Pearson Edexcel GCSE Sciences 9-1 (2016) Isca Academy Exeter
Isca Academy Exeter
Entry Level Certificates (ELCs) - a stepping stone to GCSE Success
| Name | Isca Academy |
| Type | Academy School |
| Location | Exeter, Devon |
| Cohort | GCSE Science Cohort size: 125 in the 2018 year group, 12 took ELC |
Background
At Isca Academy, students follow combined science and separate science courses. Rachael Brown, Head of Science, switched to Pearson Edexcel for GCSE Sciences when the specifications changed and she also endorses the effectiveness of Entry Level Certificates (ELCs) which she used to help her lower prior attaining students to achieve GCSE Science grades in June 2018.
Rachael Brown, Head of Science, outlines how some of her lower prior attaining students were co-entered for ELC Science and Combined Science Foundation Tier in 2018.
The outcomes
12 of our students were entered for ELC Science and Combined Science GCSE. All 12 students achieved both the ELC and the GCSE with 2 students achieving better than expected progress.
The advantages for students studying ELCs
By following the ELC route, our lower prior attaining students were able to cover content at a more accessible level and they felt successful because they could answer questions well in the ELC assessments.
We found it helped our students to get used to working in exam conditions and they got used to their exam access arrangements (reader/scribe in many cases). Overall, they saw exams as less threatening and anxiety was reduced.
Recommendations to other schools
Rachael says the ‘style’ of the Entry Level Certificate enables you to teach in a highly differentiated way so ‘although we aren’t doing it this way currently as this year’s cohort is slightly different, we would definitely consider using ELCs again’.