GCSE Option Booklet 2015-2017
Dear Year Nine
Over the next few weeks you will be making important decisions in your education, and beginning to plan for your future career. A lot of help, guidance and support will be available to you from Dr Burnett, Miss Nelson, your subject teachers and form tutors. The choices you make now are very important as they will form the basis of your future career options, so take the time to ask questions and use the resources available to you in the careers room and elsewhere.
All of you will take ten GCSE subjects and these will include English language, English literature, mathematics, a modern language and the three sciences. Your choices from each of the columns listed below allow you to take three additional subjects:
Option Scheme
1 / 2 / 3Art / Classical Civilisation / French
Classical Greek / Geography / German
Computer Science / History / History
Drama / Latin / Music
Food / RS (Islam or Mark) / RS (Hinduism or Mark)
Geography / Spanish
PE
Your GCSE courses will, in many cases, include controlled assessment work. This work may involve advance preparation in class and at home but, unlike coursework, all the final assignment is produced in lesson time under test conditions. Longer pieces of controlled assessment are part of most practical subjects.
We recommend that at this point in your education that you ensure that your subject choices give you as much flexibility as possible for the future. It is important, in a rapidly changing world, that your curriculum reflects breadth as well as depth. In addition, your thoughts on your career choices may well change over the coming months and years.
We also advise that you consider carefully before taking more than one practical subject because of the work load that these subjects will entail during the course. It is also important for you to study a humanities subject (history, geography, religious studies, Latin, classical Greek or classical civilisation) at GCSE level. Universities value this because it demonstrates your essay writing skills.
If the subjects you would really like to study do not fit into the current options, select from the current options and then write down what you would like. We will try to accommodate your choices, but it is not always possible. There needs to be a minimum of seven girls for a GCSE course to run.
Over the two years of the GCSE courses all subjects will make demands on your time and energy. Teachers will expect you to work more independently and to meet deadlines so it is important when making your choices to consider the content of the courses and the nature of the controlled assessment requirements. Think about the variety within your curriculum as you select your subjects and try to arrive at a balance which matches your talents. Try to be realistic in your choices; commitments out of school such as drama, music and sport are also important and should complement your academic choices and studies. Remember that you have a great many strengths and skills, play to these and you will achieve a good set of GCSE results, and enjoy the process too!
We are looking forward to you progressing to year 10 and year 11 and enjoying a new range of opportunities; including the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award Scheme, and VSU, alongside your existing interests, and more independence and responsibility within the school community.
Yours sincerely
Gwen Byrom
Headmistress
Key Dates
Friday 16 JanuaryGCSE Options Booklet issued
Thursday 29 JanuaryY9 GCSE Options Parents’ Evening
Wednesday 25 FebruaryY9 submit choices
CONTENTS
SubjectPage
Core Subjects
Biology, chemistry and physics5
English language and English literature5
Modern Languages5
Mathematics6
Option Subjects
Art and design7
Classics
Latin8
Classical civilisation9
Classical Greek9
Computer science10
Drama11
Food and nutrition12
Geography13
History14
Modern languages
French15
German15
Spanish15
Music16
PE17
Religious studies18
Non-examination areas of the curriculum
Physical education19
Careers education and guidance19
Personal, social, health and citizenship education20
General religious studies20
The library20
Core Subjects
BIOLOGY CHEMISTRY AND PHYSICS
All the sciences are studied as part of the core curriculum with the course leading to separate IGCSEs in biology, chemistry and physics. These courses have already started in year 9.
Edexcel IGCSE courses follow a common assessment pattern involving two written papers each. The courses include lots of practical work to explore the topics being studied and understanding of experimental design and data analysis will be examined in the written papers.
There are a number of topics where current issues in science are reviewed and discussed e.g. the energy debate, global warming and healthy diet.
ENGLISH LANGUAGE AND ENGLISH LITERATURE
The course studied by year 10 and 11 girls is Cambridge iGCSE. All pupils will study First Language English (0500) and English Literature (0486). These are taught as an integrated course, but will lead to two separate qualifications. The course begins at the end of year 9 and is wide-ranging and stimulating.
In English language, the final examination will count for 50% of the total mark and will take place at the end of year 11. 50% will come from a coursework portfolio of 3 pieces covering a range of writing tasks including creative writing and writing about non-fiction. In English literature, coursework counts for 25% of the total marks and two final examinations for 75% of the mark. These will also be taken at the end of year 11. All coursework assignments will be completed in year 10.
Lessons involve a wide variety of activities to enable the girls to become effective learners. As well as refining skills in writing, pupils explore non-fiction and media texts in order to develop communication skills. A broad range of poetry, prose and drama from the twentieth century and other historical periods, as well as from varying cultures, will be studied for English literature.
