Produced in 2003, these performance descriptors for chemistry science subjects at AS and A2 levels were written to indicate the level of attainment characteristic of grades A/B and E/U boundary candidates across a series of assessment objectives. It was intended that they should be interpreted in relation to the...

Produced in 2007, these performance descriptors for science subjects at AS and A2 levels were written to indicate the level of attainment characteristic of grades A/B and E/U boundary candidates across a series of assessment objectives. It was intended that they should be interpreted in relation to the content...

This publication is a report from the Leading Space Education Programme (LSEP). This is a Science and Technology Facilities Council (STFC) funded project that has worked with 30 schools in England with the aim of enhancing science, technology, engineering and mathematics education in secondary schools and using...

This set of subject criteria were produced by the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority in 2006 for Awarding Bodies to produce AS and A level science subject specifications, in biology, chemistry, physics, psychology, geology, electronics and environmental science.

AS and A level subject criteria are...

A set of resources that can be used by career advisers, science teachers and parents to help give guidance to students about subject choices suitable for pursuing a career in the pharmaceutical industry.

Getting experience - Recruiters usually look for people to have had some exposure to the...

Alison Foster has combined her education in Chemistry with her love of plants to engage in some exciting projects at the University of Oxford Botanic Gardens. This Catalyst article gives a profile of her career choices, and introduces a public engagement activity called Chemistry in the Garden.

Alison began...

Dr Claire Cousins and Mark Fox-Powell explain how scientists look at life that exists in extreme environments on Earth, to see what kind of life scientists might see on the surface of Mars.  This knowledge helps scientists plan the best target for a rover.

Professor Cockell takes us through the astrobiology...

The Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry (ABPI) has produced a set of resources presenting work-related learning in the context of how science is used in the pharmaceutical industry. It has a wealth of information about 'how science works' to support GCSE and A level science and applied science...

Astrobiologist Dr. Lewis Dartnell talks from the Atacama Desert about a research trip to find extremophiles that might give scientists some clues as to the kind of life that may exist on the surface of Mars.  Lewis shows how quartz can act as a natural sunscreen to enable cyanobacteria to grow in the dry desert...

A collection of ten videos describing Aurora's mission to Mars. The topics covered in the films include:

• Why we explore: the film explains the...

Dr. Mark Woods explains how the rover technologies must be partly autonomous, since the signals from Earth to Mars take too long for every command to be send from Earth.  The technologies developed for space, also have applications on Earth.

This video is part of a series of ten which look at the one of the...

This Catalyst article presents the work of three chemists - Martin Karplus, Michael Levitt and Arieh Warshel - who won the 2013 Nobel Prize for Chemistry. Their work allowed the development of complex computer models of compounds and reactions.

The article is from Catalyst: Secondary Science Review 2014,...

This Biochemical Society careers resource is aimed at students and provides an overview of the impact of biochemistry on other areas of science, a description of what biochemistry is and an illustration of the range of organisations which employ biochemists.

There is also a description of the types of...

This Catalyst article investigates biomimetics and discovers how scientists are finding ways of copying ideas from nature to improve products. The article is from Catalyst: Secondary Science Review 2015, Volume 26, Issue...

From the National Non-Food Crops Centre (NNFCC), these two podcasts explore a range of applications and issues in the biorenewables sector. They are primarily aimed at a commercial audience but may be of use to teachers who want to gain a better understanding of plant-derived materials or, when used in part, as...