Moving into Key Stage 4
Helping your child to get
the best out of Year 10
(and 11).
Topics to be covered…
→ How will Key Stage 4 be different to
Key Stage 3?
→ How will your child be assessed?
→ Information from Maths, English,
Modern Foreign Languages and Science
→ Getting the balance right
→ Key dates
KS4: Throughout Year 10 students will
be assessed in a variety of ways
including internal examinations.
At the end of Y11 students will sit an
external exam in most subjects
Most subjects include an element of
controlled assessment.
What is Controlled Assessment?
Controlled assessment has been introduced in some subjects in line
with the new revised GCSE specifications.
Controlled assessment is a form of internal assessment where the
control levels are set for each stage of the assessment process. In
some subjects, work will be marked by the awarding body. For most
subjects however, work will be marked by the school and
moderated by the awarding body.
Controlled assessment measures subject specific skills that may not
necessarily be tested by formal exams.
Subject specific information will be given out to students via subject
teachers.
Dates for Controlled Assessments
taking place during Y10 can be
found in the Parent/Carer
Handbook, along with a course
outline for each subject.
How much is Controlled
Assessment worth?
It varies from subject to subject
and exam board to exam board.
It is usually worth between 20 and
60 percent.
Setting Target Grades
> Target grades are based on Fischer
Family Trust estimates
> Progress from KS2
> Targets set in all subjects
> Targets reported through APs
Attitude to Learning
This grade gives a description of your
son/daughter’s approach to his/her learning.
The grade given is an indication of the types of
attitude he/she displays.
It is a best-fit model and your son/daughter
may not display all of the characteristics in the
category.
Attitude to Learning
There are four categories:
1 – Outstanding
2 – Good
3 – Requires Improvement
4 – Unacceptable
In some cases there may be a code attached to indicate
specific areas of concern:
Behaviour (B), Contribution to class (C), Organisation (O),
Home Learning (H), Punctuality (P).
Progress
A colour coded system will now be used to
communicate the progress being made:
Blue – above target
Green – on target
Amber – just below target
Red - well below target
APs and Reporting
> 3 assessment points per year
> One written report
> One Parents’ Evening
Maths
 Students will follow the Edexcel Linear Mathematics
course (1MA0)
 The course offers two tiers of entry
Higher A*- D
Foundation C – G
 There are potential entries in June of Y10,
November of Y11 and June of Y11
 For most of our students they will follow the Higher
level course for examination in June Y11 (2015)
Maths
 For students who are in the following groups then
early entry at the Foundation level is planned for
the end of year 10 - RB, HTM, DH, JI
 Internal assessment will identify whether students
in other groups will require this opportunity
 Once these students have achieved their C grade in
Mathematics at Foundation level they will have the
option of continuing on to the Higher level course
or GCSE Statistics
Maths
How can you support your son/daughter?
 Homework
 Equipment
 Internal assessment preparation
 Revision – My Maths, Mathswatch, Shared Drive
English
Two GCSEs: Language & Literature
Both are combination of terminal assessment
and controlled assessment
(Higher & Foundation Tiers offered: A*-E & CG)
Language: 60% exam & 40 % CA
(Speaking & Listening recorded separately)
Literature:75% exam & 25 % CA
English
English
Controlled Assessment
Unit 3 for Literature: Drama (25%)
WB 24th March – Shakespeare or
contemporary drama
WB 16th June – Shakespeare or
contemporary drama
Shakespeare 40 marks &
Contemporary 16 marks
English
English
Controlled Assessment
Unit 3 for Literature: Drama (25%)
WB 25th March – Shakespeare or
contemporary
WB 10th June – Shakespeare or
contemporary
Shakespeare 15% & Contemporary 10%
A look ahead to Yr 11
Controlled assessment for Spoken
Language
Literary Heritage Novel
Mock exams and preparation for all exam
units
How you can help
How you can help
Encourage wider reading – quality non-fiction
as well as fiction.
Encourage an interest in current affairs.
Take an interest – ask them what they’ve been
doing and what they have been learning to
do.
Support our sanctions.
Modern Foreign Languages
Controlled assessment exam dates for Year 10
Speaking and writing exams =
w/b 21st January and 28th January 2014
w/b 28th April and 5th May 2014
Top tips
1) MFL resources, time and space for homework
2) internet use
3) vocabulary and grammar (little and often)
4) controlled assessment preparation and learning
5) motivation
Science
(for those not opting for separate
Sciences)
Edexcel Science GCSE
• GCSE Science will be completed in Year 10 (during summer 2014)
• 4 Units of work; Biology, Chemistry, Physics, and controlled coursework, each worth 25%
• Exam dates are May 13th (Biology), May 15th (Chemistry), May 19th (Physics)
• No re-sits are available
• 3 key topic tests to monitor progress will occur during the year per subject
• 3 mock exams will be taken before Easter 2014
• Revision guides can be purchased for £4, covering the Year 10 and Year 11 courses
Science ( for those not opting for separate
Sciences)
In Year 11, students will progress either to
• Additional Science GCSE
OR
• BTEC Applications of Science ( where a pass
grade is equivalent to GCSE grade C)
Separate Sciences
Religious Studies
Examined at the end of year 11.
Two exams each lasting 2 hours.
We provide revision a revision guide and support
resources of available on the Moodle.
PSHE & Citizenship work is combined within the RE
syllabus.
Religious Studies
Philosophy of Religion
Religious Ethics
Belief about Deity
End of Life
Good and Evil
Religion and Science
Medical Ethics
Poverty and Wealth
Peace and Justice
Equality
Sex & Relationships, Drugs Education and Safety are
taught as discreet sessions.
How can you help?
> Offer help as a tester, reader, source of
knowledge, buyer (of books)
> Organise fun activities for them to reward
their hard work
> Offer praise and rewards
> Work out time limits (for revision and social
time)
> Ensure they have a suitable place for study (a
quiet place without distractions)
Revision Tips
> revision cards
> list of key words for each topic
> diagrammatic representation of topic
> designing a test
> Question and answer with a
friend/parent/carer
> Make recordings of the information and listen
to it each day.
... Just reading things through doesn't usually
work!
Concentration
spans
for teenagers is
roughly their age
plus one minute.
No more than two
subjects a night
Equating attendance with performance
Attending school is a legal requirement.
For every 17 days absence from school, a student can
drop one GCSE grade.
Only 10% of students with poor attendance achieve 5
A* ‐ C grade GCSE’s compared to 58% of students with
good attendance.
21% of students with very poor attendance leave
school with no qualifications compared to 3% of
students who have regular attendance.
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How will we help?
Stretch and Challenge
High expectations
Revision sessions
Keep you informed
Intervention support
Exam preparation session
Year 10 Key Dates
11th October - Study Skills Introduction P1 and 2
15th Nov – AP1 issued
14th & 16th January – TW/CR Study Skills and exam
prep session (am only)
16th January – Parents’ Evening
20th March – Year 10 Parent Forum
25th April – Year 10 reports issued (including AP2)
16th June to 27th June – internal exams
11th July – AP3 issued
Trips
Battlefields trip in February 2014
Languages trips – w/b 30th June 2014