GCSE General Studies Planning and Resources

GCSE General Studies continues to focus on important, interesting and relevant contemporary issues. This increasingly popular qualification:

develops thinking and functional skills
extends curriculum and PSHE Citizenship programmes
increases students' GCSE scores
encourages thinking across specialist subjects.

 

Specification

Amended due to
Changes to GCSEs.
Specification for exams from 2014 (571.4 KB)
Specification for last exams in 2013 (554.4 KB)
Past papers and mark schemes

 

Specification at a glance

The qualification is made up of 2 externally assessed units.

Unit 1 (4760) a written paper (25% of the qualification). Has questions assessing understanding of a pre-release Case Study a major on contemporary issue.

Unit 2 (47602) Objective test questions and a written paper (75% of the qualification) is split into 3 sections:

Section A: (25%) 30 Objective test questions testing data response/thinkingskills

Section B: (20%) Short and extended-answer responses based on stimulus material

Section C: (30%) Extended-answer responses related to stimulus material.

For assessments and subject awards after June 2013 there is a requirement that 100% of the assessment is terminal.

Lesson planning
Schemes of work (419.4 KB)
Summary of Changes to Content (411.4 KB)

Teaching guidance
Resource list (461.9 KB)
Summary of Key Features (98.0 KB)

Specimen papers

For new exams with no past papers, specimen papers show you what the exams will be like.
Unit 01 - Case Study: Specimen question paper (168.4 KB)
Unit 01 - Case Study: Specimen preliminary material June 2010 (2.2 MB)
Unit 01 - Case Study: Specimen mark scheme (183.7 KB)
Unit 02 - Objective test questions and written exam: Specimen mark scheme (209.3 KB)
Unit 02 - Objective test questions and written exam: Specimen mark scheme (141.8 KB)
Unit 02 - Objective test questions and written exam: Specimen question paper (674.9 KB)

Example answers

Candidate exemplar work and teacher support Meeting Materials: Teacher Resource Bank