MODERN LANGUAGES
Students will normally study the language they chose in year 7 on to GCSE, and may also choose to continue the language they started in year 9 (see Options page 15). The learning doesn’t get tougher in years 10 and 11. Most of the grammar has been covered in years 7-9 (though there’s plenty of polishing of it to do!). The main thing, now students have their sights set on GCSE, is to learn more words, so they can cope in more and more situations: the grammar just tells them how to put the words together! And they won’t just be putting them together on paper: speaking the language gets lots of emphasis now, leading to weekly conversation classes, usually with a native speaker. Controlled assessment in speaking and writing will form part of the final marks, too, and there will be so much practice in reading the language and in hearing it spoken that, by the time GSCE comes round, they will go into that exam room with every confidence.
MATHEMATICS
The GCSE course taken by our years 10 and 11 is the International GCSE (IGCSE) specification A through the Edexcel exam board. This course has no internal assessment element and is assessed externally by two examination papers at the end of the course. There are two levels of entry: higher level allowing for grades A* to D and the foundation level allowing grades up to C as a maximum. It is envisaged that all girls will take the higher level papers. The examination papers will cover the following assessment objectives:
- Number and Algebra (55%)
- Shape, Space and Measures (25%)
- Handling Data (20%)
The course is an excellent preparation for sixth form for those who wish to study mathematics further and for those who wish to study related subjects. A number of topics such as calculus, functions and sets are included, which are not in GCSE mathematics courses.
Students will have access to various mathematical software packages such as Autograph. The MyMaths online assessment website is available in lessons and from home. It can be used to try short bite-size practice lessons and is helpful for revision as well as being used for homework assignments on various topics.
Option Subjects
ART and DESIGN
Do you have a talent for drawing and enjoy being expressive and creative? If so, GCSE art and design could be for you...
Skills in both 2D and 3D media are developed, with the opportunity to explore and be creative in a variety of materials including: wire, plaster, clay, mod-roc, batik and any other materials we come across, including re-cycled objects and a variety of textile techniques. Various printing and painting techniques can also be explored.
Girls taking art and design will learn to express themselves and communicate with an audience in both visual and written forms, guided and supported by the art teachers through workshops and individual tutorials. All project work will start with teacher led workshops and experimental assignments leading towards a portfolio of more independent and individual focus which is carried out under controlled conditions within the class.
Art subjects are hands-on and creative, suiting visual and practically minded people. However a good command of English and the ability for intelligent and analytical thought are also essential attributes for success.
Girls will be encouraged to challenge themselves and be experimental with their work and ideas. They will undertake research on the work of artists and designers. This requires good self-motivation, the willingness to study independently and the ability to manage time effectively.
The controlled portfolio accounts for 60% and 40% for the exam. The exam is carried out under controlled conditions, with time constraints and is unaided. Portfolio themes are set by your teachers and the exam questions are set by the examining board.
The programme builds on skills and knowledge gained through years 7-9 to enable learners to progress with greater depth and sophistication. Girls will get the chance to experience at least one trip to gather artistic inspiration and at least one specialist workshop, linking to coursework projects.
CLASSICS
The cultures of Greece and Rome are the basis of our own civilisation and their achievements still influence the modern world. The Latin and/or Greek courses introduce students to many aspects of their respective civilisations. Although the emphasis is primarily linguistic at GCSE, there is plenty of opportunity to explore cultural and historical topics.
Classical civilisation is the study of the Greek and Roman worlds. It offers the opportunity to acquire an understanding of their societies and literature, including such topics as religion, mythology, home and family, sport and entertainment, theatre and comedy. All texts are studied in English.
LATIN
Latin has played a definitive role in shaping the languages, literature and thinking of the western world. Learning Latin encourages an ordered approach, clear thought, and is intellectually rigorous.
Girls choosing Latin GCSE will continue to study the Cambridge Latin Course as well as studying two set texts, one verse and one prose. In 2017 the texts include an extract from Tacitus’ account of the life and death of the Emperor Claudius’ scandalous third wife, Messalina, as well as a selection of Catullus’ love poems charting his tumultuous relationship with his girlfriend Lesbia from initial infatuation to betrayal and rejection. We also read an extract by Ovid in which he offers some advice (albeit very tongue-in-cheek) to would-be lovers.
Assessment
At the end of year 11 pupils take four examination papers:
Language 1 (Mythology and Domestic Life)1 hour25%
Language 2 (History)1 hour25%
Verse Literature1 hour25%
Prose Literature1 hour25%
There is no controlled assessment for this qualification.
