Human Biology IGCSE

August 13th, 2010
Coloured image showing human genome

Human Genome

Oxford Open Learning is pleased to announce that we now have an exciting new course for IGCSE Human Biology. This follows the recent release of our new course for IGCSE English Literature.

The new course is designed to match the Edexcel 4HB0 specification for examinations in June 2011, June 2012, or later years.

Candidates are required to sit two written examinations. There is no coursework although some familiarity with experimental procedure is required. The specification is designed as ideal preparation forA-level Biology or Human Biology study.

The OOL course is divided into five modules that follow the structure of the Edexcel specification:

Module 1:         Cell Processes

Module 2:         Human Physiology A

Module 3:         Human Physiology B

Module 4:         Reproduction and Heredity

Module 5:         Microorganisms, Disease and Environment

The Edexcel requirements are a little more “academic” than the equivalent GCSE but our course aims to make the study of Human Biology engaging and practical for students of all abilities.

Human Biology IGCSE may be studied on its own, alongside other Science IGCSEs or as part of a full range of IGCSE studies.

GCSE or IGCSE?

For  distance learners in general, 2010 was the last year in which it was possible to stake a “standard” GCSE in Human Biology or Human Physiology and Health. From 2011, GCSE students are required to undertake a controlled assessment which is not practicable unless you are in a supervised classroom. So IGCSE is the only viable choice in this and and a number of other subjects. But there are plenty of IGCSE exam centres up and down the country so it is relatively straightforward to enter the exams, especially with no coursework involved.

IGCSE test centres world-wide

If you are looking to study for IGCSE exams outside the UK, you do not need to visit the UK to sit your exams.  You can find your nearest international exam centre by visiting Edexcel International.

IGCSE qualifications are accepted as at least the equivalent of GCSEs in all UK sixth form colleges, FE colleges, universities and other HE institutions.

If you are interested in studying this or other IGCSE programmes with Oxford Open Learning, please contact one of our Student Advisers today.

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IGCSE English Literature

August 13th, 2010

 

H.H. Armstead, sculptural relief 'Literature', at Foreign and Commonwealth Office, Whitehall, London

H.H. Armstead, 'Literature'

Oxford Open Learning is pleased to announce that we now have an exciting new course for IGCSE English Literature.

The new course is designed to match the Edexcel 4ET0 specification for examinations in June 2011, June 2012, or later years.

Candidates are required to sit two written examinations, one on prose and drama and one on poetry. There is no coursework. The specification is designed as ideal preparation for A-level English Literature study.

The selected texts for detailed study are Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet and Steinbeck’s Of Mice and Men. For the poetry paper, Edexcel has produced an anthology of sixteen poems incuding a number of popular favourites like Kipling’s ‘If’, Blake’s ‘Tyger’ and Dylan Thomas’s ‘Do not go gentle into that good night’, and a range of poems by international writers including Alice Walker and Gabriel Okara. The OOL course covers all sixteen poems in considerable detail.

As well as the three modules on the two set texts and the poetry, there are also two introductory modules, one on literary analysis and one on essay technique. The Edexcel requirements are a little more “academic” than the equivalent GCSE but our course aims to make the study of English Literature lively and engaging and for students of all abilities.

English Literature IGCSE forms an ideal complement to study of the main English IGCSE course or as part of a full range of IGCSE studies.

GCSE or IGCSE?

For  distance learners in general, 2011 is the last year in which it is possible to stake a “standard” GCSE in English Literature. From 2012, GCSE students are required to undertake a controlled assessment which is not practicable unless you are in a supervised classroom. So IGCSE is the only viable choice in this and and a number of other subjects. But there are plenty of IGCSE exam centres up and down the country so it is relatively straightforward to enter the exams, especially with no coursework involved.

IGCSE qualifications are accepted as at least the equivalent of GCSEs in all sixth form colleges, FE colleges, universities and other HE institutions.

IGCSE world-wide

If you are looking to study IGCSE English Literature outside the UK, there is no need to visit the UK to sit your exams.  With exam centres world-wide, Edexcel IGCSE is the obvious choice for international candidates.  Visit Edexcel International to find your nearest exam centre.

