influence as owner of the Daily Mail, Sunday Pictorial, and The Times.

• Rothermere’s acquisition of Lord Northcliffe’s media empire and his expansion of influence by the buying of provincial newspapers.

• the reasons for the founding of the Daily Herald, its editorial stance and the role of George Lansbury.

• In exploring the nature and extent of the influence of the press barons need to be able to provide specific examples in exemplification.

Topic 2: Wireless and the war: propaganda, information and

entertainment 1939–45

• the ways in which the radio was used during the Second World War. • the links, and the blurring of the edges, between advice, information

and propaganda, and propaganda and entertainment. • the nature and type of advice given and the role of government

ministries. • the impact of broadcasts from the front and the roles of Richard

Dimbleby, Godfrey Talbot and Frank Gillard. • the relationship between advice, entertainment, propaganda and

morale, using specific examples. • the role of the ‘Kitchen Front’ and the radio doctor Charles Hill, the

popularity of light entertainment programmes, including It’s That Man Again (ITMA), Workers’ Playtime, Music While You Work and The Brains Trust and the importance of Children’s Hour and the broadcast by Princess Elizabeth.

• overt propaganda: Lord Haw Haw broadcasting on Radio Hamburg from September 1939 and Sefton Delmer, operating the phoney German radio station as Gustav Siegfried Eins.

Topic 3: Media in the sixties: satire, image and social change

• the media both reflected and moulded society in the 1960s. • satire helping bring about the decline in deference. • the impact of Beyond the Fringe, That Was The Week That Was and

Private Eye. • the impact of film and television in depicting a changing society

where contemporary sexual and social mores were becoming more liberal.

• sexual freedom exercised by some young people reflected in films such as Saturday Night and Sunday Morning and A Taste of Honey.

• popular sitcoms such as Till Death Us Do Part, portrayed a racism and sexism.

• Cathy Come Home and its impact on the charity Shelter. • The permissive society and the influence of the BBC • the role of Mary Whitehouse and the National Viewers and

Listeners’ Association. • reflect on the concept of the ‘Swinging Sixties’ and consider the

extent to which the ‘Swinging Sixties’ was a media construct. • know about media promotion of 1960s icons for example, The

Beatles, The Rolling Stones, Carnaby Street, Mary Quant and Twiggy • consider a grimmer economic reality and social and regional

differences in the 1960s.

Topic 4: The Thatcher governments and the media, 1979–90

• the impact the policies of the Thatcher governments had on the media.

• the basic principles of Thatcherism including ‘rolling back the frontiers of the state’, rugged individualism and enterprise

• the Media industry becoming open to competition and self-supporting.

• the significance for the press of the Wapping dispute and the impact of the Thatcher government’s attitude to traditional and restrictive practices in Fleet Street.

• the impact on radio and television, with the increase in competition in broadcasting and the growth of local and commercial radio stations, reflecting local issues to a local audience.

• the measure of control the government applied to the media when reporting the Falklands conflict and the miners’ strike, both considered to be threatening national security,

• the centrality of the role of Bernard Ingham.

• Coverage of government policies unrelated to the media is not required.

Topic 5: The Labour government versus the media: the problem of the

Iraq dossiers, 2002–04

• the Labour government’s relationship with the media as demonstrated by the furore created by the Iraq dossiers.

• the significance of the claims made in the September 2002 and February 2003 dossiers.

• the initial reaction of the media to the revelations contained within them insofar as Iraq’s ‘possession’ of weapons of mass destruction was concerned

• the ways in which media reaction changed following the investigative journalism carried out by Channel 4.

• the developing confrontation between the government and the BBC is required, involving the roles of Alastair Campbell and Andrew Gilligan.

• the impact of the death of Dr David Kelly. • the significance of the various interests represented by the Hutton

Enquiry and the significance, for the media, of its outcomes

ICT AS - STUDENT INFORMATION EXAM BOARD: WJEC AS Information and Communication T echnology GCE FINAL AS GRADE MADE UP OF 40% COURSEWORK AND 60% EX AM MARK EXAMINATION PAPER (known as Unit 1) is 2 hours 15 m inutes long You must have printed out your Wage Calculator Evid ence and signed the front

cover sheet for Mrs Rixson by 23rd May 2016.

RESOURCES TO HELP YOU REVISE Your theory notes. AS Revision Guide – already given AS ICT Textbook – pdf copy in user area on network AS ICT Topic Videos – in user area on network AS Past Papers – available from Fronter Model Answers from AS questions studied in lessons ESSENTIAL TOPICS TO REVISE Functions used in your Wage Calculator spreadsheet (what calculating and

purpose in your model) Simulations & Modelling Data, Information and Knowledge (inc. encoding) Value & Importance of Information Quality of Information Validation and Verification Capabilities and Limitations of ICT Uses of ICT – Health Uses Uses of ICT in the Home Uses of ICT in Business (CAD/CAM & in shops – EFTPO S) Uses of ICT in Education Networks Human Computer Interfaces Databases Presenting Information (Mailmerge, Templates, Power points etc) Social Issues (Computer Misuse Act, Data Protection Act, Health & Safety Laws) STRATEGIES FOR REVISION Mind maps Practice papers – practice explaining concepts full y Revision guide – reading – highlight notes Look at the feedback from previous tests paper EXAM EQUIPMENT You must bring to the exam a black pen (and a spare just incase)!

