AS/A Level GCE (for first teaching in 2008) Geology - H087 H487

FAQs

Please find below the most frequently asked questions for this qualification. If you have a question that is not answered here or elsewhere on the website please contact the OCR Customer Contact Centre.

Your regional Customer Support Manager is on hand to provide continued support, advice and guidance on what is happening with A Levels from an OCR prospective. This can include, an overview of our assessment approach or signposting to support and training to help you progress with our new A levels. To arrange a support call or visit, please email 14-19alevels@ocr.org.uk.

A. Yes, there will be less coursework.

Tasks will be set by OCR and marked by teachers using mark schemes provided by OCR.

A. Very much so. We would expect that schools will make fieldwork an integral part of their GCE Geology course.

Generic mark schemes will be published and centres can then prepare work to make best use of the sites available to them.

Plans for coursework will have to be submitted to OCR for approval at least six weeks before the proposed visit.

A. No. It is perfectly possible to carry out sufficient practical activities at the centre.

A. There will be less learning of minerals. A data table will be supplied with question papers.

A. There will be less rote-learning of fossil morphology. The emphasis is on inferring lifestyles and palaeoenvironments.

A. Yes.

A.

  • Overview of planetary geology.
  • Palaeoclimates and climate change over geological time.
  • An emphasis on evidence-based learning.

A. Yes. In response to centre demand, OCR will be publishing past papers for live specifications on the OCR website. These will be free of charge. Question papers from the June 2008 series will be available to download from OCR Interchange only. Further details are available from OCR Interchange.

A. We are delighted to announce thst Heinemann is publishing a text book to support the specification , edited by the Chief Examiner.

A. Schemes of work and lesson plans can be downloaded from the OCR website. The materials are available in fixed PDF format, for reference purposes, and also in Word format, so that teachers can adapt the materials for their own use.