tasks to be completed by September 2023
To ensure you make the best possible start to year 12 it would be useful if you could complete the tasks below and bring these to your first lesson back after the holidays. The tasks I have set will be the starting point for your project next term and will form your primary research for our experimental drawing week in September.
Project theme: ‘Formations and Mark Making’
Task One: Create a mind map linked to the theme ‘Formations and Mark Making’ use my Pinterest board to help support you with your ideas. https:// www.pinterest.co.uk/c_syrett/formations/
Task Two: Take 20 good quality, well edited photos of ‘Formations’.
Task Three: Create one A4 best quality tonal pencil drawing related to these themes.
Task Four: Create on A5 pen study based on your photos of formations.
More information can be found in Art resources on Firefly: https://sibford. fireflycloud.net/art/a-level-transition-booklet-/a-level-transition-2023
Extension
If you have the opportunity please visit a gallery or museum to support your studies, take photo, make sketches and write brief notes on your visit this can be created into a double sketchbook page in September.
Pre-course tasks to be completed by September
2023
• Grade 7 or above preferred in GCSE Biology or in Combined Science. (Grade 6s will be considered on an individual basis) and at least a Grade 6 in GCSE Mathematics and English.
• Consolidate work from GCSE Biology – read through the following topics, making a list of questions for concepts you are unsure of;
- Pathogens & Disease
- The Heart
- Lungs and Cystic Fibrosis
- Transport methods (Diffusion, Osmosis, Active Transport)
- Enzymes
• Read two of the books/articles below, and then write a book review (one side of A4) for the one you enjoyed the most.
Required reading
• Look at the A level Biology page on Firefly or go to https://www. sibfordschool.co.uk/sixth-form/sixth-form-curriculum/sixth-formpreparation-summer-2023.
• Familiarise yourself with the Year 12 units you will be taught next year.
Recommended reading
• Any scientific journals, (Biological Science Review, New Scientist,Nature)
• ‘A Short History of Nearly Everything’
- Bill Bryson
• ‘The Selfish Gene’- Richard Dawkins
• ‘Genome’ - Matt Ridley
• ‘Diversity of Life’ - E. O. Wilson
• ‘Seven Daughters of Eve’- Bryan Sykes
• ‘Amazing Tour of the Human Anatomy’ - Robert Winston
There are three components of the Year 12 course, outlined as follows:
1. Paper 1 – ‘Lifestyle, Transport, Genes and Health’ (Topics 1 & 2).
2. Paper 2 – ‘Development, Plants and the Environment’ (Topics 3 & 4).
3. Core Practicals (8 core practicals in Year 12).
Each of these components provides the foundation for the topics and core practicals that follow in Year 13. The content from Topics 1-4 will be assessed during Year 12 by means of two internal exams.
There are three components of the A2 course, outlined as follows:
1. Paper 1 – ‘Lifestyle, Transport, Genes and Health’ (Topics 1-6).
2. Paper 2 – ‘Development, Plants and the Environment’ (Topics 1-4 & 7&8).
3. Paper 3 – ‘General and Practical Applications in Biology’ (Topics 1-8 plus a prereleased article 8 weeks before the exam).
4. Core Practicals (8 core practicals in A2 - 16 in total including the 8 from Year 12).
Paper 1, Paper 2 and Paper 3 are each worth 33.3% of your A2 Biology grade. These are externally assessed. The exam board for Biology is Edexcel – we follow the Salters Nuffield A syllabus.
Pre-course tasks to be completed by September
2023
Select a marketing advertising campaign of your choice e.g. NIKE, M&S, Costa coffee and write a 500 word report based on the following:
• What is the campaign about?
• What is the marketing message to the customer?
• What product is being sold/promoted?
• What is the business hoping to achieve through this marketing activity?
• What is significant about the colour/language/imagery used in the campaign?
• Where is the campaign seen and by who?
