September 2024 Teaching Science update

For information and support related to Summer results days, please read the 'Getting ready for results day' update below where you will find information you may need in the post-results period.

• Read the 'Getting ready for results day' update for support and guidance

As an added bonus this year our Summer 2024 papers for GCSE and A level are also available for download as word versions in addition to the usual PDF files. They are available on the Science Emporium within the 'Exam papers folder' under 'Word Version'. These word versions will not feature on our qualification pages so are only available through the Science Emporium.

We hope you find the ​​Word versions helpful when it comes to editing and creating your own mocks and tests for your students.

• Visit the Science Emporium

You can get access to the free qualification support resources via the Science Emporium. To gain membership you will need an Edexcel Online (EOL) Account. Once you have this you can then register with the Emporium with your EOL email address. If you don't have an EOL account, your Exams Officer will be able to create one for you. 

• Login and register to the Science Emporium

NEW - Maths in Science papers

We have produced 'Mathematics in Science' practice papers as a new resource that you can use with your students to practice answering maths questions in a science context. Questions in these papers have been selected from Combined Science 2023 past exam papers and have acompanying mark schemes. We have produced a higher and foundation tier set - both available for download from the qualification page under 'Teaching and learning materials' in the 'Maths and practical support' section. Direct links to these are provided below. They are also available on the Science Emporium along with other qualification documents. 

NEW - Maths in Science skills worksheets

We will also be producing maths in science skills worksheets with our first one on 'Standard Form' already available to aid student learning. The worksheet can be download on the GCSE Science qualification page under 'Teaching and learning materials' in the 'Maths and practical support' section. They are also available on the Science Emporium. More Maths in Science worksheets will be released throughout the year in the same area of the website.

We hope you and your students find these resources helpful.

Mathematics in Science - Skills Worksheets - Standard Form 291.3 KB pdf /content/dam/secure/silver/all-uk-and-international/gcse/science/2016/teaching-and-learning-materials/maths-in-science-skills-sheets-standard-form.pdf false GCSE Mathematics in Science 2023 F QP 1022.0 KB pdf /content/dam/secure/silver/all-uk-and-international/gcse/science/2016/teaching-and-learning-materials/mqis-f-qp-lb.pdf false GCSE Mathematics in Science 2023 F MS 364.0 KB pdf /content/dam/secure/silver/all-uk-and-international/gcse/science/2016/teaching-and-learning-materials/mqis-f-ms-lb.pdf false GCSE Mathematics in Science 2023 H QP 865.2 KB pdf /content/dam/secure/silver/all-uk-and-international/gcse/science/2016/teaching-and-learning-materials/mqis-h-qp-lb.pdf false GCSE Mathematics in Science 2023 H MS 384.7 KB pdf /content/dam/secure/silver/all-uk-and-international/gcse/science/2016/teaching-and-learning-materials/mqis-h-ms-lb.pdf false

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• Visit the Science Emporium where you can also download the new maths support and other qualification documents

We have produced a collection of Biology, Chemistry and Physics one-mark starter questions that can be used, for example, as a lesson starter activity. These are available to download from the Science Emporium in the 'Classroom Resource' folders for GCSE Combined Science and GCSE separate sciences.

• Visit the Science Emporium

This academic year we will be releasing three practical support booklets for students. The first one will be released towards the end of September and will focus on safety. Others will follow on apparatus in October and practical terminology later in the year. The documents will contain guidance and information for students, in addition to past exam questions with mark schemes related to the content they are covering. They will also contain some questions for students to attempt. You can keep a look out for these new resources on the science qualification page.

• Visit the GCSE Science qualification page

25 September 2024 at 16:00 - 17:30 GMT

Join us for a free collaborative network event delivered by the Pearson Edexcel science team and our special guest, literacy-in-science expert and experienced teacher, Paula Bull.

In this after-school session we will be covering all the latest news from Pearson Edexcel and providing you with a reminder of our key support resources and events coming up for the autumn term.

Join expert teacher, Paula Bull, as she provides actionable strategies to help learners with literacy difficulties master the extensive vocabulary required for their science GCSEs.

Paula will share some great ideas and there will be an opportunity for you to ask her questions. We will link the ideas discussed to our science specifications, so you can apply the knowledge you gain to your own classrooms.

