Life and Health science (step up science equivalent)

Is anyone doing this exam it's the new version of the CCEA course taking over by AQA the northern Irish exam board! Struggling big time with it, most unorganised exam I have ever attempted

The lack of resources given to the teachers was disgraceful. My teacher had no idea about the last question on the specimen paper (chemistry) and made us learn it for our paper today. Luckily, the question came up as three marks today. How did your exam go? Both biology and chemistry (if you do single award!)

Hi Ivyjade,

Just like the rest of us around Northern Ireland! Many of my friends from different schools are also having the same problem.

Must say, personally, though the Biology and Chemistry went well, but stupid Physics or 'Material Science' is stressing me out (the extra tested Double Award unit)! Hate it so much.

Must say the coursework was also a nightmare - particularly the Brain Science (if you are doing Double Award) - my school was doing the coursework right up the week before the first exam!

That was exactly the same as our teachers, we didn't have our coursework done until Easter when it could have easily been completely for Christmas, this would have relieved a lot of unnecessary stress during the run up to exams.

I'm only doing single award, chemistry was my last science exam, they weren't impossible if you put in the revision I think. Glad there over either way !

Posted from TSR Mobile

The lack of resources given to the teachers was disgraceful. My teacher had no idea about the last question on the specimen paper (chemistry) and made us learn it for our paper today. Luckily, the question came up as three marks today. How did your exam go? Both biology and chemistry (if you do single award!)

Hi Ivyjade,

Just like the rest of us around Northern Ireland! Many of my friends from different schools are also having the same problem.

Must say, personally, though the Biology and Chemistry went well, but stupid Physics or 'Material Science' is stressing me out (the extra tested Double Award unit)! Hate it so much.

Must say the coursework was also a nightmare - particularly the Brain Science (if you are doing Double Award) - my school was doing the coursework right up the week before the first exam!

Hi there!

I am currently studying the new CCEA GCE Double Award Life and Health Sciences course at A2 now having completed AS last year. I got an AB overall and was sadly just two marks of an AA. My advice would be and i couldnt make it any clearer - stay on top of your coursework - dont let it slip and think I'll catch up on that. Because towards the submission time it'll just be unbearable, the pressure, the corrections coupled with new tasks also and revision for the exam units.

For some people, the Medicine Unit was hell, but if you do a good practical write up on the two practicals you'll do, including great detail and good, solid, well explained research with loads of pictures and diagrams, as CCEA just love that, you'll fly through it. I'd also really recommend AS/A2 Psychology websites for your Brain Science Unit 4 - they have bascially everything, just remember to word it as your own and reference any directly taken information - you'll find the AS/A2 Psychology websites so handy when it comes to the large section of the portfolio about psychology like schizophrenia for example. Theres loads of YouTube videos out there for the actually physiology of the Brain like what each part is responsible for. Sometimes information might not be apparent and will take some time to sit and research it to understand it fully.

One more thing is, dont rely on those grade boundaries that CCEA have put out - ttheyre not right and will change. They changed for everyone this year - I was fortunate enough that my portfolios where marked at A's however, my grade for my unit 1 did go from an A to a B once CCEA examined it - this easnt my teachers fault is was simply that teachers around Northern Ireland had been putting in grades that weren't right and where too high essentially for the quality of portfolio work they'd been given so during the summer they raised the grade boundaries to unbelievably high levels because of people submitting false marks, for example, in that year it was 96% to get an A in Unit 1 which is just ridiculous! I was one of the lucky ones, but I feel as if, without 'blowing my trumpit, the grades that I got where truly representative of my work as I put my heart and soul into that course last year. You'll also find that the AS course is so much easier than the A2 course, which I've unfortunately just found out!

Hope this information helps. Happy to answer anymore of your questions!

Cheers for the info. I actually ended up dropping Life and Health Science and picking up History and Maths. To be honest I just had very little interest in the course and prefer traditional learning over coursework. Im also doing an Engineering BTEC which is 100% coursework so hopefully ill have a good balance. Best of luck with your A2 anyways!