ICT A2 - STUDENT INFORMATION EXAM BOARD: WJEC A2 Information and Communication T echnology GCE FINAL A2 GRADE MADE UP OF 40% COURSEWORK AND 60% EX AM MARK PLUS

UMS POINTS FROM AS EXAMINATION PAPER (known as Unit 3) is 2 hours 30 m inutes long RESOURCES TO HELP YOU REVISE Your theory notes. A2 Revision Guide – already given A2 ICT Textbook – pdf copy in user area on network A2 ICT Topic Videos – in user area on network A2 Past Papers – already given Model Answers from A2 questions studied in lessons ESSENTIAL TOPICS TO REVISE Relational Databases Networks Human Computer Interfaces System Development Life Cycle The Internet Management Information Systems Working With ICT (Teleworking etc.) Management of Change Security Policies STRATEGIES FOR REVISION Mind maps Practice papers – practice explaining concepts full y Revision guide – reading – highlight notes Look at the feedback from previous tests paper EXAM EQUIPMENT You must bring to the exam a black pen (and a spare just incase)!

ICT AS - STUDENT INFORMATION EXAM BOARD: WJEC AS Information and Communication T echnology GCE FINAL AS GRADE MADE UP OF 40% COURSEWORK AND 60% EX AM MARK EXAMINATION PAPER (known as Unit 1) is 2 hours 15 m inutes long You must have printed out your Wage Calculator Evid ence and signed the front

cover sheet for Mrs Rixson .

RESOURCES TO HELP YOU REVISE Your theory notes. AS Revision Guide – already given AS ICT Textbook – pdf copy in user area on network AS ICT Topic Videos – in user area on network AS Past Papers – available from Fronter Model Answers from AS questions studied in lessons ESSENTIAL TOPICS TO REVISE Functions used in your Wage Calculator spreadsheet (what calculating and

purpose in your model) Simulations & Modelling Data, Information and Knowledge (inc. encoding) Value & Importance of Information Quality of Information Validation and Verification Capabilities and Limitations of ICT Uses of ICT – Health Uses Uses of ICT in the Home Uses of ICT in Business (CAD/CAM & in shops – EFTPO S) Uses of ICT in Education Networks Human Computer Interfaces Databases Presenting Information (Mailmerge, Templates, Power points etc) Social Issues (Computer Misuse Act, Data Protection Act, Health & Safety Laws) STRATEGIES FOR REVISION Mind maps Practice papers – practice explaining concepts full y Revision guide – reading – highlight notes Look at the feedback from previous tests paper EXAM EQUIPMENT You must bring to the exam a black pen (and a spare just incase)!

ICT A2 - STUDENT INFORMATION EXAM BOARD: WJEC A2 Information and Communication T echnology GCE FINAL A2 GRADE MADE UP OF 40% COURSEWORK AND 60% EX AM MARK PLUS

UMS POINTS FROM AS EXAMINATION PAPER (known as Unit 3) is 2 hours 30 m inutes long RESOURCES TO HELP YOU REVISE Your theory notes. A2 Revision Guide – already given A2 ICT Textbook – pdf copy in user area on network A2 ICT Topic Videos – in user area on network A2 Past Papers – already given Model Answers from A2 questions studied in lessons ESSENTIAL TOPICS TO REVISE Relational Databases Networks Human Computer Interfaces System Development Life Cycle The Internet Management Information Systems Working With ICT (Teleworking etc.) Management of Change Security Policies STRATEGIES FOR REVISION Mind maps Practice papers – practice explaining concepts full y Revision guide – reading – highlight notes Look at the feedback from previous tests paper EXAM EQUIPMENT You must bring to the exam a black pen (and a spare just incase)!

Maths AS and A2

a. Exam board details – Edexcel

b. Information about the exam –

Module Date Duration Time

Core 1 17th May 2017 1 hr 30 min a.m.

Core 2 24th May 2017 1 hr 30 min a.m.

Statistics 1 6th June 2017 1 hr 30 min a.m.

Mechanics 1 14th June 2017 1 hr 30 min a.m.

Core 3 20th June 2017 1 hr 30 min p.m.

Core 4 23rd June 2017 1 hr 30 min a.m.

c. Essential topics to revise – pack given to students. Use Module

Specification with revision links (hyperlinks) files on Fronter.

d. Revision strategies – hand out and strategies given to students.

Students can also use following websites: Examsolutions.net for

revision and practice on previous exam papers, and

Mathsandphysicstutor.com for extra exam paper and practise on

topics that they are struggling on.

e. Specific equipment needed. Calculator

f. Revision sessions (after school)- every week Wednesdays,

Thursdays and Fridays (see individual teacher) from 3.00 - 4.00.

AS Media Studies Revision Guide

Exam Board: OCR

Examination Duration: 120 minutes: 30 minutes viewing time and 90

minutes writing time

Total marks available: 100

Section A: Textual Analysis and Representation (TV Drama)

• Gender

• Age

• Ethnicity

• Sexuality

• Class and status

• Physical ability/disability

• Regional identity

Section A: Exam Question

Discuss the ways in which an extract constructs representations of… using the

following:

• Camera shots, angles, movement and composition

• Editing

• Sound

• Mise-en-scene

Camera Shots, Angle, Movement and Composition

Shots: establishing shot, close-up, mid-shot, long shot, two-shot, aerial shot,

point of view shot, and over the shoulder shot.

Angles: high angle, low angle, canted angle and eye-level angle.

Movement: pan, tilt, track, crane, steadicam, hand-held and zoom.

Composition: framing, rule of thirds, depth of field – deep and shallow focus

and focus pulls.

Editing

Types of editing: continuity editing or montage editing.

Transitions: shot/reverse shot, eyeline match, graphic match, action match,

jump cut, crosscutting and parallel editing.

