Key Stage Four

New GCSE Grade 9-1

New GCSE Maths and English courses started in September 2015, and other subjects (including GCSE Science) followed in 2016. The new courses are more challenging than ever, with all the exams set at the end of Year 11. There’s even a new ‘9-1’ grading system, where Grade 9 will be reserved for the very top tier of students.

Subjects

Below is a list of Key Stage 4 areas that we offer tuition in. These are based on the National Curriculum and are included in their appropriate criteria. En1 and Ma1 are not included, as they represent any coursework that has been done in that subject.

English

Reading

Comprehension – Using advanced skills for comparing, summarising and quoting from a text. Identifying thematic patterns and textual imagery within fiction and non-fiction. Mastering close-reading in a variety of different textual forms i.e. media articles, travel writing and other cultures and traditions. Showing an understanding of the given text by presenting relevant quotes and commenting on their values within the text.
English Literature – A selection of poetry, drama and fiction (Syllabus varies)
Media Texts – Identifying different textual approaches of articles and how this affects and manipulates the reader.

Writing

Composition – Different types of essay planning
Audience and Structure – learning to modify language to fit a certain target audience. Structuring information to the purpose of the text i.e. informative, persuading, describing, narrating or analysing.
Standard English – Grammar, tense (Past, Present, Continuous), punctuation, paragraphs, nouns and pronouns, apostrophes, adjectives, colons and semi-colons

Exam Boards for English

English Language (8700)

English Literature (8702)

Mathematics

Numerals

Multiples/ Factors/ Prime Numbers/ Square, Cube and Root Numbers
Standard Index Form (Calculator and Non-Calculator)
Rational and Irrational Numbers
Speed and Density
Ratio and Proportion
Decimals, Fractions and Percentages (Percentage change/ Quantity)
Recurring Decimals
Calculator and Non-Calculator Method of Solving Fractions
Approximation and Estimation (Rounding)
Algebra (Expressing, Simplifying, Factorising, Multiplying and Dividing Expressions)
Solving Equations (Quadratic, Simultaneous)
Formulae (Writing, Substituting and Rearranging Expressions)
Number Sequences
Graphs : Line Graphs/Linear Equations, Distance-Time Graphs and Speed-Time Graphs

Shape, Space and Measure

Angles and 2D Shapes
Triangles, Quadrilaterals and Polygons
Tessellations
Symmetry (Rotational)
Circles and their Properties
Area, Perimeter and Circumference
Maps and Bearings
Scale Drawings
Locus
Reflection and Rotation
Translation and Enlargement
Pythagoras’s Theorem and Trigonometry (Sine, Cosine and Tangent)
Linear and Non-Linear Functions
Volume, Mass and Capacity

Handling Data

Primary and Secondary Data
Questionnaires and Databases
Two-way tables
Average and Range (using diagrams)
Bar and Pie Charts
Stem and Leaf Diagrams
Scatter Graphs
Correlation and Line of Best Fit
Cumulative Frequency Tables and Graphs
Calculating Probability

Exam Boards for Mathematics

Mathematics (8300)

Mathematics

Science

When it comes to science, different exam boards offer different exams and programs. Check out the links below to learn more or feel free to contact us with any questions you might have.

Biology (8461)

Chemistry (8462)

Physics (8462)

Combine Science Trilogy

Combined Science Synergy

Gateway Science Biology A

21st Century Science Biology B

Gateway Science Chemistry A

21st Century Science Chemistry B

Gateway Science Physics A

21st Century Science Physics B

Gateway Combined Science A

21 st Century Combined Sci.. B

Old Science

There are three different sections within science for Key Stage 4

Core Science

Learn More

Additional Science

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Triple Science

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Core Science

Biology

Keeping healthy
Diet and exercise, defending against infection
Nerves and hormones
The nervous system, control in the human body, control in plants
The use and abuse of drugs
Drugs
Interdependence and adaptation
Adaptations, environmental change
Food chains, energy, biomass and cycles
Energy in biomass, the carbon cycle
Genetic variation and its control
Why organisms are different, reproduction
Evolution
Theories of evolution

Chemistry

Fundamental ideas in chemistry
Atoms, the periodic table, chemical reactions
Limestone and building materials
Calcium carbonate
Metals and their uses
Extracting metals and making alloys
Crude oil and fuels
Separating crude oil, hydrocarbons as fuels
Useful substances from crude oil
Alkenes, polymers and ethanol
Plant oils and their uses
Vegetable oils, emulsions and hydrogenation
Changes in the Earth and its atmosphereThe Earth’s crust, the Earth’s atmosphere

Physics

Heating and cooling
Energy transfer by heating, buildings
Energy and efficiency
Energy transfers and efficiency, electrical appliances
Mains electricity
Generating electricity
Waves
General properties of waves sound and light
Origins of the Universe
Red-shift

Additional Science

Biology

Cells and simple cell transport
Tissues, organs and organ systems
Organs in animals, Organs in plants
Photosynthesis
Organisms and their environment
Distribution of organisms
Proteins and enzymes
Respiration
Aerobic and anaerobic respiration
Cell division and inheritance
DNA and cell division, Genetic variation and genetic disorders
SpeciationOld and new species

Chemistry

Structure and bonding
Ionic bonding, Covalent bonding, Structure properties and uses
Atomic structure, Analysing substances, Quantitative chemistry
Rates of reaction
Exothermic and endothermic reactions
Acids, bases and salts
Electrolysis

Physics

Forces and their effects
Resultant forces, Forces and motion, Forces and braking, Forces and terminal velocity, Forces and elasticity
Kinetic energy
Forces and energy, Momentum
Electricity, Static electricity, Current and voltage in electrical circuits, Resistance, Household electricity, Charge, current and power
Atomic structure, Nuclear radiation, Nuclear fission and fusion
Life cycles of stars

AQA Further Additional Science

Biology

Movement of molecules in and out of cells
Dissolved substances, Gaseous exchange in the lungs, Exchange systems in plants
Transport systems in plants and animals
The blood system, The blood, Transport systems and processes in plants
Homeostasis
Removal of waste and water control, Temperature control, Blood sugar control
Humans and their environment
Waste from human activity, Deforestation and the destruction of areas of peat, Biofuels and Food production

Chemistry

The periodic table
The early periodic table, The modern periodic table, Trends within the periodic table
Water
Hard and soft water, Purifying water
Calculating and explaining energy changes
Energy from reactions
Further analysis and quantitative chemistry
Analysing substances
The production of ammonia
Making ammonia
Alcohols, carboxylic acids and esters
Alcohols, Carboxylic acids, Esters

Physics

Medical applications of physics
X-rays, Ultrasound, Lenses, The eye, Other applications using light
Using physics to make things work
Centre of mass, Moments, Hydraulics, Circular motion
Keeping things moving
The motor effect and Transformers