Required reading
Familiarise yourself with the Edexcel examination board website. Read through the course specification: BTEC National Level 3 Extended Certificate in Business
• Unit 1: Exploring Business
• Unit 2: Developing a Marketing Campaign
• Unit 3: Personal and Business Finance
• Unit 8: Recruitment and Selection
Subscribe to tutor2U at www.tutor2u.net
Recommended reading
• Business/Economics review found on Firefly in the library section
• Firefly – BTEC Level 3 Business Studies webpage
• The economist
• BBC News: Business section
Pre-course tasks to be completed by September
2023
• Preferred average working at grade of a 7 or above in GCSE Chemistry or Combined Science (Grade 6 will be considered on an individual basis) and at least a grade 6 in GCSE mathematics.
• Go through GCSE work to make sure you are confident with the topics below. Make a list of the things you are not sure of.
Required reading
• Read and complete the exercises in ‘Head Start to A level Chemistry (CGP A level Chemistry)’.If you have any difficulties, go back to your GCSE notes. Focus particularly on:
• - The structure of the atom in terms of Protons, Neutrons and Electrons
- Bonding types and properties of substances
- Moles including calculations
- Balancing equations
- Organic Chemistry: Alkenes, Alkanes, Alcohols, Carboxylic Acids and Polymers
Recommended reading Try to read one of the following books (or another general science book if you find one that looks interesting):
• ‘A Short History of Nearly Everything’ - Bill Bryson
• ‘From Atoms to Infinity ’ - Mary and John Gribbin
• ‘Mendeleyev’s Dream’- Paul Strathern
• Any relevant magazines and journals such as Science Focus, New Scientist or Catalyst Magazine
We follow the Edexcel Chemistry course at A level.
Assessment is as follows:
• Paper 1: Advanced Inorganic and Physical Chemistry (30% of the A level grade)
• Paper 2: Advanced Organic and Physical Chemistry (30% of the A level grade)
• Paper 3: General and Practical Principles in Chemistry (40% of the A level grade)
• Practical Endorsement in Chemistry
Pre-course tasks to be completed by September
2023
It would be helpful to familiarize yourself with the fundamentals for Computer Science at GCSE level, if you have not studied the subject previously.
Recommended watching Watch BBC Click on iPlayer, for information about developing and new technology.
Required summer work
Complete a beginner’s Python course online. There are many to choose from, such as FreeCodeCamp.
Watch the Royal Institution Christmas Lectures by Chris Field from 2008. This will help you develop a context for changes in technology, and why they happen. There are 5 lectures at around 35 minutes each.
Pre-course tasks to be completed by September 2023
Focus is COVID - 19 and the impact on the UK economy.
1. Focus is on the current cost of living crisis. (See below for more guidance)
Recommended reading
• Copies of ‘The Economist’ will be very useful to you as will financial sections of broadsheet newspapers (for example The Guardian, The Times, The Telegraph or the Independent). Make a note on any key things you find from reading these.
• Awareness of the AQA economics website is crucial.
• Make use of Firefly (Economics webpage) for further support.
Required summer work
1.Write a short report (3/4 pages) summarising the current cost of living crisis which includes current food inflation, the energy crisis, and the current impeding mortgage crisis. In your report you should focus on the causes, current impact and government intervention to address the issues. Support your report with relevant research from institution such as the ONS (Office for National Statistics), IFS (Institute of Fiscal Studies), OBR (Office for Budget Responsibility), news reports, podcasts and any other sources that are credible and trustworthy. Please use diagrams, graphs, pictures, data and pictures to enrich your report. Try to explain and draw conclusions by using relevant research that supports your arguments throughout. There is no right or wrong answer, this assignment is designed to help you achieve a comprehensive understanding of several variables that are contributing to the current economic landscape.
2. Look at the AQA Economics Specification (code 7131) and organise a lever arch file with file dividers or set up an electronic folder with all relevant topics and subchapters.
3. Student also needs to find out what the 4 assessment outcomes are and write them down on the inside of their lever arch file.