If you are interested in studying this or other IGCSE programmes with Oxford Open Learning, please contact one of our Student Advisers today.

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State Schools and IGCSE examinations

August 12th, 2010

Today’s Guardian includes the following alarming  headline: ‘International GCSE offer rejected by the majority of state schools’. Jessica Shepherd’s report notes that only 16 state schools have signed up to teach IGCSEs from this autumn despite the fact that they are now  permitted to do so (after the announcement in June by the schools minister, Nick Gibb).

The report is midsleading in many ways. Only 16 schools have told the Cambridge board (CIE) that they will be offering the exams but Cambridge is not the only board offering IGCSE. Edexcel has designed a set of IGCSE specfications which are intended to be better suited to the needs of UK state schools. It is also a little too early to tell how many schools will offer IGCSE this autumn as there is no requirement to notify a board in advance and many are still making plans.

But the Guardian does not make the obvious point. State schools are in no position to offer IGCSE programmes because those programmes are not funded. Only when IGCSE courses are funded at the same level as GCSE courses will we see a large scale shift away from GCSE and towards IGCSE. The government has not yet told us whether (or when) IGCSE programmes will be funded. Until that happens, IGCSE will remain the preserve of the private sector. But the very fact that so many private schools intend to offer IGCSE this year is clear evidence that IGCSEs are seen as a better and more demanding preparation for A-levels and university courses.

Martin Ward, deputy general secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, has said that the low figure shows state school teachers have “clearly decided that there is no virtue in their pupils taking IGCSEs”. This is complete nonsense and he knows it. There are some schools where the teachers are aware of the IGCSE option who have decided that it would be too tough for most of their pupils and that it represents a risk to their GCSE rankings, but most have not considered IGCSE at all because of the absence of funding. A party divide has opened up on this issue and it is clear that the ASCL is toeing the Labour Party line.

But there are much wider issues at stake here. Should we compel state schools to deliver a National Curriculum which is carefully controlled by the government? Or should we trust exam boards and universities to set the exams that students, schools and universities want? IGCSEs are currently unregulated but there is no doubt that they are harder than GCSEs. If they become state-regulated, will exam boards start competing (as they have done with GCSE) to make them ever easier in order to attract a higher proportion of state schools? It may be some time before all these issues are satisfactorily settled.

Dr Nicholas Smith,

Principal, Oxford Open Learning

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IGCSE Exam Centres

July 15th, 2010

Oxford Open Learning now offers IGCSE (International GCSE) courses as well as GCSEs. It is important that IGCSE students are able to find test centres that will allow them to sit as Private or External Candidates for this exam.

All schools with Edexcel-registered test centres can now offer Edexcel IGCSE exams

Until recently, the only available exam centres were at private or independent schools, as the IGCSE qualification was not offered in state schools. However, the change in Government policy to allow schools in the state-maintained sector to offer IGCSEs from September means that this has now also changed.  Following clarification from Edexcel, the exam board that we use for IGCSEs, Oxford Open Learning is pleased to confirm that any school which is a registered Edexcel exam centre, and is also happy to accept external candidates, can now offer this exam to students without the centre being involved in additional expense or paperwork. Edexcel has provided us with the following statement:

“Private Candidates can be entered for IGCSEs through any registered Edexcel Centre in the normal way, provided that the Centre concerned is prepared to accept Private Candidates.”

Wider choice for Private Candidates

This is excellent news for our students, as over the years, Oxford Open Learning has developed a very extensive list of schools and colleges that are happy to accept our students as external candidates.  We are justly proud of the excellent and co-o0perative relationships we maintain with schools that provide test centre facilities to our students.

OOL’s unique exam service ready to assist its IGCSE students to register for exams

We see our examination service as a unique selling point that is not offered by any of our competitors. It gives our students a huge amount of valuable help and support at no extra cost. As a result, school exam officers recognize that our students are expertly and well supported and that, in contrast to Private Candidates from many other organisations, they do not generate a layer of extra work at a busy time. This can be of real value during the often stressful and time-consuming task of booking exams.

