APPENDIX 16
Memorandum submitted by the Department
for Education and Skills
14-19 EDUCATION AND
TRAINING
1. The Government's aim is that the 14-19
phase of education and training should:
— increase participation in learning
post-16, raise standards of attainment at 19, and increase to
50 per cent the proportion of young people entering higher education;
— result in well-motivated young people
playing their full part in the economy and in society;
— meet young people's individual needs
and aspirations and enable schools, colleges and training providers
to be more flexible in meeting the needs of every young person;
2. The main proposals in the Green Paper,
14-19: Extending Opportunities, Raising Standards include:
— the creation of new pathways of learning
by:
— reforming the 14-16 curriculum in
order to increase its flexibility and allow students to pursue
subjects which best meet their needs and aspirations—while
maintaining a strong focus on the basics;
— making high quality vocational options
available to all students which are widely recognised and offer
the opportunity of entry to HE;
— building parity of esteem between
vocational and academic GCSEs/A Levels;
— the creation of an overarching award
to enable recognition of achievement in both academic and vocational
subjects—the Matriculation Diploma;
— allowing pupils to learn at a pace
that is right for them, including accelerated and slower paced
learning.
3. Where we are now:
— the proportion of 16-18 year olds
involved in education and training has been rising over a number
of years but remains well below European and OECD averages;
— the numbers of young people in the
UK who are not in education, employment or training are high in
comparison with other countries;
— the UK currently has 26 per cent
of 15-24 year olds leaving education with, at best, a Level 2
qualification compared to 9 per cent in Germany. The gap between
the UK and the best of the rest of the world is still significant
in terms of the achievement of Level 2 qualifications, although
it is narrowing;
— the UK lags behind in the attainment
of Level 3 qualifications with 61 per cent of 15-24 year olds
attaining this level compared to 85 per cent in Germany;
— the Skills Task Force has expressed
concern that those with general rather than vocational qualifications
may not have had sufficient opportunity to develop the skills
needed in the workplace;
— in other OECD countries all types
of route are held in high esteem, and the students can progress
to higher education from any of them;
— a recent OECD report showed the UK
performance to be significantly above the OECD average in equipping
young people with the skills for adult life. But the study also
showed that there was too big a gap between the high and the lower
attainers, and that socio-economic background remained a barrier
to educational success.
4. The aims of our proposals are to achieve:
— higher standards of attainment at
age 19;
— better rounded and motivated citizens
and workers, able to contribute to a productive economy;
— a commitment to lifelong learning
by all young people;
— increased employability for all young
people, whether before or after higher education;
— a reduction in the numbers of those
truanting and those dropping out of education and training post-16
because students are better motivated; this will be a net gain
both to society and to the economy.
We are currently consulting on these proposals,
following publication of the Green Paper on 12 February.
THE NATIONAL
CURRICULUM—KEY
STAGE 4
5. The purpose of the National Curriculum
is to ensure that all young people during the period of compulsory
education follow a broad and balanced programme. It allows schools
to meet the individual learning needs of pupils and to develop
a distinctive character and ethos rooted in their local communities.
And it provides a framework within which all partners in education
can support young people on the road to further learning. The
focus of the National Curriculum, together with the wider school
curriculum, is therefore to ensure pupils develop from an early
age the essential literacy and numeracy skills they need to learn,
provide them with a guaranteed access to a full and rounded programme
of learning, to foster their creativity; and to give teachers
discretion in how they teach their pupils.
6. The introduction to the National Curriculum
for science sets out ways in which science can contribute to pupils'
spiritual, moral, social and cultural development; how science
promotes the acquisition of key skills and other aspects of the
curriculum including work experience, creativity, enterprise and
education for sustainable development.
7. The introduction to the Programme of
Study summarises the importance of science to young peoples' learning.
"Science stimulates and excites pupils' curiosity about phenomena
and events in the world around them. It also satisfies this curiosity
with knowledge. Because science links direct practical experience
with ideas, it can engage learners at many levels. Scientific
method is about developing and evaluating explanations through
experimental evidence and modelling. This is a spur to critical
and creative thought. Through science pupils understand how major
scientific ideas contribute to technological change—impacting
on industry, business, medicine and improving quality of life.
Pupils recognise the cultural significance of science and trace
its worldwide development. They learn to question and discuss
science-based issues that may affect their lives, the direction
of society and the future of the world".