We’d love you to join us along with many other science teachers from around the country to kick start the new term!

Event Fee (GBP) Free | Pearson Event Code1SC0-24ON2/01 |

• Register here

01 October 2024 at 16:00 - 17:30 GMT

This training is for teachers of the Pearson Edexcel GCSE Combined Science Physics specification and will provide feedback and insights on the May/June 2024 exam series.

The session will focus on the performance of some of the key questions in the series and provide analysis to support.

The session will point out key statistical performance data that may help with your planning for the year ahead.

Delegates will:

• receive feedback on the performance of candidates in the May/June 2024 exam series
• consider the variation of candidates’ performance on different questions and explore why performance varies
• receive key points from the Examiner’s Report
• address common issues and FAQs. 

• Find out more and register your place

15 October 2024 at 16:00 - 17:30 GMT

This training is for teachers of the Pearson Edexcel GCSE Combined Science Chemistry specification and will provide feedback and insights on the May/June 2024 exam series.

The session will focus on the performance of some of the key questions in the series and provide analysis to support.

The session will point out key statistical performance data that may help with your planning for the year ahead. Delegates will:

• receive feedback on the performance of candidates in the May/June 2024 exam series
• consider the variation of candidates’ performance on different questions and explore why performance varies
• receive key points from the Examiner’s Report
• address common issues and FAQs. Please note the Examiner report/s will be available on the Pearson website on Results Day.

• Find out more and register your place

23 October 2024 at 16:00-17:30 GMT

This training is for teachers of the Pearson Edexcel GCSE Combined Science Physics specification and will provide feedback and insights on the May/June 2024 exam series.

The session will focus on the performance of some of the key questions in the series and provide analysis to support.

The session will point out key statistical performance data that may help with your planning for the year ahead. Delegates will:

• receive feedback on the performance of candidates in the May/June 2024 exam series
• consider the variation of candidates’ performance on different questions and explore why performance varies
• receive key points from the Examiner’s Report
• address common issues and FAQs. Please note the Examiner report/s will be available on the Pearson website on Results Day.

• Find out more and register your place

04 November 2024 at 16:00 - 17:30 GMT | Free | Event Code 1SC0-24O4/01

This training session repeats the content from last year's 'Running and Marking Mocks' event. This online event is designed for teachers who are delivering, or about to deliver, the Pearson Edexcel GCSE Science qualifications.

The session provides an opportunity to look at a mixture of exam questions from previous papers and to see student exemplars and how they should be credited using guidance from examiners and presented by one of Pearson Edexcel's credible specialists. Delegates will:

• discuss the different approaches to running, marking and moderating mock exams
• look at a variety of sample assessment questions and discuss marking
• discuss marked exemplars of exam responses

• Register here

We provide pre-recorded training for teachers who are delivering the Pearson Edexcel specification for the first time. Visit our training page to access the recording.

• Go to the training page

We'd like to gather your thoughts on any CPD we offer and requests for future training. We hope you will have a moment to fill in the survey and share with us the training support you would like from us going forward.

• Take the survey and share your feedback

As part of continuous improvement, we have reviewed the GCSE Science specifications and made some minor amendments. The majority of these amendments involve the addition of first names of scientists. Some of the other amendments have been highlighted below.

GCSE Chemistry

There is an amendment to the GCSE Chemistry specification which brings the content in line with the same point in GCSE Combined Science which is as follows:

'Replacement of spec point 1.43 on page 15 with…1.43 Calculate:

a) relative formula mass given relative atomic masses

b) percentage by mass of an element in a compound given relative atomic masses'

GCSE Physics

For GCSE Physics specification the following amendment has been made:

'Emboldened the spec point 10.25 to bring this in line with Combined Science specification on highlighting of higher tier content.'

Details of all changes are summarised at the very start of the updated specifications which can be downloaded from the qualification page. The most up-to-date versions of the specifications should be used going forward that can be downloaded from the qualification page and are also provided below for your convenience.

