ASE 2025 Annual ConferenceSupporting ITT: Understanding GCSE Science assessment Support booklet and further information

Oct 20, 2026

Uploaded by Fahsai

Support booklet for teachers associated with the ASE 2025 Annual Conference Supporting ITT, focusing on understanding GCSE Science assessment. It explains key assessment objectives and how exams assess scientific thinking through working scientifically skills, question types, and common errors. It also covers command words, exam paper structure, assessing physics equations, interpreting graphs, and extended responses, alongside guidance about UK awarding bodies, regulation, and the role of JCQ to ensure accurate and equitable information for educators.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryExam

FormatPDF

Pages46

Reading Time1 h 56 min

AccessFree to download

The specification

Working scientifically

1 Development of scientific thinking

ASE 2025 Annual ConferenceSupporting ITT: Understanding GCSE Scienceassessment Support booklet and furtherinformation Published:January 2025 The content of this material contains no reference to future exam content as far as we know atthe time of production. | Contents | Page | | --- | --- | | Working scientifically | 5 | | The assessment objectives | 12 | | Command words | 14 | | The structure of an exam paper | 16 | | Types of questions and common errors | 19 | | Summary information on assessing physics equations | 30 | | Graphs | 34 | | Extended response | 40 | Secondary assessment in England There are three main awarding bodes in England:AQA,OCRand Pearson Edexcel.If you lookthrough the specifications forany of these awarding bodies,you will notice the content is verysimilar.This is because the contentis specified by the Department for Education(DfE). Ofqual have a vital role in the regulation of the awarding bodies.A few of Ofqual's key activitiesinclude scrutinising the draft specifications,monitoring the day-to-day activities of the awardingbodies and setting and enforcing standards.It is crucial that the information provided toyou asteachers is accurate and equitable to enable you to do your best for the studentsin yourclassrooms. There isa further organisation,the Joint Council for Qualifications(JCQ),which is a membershiporganisation,the main function of which is to further public education by enabling the memberorganisations to act together to: ·provide common administrative arrangements for exams ·respond to proposals from the regulators,government and other stakeholders ·communicate with a single voice to the media and other interested parties. All the major awarding bodies in England are members of JCQ. # The specification All our specifications have their own landing page and can be downloaded from our website.There is also a wealth of other resources available to you,for free,to assist you in the planningand delivery of the AQA specifications-for example teaching guides,practical handbooks andplanning documents.Here,you will also find information on other free professional development courses available to you.If you have any questions orqueries about anythingtodowith the products AQA offers,you can also contact us via the website. The specifications outline all the course content,and everything that can be examined is in thisdocument.As a classroom teacher,thisis one of the key documents which is used in youreveryday teaching practice.All the schemes of work in your school will have been developedusing the relevant specification-some may have used the AQA scheme of work.Thespecification also contains details of the key skills students are expected to develop throughstudying the course,as well as information about how the content is examined. # Working scientifically 1 Development of scientific thinking | Students should be able to: | Examples of what students could be asked to
do in an exam | | --- | --- | | WS 1.1
Understand how scientific methods and theories
develop over time. | Give examples to show how scientific methods
and theories have changed over time.
Explain,with an example,why new data from
experiments or observations led to changes in
models or theories.
Decide whether or not given data supports a
particular theory. | | WS 1.2 | Recognise/draw/interpret diagrams. | | Use a variety of models such as representational,
spatial,descriptive,computational and
mathematical to solve problems,make
predictions and to develop scientific explanations
and understanding of familiar and unfamiliar
facts. | Translate from data to a representation with a
model.
Use models in explanations,or match features
of a model to the data from experiments or
observations that the model describes or
explains. | | | Make predictions or calcula

FAQs

What does the booklet say about how scientific thinking develops in exams?

It describes how students should understand changes in scientific methods and theories over time, and how new data can lead to changes in models or theories. It also includes deciding whether data supports a theory.

What assessment areas related to “working scientifically” are included?

It covers interpreting and drawing diagrams, using different models to solve problems and make predictions, making predictions and calculating quantities with models, and considering ethics and limitations in science.

Which organisations are mentioned as key to GCSE assessment in England?

It references the main awarding bodies in England (AQA, OCR, Pearson Edexcel), the regulator Ofqual, and the Joint Council for Qualifications (JCQ). It explains JCQ’s role in enabling members to work together and communicate with a single voice.

Oct 20, 2026

Uploaded by Fahsai