Jenny Booth

Exams Officer

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The value of distance learning to society

July 8th, 2010

In today’s Guardian, Jonathan Woolf reviews the history of distance learning in the UK and the article has been given the somewhat misleading heading:

‘Distance learning: good on costs, not so good for social cohesion’

The sub-heading is also an inaccurate summary of the article that follows:

‘The danger of distance learning is that it may make second-class citizens of students who choose it’

On the contrary, Woolf’s article celebrates much that is good in the history of open learning, notably the contribution of London University’s external degrees. As one who taught on one of these distance learning programmes (via Wolsey Hall, one of its long-lasting agents), I can vouch for their importance in helping learners, in a wide variety of personal situations, rise the social and academic ladder.

Nelson Mandela was one such student in an earlier era but by the 1980s, the London degrees were very much in decline, at least in the UK. The reason was simple – the programmes were not funded in the same way as the Open University. The latter’s operation was hugely subsidised by the state while London’s far-flung students were generally in receipt of no financial support at all and generally having to pay the full market rate for whatever teaching and textual support they could find. As far as HE distance learning was concerned, the Open University was granted a virtual monopoly and they have done a great job with that opportunity.

Social isolation is a relative term and these days distance learning is a much less isolated affair if only because technology enables easy and speedy contact between students who are geographically separated. Distance learners are encouraged by organisations like Oxford Home Schooling and Oxford Open Learning to integrate themselves into the wider community of learners and to share their learning experiences. There are chatrooms and blogs and virtual learning environments where friendships can be made and common interests shared.

Of course, the opportunities could be better still. We hope that the government will embrace the ethos of distance learning, and not just at a Higher Education level. At modest cost to the state, huge improvements could be made in the infratructure and affordability of distance learning and lead to a revival of the idea of lifelong learning.

Distance learning can help to make first class students of us all.

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Results Day

July 8th, 2010

Examination results day is always exciting, and often it can be a day of great celebration. However, for a few candidates there can be disappointment and in some cases, justified confusion. If you are an Oxford Open Learning student, then your Student Adviser can provide reassurance and help.

Private Candidates

External or Private Candidates are particularly vulnerable on results day as they are usually “on their own”, without the back-up of an exam officer and a set of teachers who know them well and can offer advice.  Also, exam officers are frantically busy with their own students at this time and may not be happy to explain things to someone who is not one of their own students.

If you are a Private Candidate, then unlike pupils in school, you will not already know your coursework mark and it will not be identified separately on your “Candidate Statement of Provisional Results”, otherwise known as your results slip. All you will see on results day is the overall grade that you have been awarded. This can be frustrating and confusing, particularly if you have not done as well as you expected. It is easy to become annoyed and frustrated, but there are things that you can do to gather more information.

What can you do?

Always look at the results slip carefully, since for Private Candidates, a common cause of a lower than expected grade is an administrative error at the exam board which means that your coursework mark may not have been included in your grade. If you see the hash symbol “#” next to the grade it means that part of your mark is missing. This is usually the coursework and (as long as you did your coursework and submitted it correctly) this can easily be rectified. You just need to calmly show your exam officer your results slip and explain that there is a problem indicated. If you are an Oxford Open Learning student, then your Student Adviser will also provide reassurance and help.

If there is not a hash symbol then unfortunately the chances are that you really did not do as well as you expected. In this case you need to stay calm and consider your options in consultation with other people, especially your tutor and/or Student Adviser. Please remain polite and always remember that it is not the exam officer’s fault, even though you may want to take your immediate frustration out on someone.

For most students everything goes well and results day is a great relief.  If it doesn’t then stay calm, there are people to turn to even though your exam officer may be very busy.

Good luck!

Jenny Booth

Exams Officer

Oxford Open Learning

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Are AS levels going to be scrapped?

July 5th, 2010

I don’t believe AS levels will be scrapped. The sensationalised headlines do not reflect the proposals that have currently been aired by Michael Gove, the new Education Secretary.

What Gove is suggesting is an alternative qualification for the more academic, university-bound student. Indeed, as he says, such an alternative already exists, in the form of the Cambridge pre-U, although it is available only in a small number of subjects and in a very small number of state schools. It is an invitation to other university-led institutions to put together rival qualifications, just as there are a number of rival boards for GCSE.

It is a broad hint that in the fullness of time, such alternative qualifications will not only be allowable in state schools but also funded in the same way as A-levels.  Until funding is in place, the take-up and public awareness of such qualifications will remain limited.

