What is the difference between core science and additional science?

Answer 1

The specific difference depends upon the exam board.

Before the last set of educational reforms double balanced science was a 2 year course comprising of coursework, 6 multiple choice exams (usually sat in year 10) and 3 long answer exams (usually sat in year 11). The end results were 2 identical grades representing the whole course.

Significant education reform changed this system and created core science. Core is primarily made up of a back bone of the old year 10 course but with significant deletions and some diluted content from the old year 11 course. Core science is the basic legal requirement for all students to study. The content within core is also found in Applied science and the BTEC course.

How the exams and coursework elements are assessed for Core science radically differ for each exam board and even within exam boards (as different versions of the Core course are offered).

Additional science was formed from the backbone of the old year 11 course but lost some elements to core and gained some both from the old year 10 course and the old A-Level courses although in significantly diluted forms again.

Both courses are discrete qualifications with their own grades.

Core is still primarily studied in year 10 and Additional in year 11 but this is changing and many schools have now opted to start Core in year 9 and Additional in year 10. This allows for more resit opportunities but also makes it possible to have significantly more pupils ditching the Core and Additional structure and, instead, studying Triple science where discrete qualifications are gained in Biology, Chemistry and Physics. This may sound like a significant change but in reality it is just the same courses but together with a few more modules added on the end.

The advantages of doing Triple science over three years are: resit opportunities, it doesn't take an option block away and pupils have more time to develop.