GCSE Combined Science 2.7 MB pdf /content/dam/pdf/GCSE/Science/2016/Specification/gcse-combinedscience-spec.pdf false GCSE Biology 1.2 MB pdf /content/dam/pdf/GCSE/Science/2016/Specification/gcse-biology-spec.pdf false GCSE Chemistry 2.5 MB pdf /content/dam/pdf/GCSE/Science/2016/Specification/gcse-chemistry-spec.pdf false GCSE Physics 1.2 MB pdf /content/dam/pdf/GCSE/Science/2016/Specification/gcse-physics-spec.pdf false

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This online event will cover the requirements of the Practical Endorsement for the Pearson Edexcel A Level science qualifications, building on the existing required training

We will look at ways to improve your understanding of the Common Practical Assessment Criteria (CPAC) in order to further develop your teaching skills.

You will look at:

• assessing students according to the CPAC guidance – we will use real examples to demonstrate how to assess students work and how to efficiently track progress 
• preparing for a monitoring visit and how to use our support resources to help you
• strategies to adapt/scaffold the teaching of necessary practical skills and techniques.

To encourage purposeful discussions and avoid repetition, we strongly recommend you watch the ‘Managing and Assessing the Practical Endorsement for A Level Sciences’ video prior to the event.

Date and time of this event: 26 September 2024 at 16:00 - 17:30 GMT

Event Fee (GBP) Free | Pearson Event Code 9SC0-24ON1/01

• Register here

This Autumn we will be providing a training event for teachers that will provide feedback and insights on the May/June 2024 exam series for Pearson Edexcel A Level Sciences.

The sessions will focus on the performance of some of the key questions in the series and provide analysis to support. It will also point out key statistical performance data that may help with your planning for the year ahead.

In summary delegates will:

• receive feedback on the performance of candidates in the May/June 2024 exam series
• consider the variation of candidates’ performance on different questions and explore why performance varies
• receive key points from the Examiner’s Report
• address common issues and FAQs.

Date and times of these events are as follows:

A level Biology A: 17 October 2024 at 16:00-17:00 BST

A level Biology B: 8 October 2024 at 16:00-17:00 BST

A level Chemistry: 30 September 2024 at 16:00-17:30 BST

A level Physics 21: October 2024 at 16:00-17:00 BST

• Register here for A level Biology A insights event
• Register here for A level Biology B insights event
• Register here for A level Chemistry insights event
• Register here for A level Physics insights event

You can look out for more events on our training page.

We provide pre-recorded training for teachers who are delivering the Pearson Edexcel specification for the first time. Visit our training page to access the recordings.

• Go to the training page

As part of continuous improvement we have made some minor changes to the AS and A level Chemistry specifications. Details of these changes are summarised at the very start of the updated specifications and are provided for you below too.

Summary of changes A level Chemistry (page 97) and AS Chemistry (page 47)

Adjusted font so that symbols for Aluminum, Chlorine and Thallium are more clear.

Removal of ‘Relation in electronegativity difference’ table

Please ensure you are using the most up-to-date version of the specifications (Issue 3) - links are provided below.

GCE A Level Chemistry 2.0 MB pdf /content/dam/pdf/A Level/Chemistry/2015/Specification and sample assessments/a-level-chemistry-2015-specification.pdf false GCE AS Chemistry 1.6 MB pdf /content/dam/pdf/A Level/Chemistry/2015/Specification and sample assessments/as-chemistry-2015-specification.pdf false

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The Pearson Edexcel International Advanced Level Biology Unit 5 (WBI15) pre-release scientific article for the Autumn 2024 series is now available on our website. A direct link to the article has also been provided below. 

The article should be given to students so they can study and annotate it in preparation for the Unit 5 examination paper. Students are not allowed to take their annotated copy into the examination room - there will be a fresh copy enclosed inside the Unit 5 written examination paper. In the unlikely event that this is missing, or if you do not have enough copies, you can download the article from the website. If you have any private/external candidates registered to sit this examination, please also provide them with a copy too.

Please note, you will require an Edexcel Online (EOL) account to securely download the article. Your Exams Officer will be able to create an EOL account for you if you don't already have one.

Scientific Article - Unit 5 (WBI15) - October 2024 641.1 KB pdf /content/dam/secure/silver/all-uk-and-international/international-advanced-level/biology/2018/teaching-and-learning-materials/w78389a-ial-biology-wbi15.pdf false

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Equation sheets will be available for November 2024 exams as they were in Summer 2024 exam series as mentioned on the qualification page.