We have already seen the same government strategy applied to GCSE-level qualifications where it has already been announced that the IGCSE qualifications  shunned by the last government will now be acceptable in state schools. IGCSEs, e.g. those set by Edexcel,  will appeal to many schools because of their academic rigour and because they do not entail coursework. Coursework is very fiddly to administer and it is believed that coursework favours girls rather than boys so boys-only schools will be keen to adopt specifications that do not entail coursework.

Has the modularisation of A-levels also favoured girls and enabled them to overtake boys in terms of A-level achievement? While no alternatives exist, it is difficult to evaluate this theory. A bigger problem with modularisation has been the opportunity to re-take modules in order to get a better result. To many, a Grade C achieved at the third attempt is not really worth as much as a Grade C achieved after a single year of study, without any retakes, but there is no obvious mechanism to differentiate between the two. Certainly, universities would find it much easier to distinguish between candidates if they have all taken exams once only at the end of the course.

To many, IGCSEs are O-levels by another name and the new qualification proposed by Gove is a return to the old A-level system. Many educationalists see this as elitist and retrogressive but others will argue that after two decades of “dumbing down” in school qualifications, in order to keep students of widely varying ability in school to the age of 18, it is about time, we gave more able students the chance to prepare for university in a way that the universities themselves want.

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Distance learning is the way to go

July 2nd, 2010

Over the past year, the number of students entering the Open University between the ages of 17 and 25 has increased 36%.  So why has distance learning suddenly become so popular with younger learners?  While the cost and availability of univeristy and college education is now making it harder for many to gain a place, internet and mobile phone-savvy students are also alert to the accessibility of open learning. 

Changing Perceptions

A recent report in The Guardian focusses on changing perceptions of distance learning as a way of combining study and work.  While many university and college students combine study with a part-time job, new technologies now make it possible for open learning students to combine study with career development.  The difference is that where full-time students find themselves working at low paid jobs  to support their studies, those choosing to study by distance learning can combine this with a job that may also be the first step on their chosen career.  Distance learning students can combine their study with a career-orientated job and know that both will help them progress along their chosen career path without the sting in the tail of a student loan to pay off at the end.

New technologies

While most courses, whether in schools, colleges, universities or distance learning colleges still rely on traditional print-based materials as the basis of study, many now routinely incorporate online resources as part of their core materials.  Books, course folders, photocopies, hand-written notes, and downloadable files are still part of the foundation on which many courses are structured.  The attraction for many distance learning students, however, is the growing availability of online access to video tutorials (for example, on YouTube or iTunes); the ability to upload assignments and send these to tutors by messaging services built in to online classrooms, and the possibility of joining in online discussions with other students.  Many resources are now available online for listening and speaking another language: you can even record your homework orally and send it to your tutor by audio file! 

For many studying humanities subjects, the difference between traditional university courses and those available via open learning is getting narrower in everything except perhaps the cost.  On this, distance learners win hands down! For those studying vocational courses such as childcare, tourism, nursing, or business administration the ability to combine work and online study are, for many, proving more attractive than conventional routes to gaining qualifications.

Choosing Open Learning

The range of resources available online means that open learning students can be in contact with tutors and other students more easily; they can access course materials anywhere without having to carry heavy files around with them; and most importantly, they can fit their studies around their chosen career path.  Many more younger learners are now seeing the advantages of combining work and study in a cost-effective and manageable way as a better option than sinking heavily into student debt.

At Oxford Open Learning we offer many GCSE, IGCSE and A Level distance learning courses to help you get the grades you need to further your studies.  We combine traditional learning materials with online resources, offering a blended approach to learning that helps you make the most of your studies.  All our courses include the support of a tutor who is a fully qualified, experienced, teacher.  Contact us to see whether we can help you on your way.

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Different GCSE exams for different sexes?

June 22nd, 2010

The Guardian has reported that one of the country’s biggest exam boards is developing different GCSE courses for boys and girls or men and women.

The Assessment and Qualifications Alliance (AQA) is looking into creating a science GCSE with more coursework in it for females, and one which gave more weighting to exam marks for males. This idea has been debated at some length on the AQA blog for teachers and science specialists.

