A-Levels & BTEC Archives - Page 3 of 4

A-Level Business Studies

Jun 1, 2023 | A-Levels & BTEC

Develop an understanding of the world around you
The global economy has been volatile in recent years, and will affect your life and that of those around you. Studying Business can help make sense of the news and its consequences. Detailed analysis and evaluation of real world case studies is essential in Business Studies, during lessons and in the final examinations.

Broad range of skills
Business Studies requires development of essay writing, case study analysis and quantitative skills. Teaching and learning is varied, providing opportunities for self directed learning, presentations, problem solving, collaborative work and research. Ambitious learners can challenge themselves by entering national competitions.

A wide range of career options
Every company needs business minded individuals, or you may choose to be self employed. Studying Business can lead to careers in many sectors from banking to fashion, in areas such as finance, marketing, human resources or management.

University options
Undergraduate study of Business Studies usually requires study of the subject at A Level. Studying the subject at A Level will also give you a firm foundation of knowledge across the range of possible degree options, and develop both your essay writing and quantitative skills. Students are supported in their university applications with opportunities to engage in super-curricular activities.

Quality of teaching and learning
Our Business Studies team include staff who are highly experienced in both teaching and examining across a range of courses. Our students report that they enjoy lessons, and are well prepared for the demands of their final examinations.

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Department Staff:

Sarah Rose & Matt Sanderson

Exam board: Eduqas

Syllabus code: A510QS

Module and course content:

The A level course is linear which means that the A level is assessed after two years. The subject is based around the concept of choice and decision making. Students need to consider factors such as objectives, risk, costs, returns, constraints and ethics to decide what to do in any situation.

Decisions will include:

Marketing decision such as what markets to target, how best to position the business, how to communicate effectively and distribute in a digital world.
Financial decisions such as how to raise finance, how to manage cashflow and how to increase profitability, operational decisions such as how to increase efficiency, how to improve quality and how to improve productivity, human resource decisions such as how to manage employees effectively, how to motivate and build employee engagement.
Strategic decisions such as how to compete abroad, how to compete digitally, whether to act socially responsibly and how to manage growth

Students needs to understand theory, they need to know various studies and models and then they need to apply this knowledge to a particular situation.

Component 1: Business Opportunities and Functions, 2 hours and 15 minutes

Component 2: Business Analysis and Strategy, 2 hours and 15 minutes

Component 3: Business in a Changing World, 2 hours and 15 minutes

A-Level Art & Design (Fine Art)

Jun 1, 2023 | A-Levels & BTEC

A-Level Art & Design (Fine Art)

Art plays an important role within the curriculum followed by pupils at Ackworth. It is our belief that Art stimulates creativity and imagination, as well as enable pupils to acquire skills which are transferable to other subject areas and to life beyond school. Implementing this belief has served to enrich our students’ lives through developing their sensory perceptions and analytical skills. Art increases our students’ self-confidence as they exercise their ability to make judgements and to express opinions. In doing so, they can then form their own individual ideas and perceptions. Our students’ experiences are enhanced by the access they have to the studios during evenings and at weekends and by visits to both local, national and international galleries. Art at Ackworth provides students with the opportunity to enjoy interacting with, and creating, art in a stimulating and supportive environment. In addition, the skills learnt will equip students for future creative careers such as an artist, architect, game designer, illustrator, photographer, stage set designer, or multiple careers in fashion and textiles, to name but a few. Self expression is actively encouraged through the artwork, the written word and discussion. These are valuable tools for all aspects of future life. Furthermore, Art provides a sound background for other less obvious careers where the ability to think differently and creatively gives an individual the edge on the competition.

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Department Staff:

Sarah Rose & Matt Sanderson

Exam board: AQA

Syllabus code: 7202

Module and course content:

COMPONENT 1: PORTFOLIO (COURSEWORK)
60% of A-Level – 96 marks
You will produce one project during this period, developed in response to a theme. You will evidence the journey from the initial starting point to the final piece/s.
You will demonstrate your observational drawing skills, your knowledge of other practitioners’ work and your ability to create in-depth visual research. You will also
submit a research-based essay (1-3,000 words) that is linked to the artists you have been studying for this component.

COMPONENT 2: EXTERNALLY SET ASSIGNMENT (EXAM)
40% of A-Level – 96 marks
Exam papers will be issued to you from February 1st. There will be 8 different starting points (themes) set by the exam board and you must choose one to base your project on. This component will culminate in a 15 hour exam, set over 3 days, when you are required to produce a final piece for your project.

A-Level Psychology

Jun 1, 2023 | A-Levels & BTEC

A-Level Psychology

“Psychology is the scientific study of the human mind and behaviour: how we think, feel, act and interact individually and in groups.”