8. Within the National Curriculum, science
is one of the "core subjects" alongside mathematics,
English and ICT, taught to all pupils aged 5-16. The National
Curriculum Programme of Study sets out the statutory framework
for the teaching of science. The Green Paper, 14-19: Extending
Opportunities, Raising Standards proposes that science be
retained along with English, maths and ICT to form the core of
compulsory subjects at Key Stage 4 of the National Curriculum.
9. Schools are able to disapply national
curriculum subjects at key stage 4 in certain circumstances. Beyond
provision for disapplication for students with statements of special
educational need, or for temporary periods, schools are only able
to disapply science for the purpose of facilitating an extended
work-related learning programme. In 2000-01 QCA monitoring data
suggested that some 2,000 pupils had been disapplied from science
for this purpose, generally in conjunction with another subject.
In a small number of cases—about 300—in 2000-01 science
alone was disapplied for this purpose. The Green Paper, 14-19:
Extending Opportunities, Raising Standards proposes that
from 2004 it should no longer be possible to disapply science
at Key Stage 4 for the purpose of facilitating work-related learning.
10. Full details of the science curriculum
for 14-16 year olds can be accessed through the Qualifications
and Curriculum Authority (QCA) website: www.nc.uk.net. In summary,
the curriculum covers the following broad areas: Scientific Enquiry;
Life Processes and Living things; Materials and their Properties;
and Physical Processes. It provides equal balance across the sciences
— physics, chemistry, biology and includes study of earth
sciences and astronomy. A revised curriculum was introduced in
September 2000. The changes in science were designed to clarify
and strengthen experimental and investigative science.
11. At Key Stage 4 schools can offer pupils
aged 14-16 one of three options: single award science leading
to one GCSE; double award science leading to the award of two
GCSEs; or GCSEs of a single awarding body in the three separate
sciences of biology, chemistry, and physics, leading to three
GCSEs. The difference between the single and double award science
GCSEs is the time allocated to science in the overall Key Stage
4 curriculum and therefore the depth of coverage. Typically the
double award GCSE is delivered using 20 per cent of curriculum
time and is the option offered by most schools. In 2001, 82 per
cent of candidates entered the double award GCSE. This enables
pupils to gain a balanced scientific education while also allowing
the time to study a broader curriculum. The GCSE double award
in science provides a secure grounding for pupils to progress
to AS and A level. There is provision for pupils not to follow
a science course at Key Stage 4, to follow work-related learning
but only a very small number follow these options, 2,000 pupils
in 2000-01.
12. In preparing for greater cohesion and
opportunity 14-19, we are putting in place more varied qualifications,
both academic and vocational, to meet better the needs of young
people, and ultimately, of employers and the wider economy. The
White Paper, Schools: Achieving Success pointed the way
ahead to opportunities to follow a work-related programme including
a significant element of work related learning from the age of
14. This might then be followed by a Modern Apprenticeship or
full time vocational study at college and then a Foundation Degree
for those who have the potential. The Green Paper, 14-19; Extending
Opportunities, Raising Standards also put forward our thinking
on an overarching award that might recognise achievement in both
academic and vocational subjects as well as achievements outside
formal learning, such as volunteering.
13. The GCSE in applied science, to be introduced
in September 2002 aims to encourage progression post 16 to education
and training in more vocational fields of science and technology.
It includes modules on: laboratory procedures and scientific skills;
scientific understanding in key areas of living organisms, materials,
mechanisms and electrical devices; deploying scientific understanding
and skills to solve work-related problems.
14. Following the introduction of the revised
National Curriculum in 2000, we also asked QCA to consider whether
the current science curriculum best meets the needs of pupils
in the 21st century. QCA will report formally later this year,
and has already begun the development of a new pilot science GCSE
for 2003. The pilot currently includes:
— a single GCSE, aimed at all pupils,
which would, as well as teaching underlying scientific principles,
build the course of study around contemporary issues (including
moral and social), giving a rounded basis for young people to
become educated and informed users of science; plus
— a range of additional modules, leading
to one or two additional science GCSEs. The modules are being
designed to offer pupils either the basis for progression to A/AS,
or to more vocationally oriented courses. Most pupils would be
expected to pursue these additional combinations of modules.
Science for Citizenship
15. As part of Science Year the Association
for Science Education (ASE) is working with the QCA, DfES, Nuffield
and the Wellcome Trust to develop units on science and citizenship
to link to the QCA's scheme of work for citizenship. These will
be launched at the Science and Citizenship conference in February
2002.
