Get help and support GCSE COMBINED E: …

1 GCSE COMBINED SCIENCE: SYNERGY(8465)SpecificationFor teaching from September 2016 onwardsFor exams in 2018 onwardsVersion 30 September 2019 Copyright 2016 AQA and its licensors. All rights retains the copyright on all its publications, including the specifications. However, schools and colleges registered with AQA are permitted to copy material from this specification for their own internal Education (AQA) is a registered charity (number 1073334) and a company limited by guarantee registered in England and Wales (company number 3644723). Our registered address is AQA, Devas Street, Manchester M15 help and supportVisit our website for information, guidance, support and resources at can talk directly to the science subject teamE: 01483 477 756 (comsSYgsp8465)Contents1 Why choose AQA for GCSE COMBINED support and resources to help you teach62 Specification at a Subject Assessments93 Working scientifically134 Subject Building Transport over larger Interactions with the Explaining Building blocks for Interactions over small and large Movement and Guiding Spaceship Earth towards a sustainable future Key ideas1475 Scheme of Aims and learning Assessment Assessment weightings1516 General Entries and Overlaps with other Awarding grades and reporting Resits and shelf Previous learning and Access to assessment: diversity and Working with AQA for the first Private candidates1557 Mathematical requirements157 AQA GCSE COMBINED Science: Synergy 8465.

2 GCSE exams June 2018 onwards. Version 30 September 2019 Visit for the most up-to-date specification, resources, support and administration 38 Practical Use of apparatus and Required practical activities1619 Appendix A: Periodic table17910 Appendix B: Physics equations181 Are you using the latest version of this specification? You will always find the most up-to-date version of this specification on our website We will write to you if there are significant changes to the Visit for the most up-to-date specification, resources, support and administration1 Why choose AQA for GCSE COMBINED Science:SynergyOur philosophy: science for allWe believe that science has something to offer every student, and that everyone needs some levelof relevant scientific 's why we have a suite of science qualifications for Key Stage 4 so that students of allabilities and all aspirations can realise their sections for two teachersTeachers have told us that: many schools organise their curriculum drawing on the experience of two teachers science teachers tend to be more confident around either the life sciences or the physicalsciences science learning is enriched when teaching draws on different areas that can be naturallylinked have divided the content into two main sections, which contain connections between areas ofbiology, physics and chemistry that sit together as part of good and environmental sciences ( ) Building blocks: from atoms to cells, behaviour and transport on the small scale.

3 Transport over larger distances: systems in animals and plants and how these systemsinteract. Interactions with the environment: the effects of factors in the environment on organisms,how our choices affect our health. Explaining change: how organisms, species, living and non-living systems change sciences ( ) Building blocks for understanding: organising, patterns, properties and analysis. Interactions over small and large distances: strong and weak forces between atoms,molecules and larger structures and how they interact. Movement and interactions: rates of change of motion and direction of large and smallobjects, and chemical changes. Guiding Spaceship Earth towards a sustainable future: resources of materials sections include topics that draw together and apply key concepts. Examples in Life andenvironmental sciences include Radiation and risk (page 55) and The Earth's atmosphere (page67). In these topics, earlier work on atomic structure, waves and electromagnetic radiation is usedAQA GCSE COMBINED Science: Synergy 8465.

4 GCSE exams June 2018 onwards. Version 30 September 2019 Visit for the most up-to-date specification, resources, support and administration 5to explain the effects of different types of radiation on human tissues and on the climate. Anexample in Physical sciences is Resources of materials and energy (page 141), which introduceslife cycle assessment as a way of evaluating the impacts of using materials and energy tomanufacture useful students with rich practical activitiesThere s no better way to learn about science than through purposeful practical activities as part ofday-to-day teaching and learning. Our 21 required practicals: are clearly laid out in the specification, so you know exactly what s required are deliberately open, so you can teach in the way that suits you and your students have already been trialled in ll find even more support and guidance in our practical handbook, which includesrecommendations and advice from teachers in the exams, so students can give straightforward answersWe ve improved our question papers.

5 You ll find that our exams: use more straightforward language and fewer words so they re easier to understand have fewer contexts so students don t get confused have questions that increase in difficulty so students feel confident have been written with our GCSE Mathematics and A-level science teams, so students haveconsistency between content and 3,000 students have sat our specimen question papers and they agree that they re clearerand more straightforward than don t profit from education you doWe are an educational charity focused on the needs of teachers and students. This means that wespend our income on improving the quality of our specifications, exams, resources and can find out about all our COMBINED Science: Synergy qualifications at support and resources to help you teachWe ve worked with experienced teachers to provide you with a range of resources that will helpyou confidently plan, teach and prepare for resourcesVisit to see all our teaching resources.

