GCSE
Science is
Changing
GCSE Environmental and Landbased Science
• Continuity from:
GCSE Rural and Agricultural Science
GNVQ Land and Environment
• Taught as ‘stand-alone’ qualification, or as an Additional
Applied Science (after/alongside GCSE Science)
QCA Approved!
Assessment
Compulsory Unit - 16.7%
Optional Unit - 16.7%
Portfolio of: work related
report, practical skills and
investigative project - 50%
Optional Unit - 16.7%
• Unit tests: externally set and marked tests
taken on screen - available in January and
June
• Coursework portfolio, saved electronically
Content units
Candidates study 3 units:
• Unit 3 – Management of the Natural Environment
And 2 others chosen from:
Intended to appeal to rural
• Unit 1 – Plant cultivation
schools, including those with
• Unit 2 – Amenity horticulture farm units, links with
agricultural colleges etc., as
• Unit 4 – Care of animals
well as urban schools
• Unit 5 – Livestock husbandry
Vocational links
Unit title
Employment areas
Plant cultivation
arable farming, horticulture, forestry
Amenity horticulture
gardens, garden centres, nurseries,
floristry, parks
Management of the
natural environment
conservation, nature reserves,
waste management
Care of animals
veterinary assistants, pet shops
Livestock husbandry
livestock farming, zoos
Unit title
Brief outline of content
Plant cultivation
growing crop plants, including: growing media and
conditions; causes of plant ill health; nutrient deficiencies;
reproduction; monohybrid inheritance; soil structure.
Amenity horticulture
growing plants for gardens, parks etc., including:
controlling growing conditions; maintaining cut flowers and
pot plants; management of lawns; pruning.
Management of the
natural environment
types of ecosystem; intensive and extensive production;
soil structure; effects of pesticide use; organic and
inorganic production; effects of pollution; conservation.
Care of animals
care of small animals, including: reasons for keeping
animals; reproduction and selective breeding; routine
husbandry and health; handling and moving animals.
Livestock husbandry
care of farm animals, including: routine husbandry and
health; reproduction, including modern techniques;
approaching and moving large animals.
Computer-based tests
Each comprises:
• Objective questions – 10 marks
• Short answer questions – 12 marks
• Data analysis question(s) – 6 marks
• More extended writing – 8 marks
Each test carries 36 marks, in 45 minutes, set in two tiers Foundation and Higher
Testing arrangements
• Test is delivered to the Centre electronically
• Provided to candidates using Centre’s network
• Candidates answer on screen (NOT on line)
• Competed test returned electronically to OCR
• Marked by OCR examiners
• Available in January and June sessions
• Unit 3 examined in June 2007
Coursework portfolio
Designed to develop skills for use in the Land and Environment
Sector
• Practical Skills – 12.4%
• Work-related report – 14.7%
• Investigative project – 22.9%
Internally
assessed (by the
teacher) and
externally
moderated
Coursework portfolio, saved electronically
• Able to include a wide variety of digital evidence (text,
pictures, video, sound, computer graphics, power-points
etc.)
• Can be accessed easily by the teacher and the student
• No paper!
Practical skills
• Marks for 3 skills are submitted from each of the 3 units
studied (candidates may attempt as many as they like)
• Each skill marked out of 3 – total of 27
• Video or photographic evidence from at least 5 of these –
stored electronically within the portfolio
Examples of practical skills
Layering strawberries
Taking softwood cuttings
Identifying signs of health in a crop
Preparing hanging baskets
Cloching crops with glass or plastic
Pruning roses or fruit trees
Testing soil for PH
Making a line transect over a habitat
Measuring pollution
Sexing animals
Candling eggs
Preparing animals for showing
Bottle-feeding lambs
Maintaining farmyard equipment
Milking goats or cows
Using first aid
Assessing the risk of an activity
Controlling and extinguishing a fire
Work-related report
• Report written in the context of one of the chosen units
• Related to a particular workplace – the running of an
enterprise
• Stored electronically
• Assessment under 4 headings
–
–
–
–
Information sources – 8 marks
Description of workplace – 8 marks
Scientific knowledge and skills – 8 marks
Quality of presentation – 8 marks
Work related report - details
Assignment might arise from:
• Work experience
• A visit or series of visits
• School-based mini enterprise
Or where these are not possible, from
• Information-based research
Or a combination of these
Report might include information in the form of a news
article, power-point presentation, video clips
Investigative project
A scientific study related to one of the chosen units
• Can be
–
–
–
–
experimental work
a livestock study
ecological work
work based on an enterprise or business
• Stored electronically as part of the portfolio
Examples of possible projects
• Planting density in relation to crop yield
• Effects of spraying crops
• Fertiliser trials
• Shoreline ecology
• Land use survey
Assessment (marked out of 52)
Planning, using
information - 10
Quality of practical work,
collecting data - 10
Quality of the report and
presenting data - 6
Analysis and
presentation of data - 10
Evaluating the evidence - Determination and
10
perseverance - 6
Pathways
Pathway Year 9
A
B
Year 10
Year 11
Suggested Post 16
Study
KS3
GCSE Science
GCSE
GCE Applied
Environmental and
Science, NVQ
Land-based
qualifications
Science
KS3
GCSE Science and GCSE
Environmental and Land-based
Science in parallel
GCE Applied
Science, NVQ
qualifications
OCR will support you
• ‘Virtual’ Cluster Groups and
Coursework Consultancy
• Teaching guidance and
exemplars
• INSET meetings
Why choose OCR?
• Pedagogy underpins content and assessment
• Coursework = assessment of work done ‘during the
course’
• Avoidance of unnecessary repetition
• Support
• Innovative ‘applied’ approach
• Development of relevant skills for the land and
environment sector
What next?
• Join our e-community:
www.gcse-science.com
• You can access specifications, presentations, support
documents, details of INSET meetings, a forum, a
registration page etc.
• Register your intention to use the specification
• Look out for a consultation questionnaire – end of June
• Tell us if you are willing to trial exams in the autumn