Assessment overview
There are six teaching topics for each of the sciences, plus one general chapter in ideas about science, and one practical skills chapter:
Biology
- B1: You and your genes
- B2: Keeping healthy
- B3: Living together - food and ecosystems
- B4: Using food and controlling growth
- B5: The human body - staying alive
- B6: Life on Earth - past, present, and future
Chemistry
- C1: Air and water
- C2: Chemical patterns
- C3: Chemicals of the natural environment
- C4: Material choices
- C5: Chemical analysis
- C6: Making useful chemicals
Physics
- P1: Radiation and waves
- P2: Sustainable energy
- P3: Electric circuits
- P4: Explaining motion
- P5: Radioactive materials
- P6: Matter - models and explanations
General topics
- BCP7: Ideas about science
- BCP8: Practical skills
Foundation tier (grades 5–5 to 1–1)
| Paper | Marks | Duration | Weighting | insert text |
Biology (01) | 95 | 1 hour 45 mins | 26.4% | Assesses content from topics B1-B6, BCP7 and BCP 8 |
Chemistry (02) | 95 | 1 hour 45 mins | 26.4% | Assesses content from topics C1-C6, BCP7 and BCP 8 |
Physics (03) | 95 | 1 hour 45 mins | 26.4% | Assesses content from topics P1-P6, BCP7 and BCP 8 |
Combined Science (04) | 75 | 1 hour 45 mins | 20.08% | Assesses all content |
Higher tier (grades 9–9 to 4–4)
Biology (05) | 95 | 1 hour 45 mins | 26.4% | Assesses content from chapters B1-B6, BCP7 and BCP8 |
Chemistry (06) | 95 | 1 hour 45 mins | 26.4% | Assesses content from chapters C1-C6, BCP7 and BCP8 |
Physics (07) | 95 | 1 hour 45 mins | 26.4% | Assesses content from chapters P1-P6, BCP7 and BCP8 |
Combined Science (08) | 75 | 1 hour 45 mins | 20.0% | Assesses all content |
Students must complete either foundation tier (components 01, 02, 03 and 04) of higher tier (components 05, 06, 07, 08) to be awarded the OCR GCSE (9-1) in Combined Science B (Twenty First Century Science).
Content overview
There are 20 teaching chapters in total, six for each of physics, chemistry and biology, plus ideas about science and a practical skills activity.
In all three sciences, students develop their understanding of how scientific principles and concepts help describe complex and diverse natural phenomena in terms of a small number of key ideas. They also develop relevant practical skills.
Biology
The six teaching chapters are further subdivided:
- B1: You and your genes
- What is a genome and what does it do?
- How is genetic information inherited?
- How can and should gene technology be used?
- B2: Keeping healthy
- What are the causes of disease?
- How do organisms protect themselves from pathogens?
- How can we prevent the spread of infection?
- How can lifestyle, genes and the environment affect my health?
- How can we treat disease?
- B3: Living together - food and ecosystems
- What happens during photosynthesis?
- How do producers get the substances they need?
- How are organisms in an ecosystem interdependent?
- How are populations affected by conditions in a ecosystem?
- B4: Using food and controlling growth
- What happens during cellular respiration?
- How do we know about mitochondria and other cell structures?
- How do organisms grow and develop?
- Should we use stem cells to treat damage and disease?
- B5: The human body - staying alive
- How do substances get into, out of and around our bodies?
- How does the nervous system help us to respond to changes?
- How do hormones control responses in the human body?
- Why do we need to maintain a constant internal environment?
- What role do hormones play in human reproduction?
- What can happen when organs and control systems stop working?
- B6: Life on Earth - past, present, future
- How was the theory of evolution developed?
- How does our understanding of biology help us classify the diversity of organisms on Earth
- How is biodiversity threatened and how can we protect it?
Chemistry
The six teaching chapters are further subdivided:
- C1: Air and water
- How has the earth’s atmosphere changed over time, and why?
- Why are there temperatures changes in chemical reactions?
- What is the evidence for climate change, why is it occurring?
- How can scientists help improve the supply of potable water?
- C2: Chemical patterns
- How have our ideas about atoms developed over time?
- What does the periodic table tell us about the elements?
- How do metals and non-metals combine to form compounds?
- How are equations used to represent chemical reactions?
- C3: Chemicals of the natural environment
- How are the atoms held together in a metal?
- How are metals with different reactivities extracted?
- What are electrolytes and what happens during electrolysis?
- Why is crude oil important as a source of new materials?
- C4: Material choices
- How is data used to choose a material for a particular use?
- How do bonding and structure affect properties of materials?
- Why are nanoparticles so useful?
- What happens to products at the end of their useful life?
- C5: Chemical analysis
- How are chemicals separated and tested for purity?
- How are the amounts of substances in reactions calculated?
- How are the amounts of chemicals in solution measured?
- C6: Making useful chemicals
- What useful products can be made from acids?
- How do chemists control the rate of reactions?
- What factors affect the yield of chemical reactions?
Physics
The six chapters are further subdivided:
- P1: Radiation and waves
- What are the risks and benefits of using radiations?
- What is climate change and what is the evidence for it?
- How do waves behave?
- P2: Sustainable energy
- How much energy do we use?
- How can electricity be generated?
- P3: Electric circuits
- What is electric charge?
- What determines the current in an electric circuit?
- How do series and parallel circuits work?
- What determines the rate of energy transfer in a circuit?
- What are magnetic fields?
- How do electric motors work?
- P4: Explaining motion
- What are forces?
- How can we describe motion?
- What is the connection between forces and motion?
- How can we describe motion in terms of energy transfers?
- P5: Radioactive materials
- What is radioactivity?
- How can radioactive materials be used safely?
- P6: Matter - models and explanations
- How does energy transform matter?
- How does the particle model explain the effects of heating?
- How does the particle model relate to material under stress?
General Topics
- BCP7: Ideas about science
- What needs to be considered when investigating a phenomenon scientifically?
- What conclusions can we make from data?
- How are scientific explanations developed?
- How do science and technology impact society?
- BCP8: Practical skills
- A practical-based topic which provides students with the skills required for the 15% practical content in the examinations
- Students complete at least 16 practical activities, five in biology, five in chemistry and six in physics, and have the opportunity to use all the apparatus and techniques listed in the specification
- This will include awareness of safety procedures and the use of appropriate scientific diagrams to record apparatus and procedures. Practical skills are embedded within all the teaching chapters.