GCSE Coursework. For pupils in Year 10 in the academic year

Transcription

1 GCSE Coursework For pupils in Year 10 in the academic year

2 1 GCSE Coursework in Years 10 and 11 This brief guide should give you an overview of the coursework requirements in the courses pupils will follow at GCSE or IGCSE. It outlines the subjects in which coursework is required, the nature of each of the tasks, and the approximate time in Year 10 or 11 when it will be completed. Further, more detailed information will then be available in each subject area, but this booklet should alert you to what lies ahead. The following subjects have a coursework component: English Language and English Literature IGCSE Italian and Chinese GCSEs Geography GCSE History IGCSE Ancient History GCSE All creative GCSEs (Music, Art, Design and Technology) In the following subjects there is no coursework component: Mathematics IGCSE Science IGCSEs Greek and Latin GCSEs Religion and Theology GCSE IGCSE French, Spanish and German IGCSE Chinese (normally native speakers only, as others will take the GCSE) Broadly, there are two styles of coursework: The first style of Coursework is continuous across the two GCSE years, or for a period within the two years, with final dates being set towards the end of the Lent term in Year 11. Subjects setting coursework in this way expect the work to be done during prep and lesson time. The following subjects adopt this style: English Language and English Literature Pupils will be required to produce extended writing in various forms on the texts which they have studied, using both prep and lesson time. Coursework begins in the Michaelmas term of Year 10 and our aim is to have folders completed by the start of the Lent term in Year 11; the final deadline for IGCSE coursework in English is the last day of the Lent term. There are four assignments in total across the two qualifications. Work is internally assessed and externally moderated by CIE and Edexcel. English Language (CIE IGCSE) [worth 50% of the final mark] Argumentative Writing Imaginative Writing Text Response Writing English Literature (Edexcel IGCSE) [worth 40% of the final mark] Poetry Analysis

3 2 We expect to finish to completion a minimum of two pieces of English Language coursework in Year 10, normally the argumentative and imaginative pieces. The poetry coursework for Edexcel is taught in the Lent term of Year 10 followed by a drafting process running through the summer term into the summer holiday; as this piece is worth 40% of the qualification, we give the writing process, itself a valuable skill, plenty of space in the curriculum. The final piece of English Language coursework is normally undertaken in the Michaelmas term of Year 11. Coursework essays for English Language rarely exceed 1,500 words, however the poetry analysis essay for the Literature qualification is a longer project requiring sustained application over a more significant time-frame. Art The majority of the coursework is produced during lesson time through Years 10 and 11, with homework used to consolidate research and sketchbook work. The aim is to finish the coursework by the start of the Lent term in Year 11, which is worth 60% of the final mark, so that students can then concentrate on their examination preparation. Pupils will be given broad themes to work on for their coursework submission, and will be introduced to a wide range of techniques, processes and materials from the start. Drawing from observation is the predominant discipline at the start of the course, with students gradually being given greater freedom to express and develop their own ideas through other media. Note that as part of the process pupils are expected to visit galleries and to develop their awareness of a range of different and sometimes challenging approaches to Art and Design. Design & Technology The coursework consists of a portfolio and an accompanying practical piece. Mini deadlines are set throughout Years 10 and 11 with a final deadline in the Lent term of Year 11 for both pieces of work. The Year 10 course begins with a focused, practical project. This helps improve basic workshop skills and theory knowledge, before students commence with their major project after the October half-term for Resistant Materials and after Christmas for Electronic Products. The coursework consists of a portfolio folder, which in conjunction with the practical piece, accounts for 60% of the overall GCSE grade. Pupils choose individual, bespoke projects and work on the design portfolio through Year 10, starting work on the practical piece at the beginning of Year 11. Both the portfolio and the practical piece are completed by the February half term of Year 11. History The IGCSE course requires one piece of coursework, which in total accounts for 27% of the final mark. This is taken from the study of the Second World War and is an essay of 2,000 words, which examines Britain s contribution to the defeat of Germany. This is written at the end of our study of the Second World War during the Michaelmas term of Year 11. This work will begin at the end of Year 10 after the internal summer examinations, then the two pieces will be written through the Michaelmas term of Year 11. The deadline for these two pieces is in the first week of December in Year 11.

