Standards in Public Examinations 1975 to 1995
This report, jointly published by the School Curriculum and Assessment Authority (SCAA) and Ofsted under the chairmanship of Ron Dearing, presents the findings of an investigation into whether standards in GCSE and A level examinations were maintained in the period up to 1995. The improving examination grades during this period had…
Nuffield Secondary Science: An Evaluation
The Schools Council initiated this evaluation of Nuffield Secondary Science at the point when school trials of the materials were largely complete. As a result the evaluation focussed on the early adoption of the project by schools. Three aspects, which were thought to be characteristic of the project were chosen for study. They…
Science for the Young School Leaver
Science for the Young School Leaver was one of a series of informal publications by the Schools Council. Schools Council Working Paper Number 1 started a series to make widely available information about curriculum development projects while still in their formative stages. Working Paper No. 1 was produced for the Nuffield Foundation…
Case Studies on Education-Industry Partnerships
From CIEC Promoting Science, this information booklet is useful for those wishing to develop successful partnerships between schools and local science-based industries. It is a collection of papers that describe how different groups have encountered and handled major issues and problems while developing their education-industry programmes.…
International Comparisons in Senior Secondary Assessment (Progress Report) 2011
Produced in 2011, this report describes the context and parameters of Ofqual’s research into the assessments taken by learners at senior secondary level in a number of key comparator jurisdictions and outlines the progress made up to February 2011. The purpose of this research is to make comparative judgements concerning…
Standards Over Time in the Sciences - GCSE and A levels 1995 - 2007
This resource is a compilation of reports by the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority (QCA) and Ofqual reviewing standards over time in science subjects at GCSE and A levels. Context Annually the publication of GCSE and A level examination results prompts public interest in the standards of those examinations. In 1996, Lord…
Improving Learning at A Level Chemistry
Produced by the Learning Skills Improvement Service (LSIS), this case study tackles the themes of curriculum development and progression through STEM. Written by New College Durham, it details the strategies that were implemented over a two year period to improve student engagement and achievement at A level chemistry. The course…
Supporting Transition in Chemistry
Produced by the Learning Skills Improvement Service, these materials help to demonstrate effective practice. By Paston College, this case study looks at the theme of progression through STEM. Students find the transition from GCSE to AS level chemistry difficult. This is not helped by their different experiences at GCSE and the…
APU Science Report for Teachers 10: Metals at Age 15
This APU report for teachers focuses on the performance of students aged 15 in a range of test questions concerning metals. This subject was chosen since metals are the commonest examples of elements which students meet in their everyday lives. Questions reported were drawn from the pool used in APU surveys, supplemented by others…
Safety in the Lab
A Catalyst article about practical chemistry experiments and the risks involved. The article helps in identifying, assessing and controlling the risks involved, it also includes a guide to the warning signs, labels and symbols used in laboratories. This article is from Catalyst: GCSE Science Review 2004, Volume 15, Issue 1. Catalyst…
Chemistry in a Blast Furnace
A Catalyst article about chemical reactions that occur in a blast furnace during the steelmaking process. This short article features a diagram of a blast furnace showing the active ingredients used to produce iron from ore. This article is from Catalyst: GCSE Science Review 2006, Volume 16, Issue 3. Catalyst is a science magazine…
Gertrude B. Elion
A Catalyst article about the life and work of Gertrude B. Elion a pioneer in anti-viral drugs. The ground breaking research methodology she used and her work in creating and investigating purine compounds lead to the development of drugs which are used in the treatment of leukaemia. This article is from Catalyst: GCSE Science…
Forensic Science - Careers
A Catalyst article about careers in forensic science covering the work of the reporting officer. The article explains what it takes to become a forensic scientist and what qualities are required to join this profession. This article is from Catalyst: GCSE Science Review 2005, Volume 16, Issue 1. Catalyst is a science magazine…
Fats, Oils and Soaps
A Catalyst article investigating a few of the uses of naturally occurring oils. These oils are extracted from animal fats or plant seeds and can be turned into a variety of compounds including soaps, fuel and margarine. The article looks at oils as fuels, their use in paint and detergents and problems with their use. This article…
Alchemy
A Catalyst article about alchemy, the study of eternal life, salvation, and the answer to the ultimate questions about life, the universe and everything. It flourished for more than 1500 years until, in the late 1600s, the beginnings of modern, scientific chemistry edged it aside. The article looks at what was alchemy and who the…
Cool Chemistry
A Catalyst article about the work of a scientist from the British Antarctic Survey, gathering data about climate change by studying ice cores from Antarctica. One of the areas of research was to find out whether it is possible to learn how much sea ice there was around Antarctica in the past by measuring how much sea salt is in ice…
Catalysts
A Catalyst article about how catalysts affect the rate of reactions and why catalysts are important in nature and in industry. This article is from Catalyst: Secondary Science Review 2008, Volume 18, Issue 3. Catalyst is a science magazine for students aged 14-19 years. Annual subscriptions to print copies of the magazine can…
What Is Chemistry?
