Science
Science
KEY STAGE 3 SCIENCE
Introduction
The Key Stage 3 Science National Curriculum is organised into specific disciplines of Biology, Chemistry and Physics. It is taught over two years in years 7 and 8 by subject specialist teachers. The purpose of this structure is to ensure that students grasp the fundamental principles and experimental techniques that underpin each of the science disciplines by the end of year 8 and so are prepared for the transition from Key Stage 3 to Key Stage 4 at the beginning of year 9.
We aim to teach the topics in a stimulating way which will promote the interest of students’ in Science and encourage them to relate the topics to their everyday experiences. They will be able to appreciate the advances made in Science and the impact they have had on their own lives as well as the wider world. A strong emphasis is placed on experimental work, giving students the opportunities to develop their investigative skills and become familiar with safe working procedures.
Teaching the curriculum in individual lessons of Biology, Chemistry and Physics has proven to be very beneficial as it enables each science specialism to be taught in greater depth and detail. It also allows the areas of strength and weakness of each student to be identified in each science specialism and so allows for more focussed intervention to take place at the earliest opportunity.
| Topics assessed | Length of exam | Weighting | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Biology Paper 1 | Cell Biology Organisation Infection and response Bioenergetics | 1 hour 15 minutes (70 marks) | 16.7% |
| Biology Paper 2 | Homeostasis and response Inheritance, variation and evolution Ecology | 1 hour 15 minutes (70 marks) | 16.7% |
| Chemistry Paper 1 | Atomic structure and the periodic table Bonding, structure and the properties of matter Quantitative chemistry Chemical changes Energy changes | 1 hour 15 minutes (70 marks) | 16.7% |
| Chemistry Paper 2 | The rate and extent of chemical change Organic chemistry Chemical analysis Chemistry of the atmosphere Using resources | 1 hour 15 minutes (70 marks) | 16.7% |
| Physics Paper 1 | Energy Electricity Particle model of matter Atomic structure | 1 hour 15 minutes (70 marks) | 16.7% |
| Physics Paper 2 | Forces Waves Magnetism and Electromagnetism | 1 hour 15 minutes (70 marks) | 16.7% |
