Sixth Form Course Booklet 2013 - Bromsgrove School

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THE SIXTH FORM CURRICULUM This booklet is designed to assist in the choice of IB Diploma, A level and BTEC courses in the Sixth Form. When deciding to join the Sixth Form you are doing more than choosing a school in which to study for the next two years. You should expect to prepare yourself for, and gain the required entry qualifications for, a good University. You should also seek to gain a wide range of additional achievements, experiences and interests, and develop the personality and enquiring mind that will take you further. THE BROMSGROVE OFFER Bromsgrove aims for pupils to make the very most of their abilities and opportunities in the Sixth Form to develop their skills, talents and interests. Nobody should fall through the net, or look back at wasted opportunities or time. Whilst pupils work hard, they should enjoy their studies and leave with no regrets. It is expected that pupils in the Sixth Form will be both motivated and ambitious, and willing to stretch themselves academically. In recent years, good IB grades or A level qualifications in three subjects have become only a minimum entry requirement for top universities, and at Bromsgrove pupils’ academic programmes seek to ensure that they have gone beyond this minimum. The school organises the curriculum so that pupils may achieve this either by studying areas in particular depth, or through a breadth of study. The school does not operate a rigid timetable column system and will always try to ensure that a pupil's preferred subject combination is available. A large range of subjects and qualifications is on offer and, having chosen the IB or A level route, pupils can mix and match with great flexibility. For example, pupils may choose to study familiar subjects within the IB Diploma or try new ones such as Environmental Systems and Societies or Italian, whilst A level subjects can be studied together with a BTEC course. THE IB DIPLOMA OR A LEVELS? What is the difference between the A level approach and that of the International Baccalaureate Diploma? The school has always prided itself on the flexibility of a timetable which allows almost any combination of subject to be studied at A level. Historically the vast majority of our pupils gained an A grade in their A level studies. However, we are aware that there has been some criticism that grade inflation may have slightly devalued the worth of A levels as a qualification, whilst the introduction of the new A* grade has meant that universities are unclear about what their future entry requirements will be. The desire to maintain a sense of stability in an ever changing world is one reason why an increasing number of British schools are offering the IB Diploma at least as an alternative offer in the Sixth Form – the IB has remained a tried and tested system whilst the A level benchmark has been adjusted both down and up recently. However, the IB Diploma offers not merely extra choice in terms of syllabuses or assessment methods but an alternative philosophy as to how one should approach one’s time in the Sixth Form. The core of a Sixth Former’s A level programme is composed of his or her specific subjects and extra-curricular activities – from these discrete building blocks a course is followed. At the core of an IB Diploma student’s programme is a consideration of his or her abilities and aims as a pupil, and all specific subjects studied and activities undertaken help to inform the student’s view of hisor herself. In short the IB’s approach is a holistic one, requiring students to study a broad range of subjects (and extracurricular activities), to consider the philosophical links between what they are studying, to consider issues within an international context and actively to develop their own skills as learners. The IB Diploma is a respected qualification, because of its breadth, the hard work that is required in order to score well in it and the need for students to be reflective as learners. If pupils wish to maintain their breadth, are willing to work hard in a well structured environment and can tolerate addressing areas of relative weakness the IB Diploma offers a superb educational package. Where pupils have a very clear academic focus, wish to play to their existing strengths by regularly tackling discrete learning modules and are self-disciplined enough to work effectively in what in many ways is a less structured environment, A levels continue to provide a very satisfying package. The core aspects of the International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme are explained later in this booklet, and the IB organisation website clearly explains the thinking behind the Diploma Programme. If you wish to discuss which of the IB Diploma and A level/BTEC routes is most appropriate to you or your child’s needs, please do not hesitate to speak to the Head of Sixth Form, Dr Johns, the Second Deputy Head (Academic), Mr Ruben or the Director of International Baccalaureate Programme, Dr Thompson. 1