Other transitions: dissolve, fade, wipe, superimposition, long take, short take,

slow motion, ellipsis and expansion of time, post-production and visual effects.

Sound

Diegetic, non-diegetic, synchronous, asynchronous, pleonastic, ambient; sound

effects; sound bridge, dialogue, voiceover, mode of address/direct address,

and sound mixing.

Mise-en-Scène

Settings, locations, costume, make-up, lighting, colour, iconography, kinesics

and proxemics.

Representations:

Stereotype, countertype, archetype, progressive and regressive.

Key terms and Audience theories:

Enigma codes/theory

Binary oppositions

Uses and Gratifications theory

Audience Social Class theory

The ‘Male’ Gaze (gender)

Scopophilia: the pleasure in looking (gender)

Section B: Audience and Institutions: You will need to learn a range of facts

and figures regarding, production, distribution, exhibition and digital

technologies in Skyfall and Attack The Block. You will also need to know

about the business practices and strategies of 20th Century Fox, a subsidiary

of the conglomerate 21st Century Fox and the British Independent film

production company Warp Films.

The Section B exam question will focus on one of the following areas:

• The issues raised by media ownership in contemporary media practice

• The importance of cross media convergence and synergy in production,

distribution and marketing

• The technologies that have been introduced in recent years at the levels

of production, distribution, marketing and exchange

• The significance of proliferation in hardware and content for institutions

and audiences

• The importance of technological convergence for institutions and

audiences

• The issues raised in the targeting of national and local audiences

(specifically, British) by international or global institutions

• The ways in which candidates own experiences of media consumption

illustrates wider patterns and trends in audience behaviour (exhibition

and audience viewing pleasures)

Essay structure: introduction, general overview, point one, point two, point

three (if relevant), the future, your consumptions and a brief conclusion

(optional).

A2 Media Studies Revision Guide

g. Exam board details – OCR

h. Information about the exam

• 120 minutes duration.

• Section A: Two questions – 30 minutes each (sample answer about 1200 words

for both = 600 words each) – 25 marks per question

• Section B: You will answer ONE question from a range of SIX topics offered by

OCR – 50 marks (1 hour). There will be TWO questions from each topic area.

i. Essential topics to revise:

QUESTION 1

• Question 1 of Section A is essentially an evaluation of your skills development over the course of

the Foundation and Advanced Media Portfolio.

Question 1 will focus on one or two of the following:

1. Digital Technology

2. Creativity

3. Research & Planning

4. Post- Production

5. Generic Media Conventions

Digital Technology

• What software was used?

• What equipment was used?

• What were the technical pros and cons of the software and hardware?

• In what ways was technology used to create the production?

• In what ways did the technology constrain or enable the production to be developed?

Creativity

• What was the intended outcome of the production?

• How were these outcomes achieved in terms of page layout and camera shot choices?

• What stylistic techniques were used to appeal to the audience?

Research and Planning

• What primary and secondary research was undertaken? How did it inform the production?

• What quantitative and qualitative analysis methods were employed? How did the results from

these inform the production?

• How effectively were storyboards and magazine flat plans followed?

Post-Production

• What editing decisions were made? How did they inform the production?

• What particular editing tools were used and to what effect?

• How did the post production process enhance the overall production?

Generic Media Conventions

• In what ways were media conventions adhered to? For example did a music video have fast paced

editing? Did the performers act to the camera?

• What media theories were utilized? Were the representations involved appropriate to the

product?

To do well:

You should be looking at charting the skills development from your initial state in the Foundation

Portfolio to the level you have attained in the Advanced Portfolio.

• Specific and in depth descriptions of the skills in question must be included i.e. how was the razor

blade tool used in Serif MoviePlus x6 to edit a clip placed on the timeline?

• Explicit descriptions of progress between the 2 units MUST be shown.

QUESTION 2 -

• Question 2 is an evaluation of any one of your production pieces i.e. either the Foundation

Portfolio production, the main production of the Advanced Portfolio or any of the 2 ancillary

productions in relation to a theoretical media concept. It MUST include links between the theorists

and your chosen production piece.

Question 2 will focus on only one of the following:

1. Genre

2. Narrative

3. Representation

4. Audience

5. Media Language

Genre

• What genre is the production?

• What are the codes and conventions of the production?

• How is the genre established?

• How does the mise en scene support the genre?

• What is the role of the specific elements of the mise en scene? Refer to props, costume, makeup,

location, theme etc.

• Have generic conventions been adhered to or subverted?

• How will the generic elements of the production appeal to the audience?

Theories:

Katie Wales - “Genre is... an intertextual concept” meaning that we understand genres because of

what we already know about them. Links nicely to your trailer – it is not hard for your audience to

understand your genre because they are familiar with the generic codes. This can also be linked to

story vs plot.

David Buckingham - “Genre is not simply given by the culture, rather, it is in a constant process of

negotiation and change.” Genres develop and change over time, usually to reflect changes in social

values (e.g. the developing role of women in society).

Denis McQuail - “The genre may be considered as a practical device for helping any mass medium to

produce consistently and efficiently and to relate its production to the expectations of its

customers.” Links to audience as well. Using generic conventions helps you to be sure that you can

effectively target your audience.

Gunther Kress - Genre is “a kind of text that derives its form from the structure of a (frequently

repeated) social occasion, with its characteristic participants and their purposes.”

Narrative

• What is the narrative structure of the product?

• How do the specific elements of the production relate to the narrative structure?

• Does the production adhere to or subvert narrative conventions?

• How does the narrative support the establishment of the chosen genre of the production?

