Welcome to
Year 11

The 5-year curriculum plan provides a logical progression through the National Curriculum for KS3, following onto the Edexcel Foundation or Higher GCSE specification.

At key stage 4 students follow the Higher tier or Foundation tier GCSE Edexcel Mathematics linear course and are taught in two years.

In Year 11 we teach the most advanced topics in the GCSE syllabus: quadratic functions, comprising manipulating quadratic expressions; solving quadratic equations, the graphical representation of functions and their use in a range of problem-solving contexts; algebraic fractions and algebraic proofs; vectors; graph transformations.

We focus on examination technique, and practice past examination papers to best prepare students for the GCSE, whilst teaching them to the highest level as an excellent foundation for any future A level study in the subject.

Autumn Term

In the autumn term of Year 11, GCSE biology students study hormones, focusing on the menstrual cycle, the control of blood sugar levels, and the management and implications of Type 2 diabetes. Chemistry lessons delve into the periodic table, exploring the properties and reactivity of Group 1 (alkali metals), Group 7 (halogens), and Group 0 (noble gases).

Physics covers electrical circuits, including current and potential difference (PD), the relationship between current, charge, and energy, various aspects of resistance (including core practicals), energy transfer, power, transferring energy by electricity, and ensuring electrical safety.

Spring Term

In the spring term of Year 11, GCSE biology focuses on aerobic and anaerobic respiration, gas exchange, the importance of surface area, and the circulatory system, including blood, blood vessels, circulation, the heart, cardiac output, and the effects of exercise on cardiac output. Additionally, students study ecosystems, food webs, and sampling methods.

Chemistry covers rates and energy changes, addressing rates of reaction, factors affecting these rates, related core practicals, catalysts, activation energy, exothermic and endothermic reactions, and overall energy changes. The second unit taught during this term covers fuels, including hydrocarbons, fractional distillation, alkanes, complete and incomplete combustion, combustible fuels, and breaking down hydrocarbons.

Physics lessons explore magnets and magnetic fields, electromagnets, transformers, particle density and related core practicals, energy changes of state, energy calculations, and core practicals involving water.

Summer Term

In the summer term of Year 11, GCSE biology students explore ecosystems, focusing on fish farming, eutrophication, preserving biodiversity, and the water, carbon, and nitrogen cycles. Chemistry lessons cover the early atmosphere, its changes over time, the current composition of the atmosphere, and the impacts of climate change. Physics delves into the relationships between gas, temperature, and pressure, the principles of bending and stretching, core practicals involving springs, and Hooke’s Law. Time will also be set aside for revision, as students prepare to complete their six GCSE science exams at the end of May and the start of June.

Writing

At Ipswich Academy, we place great importance on the ability of students to communicate their thoughts, feelings and experiences clearly in different forms and for different purposes. All of our units are underpinned by opportunities to write analytically, creatively and persuasively.

Reading

Reading is the master skill of learning and the English curriculum offers broad opportunities to read and develop confidence with challenging texts of varying type, age and purpose. Specific focus is given to creating a broad knowledge base and a specific skill set for academic reading.

GCSE English Language and Literature

These subjects are woven together through the two years of GCSE study. An Inspector Calls, Macbeth, The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde and power and conflict poetry are explored in depth to provide ample opportunities to explore their meanings and how they are created. GCSE English Language skills and approaches are taught alongside the Literature texts to promote mastery of the skills.

Our KS4 core Physical Education curriculum is dedicated to promoting lifelong participation and maintaining a healthy, active lifestyle.

Students are placed into pathways that enable them to engage in physical education alongside like-minded peers. We emphasise high participation levels and a commitment to continuous activity. The curriculum is designed to introduce students to a variety of sports, both within and beyond the school environment, encouraging them to explore and adopt activities that they can enjoy throughout their lives.

The PSHE programme has been carefully designed to meet the needs of students and is regularly updated according to students’ changing needs.

The programme of study follows a large number of Jigsaw 11-16 lessons as well as some more bespoke lessons designed in-house. These lessons include three core themes: Health and Wellbeing, Relationships and Living in the Wider World.

The programme also incorporates SMSC, British Values and Careers to ensure students gain a rounded education and experience. The main focus of the PSHE programme is to give students a broad and engaging programme of study that provides a positive, safe and consistent environment where students gain the most out of their educational opportunities, regardless of ability or background.

Students will be encouraged to question ideas, problem solve, challenge each other’s opinions, work as teams, debate and reflect. Through this work, students will build their confidence, self esteem and ability to communicate their ideas and feelings.

GCSE Art and Design encourages creative thinking skills and develops visual literacy.

The discipline of drawing is at the foundation of other skills in Art. It is used as a tool, by which students can analyse, record and translate the world around them. Critical studies enhance and underpin practical teaching, where students engage with artists, designers and architects of contemporary and historically significant, as well as culturally diverse contexts. Analysing wider issues and concepts, developing critical thinking and imitating the processes, methods and media used by artists, inspire students to embrace their own creativity and individual self-expression.