Pre-course tasks to be completed by September
2023
Make research notes on the following to submit in your first lesson:
• Tragedy as a genre – Greek/Classical/Shakespeare/Modern/Domestic
• Aristotle’s Poetics
• Victorian (around 1890) society – education, the role of women, poverty, rural and urban lifestyles
• A sense of what ‘Romantic’ poetry means
Required reading
Read these texts, make ‘initial thoughts’ notes ready for September: (if necessary, see your teacher for exact details before the summer holidays)
• Othello/King Lear by William Shakespeare (The New Cambridge Shakespeare, updated)
• Any poetry by Keats, Hardy
• Tess of the D’Urbervilles by Thomas Hardy (Penguin Classics recent edition)
• The Crucible by Arthur Miller (any edition – this is a ‘warm-up’ text)
• The Glass Menagerie by Tennessee Williams ( ditto – ‘warm-up’)
Recommended reading
You should read as widely as possible from a variety of different time periods and genres. There is a SUGGESTED reading list on Sibford School’s Firefly site
– go to the ‘Library and Research’ tab, look for ‘Reading Lists’, then ‘ Year 12 Reading List ’, or at https://www.sibfordschool.co.uk/sixth-form/sixth-formcurriculum/sixth-form-preparation-summer-2023
Anything that particularly interests you from the following recommendations would also be good:
• ‘All My Sons’ & ‘A View from the Bridge’ by Arthur Miller
• ‘Hamlet’, ‘Macbeth’, ‘Titus Andronicus’, ‘King Lear’, by William Shakespeare
• ‘Saturday’ & ‘On Chesil Beach’ by Ian McEwan
• ‘A Thousand Splendid Suns’ by Khaled Hosseni
• ‘The Reluctant Fundamentalist’ by Moshin Hamid
• ‘Invisible Man’ by Ralph Ellison
• ‘The Handmaid’s Tale’ by Margaret Atwood
• ‘Their Eyes Were Watching God’ by Zora Neale Hurston
• ‘Heart of Darkness’ by Joseph Conrad
• ‘Jane Eyre’ by Charlotte Bronte
• ‘A Doll’s House’ by Ibsen
• Poetry by Byron, Wordsworth, Shelley, Blake
• ‘Case Histories’ by Kate Atkinson
Pre-course tasks to be completed by September 2023
Recommended activities
You should already have covered all the grammatical structures at an Intermediate/B1/B2 level. It would be a good idea to revisit this grammar before starting your 6th form studies. I would recommend working through English Grammar in Use by Raymond Murphy to fill any gaps you may have.
You should have reached the level now where language progression involves many fun activities. Make sure you do some or preferably all of the following every week:
• read in English for pleasure. Choose a writer you enjoy and read the novel in English
• keep up with current affairs by listening to the news in English
• watch as many films and TV series as you can (with or without subtitles)
Make use of the following websites:
• https://learnenglish.britishcouncil.org
• https://elt.oup.com/student/headway/upperintermediate
Pre-course tasks to be completed by September
2023
Log into or register with Futurelearn and complete the free online course. The course is designed to help students prepare for the EPQ qualification.
How to Succeed in Your EPQ: the Nuts and Bolts of Completing Your Project: How to do an EPQ - Online Course (futurelearn.com)
The online course covers:
• Reasons to do an EPQ
• The research process
• What the assessors are looking for in an EPQ
• Writing the project report
• Finding and evaluating sources
• Time management
• Doing your EPQ presentation
• Bringing your project together
Pre-course tasks to be completed by September
2023
• Register and complete the Food Standards Agency free online allergy training course: Food Standards Agency food allergy online training
• Identify an article from the website below, evaluate the article giving your thoughts to the reasons and consequences of the topic being in the news, we will discuss these topics at the start of term: https://www. foodmanufacture.co.uk.
Pre-course tasks to be completed by September 2023
• Download BBC news app (or something equivalent).
• Find articles relating to DISEASE over the course of the summer.
• Summarise and save these articles in following headings: ‘Spread of Disease’ & ‘Management of Disease’.
• In particular, look at the following diseases: Malaria, HIV, & Diabetes (although you can look at others).
Pre-course tasks to be completed by September 2023
• For the first lesson back after the summer holidays you must have written a fact file on the NILE DELTA.
• You must include information about:
1. The location (including a map)
2. Formation of Delta
3. Physical characteristics of the Nile Delta
4. Landforms of the Nile Delta
5. Causes of high erosion in the Nile Delta
Pre-course tasks to be completed by September
2023
AQA History (7042)
Component 1C: The Tudors: England 1485-1603
Core textbook: Oxford AQA History The Tudors: England 1485-1603
• Listen to a Tudor podcast from History Hit or Not Just the Tudors –summarise 5 key points from the podcast.
