GCSE Physics Practical Support

Event
November 2018
 Agenda
• Welcome
• Practical Overview
• Practical Requirements
• JCQ- Student Guidance
• Support- Ongoing
• Q&A
 Specification Unit 3
• Booklet A

• Students carry out two

• pre-release practical tasks in the final year of study.

• There are two tiers of entry. Students must take both Booklet A and Booklet B at the same tier.

• Foundation and Higher Tiers: 2 hours

• 19
• Booklet B

• External written examination

• Students answer compulsory structured questions that include short responses, extended writing and calculations, all set in
a practical context.

• Foundation Tier: 1 hour Higher Tier: 1 hour 15

• mins
 Unit 3 Practical Skills
Booklet A
•Booklet A contains two practicals from the prescribed
practical list. We send a Materials and Apparatus list in
November(2018). (20th this year)
•We send a copy of Booklet A for each student to
schools for January (December Dispatch). All students
must carry these out between 2nd January and before
the First Friday in June submission date. These are
marked externally by CCEA.
•PSA guidance booklet on each microsite
 Practical Skills
Booklet A
•Students carry out two externally marked pre-
release practicals in the final year of study.
•2 hours for Foundation and Higher Tier
•Weighting 7.5%
•Available for completion from January 2nd and
before First Friday in June each year beginning in
2019
 Unit 3 Practical Skills
Booklet B
Booklet B is a timetabled, externally assessed
exam taken at the end of final year of study. It
consists of questions about planning and
carrying out any of the prescribed practicals as
well as more general questions about any
practical situation that arises from the
specification.
 Practical Skills
Booklet B
•External written examination
•Students answer compulsory structured questions
that include short responses, extended writing and
calculations, all set in a practical context
•There are two tiers of entry; Foundation and
Higher (1 hour for F Tier and 1hour 15 mins H tier)
 Practical Skills
Booklet B (continued)
•Weighting 17.5%
•Available every summer beginning 2019 on the
date specified in the summer examinations
timetable.
 Conducting the Practical
• 6.3 Specification
• Booklet A is a practical skills assessment and must be carried out under a high level
• of control. Both practical components must be completed within the same session
• on the same day.
• An appropriate teacher should be present with an invigilator to ensure compliance
• with health and safety regulations.
• Teachers and invigilators should not offer direction or guidance to candidates where
• this would assist them in completing Booklet A.
• Foundation and Higher Tier candidates can carry out the practical skills assessment
• in the same room, but they can only work with others taking the same tier.
• Candidates may work collaboratively in groups of up to three when carrying out the
• practical tasks. However, all candidates must work individually and independently to
• complete Booklet A.
• Candidates have 2 hours to complete this assessment.
• The examinations officer must keep all Booklet A papers (completed and unused)
• securely at all times.
• Centres must return Booklet A papers to us for marking after 1 May.( Now June return Date)
• We will provide additional information relating to Booklet A as a support document (PSA Guidance doc/
Confidential instructions with the apparatus list in November)
For Booklet A, the level of control for task taking is high. The table
below exemplifies
high levels of control for this practical skills assessment.
Areas of Control
Authenticity Booklet A is an externally set and externally marked
practical skills assessment.
Teachers must ensure that all candidates are in direct sight of the
supervisor at all times.
Interaction between candidates is tightly prescribed during the
practical tasks.
They should not communicate with each other when completing their
response in Booklet A.
We will publish a timetabled period for this practical skills assessment
on the examinations timetable.
Candidates must carry out the practical tasks and complete Booklet A
in 2 hours.
We send an apparatus and materials list to examinations officers in
December of the last year of study. They should distribute this list to
the relevant head of department.
Feedback Teachers should not provide guidance or feedback
during the practical skills assessment except to intervene on the
grounds of health and safety.
Page limit We set Booklet A. It has no prescribed page limit.
Collaboration Candidates for the same tier of entry may work
collaboratively to carry out the practical tasks, but they must provide
an individual response in Booklet A.
 Suggestions for Conducting the
PSA
Before the PSA
Exams Officer will receive Apparatus list and confidential
instructions in November, this will give full details of conduct and
responsibility. They will explain to the HOD security
arrangements for this document.
Ensure equipment is ordered including spare equipment for the
time assigned to the assessment.
Ensure all invigilators and supervising teachers are familiar with
JCQ Instructions for Conducting Examinations, (ICE)
Ensure all students have been explained JCQ regulations on the
Use of Social Media- Information for Candidates.
 Suggestions for Conducting the
PSA
Teacher Organisation
Assign groups or individuals to an area for the PSA- could do before you start
or previous lesson
You may put timeframes on board, group orders of experiment completion.
( just before the exam starts)

During the Practical

Control is High- students must only communicate if necessary on the
collection of raw results/ practical method, if working in a group
The supervising teacher may deal with technical difficulties which arise or to
ensure compliance with health and safety regulations and their risk
assessment.
 JCQ Social Media
• https://www.jcq.org.uk/exams-office/information-for-
candidates-documents/information-for-candidates---social-
media-2017-2018

Ensure that students have been explained the

new guidance
•Online questionnaires (a series of 5 min questionnaires
for all teachers)
•School visits to hear from a wide range of teachers
and leaders within schools
•ALC Principals’ meetings
•Subject specific panels of key stakeholders
•Pupil interviews
•Parent consultation through partnership
with parenting organisations
•Different schools will be involved in different
aspects. Randomly selected schools and ALCs will be
contacted by email.
• To start professional discussions
• A systematic programme of listening to
empower teacher voice
• To inform planning for support
• To identify gaps and connections in the curriculum
• Inform CCEA’s programme of support for 2019/20
For further information, please contact:
Post-primary
Róisín McCreesh
T: 02890261200 ext: 2635
M: 07970204356
E: rmccreesh@ccea.org.uk
Primary
Emma Holmes
T: 02890261200 ext: 2670
M: 07799346870
E: eholmes@ccea.org.uk
 CCEA Support

•Physics microsite at www.ccea.org.uk and

•specimen assessment materials;
•past papers; mark schemes;
•Chief Examiner’s reports;
•guidance on progression from Key Stage 3;
•planning frameworks;
 Past Papers
• Past papers will be available on the CCEA microsite.
• After an exam has been taken the management of all
papers transfers from QPP and the Education
Manager to the CCEA Copyright team.
• Papers can only be published when the CCEA
Copyright team has received permissions for all
images. CCEA cannot redraw copyright images as this
is to do this is a breach of copyright( adaptation)
 Support from other Providers
• ASE- Teachmeets and Science Conferences
https://www.ase.org.uk/ase-regions/regional-events/

• Institute of Physics
Student Awards/ Schools support/ Affiliated
Schools
http://www.iopireland.org/education/index.html

Scientix – EU
Resource Repository/ MOOCs
http://www.scientix.eu/
Q&A
 Contacts: GCSE Physics
Education Manager: Gavin Gray
Telephone: 028 90 261200 Ext 2270
Email: ggray@ccea.org.uk

Subject Support Officer: Nuala Tierney

Telephone: 028 90 261200 Ext 2292
Email: ntierney@ccea.org.uk
 Working with CCEA
The benefits:
– teacher cover provided
– first-hand experience of how the examining system
works
– user insight to the standards required for the
assessment
– opportunity to examine assessments across a range of
abilities
– improved learning and teaching outcomes
– creates links with CCEA personnel/subject officer
– opportunity to network with other professionals
– provides recognition and enhances the professional
development of teachers
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