16. The introduction of Citizenship in September
2002 will provide a framework within which these aspects of science
can be given greater emphasis and professional development materials
have already been piloted for teachers of 11-14 year olds as part
of the science strand of the Key Stage 3 strategy. The new AS
course, "Science for Public Understanding" introduced
in Summer 2001, uses everyday contexts and also addresses citizenship
issues.
Provision for Gifted and Talented young people
17. The Department supports gifted and talented
education through strands of Excellence in Cities, Excellence
Clusters and the Excellence Challenge. Taken together, these initiatives
now operate in over 1,000 secondary schools and over 100 post-16
institutions. Each institution identifies a gifted and talented
population (up to 10 per cent in secondary schools) and provides
a teaching and learning programme and a complementary study support
programme.
18. As part of our response to the recent
OFSTED report, "Providing for Gifted and Talented Pupils:
An evaluation of Excellence in Cities and other grant-funded programmes"
we plan to develop subject-specific professional development frameworks,
and by improving and expanding our web-based working guidance
which includes a separate section on science. Xcalibre, a web-based
directory of teacher resources, also has a rapidly developing
science section. Science related resources represent a substantial
proportion of the support for teachers provided through these
initiatives.
19. The Academy for Gifted and Talented
Youth will have a significant role in supporting and improving
the education of gifted and talented young people. The pilot year,
running from July 2002, will develop provision for our most academically
able 11-16 year-olds, but will begin catering for 16-19 year-olds
after the pilot year is over. The pilot includes three-week residential
summer schools, and a range of study support, distance learning
and mentoring opportunities, with differentiated provision for
the most able 1 per cent nationally and an overall focus on the
most able 5 per cent nationally. We anticipate a significant science
component to the summer schools programme in particular.
Provision for Pupils with Special Educational
Needs
20. The inclusion statement in the national
curriculum provides for a stronger emphasis on inclusion, highlighting
the importance of providing learning opportunities for all pupils.
This is particularly important for pupils with special educational
needs who might not always be able to access the curriculum in
the same way as their fellow pupils.
21. As a curriculum subject, science can
be especially useful for pupils with SEN. It can help them develop
an interest in themselves and their surroundings. It can also
be used to help pupils join in practical activities. And it enables
them to use their senses to explore and investigate and to develop
an understanding of cause and effect. Guidance on science for
pupils with SEN is provided in the series of curriculum booklets
produced by the QCA "Planning, teaching and assessing the
curriculum for pupils with learning difficulties", available
from QCA publications on 01787 884 444 or www.nc.uk.net
Specialist Science Schools
22. Our White Paper Schools Achieving
Success introduced Science Colleges as a new category of specialist
school. The first applications are due on 15 March with the first
designations effective from September. As with all specialist
school categories, applicants must present strong development
plans for the chosen subject area including objectives and targets
for higher participation and improved standards. In their community
plans, applicants for Science College designation must include
opportunities for other schools, such as working with feder primary
schools on delivery of the science curriculum.
SCIENCE—POST
16
23. There is no statutory requirement for
young people to continue their study of science beyond the age
of 16. At this stage, young peoples' choice of study reflects
their aspirations and prior attainment. Our proposals for 14-19
phase of education and training, set out in the introduction above,
and expanded in the Green Paper, 14-19: Extending Opportunities,
Raising Standards, aim to offer wider opportunities, create
more flexibility at Key Stage 4 and to bring coherence into current
provision.
24. The current routes for learning post
16 offer either progression to further academic study, or towards
a vocational qualification. Our proposals are designed to end
the outdated and unhelpful divide between academic and vocational
learning routes, so that young people can pursue the combination
of options most suited to them, whether along the AS/A level route,
higher level vocational qualifications, or a hybrid—all
designed to allow entry to higher education, if appropriate for
the individual.
25. To achieve our target of 50 per cent
of young people entering higher education, we need to raise the
participation and achievement in study post 16, of underrepresented
groups, including women and those from ethnic minorities. For
this age group, and for these specific groups, our role is to
influence and inform, and the Green Paper, 14-19: Extending
Opportunities, Raising Standards outlines our proposals for
the role of careers education and guidance 14-19.
26. We know that girls are less likely to
opt for science subjects at A level, despite achieving better
results in these subjects overall. For example, in 2000-01, 73
per cent more boys than girls took physics and girls outperformed
them by 3.0 per cent at grades A-E. There has been a welcome increase
in the number of girls taking A level chemistry however and in
2001, the numbers were almost equal to boys. We are working with
the Equal Opportunities Commission "What's stopping you"
schools campaign, aimed at promoting careers that challenge stereotypes
and we have also developed a web-based Equal Opportunities resource
for teachers.