THE INTERNATIONAL BACCALAUREATE DIPLOMA PROGRAMME: AN OVERVIEW The Diploma Programme is a two-year, pre-university programme. The IB illustrates the Programme as a hexagon showing the subject groups, the three core components and the central learner profile. Students must choose one subject from each of subject groups 1 to 5, thereby ensuring breadth of experience in languages, humanities, the experimental sciences and mathematics. Group 6 represents the arts subjects but, in recognition that some specialisation will be needed for certain university courses, it is possible to elect to take a further subject from Groups 2, 3 or 4 instead of taking the arts subject. The norm is to study three subjects at higher level (HL) and a further three subjects at standard level (SL) – this is the model adopted at Bromsgrove. HL courses are taught in a recommended 240 hours with SL courses taking 150 hours over the two years of the course. In practical terms this means that HL courses are taught in five fifty-minute periods per week and SL courses in three periods per week. Theory of Knowledge (ToK) is taught in 2 periods per week for 4½ terms. Assessment of courses Each student is assessed by a combination of internal assessment and external examinations which take place from the start of May in the second year of the course. This means that there are no module exams to be taken and that all examinations are synoptic in nature. Teachers provide the IB with predicted grades which can be taken into account in special circumstance situations. In each subject, the student is graded on a scale from 1 to 7. 1 represents ‘very poor’ and 7 ‘excellent’. Thus the group subjects can contribute up to 42 (= 6 x 7) points towards the overall diploma. With 3 core points available from the ToK and extended essay (see page 11), students can be awarded up to 45 points for their diploma. The award of the diploma requires students to meet specifically defined standards and conditions. These include a minimum total of 24 points and the satisfactory completion of CAS, ToK and the Extended Essay. Worldwide approximately 80% of students are awarded the diploma; however those not achieving the diploma are certified for their success in individual subjects and students failing to gain the full diploma are frequently admitted to UK universities (such is the strength of the reputation of the IBDP). 2
Page 1 and 2: R E G I BROMSGROVE SCHOOL The Sixth
Page 3: The A level/BTEC programme The Sixt
Page 7 and 8: FACTORS TO CONSIDER WHEN CHOOSING S
Page 9 and 10: EAL ENGLISH AS AN ADDITIONAL LANGUA
Page 12 and 13: THE INTERNATIONAL BACCALAUREATE PRO
Page 14: THEORY OF KNOWLEDGE The Theory of K
Page 17 and 18: SUBJECT GROUP 1: ENGLISH A AND GERM
Page 19 and 20: German A Language and Literature, H
Page 21 and 22: Listening, reading, speaking, and w
Page 23 and 24: Spanish ab initio, SL The course is
Page 25 and 26: SUBJECT GROUP 3: INDIVIDUALS AND SO
Page 27 and 28: Geography, SL and HL Geography as p
Page 29 and 30: SUBJECT GROUP 4: EXPERIMENTAL SCIEN
Page 31 and 32: Students will be provided with a se
Page 33 and 34: Owing to the nature of mathematical
Page 35 and 36: SUBJECT GROUP 6: ARTS Visual Arts (
Page 37 and 38: RECOMMENDED IB SUBJECT CHOICES FOR
Page 40 and 41: THE A LEVEL/BTEC PROGRAMME 37
Page 42 and 43: A LEVEL AND BTEC SUBJECTS 39
Page 44 and 45: CONTENT OF THE COURSE UNITS AS Unit
Page 46 and 47: CONTENT OF THE COURSE UNITS AS Unit
Page 48 and 49: Topic 4: Topic 5: Topic 6: Topic 7:
Page 50 and 51: One mandatory unit Unit 7 Strategic
Page 52 and 53: Unit F335: Chemistry by Design Unit
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METHODS OF ASSESSMENT AS Unit CC2:
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A2 level Unit 3 6RM03 4 6RM04 Title
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A2 level Unit 3 6GR03 4 6GR04 Title
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AS LEVEL 6DR01 Unit 1 Exploration o
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A final compulsory unit: Unit 5 The
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A2 LEVEL F663 Drama and poetry pre-
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METHODS OF ASSESSMENT AS: Paper 1 W
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A2 Unit 3: Representation in the US
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CONTINUITY BETWEEN GCSE AND AS You
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APPROPRIATE SUBJECTS TO ACCOMPANY L
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CAREER OPPORTUNITIES Mathematics A
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APPROPRIATE SUBJECTS TO ACCOMPANY M
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METHOD OF ASSESSMENT Each further m
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APPROPRIATE SUBJECTS TO ACCOMPANY M
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Unit 3: Unit 4: Unit 5: Unit 6: Per
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Unit 3: Unit 4: Options: Historical
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APPROPRIATE SUBJECTS TO ACCOMPANY P
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ETHICAL THEORY How do we make moral
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Unit 15 Unit 17 Unit 18 Unit 22 Ins
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RECOMMENDED AS/A LEVEL SUBJECT CHOI
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Sixth Form Course Booklet 2013 - Bromsgrove School

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