4 3 The second style of coursework is written at a specific time under examination conditions, called Controlled Assessment. Such coursework usually provides you with a title and specific questions to tackle within the topic, with time to research, plan and prepare for the task. The precise times for the examination-style sittings will be published in each subject area. The following subjects adopt this style: Ancient History Pupils on this course will have taken GCSE Latin early in Year 10, and will take the Controlled Assessment in Ancient History in Year 11. This piece of coursework comprises 50% of the final mark for the Ancient History GCSE short course, and pupils will complete a single task set on a particular ancient historical period (either Ancient Persia, BC or The Hellenistic World, BC ). Guided by their teacher, they will have a longer period to research their topic. The process includes learning research techniques for ancient sources, analysis of secondary literature, and methods for collaborative research, at the end of which each pupil will have compiled a comprehensive set of notes to take forward into the writing stage. The writing stage takes place under more tightly controlled conditions with pupils working independently to produce an essay of about 2000 words in response to a single question set by the exam board. This is completed by the end of the Lent term in Year 11. The skills required by this coursework option are incredibly useful for future study. The subject areas should provide an interesting and enjoyable challenge for our pupils, one which complements the crunchy linguistic test of the Latin GCSE. Geography Pupils are required to complete two pieces of controlled assessment: (1) a piece of fieldwork (15%) and (2) a geographical issue investigation (10%). Together these account for 25% of the Geography GCSE grade. The rationale behind the independent research work is to provide opportunities for pupils to identify relevant geographical questions, implement effective sequences of investigation, and collect a range of appropriate evidence from a variety of primary and secondary sources. Pupils also develop graphical skills and techniques and draw selectively on geographical ideas to interpret evidence in order to make reasoned decisions. The examination board changes the titles for fieldwork investigations every year, but it is likely that the work will either be an Urban or Coastal study, to complement the units studied in class. A day s fieldwork takes place in the Summer Term of Year 10 and the Controlled Assessment write-up (roughly 2500 words, with integrated sources, maps and graphs) takes 6-8 weeks in the Michaelmas term of Year 11. The Geographical Issue Investigation is a research essay that takes place over 3-4 weeks in Lent Term of Year 11, usually linked to the theme of Energy Security or Water Conflict. During the Controlled Assessment periods, work must only be completed in school. No homework will be set, but this does not preclude your son from thinking about his work, doing wider research on the internet or discussing ideas at home.

5 4 Modern Foreign Languages (GCSE Chinese and Italian only) Pupils will take coursework components in Speaking and Writing. Each of these contributes 30% to the final GCSE mark, so coursework represents 60% of the total marks available. The speaking test takes the form of a short recorded interview and is conducted by a teacher. In the writing test pupils produce an essay in response to a title under exam conditions, with access to a task planning form, prepared in advance, and a dictionary. (For the written examination candidates will only have access to the Modern Languages department s examination-dedicated dictionaries.) Preparation for these tasks is conducted in class and prep time. During the preparation phase of both examinations, pupils can use a dictionary at home and in lessons. Pupils will sit two tests in each of writing and speaking, and there are no re-sits available for these tests. Music The coursework consists of two elements: performing and composing: Performing Pupils are required to play one solo piece and one ensemble piece. There is no minimum equivalent music grade required, but as a rough guide, pupils looking towards an A* grade should be at about Grade 5 level by the end of the course. Their performances may be recorded at any time during the course but are normally made during the Lent term of Y11. Composing This is done at school in controlled conditions and not at home. In Year 10 a series of composition exercises will be completed during lesson time in order to explore various techniques and styles of composition. During the Lent Term of Year 11 pupils must produce two completed compositions during 20 hours under controlled conditions. These pieces are then submitted to the examination board for moderation. The compositional styles must be drawn from two different Areas of Study but may be in any style from that period/area of the world. It is very important for boys to recognise that coursework taken under Controlled Assessment conditions is subject to the strict regulations of the examination boards. Once the preparation phase for these exercises is completed, boys must pay close attention to what is allowed, and what is not allowed, in the highly controlled part of the test. Departments, and teachers within them, will explain these carefully to boys, but there have been a small number of cases of pupils not following these regulations. Where malpractice is established, pupils will likely be given a score of zero for that element of the coursework, usually costing them at least one grade in their final GCSE.

6 5 In general, remember that the keys to success at GCSE coursework are: follow instructions from your teachers; plan: note carefully and keep to the guidelines and deadlines. Details of these will be given by individual teachers; remember that marks are allocated for specific tasks and skills as explained by your teachers; you must be guided by them. Note carefully the feedback you get from your teachers through the process and the criteria (which they will share with you explicitly) that you need to meet to score highly; discuss any minor problems early with your teachers, your Form Tutor and your parents, to avoid major problems later. A J S Kennedy Deputy Master Academic

7