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GCSE Astronomy —

News about the GCSE Course

 

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Image: Eclipse on Uranus —

Hubble STScI / NASA

Although originally a qualification taken mostly by adults and sixth form students (years 12 and 13) the past few years have seen a steady rise in the number of secondary schools beginning to run the course as a GCSE option for Key Stage 4 students (years 10 and 11) or even as an ‘early start’ GCSE course for year 9 students.

 

For many schools this provides a popular component within a Science Specialist School or Gifted and Talented provision. Recent changes to the structure of GCSE Science at Key Stage 4 look set to increase the flexibility available to schools to offer Astronomy alongside GCSEs in Biology, Chemistry and Physics.

 

If the opportunity continues to be taken up, it may not be long before we pass our next milestone of over 2000 entries for GCSE Astronomy.

 

Julien King

Principal Moderator for GCSE Astronomy

Edexcel Examinations

 

 

Taken from Gnomon—Newsletter of the Association of Astronomy Education: - Vol.26 No. 1, Autumn 2006

 

 

September 2006

 

GCSE Astronomy – another milestone passed

 

This summer’s cohort of students taking Edexcel’s GCSE Astronomy examination represented the passing of another important milestone in the development of the qualification.

 

For the first time since the introduction of the GCSE in the late 1980’s over one thousand candidates sat the GCSE examination in Astronomy. This represents acceleration in the healthy rise in numbers since the start of the millennium and shows every sign of continuing in the coming years.

 

This summer’s largest ever cohort of GCSE Astronomers maintained the high standards of astronomical ability shown in previous years, with over three-quarters of students gaining an A* - C grade. Students’ and their teacher’s obvious enjoyment of the subject was once again evidenced by the coursework portfolios of observational, graphical/computational and constructional work.

 

As in previous years, a significant number of students had clearly been motivated to put in time and effort beyond the requirements of the qualification. This suggests that for many, the GCSE may be the start of a life-long interest in astronomy.

 

As well as an increase in total numbers entering for the GCSE Astronomy qualification, there would also appear to be a gradual shift in the composition of the student cohort taking the subject.

 

 

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Last updated May 13, 2007

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