sir james smith’s gcses 2019 · exam board. wjec exam specification code. c560p1 details about...

Sir James Smith’s

GCSEs 2019

Information for parents/carers

about the upcoming GCSEs

ASPIRATION • AMBITION • ACHIEVEMENT

The countdown has begun…

20 school weeks remain before the first written exam

Key Dates:

29 – 30 November School Production – ‘Disorderly Women’

4 – 5 December Mock GCSE French and German Speaking Tests

14 – 18 January Year 11 Mock GCSE Exams

4 – 6 February GCSE Catering Controlled Assessment

28 February Exam Preparation Day

1 March PD Day

19 – 21 March Additional Maths exam trials

21 March DLD 2 – Working with the Maths Department

26 – 27 March Additional English exam trials

3 – 4 April GCSE Photography exam for selected students

23 – 24 April GCSE 3D exam for half the class

25 – 26 April GCSE Art exam

4 – 6 February GCSE Catering practical exams

30 April – 1 May GCSE 3D exam for half the class

30 April – 1 May GCSE French/German speaking test

2 – 3 May GCSE Graphics and Photography exam

13 May First written exam & bespoke revision

timetable starts

13 June Record of Achievement celebration

17 June Final written GCSE exam

26 June Contingency GCSE day (in case of an exam

being disrupted nationally)

10 Top Tips for Revising

(in no particular order)

1. Students should be spending at least 2 hours per evening revising. If they say “I haven’t got

any homework”, they should be spending their time on revision.

2. Students should pay particular attention to the upcoming Deep Learning Day, which

focuses on revision strategies. Resources will be available on Sharepoint, which can be

accessed via the school website. In addition, use the ‘Revision Cracked’ booklet to try

some different strategies.

3. Ask for a realistic revision timetable, which includes times for when each subject will be

revised. Display this in a public area of the house – the kitchen is a good place!

4. Create an appropriate learning environment sitting at a table and away from distractions

(TV, phone, iPad etc).

5. Keep reminding students to revise in short, intensive sessions. Our brains can only focus

for around 30 minutes before they need a break - build them in!

6. Encourage students to re-visit work on a regular basis. Chances are they won’t remember

everything after only one session.

7. Make sure students get the right amount of sleep. Staying up until midnight each night is

not going to do anybody any favours – get some early nights.

8. Remind students to drink plenty of water and eat healthily. Our brains are just like a

machine – if we don’t put the right fuel in, they won’t work at their best.

9. Agree the balance between work and social life and stick to the agreement. Avoid sleep-

overs during the week.

10. Encourage positivity. Chances are your child knows far more than they think. A positive

mind is far more effective than one which is always thinking the worst.

ART

Exam Board. OCR

Exam Specification

Code.

J171

Details about the

assessment.

60% Coursework - sketchbook & final piece

40% Exam - A2 worksheets + 10hr Exam

Exam dates and

duration of exam.

25/26 April 10 Hour final piece, based on A2 worksheets.

Units of work. Coursework: Sketchbook Personal Project, 9 months of work,

awarded the most marks. Should be working on this at home to

achieve grades based on feedback.

Four worksheets deadline – 19 December.

Exam: Minimum of 4 x A2 worksheets to meet the 4 attainment

objectives (AO’s): Artist research, observational, development

and final idea, must be completed by the exam, 3 weeks per

sheet both in and out of school. Final Piece done in 10hr Exam.

Exam Papers. Students will have chosen a question from the exam paper first

week back after Christmas. All have a copy.

Additional sketchbooks should be full with extra work added

between pages first lesson back after Christmas. After Christmas

expect to see worksheets being worked on every week two hours

or more is needed each week until Easter.

Useful websites/

revision materials.

Pinterest boards

Info on school website of coursework and exam requirements.

Examples in Art room.

Revision workshops. Coursework that is not finished - attend afterschool on a

Thursday to complete. Exam worksheets can also be done.

Revision sessions. Every B Thursday

Additional Subject

Specific Information.

N/A

CATERING

Exam Board. WJEC

Exam Specification

Code.

C560P1

Details about the

assessment.

Unit 1 – Practical Controlled Assessments 50%

Unit 2 – Written Exam 50%

Exam dates and

duration of exam.

4 – 6 Feb Practical Exam

10 June 2018 Written Exam

1 hr 45 mins

Units of work. Students will need to answer all the questions in the exam.

It will cover food preparation, hygiene, ingredients, cooking

methods, where food comes from and nutritional guidelines.

The due date for the controlled assessments is 29th

March 2018.

Past Exam Papers. Practice exam questions in lesson and a practice exam paper was

issued over Christmas.

