Triple science - "Extended" Science

[ob1]

At a recent options evening were were told that triple science would consist of:

GCSE Core Science exam at the end of Y8
GCSE Additional Science exam at the end of Y9
and GCSE "Extended" Science at the end of Y10, covering all 3 science subjects.

They are no longer going to get a GCSE in each individual science.

Has anyone else heard of this? ... do you think it will make any difference or should be a cause for concern?

[Alice in Underland]

We have GCSE options evening this week so am also interested to learn the difference between single and double sciences.

[Minesatea]

I think this is a way of the exam boards getting around the stopping of modules of the science exams.
Single science was 1 module of biology, 1 of chemistry and 1 of physics. Double science 2 of each and the three sciences individually involved 3 modules of each.
If you sit single sciences now there is no modules so all exams are sat at the end of the course. By creating extended science you sit the same exams but spread over(in this case) 3 years. Very clever!

[ob1]

Clever but unfortunately wrong!

It doesn't match A levels where you do the individual sciences.

Also, say your child was good at Chem and Physics the Biology test results would bring the combined results down.

We're not too happy about it.

[Minesatea]

No I'm not sure I would be happy either but then I strongly disagree with early entry. Why are they finishing in year 10? Does the school have a three year sixth form? If not I wouldn't be happy with a years gap between finishing GCSE science and starting the A levels.

[Amber]

Which exam board is this? DS's school has switched to iGCSEs in the individual sciences which as far as I can tell will involve terminal exams at the end of Y11.
As with minesatea, I would actually be more concerned about the early entry than the content of the course.

[scary mum]

Watching with interest as we have options evening very soon (OCR board for science)... Likewise the early entry thing would be very concerning.

[Amber]

There is a thread on early GCSE entry in the "Everything Else" section of this forum, with some links to follow. It might provide some useful evidence for parents finding themselves wishing to ask challenging questions of heads of department in the coming weeks. If enough parents voice concerns about early entry, schools must listen - go to the governors if the teaching staff don't answer properly. The issue of early entry needs to be considered very carefully and schools really should be able to provide a robust justification for it in my view. ('Defending the indefensible' is the phrase which comes to mind, but they may have 'good reasons' )

[Looking for help]

My son is doing triple science with exams this year (year 10) -I think these are the old C1,P1 and B1 and next year he will do C2&3, P2&3 and B2&3.

Does this count as early entry ? Or is it not just the old modular exams in a different guise ?

ETA just noticed the OP is talking about exams in years 8,9 and 10, which is definitely early entry. Ours is probably just a hangover from the modular exams.

[scary mum]

LFH, I know year 10s who had exams in January - I assumed this was a last gasp for the old system?