This course caters for a wide variety of interests: linguistic, literary and historical which makes it an excellent complement to a range of other subjects. Pupils are encouraged to extend their knowledge and understanding of the classical world by participating in the many extra-curricular activities organised by the department in conjunction with Loughborough Grammar School, including theatre trips, lectures, reading competitions and the biennial LES senior classics trip abroad.
CLASSICAL CIVILISATION
This course offers students the chance to pursue an interesting range of topics from the ancient world, looking at their relevance to the modern world and their influence on later culture. It will appeal to anyone who enjoys myths and story-telling and learning about other societies. It is a broad GCSE in that it incorporates elements of history, religion, literature and archaeology and it thus helps to develop a good range of skills. By the end of the course students will have improved their powers of historical analysis, literary appreciation and essay writing.
The topics studied for assessment via external examination will be:
- Homer’s Odyssey
- Athenian daily life
- Sparta
One topic will be studied in preparation for controlled assessment (worth 25% of the final qualification). In 2017 the topic will be either Sophocles’ Antigone, Aristophanes’ Lysistrata, or the ancient Olympic Games.
Pupils are encouraged to extend their knowledge and understanding of the classical world by participating in the many out of school learning opportunities that the classics department organises in conjunction with Loughborough Grammar School. These include regular theatre trips, classically-themed lectures and taking part in the biennial overseas LES senior classics trip.
CLASSICAL GREEK
We continue to follow the textbook Greek to GCSE. This is newly revised and specially designed for this specification, covering passages adapted from the key Greek authors and including extracts from prose, epic, drama and mythology. The ancient Greeks have had a profound influence on our civilization and this course will not only extend pupils’ linguistic knowledge, but also provide insight into a fascinating culture. This GCSE complements other subjects such as Latin, modern languages, history, English literature, drama and religious studies, although many keen scientists have also found the language aspects in particular both stimulating and rewarding.
The final examination consists of two language papers - translation from classical Greek into English - and study of one verse and one prose set text. The texts for 2017 have not yet been released, but they will include extracts written by the historian Herodotus, an author who is invariably prepared to sacrifice historical accuracy in the interests of telling a good tale, and a passage by Homer either recounting the trials and tribulations of the Greek hero Odysseus as he struggles to return home and regain his kingdom following the Trojan War or an extract from the Iliad.
There is no controlled assessment for this qualification.
Greek students are encouraged to participate in the many classical trips available.
COMPUTER SCIENCE
This is not an ICT course about how to use computers. The course has been developed in response to a number of recent initiatives aimed at promoting computer science as a rigorous, knowledge-based subject discipline.
It is about how computers work and how to write programs for them. It develops both logical thinking and creativity. Those interested in the course should use this link on their iPads to sign up to code academy (free) and get an idea of the processes involved in writing code and join the coding club in the spring term.
Structure of GCSE Computer Science
Assessment Component 1: Principles of Computer Science
Students will learn what algorithms are, what they are used for and how they work. They will be able to use binary representation, data representation, data storage and compression, encryption and databases; with an ability to use SQL to insert, amend and extract data stored in a structured database.
Students will develop an understanding of the different components in computer systems and be able to use HTML and CSS to construct web pages. They will demonstrate an awareness of emerging trends in computing technologies, the impact of computing on individuals, society and the environment, including ethical, legal and ownership issues.
This is assessed by a written paper and carries 75% of the marks.
Assessment Component 2: Practical Programming
This is a practical task that enables students to demonstrate their computational techniques using a programming language. Students will:
- decompose problems into sub-problems
- create original algorithms or work with algorithms produced by others
- design, write, test, and evaluate programs.
The task is controlled assessment and is worth 25% of the marks for the qualification.
DRAMA
What is GCSE drama all about?
GCSE drama provides the opportunity to explore the range of skills involved in creating and performing drama which includes the creation of original work as well as looking at plays written by other people.
The course promotes the development of skills needed to work with others, problem solve and communicate. Drama will help pupils to feel more self-confident and prepare them to deal with a range of different situations and people.
Some girls may wish to take a GCSE in drama for its own sake, perhaps to form the basis of a future interest. Others might wish to go into a job where it is useful to have had experience of drama, or where some of the skills developed during this course are needed. These might include careers that involve meeting people face to face. The study of drama can help develop valuable transferable skills for any career or job.
The course is in three parts:
Part one
In this section, drama is used to express personal feelings and ideas about a range of issues. This part of the course is assessed through controlled assessment which consists of practical performance work and a written notebook and contributes 30% of the total marks.