WALTON-LE-DALE YEAR 10: GUIDE TO EXAM COURSES. Everything you need to know about KS4 so that you can be successful & help your parents in their old age.

WALTON-LE-DALE

YEAR 10:GUIDE TO EXAM COURSES

Everything you need to

know about KS4 so that

you can be successful &

help your parents in

their old age

KS4 Courses

All students take English Language, English Literature, Maths, Science, ‘ICT’ AND FOUR OPTIONS

English, Maths and most options are GCSEs and worth one award

Science: Some students take triple Science (Bi, Ch, Phy); others take dual award

ICT, Health & Social Care, Travel & Tourism, Business are vocational courses – BTEC

These are the equivalent of 1 GCSE

Careers, PSE are done in addition – for example on Enrichment Days

The above are referred to as LEVEL 1 & LEVEL 2 courses

GCSE grades D to G

GCSE grades C to A*, BTEC Diplomas; NVQs

A Levels BTEC Level 3

University

Level 1

Level 2

Level 3

Level 4

Qualification Levels

GCSEs - Grades are from A* to G.

BTEC Level 2 ICT HSC Media Studies Business Travel & Tourism

•L2 Pass Equivalent to a Grade C GCSE

•L2 Merit Equivalent to a Grade B

•L2 Distinction Equivalent to a Grade A

• L2 Distinction* Equivalent to a Grade A*

•BTEC Level 1

•L1 Pass Equivalent to a Grade F

•L1 Merit Equivalent to a Grade E

•L1 Distinction Equivalent to a Grade D

Grades

College courses• 96% attendance

• ‘every hour of classroom tuition is matched with an hour

of personal study’

• A Levels: at least grade B in five separate National

Curriculum subjects at GCSE level.

• Level 3 Vocational: 5 Cs at GCSE including Eng &

Maths (may accept D in one of the two)

• Level 2 vocational: 4 / 5 grade D/Cs, incl E & M

NB Level 2 is the same level as you are working at NOW

•

The Challenge for you and what we will do

to support you

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O-AmB1jR-Dg&safe=active

Government Reforms

• GCSE courses to be assessed by exams at the end of Y11

• More exams at the end of the 2 years

• Coursework to be reduced in importance

• English – no marks for ‘Speaking & Listening’, no coursework

• Exams made more difficult

• Exams – more factual

• Exam questions - language makes understanding more difficult

• Only 60% or so will achieve grade C or above

- more of the marks are for spelling, grammar

MEMORISING

TIME1 hour 1 day 1 week

20%

80%

40%

60%

You forget 80% of what you learn

•

If you think you can or think you can’t, You’re Right

• All students are given MINIMUM target grades in each subject

Higher targets can be negotiated; Lower ones cannot !!!

Expectation is that you make 3 levels progress from primary to KS4

e.g. Level 4 at KS2 = Grade C+ at GCSE

• The target is based upon their achievements in their KS2 SATs

• Teachers provide assessment grades every term. These will come home.

• Please check how your child is doing compared to their target grade.

• Contact the tutor / Mrs McClelland / Mrs Shaw if you have concerns

Target Grades

Additional intervention / support if below target

SUBJECT TEACHER TARGET GRADE

ASSESSMENT GRADE

Nov

EFFORT Cause for Concern

ENGLISH LO C C 1

MATHEMATICS WS C D 1

SCIENCE MC C D 4

VOCATIONAL PA Merit Pass 2

ART BU C B 1

GEOGRAPHY CA D C 1

FRENCH GR D D 1

Interim ReportWhat will be achieved if s/hecontinues to make same progress / work as hard

Attendance

High Attendance = High Achievement

Attendance & Achievement

50

100

150

200

250

300

350

50 60 70 80 90 100 110

Attendance

GC

SE

Po

ints

• Almost all subjects have a coursework element (Controlled Assessment)

• Website – assessment calendar explaining when coursework is being

completed

• Coursework is usually worth 20-30%. For some subjects it is worth

up to 60% and for vocational courses it is worth about 75%.

• Students are given a deadline for each piece of coursework.

• Please check that your child is meeting these deadlines and that it is of

the right standard – ie at least of target grade quality

• There will be ‘Coursework Clubs’ over the 2 year period to support students in

different subjects

• Students not up to date / standard with coursework will need to attend these

Clubs. Alternatives include holiday time / End of Year trips !!

Coursework

• This is a form of coursework in which students have to complete the

coursework under ‘controlled conditions’ – ie directly under supervision

• For some pieces the assessment is completed under exam conditions

– esp. in English

• Students will only be able to take limited materials into these ‘exams’.

Therefore they will need to PREPARE & REVISE before these controlled

assessments & REMEMBER things / techniques etc for the exam.

THESE ASSESSMENTS MAKE A HUGE IMPACT ON OVERALL EXAM

GRADES AND STUDENTS HAVE TO GIVE IT THEIR ALL

Controlled Assessment

GET THIS RIGHT FIRST TIME

GET YOUR TARGET GRADE +1

TAKE THE PRESSURE OFF YOURSELF

BY DOING WHAT YOU ARE TOLD !!!

• Home contact

•Small group support / One to one tuition

• Task is repeated / re-done

• After school Study Support – additional lessons

• Mentor support

If it is not right…..

ASSESSMENT CALENDAR

Final Exams

• All GCSEs have a final exam (or 2)

• NOTES – Students need to keep up to date with work, organise their work

and keep it (usually in exercise books) so they can revise from

these notes

REVISION – Will need to start early – March in Y11 – but will also need to be

done for Y10 exams, Y11 mocks. WHY ? Because it helps in

real exams.

EXAM LANGUAGE & QUESTIONS – Increased emphasis on understanding

what an exam question means

NEED TO PRACTICE EXAM QUESTIONS / PAPERS

HOMEWORK- NOT GOT ANY ??!!!! REVISE

MENTORING

YEAR 10 - For students who may be:

falling short of their target grades experiencing difficulties that are leading to

underachievement in a number of subjects

YEAR 11 - For all students

The mentor will work with the student and parents to make sure the student is working hard, on target and up to date in all subjects.

The mentor will intervene if the student falls behind and work with students & subject teachers to manage ‘catch-up’.

PARENTS - WHAT YOU CAN DO TO HELP AND KEEP YOUR SANITY UNTIL GCSEs ARE FINISHED!

Check the Attainment and Progress Record

each term

Contact school, in particular your child’s

Head of Section to check on progress AND

attitude

Check the Coursework deadlines with your

child & monitor completion

Check the Homework deadlines & monitor

completion

Somewhere quiet to study !

Jobs for Parents

Who thinks they can pull it out of a hat at the last minute.

Are you ‘LASTMINUTE.COM MAN’ ?

Am I bothered ? Am I bothered ?

Am I bothered ?

Am I bothered ?

Am I bothered ?

Am I bothered ?

Am I really bothered ?

Tell me, am I bothered

Do I look bothered ?

EXAM WORRIES ?

Even if they say not, they usually are

Look at my face; do I look bothered

“The fight is won or lost far away from witnesses -

behind the lines, in the gym, and out there on the road, long before I dance

under those lights”

Muhammad Ali