The British Psychological Society

Psychologists are scientists, and they use Research Methods to investigate questions. Psychologists investigate many areas of thought and behaviour; a variety of methods exist to ensure that there is always one appropriate to the needs of the study.

You will learn to critically consider the choices researchers have made in designing their studies, evaluating the validity of research and the conclusions that have been made. You will see how a study evolves from an initial idea to a piece of published research, with the power to change the way society thinks and behaves.

The Psychology A-level course will help you develop a number of skills:

How to view the world around you from different perspectives
How to plan and conduct scientific investigations
How to analyse and interpret data
How to reason critically
How to communicate your point of view

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Department Staff: Helen Batty, Alistar Boucher

Exam Board: AQA A-Level Psychology

Syllabus code: 7182

Modules and course content:

Paper 1: Introductory Topics in Psychology

Social Influence
Memory
Attachment
Psychopathology

Paper 2: Psychology in Context

Approaches
Biopsychology
Research Methods

Paper 3: Issues and Options in Psychology

Issues and Debates
Gender
Eating Behaviour
Aggression

A-Level Physics

Jun 1, 2023 | A-Levels & BTEC

A Level Physics allows you to delve into the laws that explain why everything in the universe – from quasars to Quavers – exists. It explores where energy comes from, the relationship between matter and energy, how the fundamental forces of nature work, the world of subatomic particles as well as many other interesting topics.

Studying A Level Physics will develop you reasoning, problem-solving and analytical skills. This will position you favourably for university level study or the workplace.

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Department Staff: Ian white and Carl Pearson.

Advanced Level GCE Physics

Exam Board: AQA

Syllabus code: 7408

Advanced Level Physics is studied over 2 years and is comprised of 8 topics. In the lower 6^th the students will study Particles and Radiation, Waves and Optics, Mechanics and Materials and Electricity. In upper 6^th they will study Further Mechanical and Thermal Physics, Theory of Fields and Nuclear Physics. There will also be the optional unit Turning Points in Physics that looks at the development of ideas in Physics as well as the Theory of Special Relativity. Physics has a heavy mathematical element and is ideally studied alongside A Level Mathematics.

The Physics Practical Endorsement is taken along side the A Level in order to develop and assess practical investigation skills. Practical work is a vital part of the Physics course and there will be many opportunities to use many different types of apparatus throughout. Some of the required practical activities including Investigating the EMF of electrical cells, determining the Young’s Modulus of materials, investigating Boyle’s and Charles’ gas laws and the inverse square law of Gamma Radiation

There are three examination papers for A Level Physics that students will sit at the end of the course. The papers consist of a mixture of short and long answer questions as well as a multiple choice section. Paper 3 will also assess the understanding of the practical techniques and data analysis that are embedded throughout the course.

A-Level Mathematics

Jun 1, 2023 | A-Levels & BTEC

GCSE/A-Level Maths

“If you shuffle a deck of cards, it’s more than likely that the order of the cards you get has never been seen before in the history of the universe – there are more ways to arrange the deck than there are atoms in our galaxy.”

Why study Maths at GCSE/A-Level at Ackworth School?:
Mathematics is a beautiful, creative and ever evolving discipline, that has played a critical role throughout human history. It is the language of the universe, the bridge between the arts and the sciences, proving itself to be indispensable in everyday life and is fundamental to a wide range of fields and industries. Therefore, a strong mathematics education lays the foundation for understanding the world. The mathematics curriculum at Ackworth School aims to provide students with a solid foundation in mathematical concepts and skills, and is designed to be inclusive, ensuring that all students have the opportunity to succeed in mathematics, regardless of their background or needs.

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“Mathematics knows no races or geographic boundaries; for mathematics, the cultural world is one country.”

— David Hilbert, German mathematician

Department Staff: Emma Garland, Rebecca Nicholson, Dale Beswick, Richard Izdebski

Courses:

International GCSE Mathematics

Exam Board: Pearson Edexcel

Syllabus code: 4MA1

Course content: The Pearson Edexcel International GCSE in Mathematics (Specification A) qualification enables students to deepen their knowledge and understanding of mathematical concepts and techniques across the key areas of number; algebra; geometry; and statistics. Students will develop their problem-solving and reasoning skills by translating problems in mathematical and non-mathematical contexts; by presenting arguments and proofs; and by making deductions and drawing conclusions from mathematical information.

It is assessed through two 2 hour examinations at the end of the course.

A Level Mathematics

Exam Board: Pearson Edexcel

Syllabus code: 9MA0

Course content: A Level Mathematics extends and deepens the knowledge acquired at GCSE level, and emphasises how mathematical ideas are interconnected and can be applied to modelling real life situations. Students will learn how to make sense of data, how the physical world works and how to solve problems in a variety of contexts.