The course aims to:

• Widen student’s knowledge and understanding of media and techniques.
• Improve skill-base by developing students use of techniques.
• Introduce students to a wide variety of artists from the timeline of art history.
• Guide students on how best to use inspiration from different sources.
• Provide students with opportunities to express their creativity through visual language. Developing students’ abilities to record, refine, experiment, develop, research and present.

The course covers the following structure and topics:

• Nature and Decay – Students will explore the theme through various artist starting points – street artist ROA, ATM and Kate Malone. Students will have valuable opportunities to develop their observational skills in a wide range of media such as photography, printmaking and clay. Students will analyse and reflect throughout the project, which in turn will inform their own personal responses.
• I, Me, Mine – Students will progress onto an independent project where they will have an opportunity to direct their portfolio in a more personal way. Students will start with observational skills including photography and drawing. Observational and explorative work will be developed through a wide range of media and techniques including oil paints, printmaking, 3D, textiles and photography. Students will explore the meaning of identity throughout and produce a personal response of their own choice.

Assessment
Personal Portfolio (60% of overall mark)

You will need to create a personal portfolio of work in response to themes set. Your work must comprise of supporting studies and personal responses. You will be working on your personal portfolio until December Year 11.

Externally Set Exam (40% of overall mark)

You will spend your lesson time creating a project exploring a theme you have chosen from the exam paper. You will explore this theme through investigative work, experimental and preparatory studies and a personal response. Your personal response will be created in a 10 hour exam at the end of your prep period.

All work is internally marked and externally moderated.

Subject links
Art allows students to develop transferable skills, such as problem solving, communication and critical thinking skills, which will prepare you for further study or the world of work. These skills are also important in many other GCSE subjects.

Careers
Careers in Art and Design are many and varied and here are just some of them:

Interior designer; architect; set designer; fashion designer; gallery curator; ceramicist; restoration painter; fine artist; illustrator; tattoo artist; animator; graphic designer; web designer; games designer; digital designer; police composite artist; court room artist; photographer; costume designer; toy designer; mural artist; art director; make-up artist; landscape architect; art therapist; textile designer; jewellery designer; art editor; prop maker; artist teacher; picture framer; medical illustrator; glass designer; arts administrator; shoe designer; car designer.

Industry’s demands for an increasingly innovative and globally competitive workforce make learning in the subject ever more relevant to young people.

Even if you do not pursue an Art and Design job career, by taking the subject for GCSE can be to your advantage, e.g. Artists are required in the police force (composite artist), archaeologists, engineering (drawing and designs), nutritionists, scientists, journalists.

Overview

GCSE Business is designed to introduce students to how businesses work. Students will explore realistic business scenarios and consider how to apply the concepts they have learned.

A typical example of this would be when students are given financial information about a business from which they must: calculate a variety of financial ratios, explain what the financial ratios reveal about the finances of the business, and suggest solutions to improve the financial position of the business.

The course covers the following topics:

• Business in the real world: the purpose and nature of business, business ownership, setting aims and objectives, stakeholder, business location, business planning, expanding a business.
• Influences on business: technology, ethical and environmental considerations, the economic climate, globalisation, legislation, competitive environment.
• Business operations: production processes, the role of procurement, the concept of quality, good customer services.
• Human resources: organisational structures, recruitment and selection of employees, motivating employees, training.
• Marketing: identifying and understanding customers, segmentation, the purposes and methods of market research, the elements of the marketing mix.
• Finance: sources of finance, cash flow, financial terms and calculations, analysing the financial performance of a business.

Assessment

The business qualification consists of two written exams. Each exam has a short section of multiple choice and short answer questions, then there are longer questions based on a case study or business data.

Paper 1

Influences of operations and HRM on business activity written exam – 1 hours 45 minutes, 90 marks worth 50% of the overall qualification.

Paper 2

Influences of marketing and finance on business activity written exam – 1 hour 45 minutes 90 marks worth 50% of the overall qualification.

Subject links

The Business GCSE has strong links with English, maths, and geography.

Careers

Qualifications in business support learners to go into a variety of careers including setting up their own enterprise. However, this course is especially relevant to people who are already considering a career in:

• Accountancy
• Law
• Recruitment
• Marketing
• Politics.

Computer science is a subject that encourages creativity and problem solving. 

It encourages you to develop your understanding of how computer hardware works as well as giving the opportunity to analyse problems computationally and come up with creatively programmed solutions. 

As Computer Science has 2 written exams and uses a typed programming language (Python) good literacy levels help on this course.

Over the course you will cover the following:

• Computational thinking: This is the process of thinking through a complex problem. These are then presented in a way that a computer, a human, or both, can understand. Programming concepts including the design of effective algorithms and the designing, writing, testing and refining of code.
• Theoretical content: Here you will understand the fundamentals of data representation and computer networks. You will learn about the computer systems that you will create and use as well as delve into the world of cyber security and ethical legal and environmental impacts of digital technology.

There are two exam papers at the end of the syllabus.