• How have narrative techniques been used to appeal to the audience? Refer to enigma, multi

strand, restricted, unrestricted, non-linear etc.

Vladimir Propp - Argued that narratives always have certain character types who perform certain

actions. Characters are agents of action. You should know which character types you have included

in your work.

Claude Levi-Stauss - Argues that human cultural understanding is based upon a system of binary

opposites (good/ bad; black/ white; male/ female…). Narratologists have taken this theory and

applied it to narrative, arguing that binary opposition forms a fundamental way of understanding

narrative.

Tzetvan Todorov - Argues that narratives always have a structure of Equilibrium/ Disequilibrium/

New equilibrium. This is not the case in a trailer.

Story vs Plot - Many of us don’t realize that there is a difference between a plot and a story, because

we refer to the plot as a story. However, the plot should correctly be referred to as the storyline,

which is different to the story itself.

The plot is the meat and bones of the story. It can be charted and outlined to highlight the critical

events during a movie, book, or TV show. The plot is developed in order to create a better story.

The story is the idea, the general theme, and the loose interpretation of the event in its entirety. You

can easily create the same story over and over, and adjust the plot in order to create differences.

This happens all the time in TV series, and within genre movies and books.

In media texts, the STORIES are OFTEN the same and it is only the PLOT that changes.

Representation

• Identify characters, events or issues within the production to discuss.

• What representational concepts are highlighted? i.e. race, gender, cultural attitudes etc.

• What representations have been generated?

• discuss the specific elements of character representation i.e. mode of address, facial expressions,

clothing, behaviour etc.

• Have any stereotypical representations been generated?

• Does the production conform to or subvert any dominant ideologies?

David Gauntlett - “The genre may be considered as a practical device for helping any mass medium

to produce consistently and efficiently and to relate its production to the expectations of its

customers.”

Antonio Gramsci (from Marxist theory) – Hegemony - Marxist theory states that a small ruling, elite

group have control. This group dominate the poorer, less powerful mass - the workforce, the larger

group. Gramsci took classic Marxist ideas further. He theorised that the mass are in a way

‘complicit’ with the ruling power. The mass accept this power, with the belief that the ruling class

know what is best for them. They agree to maintain or keep ‘the status quo’ on the condition that

they have the opportunity to negotiate or fight against restrictions that they do not agree with. This

is called Hegemony.

Gramsci took classic Marxist ideas further. He theorised that the mass are in a way ‘complicit’ with

the ruling power. The mass accept this power, with the belief that the ruling class know what is best

for them. They agree to maintain or keep ‘the status quo’ on the condition that they have the

opportunity to negotiate or fight against restrictions that they do not agree with. This is called

Hegemony.

John Fiske - “A representation of a car chase only makes sense in relation to all the others we have

seen - after all, we are unlikely to have experienced one in reality, and if we did, we would,

according to this model, make sense of it by turning it into another text, which we would also

understand intertextually, in terms of what we have seen so often on our screens. There is then a

cultural knowledge of the concept 'car chase' that any one text is a prospectus for, and that it used

by the viewer to decode it, and by the producer to encode it.”

Laura Mulvey - Argues that cinema positions the audience as male. The camera gazes at the female

object on screen. It also frames the male character watching the female.

We watch the girl; we see the male watching the girl; we position ourselves within the text as a male

objectively gazing at the female.

Audience

• Who is the target audience for the production? Define by age, race gender, social class etc.

• What are the social classifications of the audience i.e. ABC1, youth tribe, ACORN classification etc.

• Why will the production appeal to this target audience?

• What techniques and lines of appeal has the production used to attract the target audience?

• What uses and pleasures will the target audience get from the production?

• How does the production use narrative theory? i.e. uses and gratification, hypodermic needle etc.

* See the PowerPoint on Fronter for relevant theoretical ideas *

Blumler and Katz - Uses and Gratifications Theory (UGT) is an approach to understanding why and

how people actively seek out specific media to satisfy specific needs.

According to the research, goals for media use can be grouped into five uses. The audience wants to:

1. be informed or educated

2. identify with characters of the situation in the media environment

3. simple entertainment

4. enhance social interaction

5. escape from the stresses of daily life

Stuart Hall – Encoding/Decoding - According to Hall, “a message must be perceived as meaningful

discourse and be meaningfully de-coded before it has an effect, a use, or satisfies a need”.

Stuart Hall (1980) argued that the dominant ideology is typically inscribed as the 'preferred reading'

in a media text, but that this is not automatically adopted by readers. The social situations of

readers/viewers/listeners may lead them to adopt different stances. 'Dominant' readings are

produced by those whose social situation favours the preferred reading; 'negotiated' readings are

produced by those who inflect the preferred reading to take account of their social position; and

'oppositional' readings are produced by those whose social position puts them into direct conflict

with the preferred reading

Media Language

• Identify the elements or ‘signs’ within the production that are going to be discussed.

• What connotations and significations are apparent?

• What codes and conventions have been used?

• What semiotic techniques have been used to generate meaning?

• Identify and describe the meanings generated.

A Media Text = the sum of its many parts. These parts include every element within it ......mise-en-

scene; sound; camera angles; editing etc.

Semiotics is the study of the language of signs. It deals with the meanings we attach to signs. Signs

consist of a Signifier (the thing or sign itself) and the Signified (the meaning we attach to the sign).

Other important terms include:

Denotation = the literal meaning of a thing or a sign

Connotation = the second level of meaning agreed by the community but not an inherent quality in

the thing itself.

Media Language, also known as Codes, or Form, can be split into technical; symbolic and written. It

is concerned with the way the text addresses the audience and can be linked to any of the theories,

but you should begin with Stuart Hall.

