Year 8 Options 2019 GCSE QUALIFICATIONS All are now Graded 9 to1 - - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

Year 8 Options 2019

GCSE QUALIFICATIONS

• All are now Graded 9 to1 (previously A*-G)
• Mostly single tiered examination papers
• No controlled assessments (except in practical

subjects)

• Terminal examination taken at the end of two

years or three years.

• Most subjects will have two examinations

GRADE 5 IS NOW THE NEW BENCHMARK

Grade 4 is a Standard Pass (low Grade C) Grade 5 is a Strong Pass (high Grade C/low Grade B)

ENGLISH BACCALAUREATE

• The EBacc is the combined study of five core academic subjects at

GCSE.

• To achieve the Ebacc (Strong Pass), pupils must gain grade 5s or

above in all of the five subject areas below, including two from science.

• Six GCSEs graded 9-5 in total.

ENGLISH BACCALAUREATE

But is this right for all of our students? The government’s ambition is to see 75% of pupils studying the EBacc subject combination at GCSE by 2022, and 90% by 2025.

ENGLISH BACCALAUREATE

“Whichever career path young people choose, they will need the skills that make them employable in a world where recruitment is increasingly global. We owe it to them to ensure that they do not lose

• ut in the jobs market to better educated and

linguistically qualified candidates from

• ther

countries” Nuffield Trust

KEY STAGE 4 CURRICULUM

Core

• English Language
• English Literature
• Maths
• Science (Combined Science – two GCSEs)
• Modern Foreign Language (Top two sets – 8N1 and 8S1) - French
• Humanities (History or Geography)
• PE Core
• Religious Studies (examined at end of Year 10)
• Citizenship/Careers/PSHE (through Wow Days)
• Compulsory Subjects taken by all pupils

OPTION AIMS

To provide a broad and balanced selection of courses with recognised qualifications that offer a variety of progression routes both in further education and employment

PATHWAYS

Green Pathway

• Recommended for pupils who scored 106 or above at Key Stage 2
• Pupils who perform well in tests and examinations
• Pupils looking to progress to A levels and then university.

Blue Pathway

• Recommended for pupils who scored between 94 and 106 at Key Stage 2
• Pupils who prefer a mix of project work, teacher assessments and examinations
• Pupils thinking of apprenticeships or vocational courses at college leading to

employment, retaining the option to go to university at a later stage.

Red Pathway

• Recommended for pupils who scored 93 or below at Key Stage 2
• Pupils who prefer to be assessed in the classroom as they complete their assignments
• Pupils thinking of doing level one and level two courses at college leading to

employment trainee schemes.

RECOMMENDED PATHWAYS

Year 8 Option Subjects

Recommended Pathways

History Geography BTEC Travel and Tourism French GCSE Triple Science GCSE Computer Science GCSE 2nd Humanities (Geography or History) GCSE Business Studies GCSE Art & Design GCSE Media Studies D&T (Timber) D&T (Board) GCSE Food & Nutrition GCSE Drama BTEC Music GCSE Physical Education BTEC Sport CACHE Child Development and Care

QUALIFICATIONS “VOCATIONAL”

• Level 2 Technical Awards
• GCSE equivalents
• Graded Pass, Merit, Distinction and Distiction*
• Generally two coursework units and one

externally examined unit. BTEC Sport, BTEC Travel and Tourism, BTEC Music, CACHE Child Development, NCFE Business & Enterprise.

THINGS TO CONSIDER

Pupils will spend a quarter of their time studying Options subjects.

• Which subjects are you good at?
• Which subjects do you enjoy?
• What type of work is involved?
• Do you know enough about the subjects?
• What do your parents think?
• Who else can you talk to?
• What is a good balance of subjects?

YOUR CHOICES

• 1. GCSE History, GCSE Geography or BTEC Travel and

Tourism

• 2. French (8N1 and 8S1). Additional Option Choice if

in other sets

• 3. Option 1
• 4. Option 2
• 5. Reserve Option

OPTIONS FORM

http://www.swracademy.net/year-8-options/ On the school website choose Year 8 Options from the “Parents” drop-down. Your username will be firstname.lastname@swracademy.org.uk Your password will be your school network password

IMPORTANT DATE

Complete online form by

Friday 1st March 2019