Year 9 students will begin the AQA GCSE course. They will study either the Triple or Combined (Trilogy) GCSE AQA course. 
Both Triple and Combined Science students will cover the same content.

Biology - Year 9 Course Overview

Year 9 students will study the fundamentals of GCSE Biology.

Autumn Term
• 4.1 Cell Biology

Spring Term
• 4.3 Infection, Response and Communicable Diseases

Summer Term
• 4.4 Bioenergetics (1)

Science Investigations/Practicals
Students will be carry out a wide range of investigations which will allow them to apply their knowledge and understanding to what they experience.
Investigations will:
* Develop basic skills such as selecting and using equipment, and learning various techniques
* Illustrate a concept or process, offering first-hand experience before further discussion or analysis
* Encourage students to ask questions and make predictions
* Extend the scope of the curriculum

Required Practicals – Year 9 to Year 11 students will need to undertake all required practical activities, (details can be found in the GCSE Biology specification 8461). Students will have the opportunity to experience the use of all the apparatus and a range of techniques required by Ofqual.
1) Microscopy
2) Microbiology
3) Osmosis
4) Enzymes
5) Food tests
6) Photosynthesis
7) Reaction time
8) Plant responses
9) Field investigations
10) Decay

Chemistry - Year 9 Course Overview

• Atomic structure and the periodic table

• Bonding, structure and properties of matter

Science Investigations/Practicals
Students will be carry out a wide range of investigations which will allow them to apply their knowledge and understanding to what they experience.
Investigations will:
* Develop basic skills such as selecting and using equipment, and learning various techniques
* Illustrate a concept or process, offering first-hand experience before further discussion or analysis
* Encourage students to ask questions and make predictions
* Extend the scope of the curriculum

Required Practicals – Year 9 to Year 11 students will need to undertake all required practical activities. Students will have the opportunity to experience the use of all the apparatus and a range of techniques required by Ofqual.

The chemistry practical’s are as follows:
Making salts
Neutralisation
Electrolysis
Temperature changes
Rates of reaction
Chromatography
Identifying ions
Water purification

Physics - Year 9 Course Overview

Year 9 students will follow a ‘Physics fundamentals’ programme in preparation for starting their GCSE courses in year 10. This will cover the remainder of the KS3 Science syllabus and introduce students to some of the fundamental ideas underlying the study of Physics: for example the particle model of matter.

Science Investigations/Practicals
Students will be carry out a range of investigations which will allow them to apply their knowledge and understanding to what they experience.

Investigations will:
* Develop basic skills such as selecting and using equipment, and learning various techniques
* Illustrate a concept or process, offering first-hand experience before further discussion or analysis
* Encourage students to ask questions and make predictions
* Extend the scope of the curriculum

Assessments will take the form of skills based formative assessments (ungraded); 2 short Knowledge tests (October and March) and 2 more rigorous summative tests (December and June). All tests will include content from previous topics.

In Year 10 some will move onto the ‘separate science’ pathway while some students may go on to study AQA combined science: Trilogy.

Year 9 Useful links:

http://www.aqa.org.uk/subjects/science/ks3

https://www.aqa.org.uk/subjects/science/gcse - Combined Science: Trilogy; Biology; Chemistry and Physics.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/education/subjects/z9ddmp3

Message from the Science Team

As part of our commitment to your child, the Science department are endeavouring to support each and every student achieve their potential. The GCSE exams are made up of approximately 40% knowledge recall and this is what we are basing our fortnightly online quizzes on. These knowledge based tasks can help to secure a student at least 32% (if they get the 80% pass rate we ask of them).

In last summer's exams, 32% was enough to secure a grade 4 or 5 in the higher papers and a grade 2 or 3 in the foundation papers. Building on this knowledge within lesson time will allow the students to achieve even higher grades as they apply and evaluate in new situations. The assessments have been tailored to meet the needs of each student based on their set, ability, tier of entry and their own specific needs. Please feel free to contact your child's subject teacher if you have any questions.