Component: 1

Weighting: 50%

Title : Computer Systems

Time length:1 hr 30

Component: 2

Weighting: 50%

Title : Computational Thinking, Algorithms and Programming

Time length: 1hr 30

The computer science course has links with mathematics, English, iMedia and science.

Computing is an ever growing job market, some examples of employment opportunities include: Computer Programmer; Games Developer; Software Developer; Software Engineer; Cyber Security; Network Engineer; Data Analyst; Computer Forensics; Web Developer; Artificial Intelligence Developer; Machine Learning Engineer; Systems Analyst.

Creative iMedia will inspire and equip students with the confidence to use skills that are relevant to the digital media sector and the wider industry.

It’s a vocational qualification, equivalent in value to a GCSE and contains both practical and theoretical elements.

Most of the qualification is assessed by coursework that is set and marked by the teacher and then moderated by the exam board. This will be done throughout the two-year course. You will complete project work, research, completing practical tasks and meeting deadlines. One of the units that all students must complete is Creative iMedia in the media industry, this unit is an external written exam.

The students will then complete a coursework unit on Visual Identity and Digital Graphics. To finish off the coursework, they will complete one of the following units of coursework:

• Characters and comics
• Animation with audio
• Interactive digital media
• Visual imaging
• Digital games.

Assessment

iMedia is assessed by two coursework units and a written paper.

Component: R093

Weighting: 40%

Title: Creative iMedia in the media industry

Length: 1 hour 30 minutes

Assessment type: Written paper

Method: External assessment

====================================

Component: R094

Weighting: 25%

Title: Visual identity and digital graphics

Assessment type: Portfolio

Method: Internal assessment

====================================

Component: A choice between R095-R099

Weighting: 35%

Title: A choice between:

Characters and comics

Animation with audio

Interactive digital media

Visual imaging

Digital games

Assessment type: Portfolio

Method: Internal assessment

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Subject links

The iMedia course has links with English, Art, Business and Computer Science.

Careers

By developing applied knowledge and practical skills, this course will help give you the opportunity to progress on to A Levels, a Cambridge Technical in Creative Media, an apprenticeship or university. Creative iMedia could be first step of a career as a Games Developer, Comic Book Writer, Graphic Designer, and more.

American Cinema is the focus for component 1, with a focus on comparison and analysis of specialist writing. The films studied for this component are Rebel Without A Cause (Ray, 1955), Ferris Bueller’s Day Off (Hughes, 1986), and The Hate U Give (Tilman Jr, 2019).

The French curriculum is designed to introduce students to another language and culture.

We have three key aims to our language learning; developing cultural awareness and intercultural understanding; providing a firm basis for further study; providing students with the tools to understand and use French for travel or other purposes.

We develop skills in four key areas throughout key stages three and four: listening, reading, writing and speaking.

Key themes for Year 11 are:

• School
• Health and wellbeing
• Social issues such as drugs, alcohol, homelessness and poverty
• Jobs and work
• Environment.

Year 10/ 11 students study AQA GCSE Geography, which covers the following units:

Unit 1: Living with the Physical Environment

Unit 2: Challenges in the Human Environment

Unit 3: Geographical Applications Students also complete two fieldwork enquiries (Human Enquiry: Urban Regeneration at Ipswich Waterfront and Physical Enquiry: Coastal Management at Felixstowe).

In Year 11 students’ studies focus on the final two units of the course.

The first is an in depth study of Weimar and Nazi Germany. This fascinating unit allows students to work with historical sources and interpretations to best understand the changing nature of early twentieth century Germany and explores the impacts of the First World War on Germany and the subsequent rise of Nazism in the run-up to the Second World War.

The second unit is a wide-reaching study on the development of the American West, the relationship between white settlers and the indigenous peoples of America. Students examine a range of social and political events in a crucial period in the development of the United States of America.

Historical skills students will be accessing include analysing the consequences of key events, understanding and writing an analytical chronology, once again, focusing on explanation.

Unit 2 covers a practical assessment and coursework

Students will be assessed on practical skills:

• Time management
• Cooking knowledge
• Event planning and organisation.

And on interpersonal skills:

• Communication
• Individual drive
• Group work.

Year 11 students will complete both component 2 and 3.

Component 2 will require students to show their practical skills by performing a section from a professional performance.

In component 3 students will need to work in groups to devise their own performance and perform it to a specific target audience. In this component students will also do three written exams in which they will evaluate their ideas, skills and performance.

At Ipswich Academy, pupils can choose between two examination pathways: OCR GCSE Physical Education and NCFE Health and Fitness.

Both courses aim to build and develop pupils’ knowledge and understanding of different body systems, physical factors affecting performance, and socio-cultural and psychological aspects of fitness.

The OCR GCSE PE course is assessed through a combination of 10% coursework, 30% practical performance, and 60% examination. The NCFE Health and Fitness course is assessed with 40% examination and 60% coursework. Both pathways offer excellent opportunities for students, providing a strong foundation for further studies in sport and physical education.