Every August, the media in Britain become fixated with the latest A-level, AS-level and Higher results.Recent years have seen a steady increase in the pass rates for these exams, leading to the debate over whether the rise is a genuine improvement among 17 and 18 year olds or a sign that the exams are getting easier.However,much less attention is paid to the results of tests that pupils take at an earlier age.This is surprising, given that the experience that pupils have in their studies between the ages of 11 and 14 has a significant bearing on their choice of subjects at 16 and beyond.
So what is science like for the average pupil aged between 11 and 14? In England,Wales and Northern Ireland, pupils in the first two years of secondary school study a mix of physics, chemistry and biology, along with a little Earth science and astronomy. The syllabus is defined by Key Stage 3 of the National Curriculum and builds on the science that pupils are taught at primary school between the ages of seven and 11 (Key Stage 2). Pupils take Standard Assessment Tests (SATs) science at the ages of 11 and 14 to measure their progress at the end of each stage.
Science in Scotland is less regulated, particularly at the primary level, which continues to the age of 12. No formal national curriculum exists, but there are instead “national guidelines” for 5–14 year olds, in which science and technology fall under the banner of “environmental studies”. Pupils do not take standard exams, but are assessed by other means, such as observing, discussion and end-of-topic tests. First- and second-year secondary pupils study programmes covering “Earth and space”, “energy and forces” and “living things and processes of life”.
In the Republic of Ireland, science has just been introduced into the primary curriculum for the first time. In the past, the closest that such pupils got to science was “nature study”. Now, however, the science curriculum is comprised of four strands: “living things”;“materials”; “energy and forces”; and “environmental awareness and care”. There have also been changes in Irish secondary schools, to which pupils transfer at the age of 12. In particular, a revised syllabus for the Junior Science Certificate, which is taken at 15, is currently being implemented on an optional basis. The new syllabus promotes more hands-on learning. Comprising three sections – physics, chemistry and biology – the syllabus incorporates the “applied-science” option of the previous syllabus but with less content to allow more time for investigative work.
In the January issue of Physics World Catherine Wilson describes these changes in physics education in more detail.