Useful websites/

revision materials.

CGP Revision Guide Book - available from the school shop for

£3.25.

On the W: Drive are revision cards for every aspect of the course

and are an invaluable resource material. The students will need

these cards for lesson.

BBC bite size

www.wjec.co.uk

Revision workshops. After school revision is available:

Thursday’s Week A and B.

Revision sessions. Every A Wednesday

Additional Subject


This exam has changed from Catering and Hospitality to Food

Preparation and Nutrition. Extra revision sessions will be vital for

students.

DRAMA

Exam Board. AQA

Exam Specification

Code.

8261

Details about the

assessment.

3 Components.

40% - C1 – Understanding Drama – Written Exam

40% - C2 – Devising Drama – Assessed by Teacher, videos to exam

board.

20% - C3 – Texts in Practice – Visiting Examiner.

For details on all units – see below

Exam dates and

duration of exam.

C1 – 17 May (pm) – 1hr 45min written exam

C2 – First week of December

C3 – TBC (April)

Units of work. C1 – Understanding Drama – 80 marks total

o Theatre Knowledge – Multiple Choice (theatre roles (jobs),

stage positions, types and configurations. (4 marks)

o Set Play – The Crucible – selection of short essay

questions, focusing on design and direction of an extract

from the studied play text. (44 marks)

o Live Theatre Production – a review of acting in a

professional performance we watch during the course. (32

marks)

C2 – Devising Drama – COMPLETED! – 80 marks total

o Performance of piece devised by students, based on

stimulus (The Guide’s Speech from 100) (20 marks)

o Devising Log – 3 sections (Response to

Stimulus/Development and Collaboration/Analysis and

Evaluation) (20 marks per section = 60 marks)

C3 – Texts in Practice - 40 marks

Students create fully realised performances (or complete

technical equivalent, or create full set or costume) for

TWO extracts from the same play text.

Past Exam Papers. 1 real exam paper – along with all other exam preparation

resources and any ‘fake’ exam papers all available in…

Sharepoint – Drama – GCSE EXAM PREP - NEW

Revision sessions. Every B Tuesday from January.

Additional Subject


For Component 2 + 3 (practical assessments), students should

arrange extra rehearsal time after school. This is bookable in

Drama Studio. See BCA or JR.

ENGLISH LANGUAGE

Exam Board Eduqas

Exam spec code: C700QS

Details about the

assessment

Component One – 40%

Component Two – 60%

Exam dates/ duration 4 June – Component One (1 hour 45 minutes)

7 June – Component Two (2 hours)

Mock Exams Students have already taken their mock exam for Component

One. The mock for Component Two will take place on 28

February – when younger students are taking part in the

Academic Review Day.

Units of work Component One: Students will have an hour to read an unseen

‘literary prose’ text (a story) and answer five questions about it.

They will need to be able to analyse the language used by the

writer in different parts of the text as well as evaluating the

whole text. Students will then have 45 minutes to plan and write

their own story from a list of titles.

Component Two: Students will have an hour to read two unseen

non-fiction texts and answer a series of questions about them.

They will need to be able to select information from different

texts as well as making connections and comparisons between

the two texts. Students will then have an hour to plan and write

two pieces of non-fiction writing.

Past Exam Papers As this is a relatively new exam, there are no past papers.

However, based on sample assessments from the exam board, we

have created a series of practice papers, and students will be

given copies of these – at least one per week.

Useful websites/

revision materials

www.gcsepod.co.uk - All students should be signed up and have

created their own username and password. If unsure, they should

speak to Mr Eames who can reset the password.

‘WJEC EDUQAS GCSE English Revision Workbook’ – available from

the school shop for £4.80

Revision sessions Every A Thursday & B Tuesday

ENGLISH LITERATURE

Exam Board Eduqas

Exam Board Spec: C720QS

Details about the

assessment

Component One – 40%

Component Two – 60%

Exam dates/ duration 15 May – Component One (2 hours)

23 May – Component Two (2½ hours)

Mock Exams Students have already taken their mock exam for Compnent One.

The mock for Component Two will take place in January as part of

the school mock exam week.

Units of work Component One: Students will have an hour to write about a

Shakespeare play. They need to know the whole play and be

ready to quote from it! In the second hour students will need to

write about one poem they have studied from the Eduqas Poetry

Anthology – again they need to know all 18 of these as we do not

know which one will be chosen for the exam. They will then need

to compare it to another poem from the anthology, from

memory. They need to know background information about the

context of the poems.

