GCSE  INFORMATION  


GCSE

GCSE stands for General Certificate of Secondary Education. It is designed as a two-year course of study for pupils in Years 10 and 11. At Key Stage 4, GCSE is the main means of assessing attainment. Dubai College pupils sit the examinations in May and June of Year 11.

 Assessment

Pass grades are awarded on an A*-G scale. There is an ungraded category, which is a fail. In addition, there is a starred A (A*) awarded to pupils who have performed outstandingly well at this level. Examiners decide the grade boundaries for the awards of A, C and F. The remaining grades are then awarded on an arithmetical basis. There is no limit to the number of starred A grades awarded. Results are published by the examination boards normally on the fourth Thursday in August. 



In most subjects the final grade is arrived at by a combination of assessing coursework and by terminal examination. The proportion of marks awarded for each of these components varies from subject to subject. Coursework is work that is set and marked by the teacher and such assignments must be completed within the published time limits. To ensure that standards do not vary, external moderators check and, if necessary, adjust coursework marks.

For the terminal examinations alternative papers exist and teachers are responsible for ensuring that pupils are entered for papers which set appropriate targets for their respective abilities. This process is known as ‘tiering’. More specific information is given on the respective subject description pages.




GCSE and the National Curriculum

The Education Reform Act of 1988 requires all schools in the maintained sector of England and Wales to provide a broad and balanced curriculum for students of compulsory school age. This is known as the National Curriculum. At Dubai College the range and choice of GCSE subjects satisfies National Curriculum requirements. In Years 10 and 11 all pupils take:
English Language and Literature
Mathematics
Science - either as-
A Double Award examination (equal to two GCSE’s) that covers Biology, Chemistry and Physics

-or-

Separate examinations in the three Science subjects; Biology, Chemistry and Physics

 
In addition to these 5 or 6 courses pupils are able to choose at least one subject from groups of subjects as follows:
Creative Arts:
Art and Design
Design Technology
Drama
Music
Physical Education 		Languages:
Arabic
French
German 		Social Studies:
Business Studies
Economics
History
Geography
Information Communication Technology is also available as a subject choice.


By stipulating courses of study from these areas, not only are National Curriculum requirements met, but importantly, the pupil has the flexibility of choosing any necessary prerequisite for her/his future career. The majority of pupils will take 9 GCSE’s and will therefore have time allocated to Directed Study. These sessions are supervised by a teacher and allow the pupils to work independently on G.C.S.E coursework, projects and assignments. Any pupil considering taking 10 GCSE’s should realise that by so doing he/she will not be able to have Directed Study time.


 Examining Groups

Teachers at Dubai College look carefully at the full range of courses of study set by the examining groups and choose syllabi which seem to be the most interesting and useful. Currently papers used are set by:

EDEXCEL - The Edexcel Foundation
AQA - Assessment and Qualifications Alliance
WJEC - The Welsh Joint Education Committee
The Joint Council for the GCSE is responsible for coordinating the work of the individual groups and helps to establish nationally consistent practices. In addition the QCA (Qualifications and Curriculum Authority) works closely with the Joint Council and the individual examining groups to maintain GCSE standards and to improve the effectiveness and fairness of the system.


 Spelling, Punctuation And Grammar

For each GCSE subject, 5% of the marks for each written paper are allocated to spelling, punctuation and grammar according to the following performance criteria:

Threshold performance: candidates spell, punctuate and use the rules of grammar with reasonable accuracy; they use a limited range of specialist terms appropriately.

Intermediate performance: candidates spell, punctuate and use the rules of grammar with considerable accuracy; they use a wide range of specialist terms with facility.

High performance: candidates spell, punctuate and use the rules of grammar with almost faultless accuracy, using a range of grammatical constructions; they also use a wide range of specialist terms adeptly and with precision.

Marks are allocated for spelling in GCSE written coursework on the same basis as for GCSE terminal examinations. There are special arrangements to exempt dyslexic pupils from this requirement.

 Bilingual Pupils

Pupils who are fluent in a language other than English may, if the subject is offered by the examinations board, prepare for the examination in their own time and then sit the papers as an additional GCSE subject. Further information may be obtained from the examinations officer, Mr. M. Gulliford.



At the moment the examination boards are still reviewing and making minor modifications to the GCSE specifications. We have, therefore, published on this site the current specifications for your guidance and will, should there be any significant alteration to this information, publicise the changes immediately.