27. The White Paper, Schools: Achieving
Success emphasised the Government's commitment to promoting
greater equality of opportunity and closing the attainment gap
between some minority ethnic group pupils and their peers. There
is encouraging evidence that minority ethnic pupils are beginning
to reap the benefits from initiatives such as Excellence in Cities
and the National Literacy and Numeracy strategies. Many individual
pupils from all minority ethnic backgrounds are now achieving
impressive results. However, children of Caribbean, Bangladeshi
and Pakistani origin are half as likely to leave school with five
good GCSEs as children of some other groups. Of those who do progress
beyond GCSE, too few young people from minority ethnic backgrounds
opt for science and mathematics. We are working with representatives
of ethnic groups to look at science role models, who might have
a motivating effect on young people.
28. At A level, young people follow whichever
combination of subjects they judge most suited to their strengths
and career aspirations. There has been little change in the number
of young people entering for science "A" levels, since
1996-97. The most recent 17-18 year old entry in 2000-01, was
112,000 (provisional data), however, this cannot be directly compared
to previous years' entries, owing to a change in data collection
methods. Between 1996-97 and 1999-2000, 17 year old entries were
between 104,000 and 107, 000. The provisional data for 2000-01
shows 90 per cent of passes at grades A-E (17 and 18 year olds),
between 1996-97 and 1999-2000, the percentage (of 17 year olds)
gaining grades A-E rose from 88.2 per cent to 90.7 per cent. There
have been new A levels developed with Salters, Nuffield and the
Institute of Physics, for example, introduced in recent years
that have attracted encouraging levels of entry. A new Nuffield
Biology A level is also under development.
29. In Further Education, the number of
science course enrolments between 1994-95 and 1999-2000 more than
doubled from six million to 1.2 million. The main reason for this
is the increase in ICT-related courses. In 1999-2000, science
was the second most popular option after humanities with 1.5 million
enrolments.
30. In Higher Education, between 1994-95
and 2000-01, total enrolments in full time science based first
degrees in UK institutions, increased by 12 per cent from 328,100
to 367,000. However, there were differences in trends between
individual subjects, with enrolments on some science subjects
decreasing (including physical sciences, engineering and technology,
architecture) whilst others increased (including medicine and
dentistry, biological sciences, computer science). Although there
was an overall increase in enrolments in all science subjects
between 1999 and 2000 of 1 per cent, the numbers enrolling in
the physical sciences have decreased by 6 per cent. This is in
contrast to the numbers who enrolled for Computer Sciences which
has gone up by 10 per cent. In 2000-01 39 per cent of first degree
graduates achieved their qualification in science. Of these, 45
per cent were women.
Key Skills in Post-16 Science Courses
31. Key skills are a range of essential
generic skills that underpin success in education, employment,
lifelong learning and personal development. We want to see key
skill programmes offered to all post-16 students. Where students
have not already achieved A*-C grades in GCSE English, Maths,
or ICT their programmes should lead to the formal acquisition
of relevant key skills qualifications at Level 2. Where students
are starting on advanced levels with the aim of pursuing a professional
or higher qualification post-19, then institutions should support
them in gaining at least one relevant key skill qualification
at Level 3. These expectations apply equally to trainees on work-based
programmes as well as to students in school or college.
32. Opportunities for key skills learning
and assessment are signposted in the specifications of AS/A level
qualifications, including the new AVCEs. The Learning and Skills
Development Agency has produced a series of guides for teachers
including learning materials designed to help students understand
how they are deploying the key skills including in Chemistry,
Physics, Human Biology and Psychology.
HOW SHOULD
SCIENCE BE
TAUGHT?
33. The National Curriculum does not lay
down how science or any other subject should be taught. The programmes
of study set out what pupils should be taught, and the attainment
targets set out the expected standards of pupils' performance.
It is for schools to choose how they organise their school curriculum
to include the programmes of study for science. QCA produces Schemes
of Work, which are based on effective practice and designed to
support teachers in planning their work and that of their pupils.
