Stage 7

Stage 7 Cambridge Lower Secondary Checkpoint Physics :

●​ Forces and energy

●​ Describe changes in energy that are a result of an event or process.
●​ Know that energy tends to dissipate and in doing so it becomes less
useful.
●​ Describe gravity as a force of attraction between any two objects and
describe how the size of the force is related to the masses of the
objects.
●​ •Understand that there is no air resistance to oppose movement in a
vacuum.
●​ Describe the vibration of particles in a sound wave and explain why
sound does not traveling a vacuum.
●​ •Explain echoes in terms of the reflection of sound waves.
●​ Use a simple model to describe electricity as a flow of electrons
around a circuit.
●​ • Describe electrical conductors as substances that allow electron
flow and electrical insulators as substances that inhibit electron flow.
●​ Know how to measure the current in series circuits.
●​ • Describe how adding components into a series circuit can affect the
current (limited to addition of cells and lamps).
●​ Use diagrams and conventional symbols to represent, make and
compare circuits that include cells, switches, lamps, buzzers and
ammeters.

Stage 7 Cambridge Lower Secondary Checkpoint Chemistry :

●​ Materials and their structure

●​ Understand that all matter is made of atoms, with each different type
of atom being a different element.
●​ Know that the Periodic Table presents the known elements in an
order.
●​ Know metals and non-metals as the two main groupings of
elements.
●​ Describe the differences between elements, compounds and
mixtures, including alloys as an example of a mixture.
●​ Describe a vacuum as a space devoid of matter.
 ●​ Use the particle model to represent elements, compounds and
mixtures.
●​ Understand that all substances have chemical properties and
physical properties.
●​ Understand that the acidity or alkalinity of a substance is a chemical
property and is measured by pH.
●​ Use indicators (including Universal Indicator and litmus) to
distinguish between acidic,alkaline and neutral solutions.
●​ Use tests to identify hydrogen, carbon dioxide and oxygen gases.
●​ Describe common differences between metals and non-metals,
referring to their physical properties.
●​ Understand that alloys are mixtures that have different chemical and
physical properties from the constituent substances.
●​ Use the particle model to explain the difference in hardness between
pure metals and their alloys.
●​ Identify whether a chemical reaction has taken place through
observations of the loss of reactants and/or the formation of products
which have different properties to the reactants(including evolving a
gas, formation of a precipitate or change of colour).
●​ •Explain why a precipitate forms, in terms of a chemical reaction
between soluble reactants forming at least one insoluble product.
●​ Use the particle model to describe chemical reactions.
●​ Describe neutralisation reactions in terms of change of pH.

Stage 7 Cambridge Lower Secondary Checkpoint Biology:

●​ Understand that all organisms are made of cells and microorganisms

are typically single celled.
●​ Identify and describe the functions of cell structures (limited to cell
membrane,cytoplasm, nucleus, cell wall, chloroplast, mitochondria
and sap vacuole).
●​ Explain how the structures of some specialised cells are related to
their functions(including red blood cells, neurones, ciliated cells, root
hair cells and palisade cells).
●​ Describe the similarities and differences between the structures of
plant and animal cells.
●​ Understand that cells can be grouped together to form tissues,
organs and organ systems.
 ●​ Describe the seven characteristics of living organisms.
●​ Discuss reasons for classifying viruses as living or non-living.
●​ Describe a species as a group of organisms that can reproduce to
produce fertile offspring.
●​ Use and construct dichotomous keys to classify species and groups
of related organisms
●​ Know and describe the ecological role some microorganisms have as
decomposers.
●​ Construct and interpret food chains and webs which include
microorganisms as decomposers.

Stage8

Stage 8 Cambridge Lower Secondary Checkpoint Physics :

●​ Calculate speed (speed = distance / time).

●​ Interpret and draw simple distance / time graphs.
●​ Describe the effects of balanced and unbalanced forces on motion.
●​ Identify and calculate turning forces (moment = force x distance).
●​ Explain that pressure is caused by the action of a force, exerted by a
substance, on an area(pressure = force / area).
●​ Use particle theory to explain pressures in gases and liquids (qualitative only).
●​ Describe the diffusion of gases and liquids as the intermingling of substances
by the movement of particles.
●​ Describe reflection at a plane surface and use the law of reflection.
●​ Describe refraction of light at the boundary between air and glass or air and
water in terms of change of speed.
●​ Know that white light is made of many colours and this can be shown through
the dispersion of white light, using a prism.
●​ Describe how colours of light can be added, subtracted, absorbed and
reflected.
●​ Describe a magnetic field, and understand that it surrounds a magnet and
exerts a force on other magnetic fields.
●​ Describe how to make an electromagnet and know that electromagnets have
many applications.
●​ Investigate factors that change the strength of an electromagnet

Stage 8 Cambridge Lower Secondary Checkpoint Chemistry :

 ●​ Describe the Rutherford model of the structure of an atom.
●​ Know that electrons have negative charge, protons have positive charge and
neutrons have no charge.
●​ Know that the electrostatic attraction between positive and negative charge is
what holds together individual atoms.
●​ Know that purity is a way to describe how much of a specific chemical is in a
mixture
●​ Understand that the concentration of a solution relates to how many particles
of the solute are present in a volume of the solvent.
●​ Describe how paper chromatography can be used to separate and identify
substances in a sample.
●​ Use word equations to describe reactions.
●​ Know that some processes and reactions are endothermic or exothermic,
and this can be identified by temperature change.
●​ Describe the reactivity of metals (limited to sodium, potassium, calcium,
magnesium,zinc, iron, copper, gold and silver) with oxygen, water and dilute
acids.
●​ Know that reactions do not always lead to a single pure product and that
sometimes are action will produce an impure mixture of products.
●​ Describe how the solubility of different salts varies with temperature.
●​ Understand that some substances are generally unreactive and can be
described as inert.