Stuart Hall – Encoding/Decoding - According to Hall, “a message must be perceived as meaningful

discourse and be meaningfully de-coded before it has an effect, a use, or satisfies a need”.

Stuart Hall (1980) argued that the dominant ideology is typically inscribed as the 'preferred reading'

in a media text, but that this is not automatically adopted by readers. The social situations of

readers/viewers/listeners may lead them to adopt different stances. 'Dominant' readings are

produced by those whose social situation favours the preferred reading; 'negotiated' readings are

produced by those who inflect the preferred reading to take account of their social position; and

'oppositional' readings are produced by those whose social position puts them into direct conflict

with the preferred reading.

You should then go onto explain how you have encoded your trailer so that the audience decode it

in a particular way. Generic theories are very closely linked to media language, and representation

fits well too.

Section B

There are two separate but related issues in this part of the exam:

A. How are groups of people (young people) represented? How are these representations

constructed?

B. How do these representations impact upon our sense of identity? How do audiences use

these representations to create/ understand their identity?

So:

● is iden[ty something we construct or something we discover?

● is identity something we share with others?

● how do media texts impact on our sense of iden[ty?

● is iden[ty fixed or does it change?

● is iden[ty something we are or something we do?

Make sure you read all of the notes on youth culture; To Sir, With Love, Quadrophenia and My

Brother the Devil on Fronter. You must also make sure you are familiar with the theories of:

• David Gauntlett “Identity is complicated- everybody thinks they’ve got one” “Identities are

not ‘given’ but are constructed and negotiated.”

• David Buckingham - “A focus on Identity requires us to pay closer attention to the ways in

which media and technologies are used in everyday life and their consequences for social

groups”

• Antonio Gramsci (see above)

• Stan Cohen - Stanley Cohen’s ideas stem from his study of ‘Folk Devils and Moral Panics’ in

1972. This study focuses on the way popular UK media and society reacted to the mods and

rockers phenomenon. Cohen is credited with coining the term ‘Moral Panic’ as a way to

describe the way members of society or a culture becomes ‘morally sensitized’ to the

challenges posed to their accepted values by the activities of a group defined as ‘deviant’

His theory underscored the importance of mass media in providing, maintaining and

‘policing’ the available frameworks and definitions of the ‘deviants’. The media is then able

to create a moral panic through the way ‘deviants’ are portrayed.

Deviance Amplification is often utilised by the mass media when portraying ‘deviants’. This is

the process by which the mass media exaggerate the extent and seriousness of deviant

behaviour. This causes greater awareness and interest in deviance, which results in more

deviance being uncovered. Thus allowing the media to report on the deviance more and

more until a Moral Panic is created. – This could be viewed as a way for media, such as

newspapers, to sell copies.

The media’s ability to create ‘Moral Panic’ means they are defined as ‘Moral Entrepreneurs’.

Cohen’s theory is based on Mods and Rockers but can be applied to any subculture labelled

as ‘deviant’’

ANSWERING THE COLLECTIVE IDENTITY QUESTION

To do well in this question YOU MUST:

1) Refer to a number of texts across at least two mediums.

2) Make reference to media theory and link it to your examples.

3) Refer to examples for the past; contemporary texts and make reference to the future.

You should have a completed a version of this essay that both you and your teacher are happy with.

All you have to do is learn it and make sure you are comfortable adapting the introduction and

conclusion to link your essay to the question.

j. Revision strategies

• Draft and re-draft your practise essays and give them to your teacher for

feedback as often as possible. This is the best preparation you can do. Write

under timed, exam conditions.

• Refer to the Powerpoints on Fronter; particularly when you are looking at the

theories.

• Your teacher will give you some revision notes.

• Make sure you are familiar with the mark scheme and the requirements of the

question (see PPTs or your draft essays).

• Ask your teacher if you need help!

k. Specific equipment needed – just a pen (preferably two or three!) and a highlighter

to highlight media terminology in your answer.

HINTS FOR TOP MARKS

• Use media terminology with confidence in your answers. Highlight it to draw it

to the attention of the examiner and make sure you spell it correctly.

• Give specific examples from the texts to support your answer in all three

questions.

• Talk about progress over time in Q1a.

• Make sure you can talk about at least one original text in section B.

• Give the names of the director and the year of release for each film and the

specific headline (if print) and the date and name of the publication (print or TV)

for the news examples (section B).

• Make sure you talk about the past and the future in section B.

• Make sure you cover at least two mediums in section B.

• Time your responses well!

MEDIA TERMINOLOGY LIST

Try to include as many of these terms as possible in your exam response:

MEDIUM

REPRESENTATION

ICONOGRAPHY

JUSTAPOSITION

COMPOSITION (of text)

INSTITUTIONAL INFORMATION

FOREGROUNDED

FORESHADOW

MEDIATION

DOMINANT IDEOLOGY (Hegemonic ideology)

SUBVERT/CHALLENGE CONVENTIONS

REINFORCE/ADHERE TO CONVENTIONS

INTERTEXTUALITY

CONNOTATION

DENOTATION

ENCODE

DECODE

PREFERRED/NEGOTIATED/OPPOSITIONAL READING

EQUILIBRIUM

DISEQUILIBRIUM

NEW EQUILIBRIUM

CULTURAL HEGMONY

NARRATIVE STRUCTURE

YOU SHOULD ALSO USE TERMINOLOGY RELATING TO

MIS EN SCENE, SOUND, CAMERA WORK AND

EDITING

(see your AS revision notes for reminders)*

AUDIENCE

DEMOGRAPHIC

SEMIOTICS

SIGN/SIGNIFIER

SYMBOLIC

MARXISM

PROLETARIAT

BOURGEOISIE

FALSE CONSCIOUSNESS

MORAL PANIC/FOLK DEVILS

INDOCTRINATE

BINARY OPPOSITION

ENIGMA (The hermeneutic code – Roland Bathes)