The course has three overarching themes – mathematical argument, language and proof; problem solving; and modelling. The content is then split into the following three strands:

Pure mathematics – proof, algebra, functions, graphs, coordinate geometry, sequences and series, trigonometry, exponentials and logarithms, calculus, numerical methods, and vectors.
Mechanics – kinematics, projectiles, forces, Newton’s laws of motion, and moments.
Statistics – includes working with data from a sample to make inferences about a population, probability, probability distributions, and hypothesis testing.

Many degree courses list A Level Mathematics as a highly desirable, if not essential, subject to study – Accounting, Computing, Economics, Engineering, Medicine, Physics, Statistics, Teaching, and Veterinary Science, to name but a few.

It is assessed through three 2 hour examinations at the end of the course.

A Level Further Mathematics

Exam Board: Pearson Edexcel

Syllabus code: 9FM0

Course content: As well as building on the knowledge introduced in Mathematics A Level, Further Mathematics introduces you to the concepts of complex numbers and matrices, which have wide applications in mathematics, engineering, and computing.

There is a little more flexibility compared to standard Mathematics, with three routes through the course. Each route contains the mandatory Core Pure content and alongside this, students choose whether to major in Mechanics or Statistics and study a minor option, which gives greater depth of knowledge, or study three minor options, to gain greater breadth.

The minor options are: Mechanics Minor; Statistics Minor; Modelling with Algorithms; Numerical Methods; Extra Pure; and Further Pure with Technology.

The Core Pure, Mechanics, and Statistics content is covered within lessons, and students can choose to study any of the other options independently.

Further Mathematics prepares students for further study and employment in a wide range of disciplines. Many degree courses list A Level Further Mathematics as a desirable subject to study – Accounting, Computing, Economics, Engineering, Medicine, Physics, Statistics, Teaching, and Veterinary Science, to name but a few, and it is fast becoming a core requirement for many courses with a high mathematical content.

The course is assessed through several examinations at the end of the course, with the number dependent on the route taken.

“At Ackworth, mathematics gives Sixth-Form students a sense of freedom. When a classroom is available without any classes, you can sit and practice questions. The Maths Department office is always open for you to drop by and get your solutions… and because there are five teachers with diverse skill sets, they can always find answers to your challenges. Additionally, drop-in support sessions are available during lunch and after school too.”

A-Level English

Jun 1, 2023 | A-Levels & BTEC

A-Level English Literature

Author Salman Rushdie describes literature as ‘where I go to explore the highest and lowest places in human society, and in the human spirit, where I hope to find, not absolute truth, but the truth of the tale, of the imagination and of the heart.’

The study of English, both in terms of appreciating literary works and through creative self-expression, offers students the unique opportunity to put themselves at the centre of their learning. While English is a core subject, underpinned by the acquisition of fundamental literacy skills, it is both appealing and exacting in terms of its very special demand for individual participation, interpretation and discovery. Amid the flurry of facts, and the necessity to recount ‘absolute truth’ in other subject areas, English cannot forgo its insistence on humanity and ‘imagination’, originality and compassion.

At Ackworth, we fully believe that everyone can bring something valued and shared to their studies in English, regardless of preferences, challenges, and formal academic attainment. Reading is integral to our daily practice: at the start of every lesson, through our close communication with and frequent use of the school library, and extending into homework tasks that build on the beneficial habit of choosing books for pleasure. It is vital that we cultivate and continually endorse an awareness in the students of the long-term and wide-ranging importance of reading and writing. English is not just a compulsory part of the school’s provision – it incorporates a range of skills that are essential and transferable to every subject, study setting, workplace, and social encounter.

A highly regarded A-Level, English Literature undoubtedly provides an excellent foundation for the demands of Higher Education. Acting as role models who remain ever-curious about texts and their authors, we guide and encourage rigorous critical engagement, conceptual thinking, and a disciplined approach to personal study, in a way that broadens and empowers our sixth formers. In navigating literature that enables us to interact with ‘human society’ and ‘the human spirit’, and in leading with ‘the heart’ alongside the intellect, we support learners here to become thinking, well-rounded individuals, who leave us equipped to negotiate a competitive and ever-changing world.

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Department Staff:

Amanda Axton (acting HoD)

Laura Hulse

Rachel McLaughlin

OCR English Literature – H472

Component 1 – Shakespeare and Drama and Poetry pre-1900. Students currently study Hamlet, and compare the Selected Poetry of Christina Rossetti with Henrik Ibsen’s play, A Doll’s House.

Component 2 – Close reading in a chosen topic area and comparative and contextual study from a chosen topic area. Students currently study dystopian fiction. George Orwell’s 1984 and Margaret Atwood’s The Handmaid’s Tale are the starting points for comparative study.

Component 3 – Non-exam Assessment. Students produce two essays on post-1900 texts: one close reading, and one comparative.