Year 9 Summer Exam 2026 Topic List and Revision Guidance

General Examination Information

• Exam Dates: These will take place two weeks AFTER half term, specifically from the $8\text{th}$ to the $12\text{th}$ of June.
• Timetable and Attendance: During this period, you will be off-timetable and are required to come into school only to sit your exams. Your specific exam timetable will be delivered via email.
• Preparation: Students should aim to integrate revision time into their schedules immediately.
• Objectives: The purpose of these exams is to assess current knowledge, identify areas requiring further assistance, and provide practice for future public examinations.

Revision Top Tips

• Scheduling: Plan short revision sessions interspersed with breaks. Determine exactly when and what you will revise in advance.
• Active Revision: Use flashcards, mind maps, infographics, and doodles. Do not simply stare at notes; instead, practice questions.
• Goal Setting: Set achievable goals and revise in small sections at a time.
• Collaboration: Teach your friends to reinforce your understanding.
• Environment: Establish a designated study area equipped with all necessary study materials.
• Distractions: Avoid all distractions and put away your phone.
• Well-being: If you feel overly stressed, speak to your parents or your tutor.

Biology Topic List

Evolution

• Variation
• Natural selection
• Antibiotic resistance
• Fossils and Extinction
• Classification

Biochemistry

• Biological molecules
• Enzymes (including the required practical)
• Food tests (Required practical)

Cells and Membranes

• Eukaryotic cells (plants and animals)
• Microscopy required practical
• Prokaryotic cells
• Transport methods: diffusion, osmosis, and active transport

Cell Division

• DNA and chromosomes

Note: Information for every lesson is accessible on the GCSE Biology Scheme of Work (SoW) and Google Classroom.

Chemistry Topic List

1. Atomic Structure

• Structure of the atom and the history of the atom
• Ions and Isotopes
• Electronic structures
• Chemical equations
• Separating mixtures

2. Periodic Table

• Development of the periodic table
• Electronic structures and the periodic table
• Group $1$ and Group $7$
• Explaining trends
• Transition metals

3. Structure and Bonding

• States of matter
• Atoms into ions
• Ionic bonding and Giant ionic structures
• Covalent bonding
• Structure of simple molecules
• Graphene and Fullerenes
• Bonding in metals
• Nanotechnology
• Application of Nanoparticles

4. Chemical Changes - Reactivity of Metals

• Metal oxides
• The reactivity series
• Displacement reactions
• Extraction of metals using carbon

Computer Science Study List

Programming and Algorithms

• Conversions: Binary, denary, and Hexadecimal numbers and their conversions.
• Data types: Understand strings, numbers, and booleans.
• Variables: Declaring and initialising variables.
• Constructs:
  • Sequence: Executing instructions in a specific order.
  • Iteration: Repeating a set of instructions a specific number of times.
  • Repetition: Executing a set of instructions until a condition is met.
  • Selection: Using if statements, else statements, and else-if statements to select a path of execution.
• Logic: Logical operators (AND, OR, NOT), logic gates, and expressions.
• Documentation: Adding comments to code for clarity.
• Data structures: List, Array, and Table.
• Subroutines: Purpose of subroutines; difference between procedures and functions.
• Validation: Data validation and verification.
• Testing: Testing designs and programs; identifying types of errors in programming.
• Flowcharts: Producing algorithms using flow charts and being familiar with flow chart shapes.
• Searching Algorithms: Binary Search and Linear Search.
• Sorting Algorithms: Bubble, insert, and merge.
• Analysis: Algorithm efficiency, efficacy, and clarity.

Computer Hardware

• Classification: Components of a computer categorized by input, output, storage, and process.
• Peripherals: Function of camera, keyboard, microphones, monitor, mouse, scanner, headphones, speakers, and printer.
• Memory: Purpose of RAM and ROM.
• Storage: Purpose of secondary storage.

Online Safety

• Misinformation, Disinformation, and Malinformation
• Review of Year $7$ and Year $8$ content found on the Student Portal.

English Examination Structure

Duration: $60$ minutes

Assessment Format (Three Sections):

• Part 1: Answer a series of questions relating to texts studied this year ($10$ marks).
• Part 2: Analyze method within a specific extract in response to a prompt ($20$ marks).
• Part 3: Short creative writing task ($30$ marks).

Core Assessment: Writing skills and the ability to analyze methods. Top Tip: Listen and act upon the advice of your teacher.

Geography Topic List

Topic 1: Natural Hazards

• Plate tectonics theory.
• Global distribution of earthquakes and volcanic eruptions.
• Plate margins: constructive, destructive, and conservative.
• Tectonic Hazards: Primary and secondary effects; immediate and long-term responses.
• Risk Management: Reasons for living in at-risk areas; prediction, protection, and planning.
• Case Studies: Two contrasting earthquakes.

Topic 2: Urban Studies

• Urbanisation: Factors affecting rates, including migration (push-pull theory) and natural increase.
• Mega-cities: Use of the term and emergence.
• Case Studies: Lagos and London (location and regional, national, and international importance).
• Opportunities/Challenges: Social and economic factors in Lagos and London.
• Urban Improvement: Planning for the urban poor (e.g., The Makoko Floating School).
• Regeneration: Battersea Power Station project (reasons for need and main features).
• Sustainability: Features of sustainable urban living and traffic congestion reduction strategies in London.

