Your complete guide to the core science GCSEs – what’s on the curriculum, and what are ‘double awards’?

• Science is a compulsory GCSE subject, but that actually covers three very different subjects
• Exam boards typically offer ways for students to do two or all three in a combined course
• These courses are usually worth two or three GCSE qualifications
• For real science lovers, sometimes schools offer additional science subjects too

A solid understanding of the natural world and how it works will serve you well in life, which may be why science is a core part of young people’s schooling in England.

Secondary school pupils usually take a whole host of GCSEs, many of which they will be able to choose themselves. But there are a few required subjects young people in England and Wales have to study, including maths, English language (and sometimes English literature too), and at least one science subject.

When it comes to science, what exactly students will learn about will depend on the GCSE (or combination of GCSEs) they take. It can also vary a bit by exam board – AQA, OCR, Pearson Edexcel or WJEC Eduqas for most pupils in England. On top of that, the government is currently conducting a full review of the National Curriculum, so what young people learn in school, and how that knowledge is assessed, may soon change.

Here’s a breakdown of the GCSEs secondary school pupils are able to take to meet their science requirement, as well as the key areas they will study in each – based on the government’s official subject guidelines for exam boards:

The three core science subjects that count towards fulfilling your science requirement are biology, chemistry, and physics. Sometimes you can study just one of them individually, but – depending on how your school is set up – exam boards also offer combined science GCSEs.

These may have different names depending on the exam board your school uses. AQA offers what it calls its ‘synergy’ and ‘trilogy’ combined science courses, while others call them things like double or triple awards. Both typically cover all three main subjects, but the double award is often considered more of a broad overview, while the triple award is more like taking the three science subjects separately.

A double combined science paper is typically worth two GCSE qualifications, while a triple is worth three.

Biology is the study of life and its processes, as well as living organisms – from plants and animals, to fungi, to microorganisms like bacteria. According to the government’s specifications, GCSE biology should cover a number of key topics. If you study biology as part of a combined science GCSE, in general, you’ll cover these same areas.

One of these is the learning about the cells that make up all living things. This includes the different parts that make them up, as well as how they grow, replicate and develop. Pupils will also study transport systems, such as processes like diffusion or osmosis, that allow important substances (think water, oxygen, and mineral ions) to move in and out of cells, plants, humans and other animals.

Speaking of humans, they will also learn about health and diseases, both those spread by viruses, bacteria and fungi, and non-communicable ones like cancer. The course will teach how infectious diseases are spread, how the human immune system works, and how different medications and vaccines work to treat or prevent them. The human nervous system will also be covered, as part of the ‘coordination and control’ module. This will include the role of different hormones in bodily processes, such as insulin and reproductive hormones.

Biology students will also cover photosynthesis – the process plants and other organisms use to convert sunlight into useable energy – and how different factors can affect it. They will learn how ecosystems as a whole function, and how different organisms can depend on or compete with one another. They’ll also learn how to measure biodiversity, as well as the impact microorganisms and humans can have on ecosystems.

Finally, classes will cover evolution, DNA and genomes. How different traits are inherited, the genetic variation between different members of the same species, where this comes from, and how genes can interact with the environment – with beneficial ones becoming more prevalent in a population over time.

As part of the chemistry GCSE, pupils will learn the different components that make up atoms, and why the periodic table is structured the way it is – as well as essential information about the different elements themselves. The course will cover how atoms can bond together to form molecules and compounds, and using carbon as an example, how these bonds can be structured in different ways – forming different compounds like diamond, or graphite.

They will also learn about chemical changes and analysis, starting with writing simple chemical formulae and equations. After this module, students should be able to calculate what will be produced from simple chemical reactions, describe factors that can influence the rate of reaction (like catalysts), and understand pH for measuring how acidic or alkaline a substance is. They should also understand how and why metals react with water or acids, how reduction and oxidisation reactions work, and ways of assessing purity and separating mixtures – like filtration and distillation. Energy changes are also covered as part of the chemistry curriculum, including endothermic and exothermic reactions (and their relationship to temperature changes).

There is also some teaching around different chemical-based industries and the processes used in them, like recycling, distilling crude oil, and extracting and purifying metals. Earth and atmospheric sciences are also touched on, including how the atmosphere is made up, how greenhouse gases work, and where gases that pollute the atmosphere come from.

In the physics GCSE course, pupils learn all about energy, how it is stored and how it changes or is transferred within a system in common situations; like when a vehicle slows down, or an electric kettle boils water. They’ll learn how to calculate and improve energy efficiency, as well as what the main sources of energy are on Earth and how we use them – from fossil fuels, to the tide, to the sun.

The course will also cover different forces and how they act on objects together and alone. This will include motion and how to do the different calculations involved in it, such as speed as distance over time and rates of acceleration, as well s how to show these on a graph.

After this, it gets a little more complex, as pupils start exploring waves – in matter, and light and electromagnetic waves (think microwaves, radio and X rays). Electricity, from currents and resistance to circuits, will be touched on, as will magnetism and magnetic forces.

Finally, matter will be looked at here too, but in terms of physical rather than chemical changes. This includes melting, freezing, evaporating and condensing, and how a substance keeps the same properties if the process is reversed.

While biology, chemistry, physics and various combinations of the three are typically considered the ‘core’ science subjects which pupils must study to GCSE level, exam boards also offer an array of other science-related qualifications, which may also be offered at your school. One, computer science, is considered a ‘foundation’ subject at Key Stage 4, so students may have to study this as well.

Other science courses offered by various exam boards include psychology, astronomy, food science and nutrition, and electronics. These may be useful for pupils to study too, depending on their plans and aspirations after secondary school.

What do you think about the topics currently covered in the core science GCSEs. Are they the same as you went to school, and do they need to change? Have your say and make your voice heard by leaving a comment below.