TENSION

ESCAPISM

ASPIRATION

SOLIDARITY

IDENTIFICATION

MALE GAZE

OPEN/CLOSED STRUCTURE

DISRUPTED NARRATIVE

UNRESTRICTED/RESTRICTED NARRATIVE

LINEAR/NON-LINEAR NARRATIVE

Psychology Year 12 Revision Guide 2017

Exam board details - AQA

Information about the exam

Students have covered and should revise for content in Paper 1 and Paper 2.

Students must be prepared to answer a series of multiple choice, short answer and extended writing

questions that challenge their AO1 (ability to describe) AO2 (ability to apply) and AO3 (evaluation)

skills.

Essential topics to revise in Paper 1

Social Influence

Types and explanations of conformity

Asch and variations

Conformity to social roles

Obedience: Milgram’s baseline study and variations

Obedience: Social psychological explanations (agentic state and legitimacy of authority)

Dispositional explanations for obedience (the authoritarian personality)

Resistance to social influence

Minority influence

Social change

Memory

Coding, capacity and duration of memory

The Multi-Store Model of Memory

Types of LTM

The Working Memory Model

Explanations for forgetting – interference

UNIT TIMING EXAM DETAILS

Paper 1 1 ½ hours 50% of total AS mark

You must answer a series of multiple choice, short answer and

extended writing questions on:

• Social influence

• Memory

• Attachment

Paper 2 1 ½ hours 50% of total AS mark

You must answer a series of multiple choice, short answer and


• Approaches in psychology

• Pscyhopathology

• Research methods

Explanations for forgetting – retrieval failure

EWT and misleading info (leading questions and post-event discussion)

EWT and anxiety

The cognitive interview

Attachment

Caregiver-infant interactions

The role of the father

Schaffer’s stages of attachment

Animal studies of attachment (Lorenz and Harlow)

Learning theory

Bowlby’s theory

Ainsworth’s strange situation

Cultural variations in attachment

Bowlby’s theory of maternal deprivation

The effects of Institutionalisation

The influence of early attachment on later relationships

Essential topics to revise in Paper 2

Approaches

The origins of psychology

The behaviourist approach

SLT

The cognitive approach and cognitive neuroscience

The biological approach

Biopsychology

The nervous and endocrine system

The fight/flight response

Neurons and synapses

Psychopathology

Definitions of abnormality

Characteristics of phobias, depression and OCD

Behavioural approach to explaining phobias

Behavioural approach to treating phobias

The cognitive approach to explaining depression

The cognitive approach to treating depression

The biological approach to explaining OCD

The biological approach to treating OCD

Research Methods

Aims and hypotheses

Extraneous variables

Experimental design

Types of experiment

Sampling

Ethical issues

Observation techniques and design

Self-report techniques and design

Correlations

Peer review

Quantitative and Qualitative data

Primary and secondary data – including meta-analysis

Descriptive stats

Presentation of data

Normal and skewed distributions

Mathematical content: convert percentages to decimals, convert decimals to fractions, use ratios,

estimate results, interpret mathematical symbols, probability and use an appropriate number of

significant figures.

Inferential stats

Suggested revision strategies:

1. Mindmaps – organised, with use of colour and doodles to aid memory recall

2. Flashcards – look, cover, then recall the content

3. Revision PowerPoint slides – AO1 on one side and AO3 on the other

4. Play what’s in the box with other students to recall researcher names and key terms

5. Play pairs or card-sort tasks

6. Practice paper questions – under non-timed and timed conditions

7. Rhyming/rhythm games

8. Post-it notes of studies, theories, models put up at home

9. Use acronyms and acrostics to help remember features of a theory or model

Specific equipment needed

• Black/Blue ink pens

• Ruler (students could be required to draw graphs)

• Calculator

Revision sessions

Every Thursday afternoon (3.15pm – 4.30pm)

Easter lessons – Thursday 6th April (10am until 3pm)

Drop in sessions – during and after school

Examination dates:

Paper 1 – 15 May (PM)

Paper 2 – 22 May (PM)

Psychology Year 13 Revision Guide 2017

Exam board details - AQA

Information about the exam

UNIT TIMING EXAM DETAILS

Paper 1 2 HOURS 96 marks

33% OF TOTAL A LEVEL MARK

You must answer a mixture of multiple choice, short answer and


- Social influence (24 marks)

- Memory (24 marks)

- Attachment (24 marks)

- Psychopathology (24 marks)





- Approaches in psychology (24 marks)

- Biopsychology (24 marks)

- Research methods (48 marks)





- Issues and debates in psychology (24 marks)

- Relationships (24 marks)

- Eating behaviour (24 marks)

- Aggression (24 marks)

Students have covered and should revise for content in Paper 1, Paper 2 and Paper 3

For Paper 1, Paper 2 and Paper 3 students must be prepared to answer a mixture of multiple choice,

short answer and extended writing questions. Students must demonstrate AO1 (ability to describe),

AO2 (ability to apply) and AO3 (ability to evaluate) skills.

