Secondary Science
All science GCSEs contain assessed practical elements, so home-educators opt for IGCSEs which are exam only. The general consensus from the parents, pupils and teachers I've spoken to is that IGCSE sciences exams are considerably tougher than their GCSE equivalents. This is a good or a bad thing depending on your perspective. It's good if you want your child to be challenged by something worthwhile and rigorous and prepare well for A level; it's bad if you just want him to get a qualification in science without having to put in too much effort. The exams wiki (see GCSE page) has a lot of information about sciences (textbooks, suggestions for practicals, places to buy resources cheaply - even reviews of microscopes so you don't waste your money). One word of advice: make sure that the textbook you buy either has all the answers in the back, or that you know where you can obtain them. My boys marked their own science work, but no matter who is marking (unless you happen to be a scientist yourself), you'll probably want to have the answers. If in doubt, ask about the specific book you are considering buying on the yahoo group (linked to in the GCSE section).
What about practicals?
Parents get very worried about how they can do all those essential practical experiments at home. I'd say two things about this.
First, you don't actually have to do any at all to do well in an exam (my two science-minded sons didn't bother, their rationale being, 'What's the point in doing an experiment that everyone already knows the outcome of?' I know, I'm horrifying science teachers across the land...). They can, anyway, watch just about every possible experiment on youtube, which can't be any worse than sitting at the back the of the class watchihg the teacher. If they've mucked about with a chemistry set from age 11, children pretty much know what the essential equipment is, how it works, the various safety considerations and how to conduct simple experiments.
Secondly, if you do want to do the experiments, you can. You can buy the materials online just as schools do (for example, some companies sell chemicals in small quantities for home-educators), and the equipment too. And since we are talking here about children of 14+, it seems reasonable to presume that they could manage quite well without your having to be on hand at all times. The point is, in my experience at least, consideration of practicals shouldn't put anyone off undertaking any science IGCSE.
Finally, as I mentioned on the main page, the CIE exam board stipulates an 'Alternative to Practical' paper in which an experiment needs to be described (materials, methods etc.). I'm assured by an experienced chemistry teacher from the local grammar school that this is actually more challenging than the actual GCSE practical, for which the pupils simply need to sit in as the experiments are done in a classroom setting.
All science GCSEs contain assessed practical elements, so home-educators opt for IGCSEs which are exam only. The general consensus from the parents, pupils and teachers I've spoken to is that IGCSE sciences exams are considerably tougher than their GCSE equivalents. This is a good or a bad thing depending on your perspective. It's good if you want your child to be challenged by something worthwhile and rigorous and prepare well for A level; it's bad if you just want him to get a qualification in science without having to put in too much effort. The exams wiki (see GCSE page) has a lot of information about sciences (textbooks, suggestions for practicals, places to buy resources cheaply - even reviews of microscopes so you don't waste your money). One word of advice: make sure that the textbook you buy either has all the answers in the back, or that you know where you can obtain them. My boys marked their own science work, but no matter who is marking (unless you happen to be a scientist yourself), you'll probably want to have the answers. If in doubt, ask about the specific book you are considering buying on the yahoo group (linked to in the GCSE section).
What about practicals?
Parents get very worried about how they can do all those essential practical experiments at home. I'd say two things about this.
First, you don't actually have to do any at all to do well in an exam (my two science-minded sons didn't bother, their rationale being, 'What's the point in doing an experiment that everyone already knows the outcome of?' I know, I'm horrifying science teachers across the land...). They can, anyway, watch just about every possible experiment on youtube, which can't be any worse than sitting at the back the of the class watchihg the teacher. If they've mucked about with a chemistry set from age 11, children pretty much know what the essential equipment is, how it works, the various safety considerations and how to conduct simple experiments.
Secondly, if you do want to do the experiments, you can. You can buy the materials online just as schools do (for example, some companies sell chemicals in small quantities for home-educators), and the equipment too. And since we are talking here about children of 14+, it seems reasonable to presume that they could manage quite well without your having to be on hand at all times. The point is, in my experience at least, consideration of practicals shouldn't put anyone off undertaking any science IGCSE.
Finally, as I mentioned on the main page, the CIE exam board stipulates an 'Alternative to Practical' paper in which an experiment needs to be described (materials, methods etc.). I'm assured by an experienced chemistry teacher from the local grammar school that this is actually more challenging than the actual GCSE practical, for which the pupils simply need to sit in as the experiments are done in a classroom setting.