A Catalyst article about the many roles of chemists at work. The links with biology, physics and geology are examined as are many other subjects. The article looks at some of the areas in which chemists work and it explores what makes it distinctive from other sciences. This article is from Catalyst: Secondary Science Review 2009,…
Natural Born Healers
A Catalyst article providing examples of some drugs derived from natural substances. Many drugs which are commonly used today are similar to naturally occurring compounds which have been used for centuries to treat illnesses. Chemists have identified and purified these substances. By determining their molecular structures they can…
Careers in the Pharmaceutical Industry
This Catalyst article describes the work of five young people who work in the pharmaceutical industry. The industry employs more than 70 000 people in the UK in a variety of roles including drug development and scientific research, manufacturing and making the medicines, IT, statistics, testing the drugs and clinical trials, human…
Process Chemistry
A Catalyst article describing how process chemists work in the pharmaceutical industry, devising methods of making new drugs. Process chemists are a link in the chain from an initial idea to a new drug making it to the market. It generally takes at least 10 years from an idea by a medicinal chemist to a new treatment for patients…
When the Drugs Don't Work
This Catalyst article explains why there are many anti-bacterial drugs but few antivirals. There are millions of bacteria everywhere – on skin, in the gut, and on food. Bacteria have been troubling human beings for as long as they have been around, so a lot of effort has been directed into finding ways to fight back at them. This…
Dorothy Hodgkin - a Life in Science
A Catalyst article about Dorothy Hodgkin who was a pioneering scientist, a peace activist, a mother of three and a Nobel Prize winner. The article looks at her life and work in science. She did valuable work as an X-ray crystallographer and in finding the structure of biologically important molecules such as antibiotic penicillin…
Chemistry in a Cage
This Catalyst article explains how zeolites, sponge-like materials developed from naturally occurring minerals, are used as chemical sieves and as catalysts. Zeolites have incredibly widespread applications. They are used in consumer products such as washing powder and cat litter while many of the petrochemicals used to make plastics…
The Chemistry of the Noble Gases
This Catalyst article looks at the noble gases (Group 0 or 8 in the periodic table) which are almost inert. This article shows how they were discovered through the use of fractional distillation and looks at their chemical and physical properties. This article is from Catalyst: GCSE Science Review 2011, Volume 21, Issue 3. Catalyst…
Down on the Farm, 10 000 Years Ago
This Catalyst article looks at how people lived in the past, archaeologists look at the items (artefacts) these cultures left behind. Using chemical analysis of residues in the artefacts an enormous amount of additional information can be gleaned. This article investigates early dairy farming. Analysis of tiny residues of fats found…
The Development of Students’ Understanding of Physical Characteristics of Air, Across the Age Range 5-16 Years
This report was intended to provide a longer term perspective on changes taking place in students’ understanding over the compulsory school years. The topic of air was chosen on the basis both of its importance throughout school science and its accessibility to students across the entire school age range. Contents of the report Section…
Aspects of Secondary Students’ Understanding of Chemistry
The report from the Children’s Learning in Science Project (CLIS) gives an account of a number of aspects of students’ understanding of chemistry including: • What meanings do students attribute to the terms ‘element’, ‘mixture’ and ‘compound’? • What meanings do students…
Aspects of Secondary Students’ Understanding of the Particulate Nature of Matter
The report from the Children’s Learning in Science Project (CLIS) gives an account of a number of aspects of students’ ideas about particles including: • What do students understand about the particulate nature of matter? • Do they understand the scientific model for solids, liquids and gases? • Can…
Stretching Able Students
From Cornwall College St Austell, this LSIS report describes the partnership with a local school to enhance students' experience in GCSE and AS level chemistry.
5/5- Publication year: 2010 to date
- Research
Peer Mentoring and Study Skills Development in Science
Published by LSIS, this report describes action research carried out by Greenhead College. The research project was to develop a peer mentoring scheme in chemistry to help students who struggle with the difference in demands that AS courses make compared to GCSE. In turn, it is hoped that this will lead to improved success rates…
Collaborative Approaches to Improving Progression from GCSE to AS in Science
Published by LSIS, this report describes an action research project undertaken by Longley Park Sixth Form College. The research undertook a comparison of the different GCSE science specifications and an analysis of the January results for an AS chemistry unit to investigate the impact of GCSE qualifications on exam achievement. There…
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