HARROW INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL BEIJING
Curriculum Newsletter - Term 1 August 2013
Year 11
The information given in this document is to give a brief outline of the nature of the work being carried in out in classes this term. If you have
any questions, please do not hesitate to contact the department concerned or the Director of Studies, Alasdair MacRae.
Subject
(inc. exam board / spec)
Time/ Dates
Topic/Area of Study
Assessments
Other information
IGCSE
From August to December
In Year 11 pupils concentrate more on
the media, which they enjoy and are
encouraged to develop their own
interests and personal style, as their
confidence grows and students
complete their two year Portfolio of
work for assessment.
Continual one to one
guidance and feedback
during the development of
the Projects
Homework will support the
portfolio and may be in the
form of research or practical
work.
1. Reproduction in plants and humans
Homework tasks
End of topic tests
Lab reports
Class tests at the end of each
topic section, using past
IGCSE questions
Art and Design
(CIE)
IGCSE
1. Until 21-Septembert
Biology
(Edexcel)
2. Inheritance
2. Until 5-November
3. Until end of term
IGCSE
Business Studies
(Edexcel)
1. 5 weeks
2. 5 weeks
3. 2 weeks
3. Coordination & response and
excretion
1. Finance
2. External Influences
3. Marketing
Leadership for a better world
Component 2
Observational and
interpretive skill is 50% of
final GCSE mark
2 standard assessed
homework for each topic.
Biology drop in support
sessions run on Tuesday
lunchtimes for any student
needing additional help
HARROW INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL BEIJING
Subject
(inc. exam board / spec)
Time/ Dates
Topic/Area of Study
Assessments
Other information
IGCSE
1. August-September
Chemistry
2. October-mid November
1. Reversible reactions, Haber process
and contact process.
Class tests at the end of each
topic section, using past
IGCSE questions
(Edexcel)
3. Mid NovemberDecember
Chemistry drop in support
sessions run on Wednesday
lunchtimes for any student
needing additional help
2. Organic chemistry
3. Energetics
Regular homework tasks
Lab reports
IGCSE
From August to December
Coursework Completion
Students will spend the first term of
year 11 completing their design and
make controlled assessment.
Design Technology
(Edexcel)
Summative assessment
based on GCSE mark
scheme.
Sheltered Curriculum
1. 1 week
1. Introduction to Economics
1 Standard Assessment
Economics
2. 5 weeks
2. Money
Homework
3. 2 weeks
3. Project
Project
4. 4 weeks
4. ‘Work’
IGCSE
English Language
&
IGCSE
English Literature
(Edexcel)
1.
2.
3.
4.
2 weeks
3 weeks
7 weeks
6 weeks
1. Original Writing
Creative and personal writing
2. Section B - Prose
Study of prose extracts from Section B
of the Edexcel Anthology
3.Poetry coursework
Comparative study of poetry in Section
C of the Edexcel Anthology and
students’ wider reading
4. Prose Set Text (Literature)
EITHER Steinbeck’s Of Mice and Men
OR Naryan’s The English Teacher
Leadership for a better world
1. Coursework-style drafts:
c. 800-1500 words
creative, persuasive or
personal writing
2. Coursework-style drafts:
c.800-1500 word essay –
analysis of student’s
choice of text
3. Coursework drafting 30% Literature GCSE c. 1000-3000 word essay
comparing 6 poems
4. Exam practice essays –
timed and untimed
Introductory Task re:
Development
Coursework drafting skills
will be worked on during
this term.
HARROW INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL BEIJING
Subject
(inc. exam board / spec)
Time/ Dates
Topic/Area of Study
Assessments
IGCSE
From August to December
Revision of key grammar. Past, present,
future and conditional tenses, as well as
the subjunctive. Revision of
comparatives and superlatives.
Homework tasks, including
regular vocabulary tests.
French
(Edexcel)
Topics including:
School life, employment, free time
activities, holidays, weather and
future plans.
GCSE
Geography
Sheltered
Geography
End of unit writing and
speaking assessments.
Regular exam questions
from past papers
1. From August to
November
1. Geographical Investigation This
will be based on a local fieldwork
investigation comparing the
environmental quality in two sites
in urban Beijing.
1. Controlled Assessment.
Class teachers will
assess and moderate
each project (worth 25%
of the GCSE).
2. From November to end
of Term 1
2. Population Change. (Unit 3).
2. Past exam papers..
(Edexcel: specification A )
1. August - October
2. October – November
3. December
1. A Tourists World (Unit 3)
2. A Watery World (Unit 2)
3. Economic Change (Unit 3)
Exam questions in class.
(Foundation Tier and Higher
Tier Exam Papers)
Exam Papers will be marked
internally and used to assess
suitability for AS
Geography.
Leadership for a better world
Other information
The compulsory fieldwork
trip has been planned for
Wednesday September 11th
2013.
Year 11 Sheltered
Geography students who
have already studied
Geography in Year 10 will
follow the Year 11
Specification.
Year 11 Sheltered Classes
on a one year Course will
begin with Foundation
Papers and if successful will
sit the Higher Papers.
HARROW INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL BEIJING
Subject
(inc. exam board / spec)
Time/ Dates
Topic/Area of Study
Assessments
IGCSE
History
1. From August to midSeptember
1. The Nazi Party consolidate its
power in Germany?
(Edexcel)
2. September to October
2. What was the social and economic
impact of the Nazis?
Progress Grade1:
Paper 1 style assessment on
reasons for consolidation
3. October to December
3. How significant was opposition to
the Nazi party?
Other information
Progress Grade 2:
Paper 2 style assessment on
consolidation
Progress Grade 3:
Debate on significance of
Nazi opposition
1. 1 week
IGCSE
Mathematics
(Edexcel)
2. 1 week
3. 2 weeks
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
1.
IGCSE
Further Pure
Mathematics
(Edexcel)
1 week
2 weeks
½ week
2 weeks
2 weeks
2 weeks
2. 2 weeks
3. 2 weeks
4. 2 weeks
5. 3 weeks
6. 3 weeks
1. Proportion.
2. Applying Numbers
3. Graphing and Simultaneous
Equations
4. Circle properties
5. Sets
6. Measures
7. Powers and Surds
8. Quadratics
9. Mensuration
Via homework exercises,
Myimaths and common
assessments.
Exercises are from
Longman IGCSE
Mathematics Book1 & 2 and
teachers own resources.
1. Arithmetic and Geometric
Series
2. Binomial Expansion and Series
3. Scalar and Vector Quantities
4. Calculus Part 1
(Differentiation)
5. Calculus Part 2 (Integration &
applications of differentiation)
6. Trigonometry
Via homework exercises,
Myimaths and common
assessments.
These students have already
done IGCSE Mathematics at
the end of Year 10.
Exercises are from Pearson
IGCSE Further Pure
Mathematics and teachers
own resources.
10.
Leadership for a better world
HARROW INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL BEIJING
Subject
(inc. exam board / spec)
Time/ Dates
Topic/Area of Study
Assessments
Other information
Easy Steps to Chinese 5
Approximately 6 weeks per
topic
Study Chinese
Formative assessment
Website recommended:
Summer Job
Presentations;
http://www.nciku.com/
Party
Quality of work;
http://www.chinese.cn/
Interviews, research and presentations
on the topic areas
Homework;
Mandarin – ZHO
Weekly vocabulary test
Unit test
End of term test
Easy Steps to Chinese 4
Mandarin – SZH
GCE (AS)
Mandarin – XXI/ WJU
(Edexcel)
Around 2 weeks per sub
topic
Approximately 3 weeks per
topic
About School
Weekly vocabulary test