6 They include: additional practice papers to help students prepare for exams schemes of work, written by experienced teachers a practical handbook, including recommendations and advice from teachers who ve trialledour practicals AQA approved textbooks reviewed by experienced senior examiners subject expertise courses for all teachers, from newly qualified teachers who are just gettingstarted to experienced teachers looking for fresh Visit for the most up-to-date specification, resources, support and administrationPreparing for examsVisit for everything you need to prepare for our exams, including: past papers, mark schemes and examiners reports sample papers and mark schemes for new courses Exampro: a searchable bank of past AQA exam questions example student answers with examiner your students' results with Enhanced Results Analysis (ERA)Find out which questions were the most challenging, how the results compare to previous yearsand where your students need to improve.

7 ERA, our free online results analysis tool, will help yousee where to focus your teaching. Register at information about results, including maintaining standards over time, grade boundaries and ourpost-results services, visit your skills up-to-date with professional developmentWherever you are in your career, there s always something new to learn. As well as subject-specific training, we offer a range of courses to help boost your skills. Improve your teaching skills in areas including differentiation, teaching literacy and meetingOfsted requirements. Prepare for a new role with our leadership and management can attend a course at venues around the country, in your school or online whatever suitsyour needs and availability. Find out more at and support availableVisit our website for information, guidance, support and resources at you'd like us to share news and information about this qualification, sign up for emails andupdates at , you can call or email our subject team : 01483 477 756 AQA GCSE COMBINED Science: Synergy 8465.

8 GCSE exams June 2018 onwards. Version 30 September 2019 Visit for the most up-to-date specification, resources, support and administration 78 Visit for the most up-to-date specification, resources, support and administration2 Specification at a glanceThis qualification is linear. Linear means that students will sit all their exams at the end of Subject content1. Building blocks (page 19)2. Transport over larger distances (page 36)3. Interactions with the environment (page 49)4. Explaining change (page 67)5. Building blocks for understanding (page 86)6. Interactions over small and large distances (page 94)7. Movement and interactions (page 107)8. Guiding Spaceship Earth towards a sustainable future (page 137)9. Key ideas (page 147) AssessmentsPaper 1 What's assessedLife and environmental sciencesTopics : Building blocks; Transport over larger distances; Interactions with theenvironment and Explaining it's assessed Written exam: 1 hour 45 minutes Foundation or Higher Tier 100 marks 25% of GCSEQ uestionsMultiple choice, structured, closed and open short answer questions, with greater emphasis onknowledge and application (AO1 and AO2) than analysis and evaluation (AO3).

9 AQA GCSE COMBINED Science: Synergy 8465. GCSE exams June 2018 onwards. Version 30 September 2019 Visit for the most up-to-date specification, resources, support and administration 9 Paper 2 What's assessedLife and environmental sciencesTopics : Building blocks; Transport over larger distances; Interactions with theenvironment and Explaining it's assessed Written exam: 1 hour 45 minutes Foundation and Higher Tier 100 marks 25% of GCSEQ uestionsMultiple choice, structured, closed and open short answer questions. This paper assesses mostof the analysis and evaluation (AO3) skills, and most of the work on the required practicals, forthe 3 What's assessedPhysical sciencesTopics : Building blocks for understanding; Interactions over small and large distances;Movement and interactions and Guiding Spaceship Earth towards a sustainable it's assessed Written exam: 1 hour 45 minutes Foundation and Higher Tier 100 marks 25% of GCSEQ uestionsMultiple choice, structured, closed and open short answer questions, with greater emphasis onknowledge and application (AO1 and AO2) than analysis and evaluation (AO3).

10 10 Visit for the most up-to-date specification, resources, support and administrationPaper 4 What's assessedPhysical sciencesTopics : Building blocks for understanding; Interactions over small and large distances;Movement and interactions and Guiding Spaceship Earth towards a sustainable it's assessed Written exam: 1 hour 45 minutes Foundation and Higher Tier 100 marks 25% of GCSEQ uestionsMultiple choice, structured, closed and open short answer questions. This paper assesses mostof the analysis and evaluation (AO3) skills, and most of the work on the required practicals, forthe GCSE COMBINED Science: Synergy 8465. GCSE exams June 2018 onwards. Version 30 September 2019 Visit for the most up-to-date specification, resources, support and administration 1112 Visit for the most up-to-date specification, resources, support and administration3 Working scientificallyScience is a set of ideas about the material world. We have included all the parts of what goodscience is at GCSE level: whether it be investigating, observing, experimenting or testing out ideasand thinking about them.