• Create an information leaflet on Henry VII – make a note of where you got your information from.
Component 2N: Revolution and Dictatorship: Russia, 1917-1953
Core textbook: Oxford AQA History Revolution and Dictatorship: Russia, 1917-1953
• Create a booklet on Karl Marx, Socialism and Communism - make a note of where you got your information from
• Watch this documentary on YouTube: Last of the Czars: Last of the Czars - 01 - Nicky and Alix (1996) - YouTube.
Recommended reading / viewing
Component 1C: The Tudors: England 1485-1603
• A History of Britain DVD – S Schama
• Tudor Fiction series by Phillipa Gregory
• Wolf Hall, Bring up the Bodies or the Mirror and the Light by Hilary Mantel
• Winter King: The Dawn of Tudor England by Thomas Penn
Component 2N: Revolution and Dictatorship: Russia, 1917-1953
• One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich by Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn
• Revolutionary Russia, 1891-1991 by Orlando Figes – Chapter 1
• S Montefiore, Stalin, The Court of the Red Tsar, Phoenix, 2003
• Doctor Zhivago by Boris Pasternak book/film
Pre-course tasks to be completed by September
2023
• GCSE grade 6 standard in Mathematics is required, though a 7 or above is preferred (and recommended). The A level course will be extremely challenging (and perhaps not possible) if a grade 7 level of understanding or above is not achieved at GCSE.
• Students wishing to study Further Mathematics are advised that a grade 8 standard or above is desirable.
• Students must have completed as much of the ‘Head Start to A level Maths’ pack as necessary. This can be found at: https://www. sibfordschool.co.uk/sixth-form/sixth-form-curriculum/sixth-formpreparation-summer-2023. An exam will be given approximately two weeks into the course which will test whether students have understood the work from the pack and will enable us to gauge the appropriateness of the course for each student.
• MyMaths.co.uk can also be used to assist the reviewing of GCSE materials.
• It is important to remember that at A level, much of the work deemed to be ‘7 or above’ at GCSE becomes a standard expectation, so reviewing using the ‘Head Start to AS Maths’ pack towards the end of the summer holidays is essential.
• The new A level course requires a specific kind of calculator (the GCSE ones are in general not high enough spec). We will provide this at the beginning of the course so that everyone has the same version, so please do not feel that you need to get one in advance.
• Those taking Further Mathematics need to appreciate that not all the combinations of subject options will be available. The options will need to support the strengths of the majority of the class and will be finalised in September.
Pre-course tasks to be completed by September 2023
Research and prepare a short presentation (no more than 10 slides) or poster on one of the following:
• A favourite scene/s from a film or television series
• A film director of your choice
• A film festival in the UK or abroad
• A career that interests you in the media world (film)
• A media organisation of your choice (BBC, Sky, BBFC)
Suggested visits
• BFI British Film Institute in London, Southbank
• National Media Museum, Bradford
• BBC studios Media City, Salford or Birmingham – need to book online
Useful equipment and reading
A pair of comfortable headphones (no need for expensive ones) labelled The Digital Filmmaking Handbook (Brindle) Quercus £4.99 (Book People)
Ideally but not essential:
Your own 32GB high quality SD card for filming (labelled)
Your own 32/64GB USB memory stick (labelled)
Useful additional reading: Making Short Films: The Complete Guide from Script to Screen (Thurlow) Bloomsbury
In addition, if you have completed any practical work for GCSE media or as your own project, please bring this with you to the first lesson you attend.
Pre-course tasks to be completed by September
2023
Welcome to Photography! To ensure you make the best possible start to year 12 it would be useful if you could complete the tasks below and bring these to your first lesson back after the holidays. The tasks I have set will be the starting point for your project next term and will form your primary research.
Task One: Explore the basic formal elements that are used in all imagery following the guidance and tasks in the summer project task booklet.
Task Two: These formal elements include: COLOUR, SHAPE, LINE, TEXTURE, VALUE, LIGHT, TONE, SHAPE AND FOCUS. To get you thinking about these different areas we have outlined what they are and then set you 7 tasks that explore these different areas in a creative way;
1.The colour wheel
2.Photographic collage
3.In the style of….