teachers
Unit test

students
End of term test

facilities

school shop




Food and health
Travel and tourism
Education and employment
Chinese festivals
Website recommended:
http://www.nciku.com/
http://www.chinese.cn/
Formative assessment
Website recommended:
Presentations;
Quality of work;
http://www.nciku.com/
Homework;
http://www.chinese.cn/
Weekly vocabulary test
Unit test
End of term test
Leadership for a better world
Reading books related with
the topics covered
HARROW INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL BEIJING
Subject
(inc. exam board / spec)
IGCSE
Time/ Dates
1. August to October
Topic/Area of Study
Assessments
Other information
1. Solids, liquids and gases
Homework tasks
Physics drop in support
sessions run on Thursday
lunchtimes for any student
needing additional help
End of topic tests
Physics
(Edexcel)
2. October to early
December
2. Magnetism, electromagnetic
induction
3. Final revision prior to mock
examination
Physical Education
Activities run in blocks on a
six week rotation
o
(Core)
GCSE
From August to December
Practical:
Students will be taught in and assessed
in a variety of sports, including personal
survival, basketball, volleyball and
football.
Coursework:
Students will be expected to complete
their Analysis of Performance
coursework
Theory:
Topics 1.2.1 and 1.1.7
 Somatotyping
 Physical illness, such as anorexia,
obesity, etc
 Drugs and injuries in sport
 Risk assessment and injury
prevention
Physical Education
(Edexcel)
Pathway One:
Swimming / Volleyball / Health related
fitness
Leadership for a better world
Lab reports
Assessments will cover
knowledge, application of
understanding and practical
skills throughout
Formative assessment at the
start and end of the block.
All students must wear the
correct PE specified in the
PE letter.
Practical: Continuous and
Formative assessment
through observation and
according to the prescribed
criteria as dictated by the
examination board
Theory: End of topic tests,
on-going homework
assessments.
Mock Examination
Coursework: Graded and
marked according to the
course criteria
Each week there will be
both a theory lesson and a
practical lesson
HARROW INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL BEIJING
Subject
(inc. exam board / spec)
Time/ Dates
Topic/Area of Study
Assessments
Other information
IGCSE
Each class will cover all the
same topics by the end of the
year, but the order varies
according to each teacher.
BJU (Sheltered A):
Weekly homework tasks





Class tests at the end of each
topic based on past IGCSE
questions
Lessons will seek to develop
practical scientific skills and
support language
acquisition, as well as
covering the knowledge
required for the
examination.
Science (Dual Award)
(Edexcel)
Chemical principles & elements
Forces & electricity
Biological organisms
Organic & Physical Chemistry
Waves
Some peer and self
assessment tasks
AFO (Sheltered B):




A high level of independent
work is required and
students will be taught the
skills to do this.
Biological organisms
Chemical principles & elements
Forces & electricity
Reproduction & ecology
Students are encouraged to
seek support from the
teachers outside lessons
when needed, by email or in
person
WGR (Sheltered C):
IGCSE
From August to December




Forces & electricity
Biological organisms
Chemical principles & elements
Waves & energy
o
Revision of key grammar. Past,
present, future and conditional
tenses, as well as the subjunctive.
Revision of comparatives and
superlatives.
Topics including:
Home life, chores, your
neighbourhood and city where you
live, shopping habits.
Spanish
(Edexcel)
o
o
Leadership for a better world
Homework tasks, including
regular vocabulary tests.
End of unit writing and
speaking assessments.
Regular exam questions
from past papers