Topic 3: Ecosystems and Tropical Environments

• Ecosystem Components: Interaction between biotic and abiotic components.
• Tropical Rainforests: Characteristics and animal/plant adaptations.
• Environmental Impact: Impacts of deforestation.
• Management: Sustainable management of rainforests.

Exam Details: One paper lasting $45$ minutes. Use Educake and the Boost Textbook for revision.

French Examination Guidance

Writing and Translations (45-minute written exam):

• Essay: Approximately $150$ words on weekend activities involving past, present, and future tenses. Must include opinions and justifications.
• Translation: A section based on all topics covered during the year.

Speaking Exam (4-5 minutes):

• Questions are shared in advance.
• Preparation: Write extended answers with opinions and justifications. Practice answers with a friend.

German Examination Guidance

Speaking Exam (Conducted in lessons before half-term):

• $4$ minutes duration.
• Selection from the oral topic question list.
• Tip: Learn marked oral answers by heart.

Writing and Translations (During exam week):

• Essay: Choice of one out of two $90$-word essays based on yearly topics. Prompts are in English with three bullet points.
• Translation: Covering all Y9 topics.

Course Content to Revise:

• Topics: Vorbilder, Musik, Meine Ambitionen, Die Kindheit.
• Grammar: Regular/irregular verbs; future, perfect, and imperfect tenses; accusative and dative cases; prepositions with cases; modal verbs; reflexive and separable verbs; "um … zu"; conditional; subordinating conjunctions (e.g., weil, da); usage of "when" (wenn, als, wann); comparatives and superlatives.

History Examination Guidance

Duration: $45$ minutes

Content: Essay Questions (EQs) $1$-$5$, including "Meanwhile, elsewheres."

Structure:

• Part A: $20$ substantive knowledge questions from Knowledge Organisers ($20$ marks).
• Part B: Narrative question based on a curricular theme of choice ($15$ marks).
• Part C: Mini essay on an EQ question (choice of $1$ from $2$) ($15$ marks).

Latin Examination Guidance

Duration: $45$ minutes

Material: All grammar and vocabulary up to and including Stage $27$.

Grammar Focus:

• Nouns, Verbs, Adjectives, Adverbs (basic endings).
• Participles, Subjunctives, "cum/ut" clauses, and Gerundives.

Paper Sections:

• Section A: Latin story for accurate translation into English.
• Section B: Comprehension questions.
• Language C: Grammar questions requiring identification of forms of speech.

Note: There is no background section. Use Memrise, Quizlet, and the Classics Website for revision.

Mathematics Topic List

Exam Format: Two $1$-hour papers (one non-calculator and one calculator).

Topics:

• Ratio and proportional reasoning
• Percentages
• Decimal Fractions
• Units
• Solving Simultaneous Equations (linear)
• Linear Inequalities
• Linear and Quadratic Sequences
• Factorising Quadratics
• Solving Quadratic Equations using factorising only
• Mathematical reasoning and proof
• Enlargement and Combined Transformations
• Trigonometry
• Similarity
• Loci
• Isometric Drawing and Elevations
• Arcs and sectors
• Probability

Required Equipment: Ruler, pencil, protractor, compasses, and a calculator (for Paper 2).

Music Examination Guidance

Section A: Listening

• Identification of key features of Minimalism, EDM, and The Blues.
• Pieces will be played during the exam.

Section B: Music Theory

• Treble and bass clef note names.
• Note durations and rests.
• Time signatures and key signatures.
• Chords and scales.

Physics Topic List

• Energy: Stores, transfers, and power.
• Resources: National and global energy resources; power stations.
• Waves: Transverse and longitudinal waves; the wave equation.
• Wave Properties: Reflection, refraction, dispersion, and diffraction.
• Advanced Waves: Electromagnetic waves; earthquakes.
• Optics and Cosmology: Lenses, ray diagrams, and colors; Doppler effect, redshift, and connections with cosmology (Subject to email clarification regarding extent).

Religious Philosophy (RP) Examination Guidance

Duration: $60$ minutes

Structure:

• Part 1 ($15$ mins): Multiple choice quiz on current year topics.
• Part 2 ($15$ mins): Medium-sized paragraph explaining a key argument or concept.
• Part 3 ($30$ mins): Long essay providing a clear argument for a question using year-long knowledge.

Units for Assessment:

• Is God Dead?
• Introduction to Normative Ethics
• Thinking and Reasoning Skills
• Holocaust

Spanish Examination Guidance

Reading and Writing (45-minute written exam):

• Essay: Approximately $90$ words covering free time activities, residency (where you live), sports, and weather. Opinions and justifications required.
• Reading: Comprehension exercises with answers in English.
• Translation: English to Spanish sentences based on vocabulary and grammar covered.

Speaking Exam (3 minutes):

• Questions are shared in advance.
• Required to write extended answers with opinions and justifications.