Welcome to the Year 11 Curriculum Evening Key Stage 4 2016-2017

Outline GCSE Assessment schedule Exams & Controlled Assessments (CA) Study Tips Monitoring & Tracking Reporting Higher Tier or Foundation Tier at GCSE Revision & Preparation

GCSE Assessment Schedule GCSE is assessed by a combination of Examinations and Controlled Assessment GCSE Assessment has been ongoing Students have completed GCSE in Religious Studies at the end of Y10 Each CA is worth a particular % of the full GCSE, final certification will take place in the Summer of Year 11 Some subjects Ma & RS are assessed by exam only, in these subjects the specification has been organised into distinct units which can be examined separately, refer to Ma in Assessment schedule hand out. Others have a Controlled Assessment element, this replaces coursework due to issues regarding plagiarism and each subject has different requirements, refer to Sc ISA.

Exams & Controlled Assessments (CA) Each Exam/CA will require the necessary amount of preparation. Teaching will move on to the next topics in preparation for the next CA Due to the ongoing nature of the Assessment Schedule, there is no slack time! If students are unsure about requirements of any Assessment they must approach their teachers for support and direction 20 Full School weeks left! Preparation: revision, organisation, determination, persistence. Get it right now as the course will move on.

Study Tips PRACTICE MAKES PERMANENT   ATTEND MATHS HELP SESSIONS: Tuesday to Friday 8:00am to 8:30am; Tuesday 3:30pm to 4:30pm and Thursday 3:30pm to 4:15pm Ask questions as often as necessary Learn the TIMES TABLES Know the NUMBER BONDS to 20 Seek extra help on trickier topics Attention levels at maximum Concentration levels at maximum

General considerations The Homework timetable can be used as a template for organisation In KS4 homework is set with duration of up to 45 minutes per homework.  Your son may finish a particular homework within that time frame; that is excellent news as he has clearly understood the task set and has been able to complete the work independently.  However, any remaining time (of the 45minutes) can  then be used in any of the following ways: Review previous work in that subject, Make some summary notes on recent topics, Learn key spellings, Learn key facts,

Test himself on the facts he thinks he knows, Read through his notes, Read through any set texts, Re-read any set texts, Do some past paper questions, Organise next week’s independent work, Teach you the recent topic to demonstrate understanding, Make a power point presentation on the topic, Make some summary notes on not so recent topics,  .......  

Monitoring & Tracking As your son completes Internal Assessments, GCSE Exams or CAs his progress will be monitored by Mr McGinty Any student causing academic concern will be given the necessary attention to ensure he understands what needs to be done: Best Buddy System Depending on the nature of the concern parents may be contacted Parents are encouraged to register any concern they may have about their son’s progress, email: k.mcginty@dls–jersey.co.uk

Reporting To keep parents appraised of their son’s progress through Year 11a full report is produced at Christmas. This report will include the Minimum Expected Grade (MEG). Parent’s evening takes place during the Spring Term. A current grade is also included in the full report so that a reality check is made. Mocks will be sat before Easter and an interim report will be produced before Easter to appraise parent of their son’s current performance in relation to the imminent GCSEs. Explain how the Bench Mark grade is aquired.

Minimum Expected Grades Median (middle person) achieves a C in Y11 in Geography: Hence our minimum expectation will be a C.

Higher Tier or Foundation Tier at GCSE Higher Tier allows access to Grades A* to D Foundation Tier allows access to Grades C to G Head of Departments will make a judgement as to which tier your son will be entered for. Evidence from previous performance coupled with current progress is used when making the judgement. We want the best grade possible.

New Grading System in English & Maths https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/grade-descriptors-for-gcses-graded-9-to-1

Revision Purpose: To be prepared in sufficient time to enable students to achieve their full potential Organisation is the key element of an effective Revision Timetable Students need to realise that they are the ones who will benefit from their efforts Revision lists for internal assessments will be distributed a month in advance of the assessment If you fail to plan you plan to fail!

Revision Power Point Summary Download from school website: {Click on School Info link, then click on Exams link} Section 1: Retention Section 2: Developing a method Organising yourself Time-table Time-table examples Section 3: Session outline/structure Section 4: Other considerations

Thank you for your attention. Any Questions? If you have any concerns that occur to you later this evening please do not hesitate to contact Mr McGinty.