Paper 1 topics include:

Social Influence

Types and explanations of conformity

Asch and variations

Conformity to social roles

Obedience: Milgram’s baseline study and variations

Obedience: Social psychological explanations (agentic state and legitimacy of authority)

Dispositional explanations for obedience (the authoritarian personality)

Resistance to social influence

Minority influence

Social change

Memory

Coding, capacity and duration of memory

The Multi-Store Model of Memory

Types of LTM

The Working Memory Model

Explanations for forgetting – interference

Explanations for forgetting – retrieval failure

EWT and misleading info (leading questions and post-event discussion)

EWT and anxiety

The cognitive interview

Attachment

Caregiver-infant interactions

The role of the father

Schaffer’s stages of attachment

Animal studies of attachment (Lorenz and Harlow)

Learning theory

Bowlby’s theory

Ainsworth’s strange situation

Cultural variations in attachment

Bowlby’s theory of maternal deprivation

The effects of Institutionalisation

The influence of early attachment on later relationships

Psychopathology

Definitions of abnormality

Characteristics of phobias, depression and OCD

Behavioural approach to explaining phobias

Behavioural approach to treating phobias

The cognitive approach to explaining depression

The cognitive approach to treating depression

The biological approach to explaining OCD

The biological approach to treating OCD


Approaches

The origins of psychology

The behaviourist approach

SLT

The cognitive approach and cognitive neuroscience

The biological approach

Psychodynamic approach

Humanistic approach

Biopsychology

The nervous and endocrine system

The fight/flight response

Neurons and synapses

Give a detailed account of the divisions of the nervous system: central and peripheral (somatic and

autonomic)

Localisation of function in the brain (visual, auditory, somatosensory, motor areas); Broca's and

Wernicke's areas.

Plasticity and functional recovery of the brain

Split brain research and hemispheric lateralisation

Ways of investigating the brain e.g. post-mortem, EEG, ERP and FMRI

Circadian rhythms

Infradian rhythms

Ultradian rhythms

Endogenous pacemakers and exogenous zeitgebers

Research Methods

Aims and hypotheses

Extraneous variables

Experimental design

Types of experiment

Sampling

Ethical issues

Observation techniques and design

Self-report techniques and design

Correlations

Case studies

Content analysis

Peer review

Quantitative and Qualitative data

Primary and secondary data – including meta-analysis

Descriptive stats – measure of central tendency and measures of dispersion

Presentation of data – tables, graphs etc.

Normal and skewed distributions

Mathematical content: convert percentages to decimals, convert decimals to fractions, use ratios,

estimate results, interpret mathematical symbols, probability and use an appropriate number of

significant figures.

Calculation of the sign test

Reliability – know types and ways of assessing and improving reliability

Types of validity, know how to assess and improve validity

Key features of science: objectivity and the empirical method; replicability and falsifiability; theory

construction and hypothesis testing

Paradigms and paradigm shifts

Psychological reporting conventions e.g. abstract, introduction, method, results, discussion,

references

Identify which statistical test to use for a given experiment

Understanding of probability and significance

Use of statistical tables and critical values in interpretation of significance

Type I and Type II errors


Issues and Debates

Gender bias and universality in psychological research.

Cultural bias, including ethnocentrism and cultural relativism in psychological research

The free will and determinism debate

The nature-nurture debate including the interactionist approach

Holism and reductionism debate including levels of explanation in psychology

The idiographic and nomothetic approaches to psychological investigation

Ethical implications of research studies and theory

Relationships

Sexual selection and human reproductive behaviour

Self-disclosure with reference to social penetration theory

Physical attractiveness with reference to the halo effect and matching hypothesis

Filter theory with reference to social demography, similarity and complementarity

Social Exchange Theory

Equity Theory

Rusbult's investment model

Duck's model of relationship breakdown

Research into virtual relationships including the role of self-disclosure (reduced cues theory and

hyperpersonal model) and the absence of gating.

Explanations for parasocial relationships

Eating behaviour

The evolutionary explanation for food preferences

The role of learning in food preferences

The role of neural and hormonal factors in eating

The biological explanation for AN

Family Systems Theory as a psychological explanation for AN

SLT as a psychological explanation for AN

The cognitive theory as a psychological explanation for AN

The biological explanation for obesity

Psychological explanations for obesity

Explanations for the success and failure of dieting

Aggression

Neural and hormonal mechanisms in aggression with reference to the limbic system, testosterone

and serotonin

Genetic factors in aggression with reference to the MAOA gene

The ethological explanation for aggression

Evolutionary explanations for human aggression

Dollard's frustration-aggression hypothesis as a social psychological explanation for aggression

SLT as a social psychological explanation for aggression

Deindividuation as a social psychological explanation for aggression

Situational (the deprivation model) and dispositional explanations (importation model) for

institutional aggression

Research into the effects of computer games on aggression

Desensitisation, disinhibition and cognitive priming as explanations for the media's influence on

aggression

Revision strategies

1. Mindmaps – organised, with use of colour and doodles to aid memory recall

2. Flashcards – look, cover, then recall the content

3. Revision PowerPoint slides – AO1 on one side and AO3 on the other

4. Play what’s in the box with other students to recall researcher names and key terms

5. Play pairs or card-sort tasks

6. Practice paper questions - under non-timed and timed conditions

7. Rhyming/rhythm games e.g. to recall the role of the hypothalamus in eating behaviour

8. Post-it notes of studies, theories, models put up at home

9. Use acronyms and acrostics to help remember features of a theory or model

10. A3 summary sheets

Specific equipment needed

• Calculator

• Black/Blue ink pens

• Ruler (students could be required to draw graphs)

Revision sessions

Every Wednesday afternoon after the Easter holidays (3.15pm – 4.30pm)

