Start free
Combined Science cover image

Combined Science Revision

Core biology, chemistry and physics for the AQA 8464 Trilogy double award.

AQA GCSE Combined Science: Trilogy (8464) is the double award worth two GCSEs that covers biology, chemistry and physics in one course, and these lessons are written around exactly what the 8464 specification asks for at both Foundation and Higher tier. Its content is a focused subset of the three separate science GCSEs, so you study the core of every science without the extra depth topics that Biology, Chemistry and Physics add on their own. The course is examined in six papers, two per science, and runs from cells, bonding and energy through to inheritance, organic chemistry, forces and waves, including the required practicals examiners can question you on.

Each lesson breaks a topic into clear, exam-ready sections with the definitions, equations, worked calculations and diagrams you need to recall under pressure, and it flags Higher-tier content so you revise the right material. Turn any lesson into a quiz or a flashcard deck in one click to test yourself, and ask the built-in tutor to explain anything from moles and electrolysis to Newton's laws whenever it stops making sense.

Lessons

Cell biology

5

Organisation

8

Infection and response

5

Bioenergetics

4

Homeostasis and response

5

Inheritance, variation and evolution

10

Ecology

6

Atomic structure and the periodic table

9

Bonding, structure, and the properties of matter

7

Quantitative chemistry

5

Chemical changes

6

Energy changes

3

The rate and extent of chemical change

5

Organic chemistry

3

Chemical analysis

3

Chemistry of the atmosphere

3

  • 7 min

    Lesson

    The Earth's Early Atmosphere and How It Changed

    4.9.1.1 The proportions of different gases in the atmosphere; 4.9.1.2 The Earth's early atmosphere; 4.9.1.3 How oxygen increased; 4.9.1.4 How carbon dioxide decreased

    19 days ago

  • 7 min

    Lesson

    Greenhouse Gases and Climate Change

    4.9.2.1 Greenhouse gases; 4.9.2.2 Human activities which contribute to an increase in greenhouse gases; 4.9.2.3 Global climate change; 4.9.2.4 The carbon footprint and its reduction

    19 days ago

  • 6 min

    Lesson

    Atmospheric Pollutants from Fuels

    4.9.3.1 Atmospheric pollutants from fuels; 4.9.3.2 Properties and effects of atmospheric pollutants

    19 days ago

Using resources

3

Energy

7

Electricity

7

Particle model of matter

4

Atomic structure

6

Forces

10

Waves

5

Magnetism and electromagnetism

3

Frequently asked questions

It is assessed by six written papers, two each in biology, chemistry and physics. Each paper is 1 hour 15 minutes, worth 70 marks and 16.7% of the GCSE, and there is no coursework, though questions can test the required practicals.

Two. Combined Science: Trilogy is a double award, so it counts as two of your GCSEs and gives two grades reported together, from 9-9 at the top down to 1-1.

Combined Science covers the same core topics as separate Biology, Chemistry and Physics but leaves out the extra depth content, and it is worth two GCSEs rather than three. It is the route most students take unless they are entered for the three separate sciences.

Foundation tier targets the lower grades and Higher tier targets the higher grades, and you sit the same tier across all six papers. Higher tier includes extra content such as moles calculations and Le Chatelier's principle, so revise to the tier you are entered for.

There are 21 required practicals across the course, spread over biology, chemistry and physics. Exam questions often test the method, variables and reasoning behind a practical rather than just the result.

Study Combined Science your way

Generate lessons, quizzes and flashcards on any Combined Science topic, personalised to your level. Free to start, no card needed.

Lessons on anything

Structured, level-matched lessons on any topic you study

Practice quizzes

Find out what you actually know before the exam does

Flashcard sets

Lock in key concepts with instant revision cards

Ask Aica

Stuck on something? Get a clear explanation, any time

Create free accountBrowse all subjects

Every lesson is free to read, no account needed to browse

Top students don’t revise more. They revise what counts.

Start revising free

Free to start. No card needed.