Self study

fliss1992

Hi - I'm new to this board and wanted to get a little bit of advice. I am about to start studying IGCSE - EDEXCEL - SCIENCE..I will be self studying. Could anyone give me any advice on where to start and what books I will need?

Reply 1

PracticumMagic

The specification is KEY.
As a trainee teacher, it is vital that you have a firm knowledge of the specification and I will make my students know where they are currently and what they are aiming for.

I am also assuming that you are studying double science so the book below may be beneficial!

Go onto Play.com and search: Edexcel International GCSE Science Double Award Student Guide | Paperback

The cheapest new copy is around £12!

Hope I helped!

Reply 2

fliss1992

Ok great! What does double the IGCSE Double Award include? I need Biology, Chemistry, Physics..

& thanks for your reply!!

Reply 3

PracticumMagic

If I'm not mistaken, it is parts of all three. I remember doing a double award myself and had to do Biology, Chemistry and Physics together.

You're welcome and feel free to give positive reputation if you wish!

:colondollar:

Reply 4

fliss1992

No problem at all!! & thanks again.

Where do you think I should begin? I'm ordering the book tonight..

Does the book guide you on teaching yourself e.c.t?

Reply 5

PracticumMagic

Try and find out the contents of the book and see if it corresponds with curriculum you currently have.

How long do you have before the exam?

My advise would be to pick the subject you enjoy most (e.g. Biology) and start there, making sure that it corresponds with the content in the specification and moving on to the next subject when you're finished.

I believe that the book wouldn't guide you to teach yourself as it assumes a teacher would do that on your behalf. Although, if you create a schedule to work through each topic three times a week, you would be making good progress! :smile:

Reply 6

ElGenioEstúpido

Original post by fliss1992

No problem at all!! & thanks again.

Where do you think I should begin? I'm ordering the book tonight..

Does the book guide you on teaching yourself e.c.t?

Nope, but go to the Edexcel website, and get resources, download the specification, plan out how and when you are going to study, and first, find out the exam structure, etc.

Reply 7

fliss1992

Hey - I have found the specification which I have now downloaded (thanks for that)

Who do I find out the exam structure from? - Is this from the exam board?

Sorry all this is new to me :/

I'm hoping to sit my exam in either may/june/july time waiting on dates to be confirmed by the exam board

Reply 8

PracticumMagic

Original post by fliss1992

Best thing to do would be to write to the exam board (Edexcel) and explain that you are learning the Edexcel Double Science GCSE material away from an academic institution.

They will probably say that this is fine (as many home-schooled pupils do so) and will give you a time, time and place to sit the exam in the summer of 2014.

I should note that you will have to pay to sit the exam, and this can be a little costly! However,if you're serious about this then it wouldn't be too much of a problem!

Note: you will be fine in terms of study time!

Hope this has helped!

Reply 9

fliss1992

Perfect!

I had already contacted them via email - although they are slow to respond they are in the process of helping with dates e.c.t

I've completed an application form just waiting on dates and times :smile:

If I feel confident I will get a high grad between A* & C then I'm more than happy to pay any fee

Thanks for all your advice

Reply 10

smile:D

Original post by fliss1992

Hi, I studied that specification and first I would recommend getting these textbooks:
Edexcel IGCSE Physics
Edexcel IGCSE Biology
Edexcel IGCSE Chemistry

There are several assessment objectives to the exam: you will need to be able to recall facts, use these facts (e.g. suggest reasons for...) and do some practical stuff e.g. how to set up experiments, read graphs etc.

The textbooks above are really good and tend to cover all areas well. You also might want to look at the revision guides which are also available and are really useful for the exam as they give all the info. in a condensed format.

In terms of format, most are generally short response questions, but to get more of an idea I'd look at the past papers on the Edexcel website

A lot of the stuff you'll learn will depend on whether you're doing double or triple science: you're doing triple if you come out with 3x IGCSEs at the end in bio,chem and phys. For triple there is 1 paper which everyone sits for each subject which contains the double science content and another paper which only triple science students sit.

Thus, if you were doing triple science you would have 6 papers: 2 for bio, chem and phys

Feel free to ask if you have any more questions :smile:

(edited 10 years ago)

Reply 11

fliss1992