Easter revision – Wednesday 5th April (10am – 3pm)

Drop in sessions – during and after school

Examination dates:

Paper 1 – 7 June (PM)



SOCIOLOGY Year 12 Exam board details: AQA http://www.aqa.org.uk/subjects/sociology/as-and-a-level/sociology-2190

PAPER 1: Education With Methods in Context 1 hour and 30mins

Topics Education

• Education and research methods • The role of education in society • Marxist view of education • Functionalist and Interpretivist view of education • Social policy and education • A history of education since 1944 • Globalisation and education •

Research methods Choices in research methods Ethics Quantitative and qualitative methods of research Questionnaires Interviews Experiments Secondary and Primary evidence PET

Revision strategies




revise main factors from exam question • Consider type of question • Remember SPAG

Question style Paper 1 Define the term…………. (2) Using one example explain how………..… (2) Outline three ways in which ………….(6) Outline and explain two …………..(10) Applying material from item A and your own knowledge ……. (20 ) Applying material from item A and your own knowledge of research methods evaluate the strengths and limitations of using……………. (20 marks

PAPER 2: Research Methods and topics in Sociology

1 hour and 30mins

Research Methods

Choices in research methods Ethics Quantitative and qualitative methods of research Questionnaires Interviews Experiments Secondary and Primary evidence PET

Revision strategies





The family

- Nuclear family

- Differences between functionalist and feminist perspectives of the family

- Reasons increase in divorce rate since 1969

- Marxist views of the role of the family.

- Family diversity and lifestyles, compare past to now.

-

- 1 Changing patterns of marriage, cohabitation, separation, divorce, child-

bearing and the life-course, and the diversity of contemporary family and

household structures

- 2 The relationship of the family to the social structure and social change,

with particular reference to the economy and to state policies

- 3 The nature and extent of changes within the family, with reference to

gender roles, domestic labour and power relationships

- 4 The nature of childhood, and changes in the status of children in the

family and society

- 5 Demographic trends in the UK since 1900; reasons for changes in birth

rates, death rates and family size

Question style Paper 2 Outline two problems of……………. (4 mark) Evaluate the problems of using…… (16 mark) Define the term………….… (2 marks) Using one example briefly explain how…………. (2 marks) Outline three characteristics of,,…………., (6 marks) Outline and explain two ways in which ………..… (10 marks) Applying material from item A and form your own knowledge, evaluate the

contribution of……… (20 marks)

SOCIOLOGY Year 13 Exam board details: AQA http://www.aqa.org.uk/subjects/sociology/as-and-a-level/sociology-2190 PAPER 1: Education With Methods in Context 2 hours Topics Education

• Education and research methods • The role of education in society • Marxist view of education • Functionalist and Interpretivist view of education • Social policy and education • A history of education since 1944 • Globalisation and education •

Research methods


Revision strategies





Question style Paper 1 Define the term…………. (2) Using one example explain how………..… (2) Outline three ways in which ………….(6) Outline and explain two …………..(10) Applying material from item A and your own knowledge ……. (20 ) Applying material from item A and your own knowledge of research methods evaluate the strengths and limitations of using……………. (20 marks

PAPER 2: Research Methods and topics in Sociology

2 Hours

Research Methods


Revision strategies





The family - Nuclear family

- Differences between functionalist and feminist perspectives of the family

- Reasons increase in divorce rate since 1969

- Marxist views of the role of the family.

- Family diversity and lifestyles, compare past to now.

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- 1 Changing patterns of marriage, cohabitation, separation, divorce, child-

bearing and the life-course, and the diversity of contemporary family and

household structures

- 2 The relationship of the family to the social structure and social change,

with particular reference to the economy and to state policies

- 3 The nature and extent of changes within the family, with reference to

gender roles, domestic labour and power relationships

- 4 The nature of childhood, and changes in the status of children in the

family and society

- 5 Demographic trends in the UK since 1900; reasons for changes in birth

rates, death rates and family size

Media

Topics

• Selection and presentation of the news including sociological views.

• How governments influence and control media output.

• Marxist theories to our understanding of the organisation and role of

the mass media in the world today.

• Representations of ethnicity.

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• The relationship between ownership and control of the mass media • The mass media, globalisation and popular culture • The processes of selection and presentation of the content of the news

• Media representations of age, social class, ethnicity, gender, sexuality and

disability

• The relationship between the mass media, media content and presentation, and audiences

• The new media and their significance for an understanding of the role of the media in contemporary society.

Question style Paper 2 Outline two problems of……………. (4 mark) Evaluate the problems of using…… (16 mark) Define the term………….… (2 marks) Using one example briefly explain how…………. (2 marks) Outline three characteristics of,,…………., (6 marks) Outline and explain two ways in which ………..… (10 marks) Applying material from item A and from your own knowledge, evaluate the

contribution of……… (20 marks)

Paper 3

Crime and Deviance with Theory and methods 2 hours

Topics • Causes of crime and deviance • Marxist views of crime • Functionalist and sub cultural views • Interpretivist Views • Labelling and social construction • Realist views • Post-Modernist views • Social control • Feminist views of crime • The media and crime • Victims of crime

Theories and methods

• Modernity and post modernity, Views • Feminist views • Structuralism • Structure and action • Symbolic internationalism • Choices in research methods • Quantitative and qualitative methods of research • Research Methods • Sources of evidence

d. Revision strategies





revision booklet 2017 summer - Shirley High School Form/revision booklet 2017 summer... · Some...

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Transcript of revision booklet 2017 summer - Shirley High School Form/revision booklet 2017 summer... · Some...