• Go to the International GCSE Physics (2017) qualification page
• Go to the International GCSE Science Double Award (2017) qualification page

You can view upcoming training opportunities and look out for new training on our Professional Development Academy page.

• Go to the Professional Development Academy page to book and view training events

A list of events available in the near future are provided below. 

Pearson Edexcel International Advanced Level Physics: Welcome to Pearson (Module 2) 05 September 2024 at 09:00-11:00 BST

Pearson Edexcel International GCSE Biology: Welcome to Pearson (Module 1) 10 September 2024 at 09:00-11:00 BST

Pearson Edexcel International GCSE Biology: Welcome to Pearson (Module 2) 16 September 2024 at 09:00-11:00 BST

Pearson Edexcel International Advanced Level Biology: Welcome to Pearson (Module 1) 23 September 2024 at 09:00-11:00 BST

Pearson Edexcel International GCSE Chemistry: Welcome to Pearson (Module 2) 24 September 2024 at 09:00-11:00 BST

Pearson Edexcel International Advanced Level Biology: Welcome to Pearson (Module 2) 25 September 2024 at 09:00-11:00 BST

Pearson Edexcel International Advanced Level Chemistry: Welcome to Pearson (Module 2) 26 September 2024 at 09:00-11:00 BST

Understanding Assessment and Improving Outcomes in Pearson Edexcel International GCSE Chemistry (Module 1) 30 September 2024 at 13:00-15:00 BST

Modular Intenational GCSE Science qualifications are for first teaching from September 2024 with first assessment May/June 2025. Information on modular International GCSEs and specifications can be obtained from our website - see links provided below.

The present linear specifications are not being removed and will continue to be available. There will simply be a choice between the existing specifications following the linear assessment route, or the new specifications that will follow a modular assessment route. Please note, the modular assessment route will not be available for students based in the UK.

• Go to the modular International GCSE webpage
• International GCSE Biology (Modular)
• International GCSEs Chemistry (Modular)
• International GCSE Physics (Modular)
• International GCSE Science (Double Award) (Modular)

Pearson Edexcel View from the Lab Podcasts aim to inform, engage and entertain with the help of thought leaders, science journalists and education specialists, joining us for each episode.

The most recent episode is titled 'Microchemistry in the school lab with Bob Worley' - practical science champion from CLEAPSS. He's a true superstar in the world of school chemistry practicals and is at the vanguard of the microchemistry approach and inspires technicians and teachers in school laboratories in the UK and across the world with his approach.

Bob taught Chemistry for many years before joining the school safety organization CLEAPSS. At CLEAPSS he has worked on debunking many myths about practicals including which are safe or unsafe to carry out with or by students. The episode covers his career and his microchemistry escapades that have inspired so many across the world.

Listen to this episode and catch-up on any that you have missed using the link provided below.

• Listen to 'View from the Lab Podcasts'

On our general qualifications assessment support page you can find news, information and updates from Ofqual, the DfE, JCQ and Pearson relating to exams and assessments for our GCSE, AS and A level qualifications.

It will be updated regularly with the latest announcements, news, support materials to enable you to teach our qualifications and help your students with assessments and post-results support.

• Go to the assessment support page

We have a Teaching, Learning and Assessment 2024/25 web page which will contain the most up-to-date information and key dates on vocational assessment for this academic year. 

• Visit our Teaching, Learning and Assessment 2024/25 webpage

We send out regular Vocational Qualification Bulletins to keep centres informed of our support and services. You can sign-up for these and also read previous bulletins on our website.

Sign-up to receive regular vocational qualification bulletins 

Read previous vocational qualification bulletins on our website

View the latest BTEC Science update on the science news page and keep an eye out for new updates coming soon.

• Science news page

You can sign-up to recieve email alerts to my updates via our web form - see link provided below.

• Sign-up to email alerts via the Pearson web form

Pearson general qualifications bulletins are sent regularly providing you with key information and updates on our qualifications and assessments for both UK and International centres. You can sign-up to receive these from the link below.

• Read and sign-up to Pearson Qualification bulletins