Science resources

Discussion and advice on GCSEs

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PerpetualStudent
Posts: 527
Joined: Tue Sep 27, 2016 10:52 am

Re: Science resources

Post by PerpetualStudent »

Surreyav wrote: PerpetualStudent - I did ask DD if they have a science clinic. She is currently not aware. Possibly because of Covid it has not been advertised this year in school or paused.
Would you be able to help in names of the A level resources which helped your DD ?
Her worst is Chemistry especially the ionic chemical equations so far.
Hi Surreyav,

2childmum makes an excellent point about answering questions in a way appropriate for GCSE, and not getting confused by higher level models and mechanisms. Nevertheless, DD is driven mad by the way science is simplified at each level to facilitate understanding - “so basically they lied to us!” would be a typical response. DD would ask lots of questions in class and was often told “you don’t need to know that yet” - hence our recourse to A Level material.

I found the CGP OCR A Level revision and practice guides for biology and chemistry at my local bookshop. They’ve been helpful when nothing else is working and DD is beginning to lose it. The chemistry guide I’m looking at now has several pages on equations and calculations.

Good luck,
PS
2childmum
Posts: 523
Joined: Sun Jul 27, 2008 4:02 pm
Location: S E London

Re: Science resources

Post by 2childmum »

That sounds just like my son in physics - often being told he didn't need to know the answer to questions he asked. He read a lot of physics books which weren't linked to the GCSE. The most annoying thing to him was whether light was a wave or a particle - in one bit of the spec it treated it as one thing but in a different part as the other. In his actual GCSE paper there was a question about one part of it so he answered it in the way he knew the mark scheme would put it , but then apparently wrote a note saying that he knew this was what would be in the mark scheme but light could also be considered to be whatever the other way was and answered the questions based on that too! I do wonder what the examiner made of it!

He went on to do a physics and astronomy degree and has just started a PhD in astronomy in Germany - it was obviously his passion from early on

sorry op - gone off track a bit! The other thing which helped DD was building molecules using a cheaper version of molymods
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