34. Teachers are professionals able to exercise
judgements about the pace, style and format of learning best suited
to their pupils. Our vision of the teaching force of the future
is set out in the pamphlet Professionalism and Trust—The
Future of Teachers and Teaching, accompanying the Social Market
Foundation speech on 12 November 2001. Continuing Professional
Development (CPD) is key to a confident and progressive teaching
force, and particularly critical in fast moving subjects such
as science. We published our Continuing Professional Development
(CPD) strategy in March last year, and Schools: Achieving Success
sets out a commitment to introduce a package of support, backed
by £92 million. Information is available on the professional
development website: www.teachernet.gov.uk/professional development.
35. We are establishing a National Centre
for Excellence in Science Teaching which will draw on the recommendations
of the CST Science Teachers report, together with our own
exploratory study, conducted last summer. We shall shortly be
consulting key stakeholders on proposals for the aims, organisation
and management and early priorities for the Centre.
36. The recently published OFSTED report
on secondary science teaching shows that teaching is good overall
in over six out of 10 schools. Organisation and management of
science lessons is now good at all key stages and preparation
for practical work is very thorough, particularly at Key Stage
4. At Key Stage 4, target setting for individual pupils is now
commonplace. The report draws attention to the need for better
planning for the systematic development of the skills of scientific
enquiry and for a broader range of investigative work. The teaching
of the basic skills in science is unsatisfactory in one out of
eight schools.
37. Many organisations, some industry-sponsored,
others HE-based, others commercially-based, some teacher member-based,
produce a large range of materials and other resources intended
to aid teachers in delivering the National Curriculum for science.
Teachers choose those they judge of most benefit for their pupils.
In its report, Science Teachers, the Council for Science
and Technology (CST) estimated that of the materials produced
each year, less than 5 per cent are actually used in schools.
This is something we would like to see addressed, both from the
point of view of more targeted support and that of providing teachers
easier access to resources. We are intending to work closely with
the new forum which the Astra Zeneca teaching Trust has established
and which will be addressing this issue in partnership with the
main sponsors of school science in the private and voluntary sectors.
38. Our drive to raise standards of achievement
in the 11-14 age group is designed so pupils make better progress
in the years between primary education and the beginning of the
14-19 phase, so that, by the age of 14 their level of knowledge
and skills in all National Curriculum subjects, including science,
provides a firm basis on which to progress.
The role of practical work
39. The National Curriculum revision in
2000, placed greater emphasis on the skills of scientific investigation
and enquiry. Despite concerns expressed, for example, in responses
to Sir Gareth Roberts' review of the Supply of Engineers and Scientists,
there is no evidence that Health and Safety regulations are having
a dampening effect on the amount of practical work done in schools.
Our view is that practical work generally needs to be made more
relevant to the modern world, more hands on and more accessible
to young people, for example through greater use of ICT to explore
the great range of interactive science resources now available.
40. Many of the resources being produced
through Science Year are designed to help teachers refresh and
update their practical work with pupils. The Kit Pot is a fund
to supply cutting edge equipment for teachers and has already
provided an Intel microscope for every maintained secondary school
and will shortly be providing microscopes for every maintained
primary school. A recent donation from the Royal Society, (in
association with the Gatsby Charitable Foundation and Middlesex
University) will enable us to supply schools with further hi-tech
equipment. Every school with an Advanced Skills Teacher with a
specialism in science who was in post in September 2001 will also
receive an interactive whiteboard.
41. Other Science Year resources include
a series of CD-Roms from ASE which include themes like health,
space and genetics. Astra-Zeneca are supporting a "Little
Book of Experiments" and the Science Year website has a different
piece of free web-enabled downloadable software each month.
42. In international tests (TIMSS-R taken
by 14 year olds in 1999; results published in December 2000) data
from teachers on the "average percentage of class time spent
on various activities" showed a higher percentage of science
class time in England was spent on practical work. 19 per cent
of class time was spent on "teacher-guided student practice"
and 13 per cent on "student independent practice" compared
with international averages of 14 per cent and 10 per cent. 10
per cent of class time was spent on "teacher demonstrations
of experiments" and 24 per cent on "students conducting
experiments" compared with international averages of 10 per
cent and 15 per cent.
43. The PISA international study, published
its results in December 2001. Fifteen year olds were tested in
"scientific literacy", defined as "the capacity
to acquire and use scientific knowledge and to draw evidence-based
conclusions", the UK was fourth out of 32 countries. Only
one country, Korea, scored significantly higher than the UK. 24
countries scored significantly lower than the UK.
The role of science technicians
44. Our vision for the future of the teaching
force highlights the need for those who support teachers to be
more effectively deployed. Science technicians need both technical
and classroom skills to be able to offer the most effective support.