4.Photographic Alphabet
5.Close up textures
6.Andreas Feininger
7.Forced perspective
More information can be found in Art resources on Firefly: https://sibford. fireflycloud.net/art/a-level-transition-booklet-/a-level-transition-2023
Extension If you have the opportunity please visit a gallery or museum to support your studies, take photo, make sketches and write brief notes on your visit this can be created into a double sketchbook page in September.
Pre-course tasks to be completed by September
2023
• Preferred grade of a 7 or above in GCSE Physics or Combined Science (Grade 6 will be considered on an individual basis) and at least a grade 6 in GCSE mathematics.
• Consolidate work from GCSE Physics, particularly: Waves and the Electromagnetic spectrum, Forces, Electricity. Websites such as ‘Pass My Exams’ are good for this: http://www.passmyexams.co.uk/GCSE/physics/ index.html.
• A handy Physics Pocket guide is available alongside many other resources from the Institute of Physics website: www.iop.org/education/school-andcollege-students#gref.
Required reading
• New Scientist magazine or Physics Review (available of the library resources tab on Firefly. or at https://www.sibfordschool.co.uk/sixth-form/ sixth-form-curriculum/sixth-form-preparation-summer-2023)
• One of the following popular Science books:
- ‘The Big Bang’ by Simon Singh
- ‘A Short History of Nearly Everything Parts I - III’ by Bill Bryson
Recommended reading
• Work through the Student Maths Support pdf from Edexcel – See Physics Firefly page or https://www.sibfordschool.co.uk/sixth-form/sixth-formcurriculum/sixth-form-preparation-summer-2023
The exam board for A level Physics is Edexcel. There are four assessment components to the A level course.
• Paper 1 Advanced Physics I (worth 30% of the A level grade). This covers topics in Mechanics, Electricity, Fields and Particles Physics.
• Paper 2 Advanced Physics II (worth 30% of the A level grade) This covers topics in Materials, Waves, Oscillations, Thermodynamics, Nuclear Radiation and Space.
• Paper 3 All topics and Practical Principles (worth 40% of the A level grade)
• Core Practicals (PASS noted on your A2 Certificate)
Pre-course tasks to be completed by September
2023
• 30% of the AS/A level music examination is a recital performance. The summer break is a great time to spend some time exploring and discovering new pieces that you would like to play. What are your musical goals for the next two years?
• List the pieces you are studying / want to study / learn
• 30% of the A level examination is composing. Have fun developing your ideas and trying out your ideas. You set your own brief for the first composition.
• Enjoy getting to know this set repertoire. These pieces are the chosen set works/albums for the next 2 years. The more background knowledge you have the better, it is an exciting journey.
• You can find performances of these pieces on Youtube, listen to different versions too!
Area of Study 1: Instrumental Music of Haydn, Mozart and Beethoven
• 2024 Beethoven: Piano Concerto No. 4 in G major, Op. 58, first movement.
• 2025 Haydn: Symphony No. 103 in E flat major, ‘Drum Roll’ (1795), first and second movements.
• Area of Study 2: Popular Song: Blues, Jazz, Swing and Big Band
• 2024 Mel Tormé: Mel Tormé Swings Schubert Alley (1960): (i) ‘Too Close For Comfort’, (ii) ‘On The Street Where You Live’, (iii) ‘Too Darn Hot’, (iv) ‘Lonely Town’.
• 2025 Cécile McLorin Salvant: For One To Love (2015): (i) ‘Wives And Lovers’, (ii) ‘The Trolley Song’, (iii) ‘What’s The Matter Now?’, (iv) ‘Le Mal De Vivre’.
Pre-course tasks to be completed by September
2023
• Choose a research article from a reputable journal related to a specific topic of interest in psychology.
• Read the article carefully, highlighting key points, research methods, and findings.
• Conduct a content analysis by categorizing and summarizing the main themes, variables, and conclusions presented in the article.
• Evaluate the strengths and limitations of the study and consider its implications for the field.