Component Two: Students will have 45 minutes to respond to

‘Blood Brothers’, writing about the whole play and analysing an

extract taken from it. They will then spend a further 45 minutes

responding to a 19th

Century novel: ‘Pride & Prejudice’, ‘War of

the Worlds’, ‘A Christmas Carol’, or ‘Dr Jekyll & Mr Hyde’. They

need to know background information about the context. In the

final hour students will respond to an unseen poem and compare

it to another.

Past Exam Papers As this is a new exam, there are no past papers. However, based

on sample assessments from the exam board, we will create

practice questions for each text.

Useful websites/

revision materials

The texts themselves – all of our students have been issued with

copies and these are the main resource!

www.gcsepod.co.uk - All students should be signed up and have

created their own username and password.

We recommend either the ‘Study and Revise’ series from Hodder,

or CGP’s ‘English Text Guides’

Revision sessions. Every A Thursday & B Tuesday

FRENCH AND GERMAN

Exam Board. AQA

Exam Specification

Code.

French 8658

German 8668

Details about the

assessment.

4 Exams

Listening (25%), Speaking (25%) Reading (25%) and Writing (25%)

Exam dates and

duration of exam.

French Speaking Tests 30 April – 1 May

French Listening and Reading Exams 14 May

French Writing Exam 17 May

German Speaking Tests 30 April – 1 May

German Listening and Reading Exams 12 June

German Writing Exam 17 June

Units of Work. Year plan in student exercise books.

Specimen Exam

Papers.

AQA website/available from MFL staff.

Useful

websites/revision

materials.

French/German news, DVDs and magazines available to borrow,

magazine subscriptions.

Revision sessions. Every B Thursday

Additional Subject


Attendance at every lesson is crucial.

You should spend 15 minutes EVERY DAY on French/German

revision.

Learn vocabulary for just a few minutes every day so you meet

your target in every weekly test.

Make sure you know your speaking test cards (also essential for

the writing exam) in detail and by heart.

Use Vocab Express at home … aim to add 100 points to your score

every week.

GEOGRAPHY

Exam Board. AQA - Specification-A

Exam Specification

Code.

8035

Details about the

assessment.

Paper 1 – 35%.

Paper 2 – 35%

Paper 3 – 30%

Exam dates and

duration of exam.

21 May – Paper 1. 1½ hours

5 June – Paper 2. 1½ hours

13 June – Paper 3. 1¼ hours

Units of work. Paper 1. Living with the physical environment.

We have prepared for:

• Section A – The challenge of natural hazards,

• Section B – The living world,

• Section C – Physical landscapes in the UK.

Paper 2. Challenges in the human environment.

We have prepared for:

• Section A – Urban issues and challenges,

• Section B – The changing economic world,

• Section C – The challenge of resource management.

Paper 3. Geographical Applications.

This paper is made up of two sections:

• Section A – Issue evaluation,

• Section B – Fieldwork.

Past Exam Papers. We have lots of practice questions! Three sample assessment

papers and the real exam papers from 2018 exist. The

markscheme for each paper is also available. These resources can

be downloaded from Sharepoint along with other sample

questions from previous specifications. Students can access

Sharepoint from the school website.

Useful websites/

revision materials.

CGP Revision pack includes revision book, exam practice

workbook and answer book - available from the school shop for

£7.50.

Revision sessions. Every A Tuesday

Additional Subject


N/A.

HISTORY

Exam Board. Edexcel

Exam Specification

Code.

1H10

Details about the

assessment.

GCSE (9-1) History

Exam dates and

duration of exam.

Paper 1 – 3 Jun

Paper 2 – 6 June

Paper 3 – 11 June

Paper 1. British Thematic Study with Historic Environment (1 hour

15 mins)

Paper 2. Period Study and British Depth Study (1 hour 45 mins)

Paper 3. Modern Depth Study (1 hour 20 mins)

Units of work. Paper 1. 30% (52 marks)

Crime and punishment in Britain, c1000 to present with

Whitechapel, c1870-1900: crime, policing and the inner city.

Paper 2. 40% (64 marks)

Superpower relations and the Cold War, 1941-91 Anglo-Saxon

and Norman England c1060-88

Paper 3. 30% (52 marks)

Russia and the Soviet Union, 1917-41

Past Exam Papers. Sample papers on www.edexcel.com/gcsehistory16

Useful websites/

revision materials.

GSCE Bite Size

GSCE Pod

Revision Guide Book x 4 – available from the school shop

Revision sessions. Every B Wednesday

Additional Subject


Assessment Objectives

AO1 – Knowledge and understanding of the key features and

characteristics of the periods

AO2 – Explain and analyse historical events and periods using

second order concepts

AO3 – Analyse, evaluate and make substantial judgements about

interpretations

MATHS

Exam Board. AQA

Exam Specification

Code.