The recent report on science technicians, published by the Royal
Society and the Association for Science Education contains a number
of helpful recommendations which we will be discussing with them
in the coming months
THE RELATIONSHIP
OF THE
SCIENCE CURRICULUM
TO OTHER
SUBJECTS, INCLUDING
MATHEMATICS DESIGN
AND TECHNOLOGY,
ICT
Mathematics
45. Science links to mathematics run throughout
the curriculum. Mathematical competency underpins understanding
in much of the sciences. Development and accreditation procedures
are designed to ensure that there is comparability of demand across
equivalent qualifications, and that the Key Stage 4 science requirements
are in line with the expectations of National Curriculum in mathematics.
Examples of mathematical requirements in science at Key Stage
4 include the use of formulae for relationships between physical
quantities, such as speed, frequency and wavelength.
ICT
46. The investment we are making in ICT
is transforming the way science, along with other subjects, is
being taught. New equipment such as electronic microscopes and
interactive whiteboards allow teachers to access data and images
and share with the whole class, in a way not before possible.
Transforming the Way We Learn, published earlier this year,
sets out a vision of the potential for ICT to transform the teaching
and learning process, new opportunities to modernise and remodel
the teaching profession, and effective school management and administration.
Science courses also specify ICT requirements, for example, datalogging
in all GCSE qualifications. In addition, opportunities for ICT
use are highlighted in the National Curriculum for science, and
all qualification specifications.
Design and technology
47. Science courses are designed to be complementary
to design and technology, in particular in the problem-solving
approaches included in scientific enquiry, and in the technological
applications of scientific principles. Both the new GCSE in applied
science, and the pilot GCSE in the sciences will provide learning
opportunities which will enhance the links to design and technology.
Examples include contexts of food production, transportation and
forensic science.
ASSESSMENT
48. GCSE specifications or syllabuses are
aligned to the National Curriculum programmes of study for science
at Key Stage 4 and must meet the requirements of criteria produced
by the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority (QCA), in consultation
with academics, practitioners, representatives of industry and
relevant professions. Specifications must include aspects of every
area of study. GCE A level and AVCE criteria are agreed with the
same range of interest groups. NVQ qualifications at levels 1-3
are related to the occupational standards devised by the current
National Training Organisations (NTOs).
49. GCSE and GCE examinations are governed
by a Code of Practice—which is a public document—that
has been designed to promote quality and consistency in the examining
process across all awarding bodies offering these qualifications.
It helps to ensure that grading standards are constant in each
subject across different awarding bodies and different syllabuses
from year on year.
50. The Qualifications and Curriculum Authority
(QCA) as regulator of the public examinations system is responsible
for the maintenance of standards. They operate a range of mechanisms
to check the examination process, and police and monitor the Code
of Practice, which all awarding bodies must adhere to. As part
of this work, they have established an extensive programme to
monitor standards over time, including a rolling programme of
subject specific reports.
51. The quality assurance framework ensures
standards are maintained between awarding bodies and specifications
year on year. QCA's monitoring reports which can be accessed on
their website http://www.qca.uk show no systematic reduction in
grade boundaries across the different awarding bodies, subjects,
or levels of examination. The examination system has been further
opened up over the last two years, with provision of access to
all marked examination scripts, together with details of the marks
schemes, which show how marks are allocated within particular
questions.
52. In 2000, QCA set up an independent panel
of advisers to review the adequacy of quality assurance systems,
designed to ensure the maintenance of GCE A level standards. The
panel reported to QCA on 17 January 2002. It concluded that A
level standards have been maintained, and that QCA should take
steps to ensure this continues.
53. The assessment regimes for particular
qualifications reflect the purpose of the qualification itself.
Thus, the weightings for GCSE science, which provides a firm basis
for further academic study and a balanced science education for
all pupils, reflect a balance between knowledge and understanding
(45-55 per cent) and the application of knowledge understanding,
analysis and investigative skills (45-60 per cent). For the new
GCSE in applied science, designed for progression into more vocationally
orientated study, there is greater weighting for application/analysis/evaluation
and investigation 55-75 per cent, compared to knowledge and understanding
(25-35 per cent). For A level science subjects, the weightings
are: Knowledge and understanding 30-40 per cent; application of
knowledge, understanding, analysis and evaluation 22.5-32.5 per
cent; experiment and investigation 12.5-20 per cent; synthesis
of knowledge, understanding and skills 20 per cent.
February 2002
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