Students who require a grade 9-4 and/or wish to increase their GCSE profile in order to progress to further study or in their chosen career
Hartlepool College realises that motivation to succeed is far more important than academic achievement in studying part-time courses, and so there are no formal requirements for studying a GCSE course.
However, entry will be subject to a short informal interview to determine your motivation together with previous experience and/or academic achievement, and in some cases this may also include a pre-course assessment if required. If we feel that a GCSE is too big a step then we will advise you regarding a more appropriate course of study.
- English - there are opportunites to explore, read and produce a variety of text types (including fiction and media texts) with two final exams in May/June.
- Maths - Number, Algebra, Geometry and Measure, Statistics and Probability.
A variety of methods will be used depending upon the topics being studied. These will include classroom teaching, practical activities, group work, independent study and online activities.
GCSE English Language is assessed through two end of year exams:
- Paper 1: Explorations in Creative Reading and Writing - this is split into two sections: Section A assesses reading skills (50% of the paper) and Section B assesses descriptive/narrative writing (50% of the paper);
- Paper 2: Writers' Viewpoints and Perspectives - this exam is also split into two sections: Section A again assesses reading skills (50% of the paper) and Section B assesses writing to present a viewpoint (50% of the paper).
There is also a Spoken Language component, but this does not count towards the final grade.
Mathematics
- Mathematics is assessed by two formal external examinations taken at the end of the year
Further academic study, Level 3 vocational qualifications and progression within employment.
These are two year full-time courses delivered in one year.