Recommended reading
There are hundreds of textbooks and research journals about different areas of psychology. A link with some suggestions can be found here:
• https://www.sibfordschool.co.uk/sixth-form/sixth-form-curriculum/sixthform-preparation-summer-2023
Sociology is the study of human social life. There are many different aspects of Sociology, so you must be curious and attentive to looking at the world in a different way!
Look at this photograph; not everything is as it seems! There is usually another way of looking at things – and that is what we do as sociologists.
We take normal, taken-for-granted life and turn it upside down, looking for meanings. And very often we end up seeing things very differently. The social world is changing. Some argue it is growing, others say it is shrinking. The important point to grasp is that society does not remain static over time; it constantly changes - through decades and centuries and across countries, societies.
Pre-course tasks to be completed by September 2023
TASK 1: Watch the following for an introduction to Sociology:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YnCJU6PaCio
TASK 2:
Some sociologists argue that individuals are like moulded like putty and formed by institutions and structures in our society - like schools, religion and our families. Others argue that there are decisions we make that are driven by our own internal motivations. These behaviours come from within us. This act of free-will is called agency. Sometimes we can challenge and oppose structures, and in this way we help construct a part of our identity.
Does society create us as individuals, or do we create society? Write up your response.
1. You should consider points that go for and against the question.
2. You should offer evidence and examples. 3/ You should come to a clear conclusion.
Pre-course tasks to be completed by September 2023
1. Create a model of the skeleton and label all of the bones that you need to know for your syllabus. Be creative in your design and bring it to the first lesson back.
Axial skeleton
• Cranium
• Sternum
• Ribs
Appendicular skeleton
• Scapula
• Clavicle
• Humerus
• Radius
• Vertebral column – to include cervical/thoracic/lumbar/sacrum/coccyx
• Ilium
• Tibia
• Ulna
• Carpals
• Metacarpals
• Phalanges
• Ischium
• Pubis
• Femur
• Patella
• Fibula
• Tarsals
• Talus
• Metatarsals
2. It will really help you to learn early on all the muscles that you are expected to know for this course. These are listed below:
• Deltoid
• Latissimus dorsi
• Pectoralis major
• Trapezius
• Teres major
• Biceps brachii
• Triceps brachii
• Radio-ulnar
• Pronator teres
• Supinator muscle
• Rectus abdominus
• Erector spinae group
• Internal and external obliques
• Iliopsoas
• Gluteus maximus
• Gluteus medius
• Gluteus minimus
• Adductor longus
• Adductor brevis
• Vastus medialis
• Vastus intermedius
• Vastus lateralis
• Biceps femoris
• Semimembranosus
• Semitendinosus
• Tibialis anterior
• Gastrocnemius
• Soleus
• Wrist flexors
• Wrist extensors
• Adductor magnus
• Rectus femoris
For each one learn where it is as well as its function (what action it performs). These will be tested during the first week back.
For your chosen sport research the following: 1. Identify and describe the skills, tactics and fitness requirements for your sport. 2. Identify the main coaching points and the progressive practices for at least 3 skills in your chosen sport. 3. Observe a coach and identify what their strengths and weaknesses are. Explain what could the differently and how this would progress the session further.
Produce your work in a written report ready to hand in the first week back.
tasks to be completed by September
2023
Welcome to Textiles! To ensure you make the best possible start to year 12 it would be useful if you could complete the tasks below and bring these to your first lesson back after the holidays. The tasks I have set will be the starting point for your project next term and will form your primary research for our experimental drawing week in September.
Project theme: ‘Formations and Mark Making’
Task One: Create a mind map linked to the theme ‘Formations and Mark Making’ use my Pinterest board to help support you with your ideas. https:// www.pinterest.co.uk/c_syrett/formations/.
Task Two: Take 20 good quality, well edited photos of ‘Formations’
Task Three: Create one A4 best quality tonal pencil drawing related to these themes
Task Four: Create on A5 pen study based on your photos of formations. More information can be found in Art resources on Firefly: https://sibford. fireflycloud.net/art/a-level-transition-booklet-/a-level-transition-2023.
Extension
If you have the opportunity please visit a gallery or museum to support your studies, take photo, make sketches and write brief notes on your visit this can be created into a double sketchbook page in September.