Stage 8 Cambridge Lower Secondary Checkpoint Biology

●​ Structure and function

●​ Identify ball-and-socket and hinge joints, and explain how
antagonistic muscles move the bones at a hinge joint.
●​ Describe the components of blood and their functions (limited to red
blood cells transporting oxygen, white blood cells protecting against
pathogens and plasma transporting blood cells, nutrients and carbon
dioxide).
●​ Describe how the structure of the human respiratory system is
related to its function of gas exchange (in terms of lung structure and
the action of the diaphragm and intercostal muscles) and understand
the difference between breathing and respiration.
●​ Describe the diffusion of oxygen and carbon dioxide between blood
and the air in the lungs.
●​ Identify the constituents of a balanced diet for humans as including
protein,carbohydrates, fats and oils, water, minerals (limited to
calcium and iron) and vitamins (limited to A, C and D), and describe
the functions of these nutrients.
 ●​ Understand that carbohydrates and fats can be used as a store of
energy in animals, and animals consume food to obtain energy and
nutrients.
●​ Discuss how human growth, development and health can be affected
by lifestyle,including diet and smoking.
●​ Know that aerobic respiration occurs in the mitochondria of plant and
animal cells, and gives a controlled release of energy.
●​ Know and use the summary word equation for aerobic respiration
(glucose + oxygen ->carbon dioxide + water).
●​ Identify different ecosystems on the Earth, recognising the variety of
habitats that exist within an ecosystem.
●​ Describe the impact of the bioaccumulation of toxic substances on
an ecosystem.
●​ Describe how a new and/or invasive species can affect other
organisms and

Stage 9

Stage 9 Cambridge Lower Secondary Checkpoint Physics :

●​ Use density to explain why objects float or sink in water.

●​ Describe the difference between heat and temperature.
●​ Know that energy is conserved, meaning it cannot be created or destroyed.
●​ Know that thermal energy will always transfer from hotter regions or objects
to colder ones, and this is known as heat dissipation.
●​ Describe thermal transfer by the processes of conduction, convection and
radiation
●​ Explain cooling by evaporation
●​ Draw and interpret waveforms, and recognise the link between loudness and
amplitude,pitch and frequency.
●​ Use waveforms to show how sound waves interact to reinforce or cancel
each other.
●​ Describe how current divides in parallel circuits.
●​ Know how to measure current and voltage in series and parallel circuits, and
describe the effect of adding cells and lamps.
●​ Calculate resistance (resistance = voltage / current) and describe how
resistance affects current.
 ●​ Use diagrams and conventional symbols to represent, make and compare
circuits that include cells, switches, resistors (fixed and variable), ammeters,
voltmeters, lamps and buzzers.

Stage 9 Cambridge Lower Secondary Checkpoint Chemistry :

●​ Understand that the structure of the Periodic Table is related to the

atomic structure of the elements and the Periodic Table can be used
to predict an element’s structure and properties.
●​ Understand that a molecule is formed when two or more atoms join
together chemically, through a covalent bond.
●​ Describe a covalent bond as a bond made when a pair of electrons is
shared by two atoms (limited to single bonds).
●​ Describe an ion as an atom which has gained at least one electron to
be negatively charged or lost at least one electron to be positively
charged.
●​ Describe an ionic bond as an attraction between a positively charged
ion and a negatively charged ion.
●​ Understand that the groups within the Periodic Table have trends in
physical and chemical properties, using group 1 as an example.
●​ Describe how the density of a substance relates to its mass in a
defined volume
●​ Calculate and compare densities of solids, liquids and gases
●​ Know that elements and compounds exist in structures (simple or
giant), and this influences their physical properties.
●​ Use word equations and symbol equations to describe reactions
(balancing symbol equations is not required).
●​ Identify examples of displacement reactions and predict products
(limited to reactions involving calcium, magnesium, zinc, iron, copper,
gold and silver salts).
●​ Describe how to prepare some common salts by the reactions of
metals with acids, and metal carbonates with acids, and purify them,
using filtration, evaporation and crystallisation.
●​ Describe the effects of concentration, surface area and temperature
on the rate of reaction, and explain them using the particle model.
●​ Understand that in chemical reactions mass and energy are
conserved.

Stage 9 Cambridge Lower Secondary Checkpoint Biology:

●​ Describe the pathway of water and mineral salts from the roots to
the leaves in flowering plants, including absorption in root hair cells,
transport through xylem and transpiration from the surface of leaves.
●​ Describe the structure of the human excretory (renal) system and its
function (limited to kidneys filtering blood to remove urea, which is
excreted in urine).
●​ Know that chromosomes contain genes, made of DNA, and that
genes contribute to the determination of an organism's
characteristics.
●​ Describe the fusion of gametes to produce a fertilised egg with a new
combination of DNA.
●​ Describe the inheritance of sex in humans in terms of XX and XY
chromosomes.
●​ Describe variation within a species and relate this to genetic
differences between individuals.
●​ Describe the scientific theory of natural selection and how it relates
to genetic changes over time.
●​ Know that plants require minerals to maintain healthy growth and life
processes (limited to magnesium to make chlorophyll and nitrates to
make protein).
●​ Know that photosynthesis occurs in chloroplasts and is the process
by which plants make carbohydrates, using the energy from light.
●​ Know and use the summary word equation for photosynthesis
(carbon dioxide + water ->glucose + oxygen, in the presence of light
and chlorophyll).
●​ Discuss how fetal development is affected by the health of the
mother, including the effect of diet, smoking and drugs
●​ Describe what could happen to the population of a species, including
extinction, when there is an environmental change.