Studies suggest that girls perform better in coursework than boys, while boys do better in exams.

The courses in English, maths and science “could” be available from September next year. But there are a number of questions that would need addressing before that can happen.

Would a non-coursework version of the specification be open only to boys? This would be very unfair on those girls who felt it also offered them the best chance of higher grades. Such a restriction would, I think, be unjustifiable and possibly even illegal.

So any variant specifications will be open to all, but “targeted” at different groups. As coursework has always been hard to manage, mark and moderate fairly, and is becoming even more so with the introduction of controlled assessment, the fear is that, given the choice, very few schools would take the coursework option. Coursework would largely disappear.

This would fly in the face of decades of government education policy. Right now, every science GCSE must include controlled assessment and there are no exceptions even for distance learners and the home-educated. Will the government now bow to pressure and allow non-coursework Science GCSEs?

The situation is complicated by the fact that the new government has decided to allow IGCSEs to be taught in state schools. IGCSEs generally have coursework options but most candidates prefer the exam-only options. AQA does not have a range of IGCSE courses – they are only offered, at present, by AQA’s rivals, Edexcel and Cambridge. It is plain that AQA fears being left behind and wants to do within the GCSE system what their rivals are doing elsewhere.

Bill Alexander, AQA’s director of curriculum and assessment, told the Times Educational Supplement: “We could offer a route for boys that is very different to a route for girls.” But will the government agree to it?

John Bangs, head of education at the National Union of Teachers, said it was “extremely dangerous” to get into gender stereotyping. “There are lots of boys who like the investigative element of coursework as well,” he said. This is true but it is also possible that AQA are using the gender theory as a convenient excuse to justify the introduction of non-coursework GCSEs.

John Dunford, general secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, says it is a “wild generalisation” that boys do better in exams, while girls perform better in coursework, but that it has “more than a grain of truth” to it.

At Oxford Open Learning, we welcome the introduction of non-coursework GCSEs because controlled assessment has made GCSEs impossible for most, if not all, the students we support. But there have been enough changes to the educational system in recent years and most of all we are looking for clarity and stability.

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Wimbledon Hopefuls and Home Schooling

June 22nd, 2010

Wimbledon is upon us!  Here at Oxford Home Schooling, the sister company of Oxford Open Learning, we have a number of young high performance tennis players who are studying our KS3, GCSE and A level courses, hoping that they too will one day be Wimbledon players. As members of the LTA,  they receive a 10% discount on all our materials.

With high demands made upon their time, studying by distance learning is often the only option flexible enough to accommodate the players’ coaching commitments and tournament schedules, as well as being able to achieve formal academic qualifications. At some stage in their future, whether due to injury or retirement, it may be important to have qualifications to fall back on.

Currently 18 High Performance Centres (HPC’s) and 4 International HPCs such as Gosling Sports Park, Welwyn Garden City  provide a high quality performance training environment for players predominantly aged 16 and under. These ensure they have access to tools needed to fulfil their potential, which includes being able to combine education and full time tennis. There are also a number of Independent Tennis Academies that provide a combination of an intensive tennis programme and academic study.

Players often study through distance-learning programmes offered by Oxford Home Schooling/OOL. They may benefit from a dedicated study environment at the tennis centre, with sessions carefully structured into their weekly schedule. An academic mentor or manager may oversee the programme. The tennis players study the structured course materials (predominantly KS3, GCSE and IGCSE’s) provided by Oxford Home Schooling/OOL and will also have the advice and support of their subject based tutors, who can be contacted by telephone and email and who mark assignments on a regular basis. There is also ample support and guidance given on any coursework requirements and the examination procedures. Summer exams can prove difficult if they clash with tournaments, but IGCSE exams can also be taken in January.

Laura Robson has studied and taken her English GCSE through Oxford Home Schooling/OOL.

A number of other students who excel in specialist areas such as drama, dance, music, golf, swimming and showjumping, also study through Oxford Home Schooling or Oxford Open Learning as they do not have time to attend full time education. Distance learning offers them the most flexible option.

Sue Ray
Home Education Co-ordinator
Oxford Home Schooling
01865 798022
sue@ool.co.uk

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