8300

Details about the

assessment.

Three papers, all equally weighted. There are two entry tiers -

Foundation or Higher. Students will be entered for the tier most

appropriate to their needs and ability.

Exam dates and

duration of exam.

All papers 1½ hours

Paper 1 – 21 May (Non-calc)

Paper 2 – 6 June (Calc)

Paper 3 – 11 June (Calc)

Units of work. There are 3 Assessment Objectives, AO1 carries the greatest

weighting but all papers will assess all three AOs.

AO1: Use and apply standard techniques

AO2: Reason, interpret and communicate mathematically

AO3: Solve problems within mathematics and in other contexts.

Past Exam Papers. All available past papers as well as specimen and practice papers

will be made available to all students.

Useful websites/

revision materials.

www.hegartymaths.com has short videos and quizzes on almost

every topic on the course. Students are well used to this but if

they lose/forget their password, they can simply send a password

reset message to their teacher. Students have been provided

with a revision list with Hegartymaths references; this covers the

majority of topics.

CGP Revision Guide Book - available from the school shop for

£2.50.

CGP Exam Practice Workbook with Answer Book – available from

the school shop for £3.50.

Revision sessions. Every A Wednesday & B Thursday

Additional Subject


N/A

MORALITY AND ETHICS

Exam Board. AQA - Specification A

Exam Specification

Code.

8062

Details about the

assessment.

Paper 1 - 50%

Paper 2 - 50%

Exam dates and

duration of exam.

13 May 1 hour 45mins

20 May 1 hour 45 mins

Units of work. Paper 1: Students will need to answer questions on

Christianity ; Beliefs, Teachings and Practices and Islam;

Beliefs, Teachings and Practices.

Paper 2: Students will need to answer questions on 4

topics – Thematic Studies. Relationships and Families.

Religion and Life, Religion, Crime and Punishment and

Religion, Human Rights and Social Justice.

Past Exam Papers. Can be downloaded from the AQA website.

Useful websites/

revision materials.

Revision sessions. Every B Wednesday

Additional Subject


N/A.

MUSIC

Exam Board. Edexcel

https://qualifications.pearson.com/en/qualifications/edexcel-gcses/music-

2016.html

Exam Specification

Code.

1MU0

Details about the

assessment.

3 Components…

30% - Performing – Assessed by teacher/externally moderated

• Solo performance

• Ensemble performance

30 % - Composing – Assessed by teacher/externally moderated

• Free composition

• Set brief by exam board

40% - Appraising – Written Exam For details on all units - see below

Exam dates and

duration of exam.

Component 1:

• Solo Performance: wk beginning 19 February

• Ensemble Performance: 22 March (recording day) Component 2:

• Set brief composition: 6 February

• Free composition: 27 March Component 3:

1hr 45min listening and appraising exam: 4 June 2018 (PM)

Units of work. Component 1: Performing 30% (60 marks)

• Solo performance: grade 4 standard – with or without accomp. (30

marks)

• Ensemble performance: individual part within a group (3 people) (30

marks) (Total time of combined performances is a minimum of 4 minutes)

Component 2: Composing 30% (60 Marks)

• Free composition – any style/any instruments (30 marks)

• Set brief by exam board – students choose a brief from 4 options

based on the areas of study (30 marks) Compositions are produced in controlled exam conditions of a minimum of

5hrs, then recorded and sent off to be moderated. Students must produce a

‘Score’ to accompany the recording.

Component 3: Appraising 40% (80 marks)

Musical elements, musical contexts and musical language within the 4 areas of

study (2 set works each):

• Instrumental Music 1700-1820

• Vocal Music

• Music for Stage and Screen

• Fusions

The exam paper is made up of two sections:

Section A – Areas of study, dictation, and unfamiliar pieces (68 marks)

• Six questions related to six of the eight set works.

• One short melody/rhythm completion exercise.

• One question on an unfamiliar piece (skeleton score provided) with

questions on its musical elements, musical contexts and musical

language.

Section B – Extended response comparison between a set work and one

unfamiliar piece (12 marks)

• One question that asks students to compare and/or evaluate the

musical elements, musical contexts and musical language of one

set work with one unfamiliar piece of music.

A CD with the music extracts will be played to all students at the same time

and will repeat the extracts a set number of times.

1hr 45min listening and appraising exam

Past Exam Papers. New Exam specification. No past papers.

Lots of ‘practice papers’ and exam questions in the revision guides and on the

Padlet page.

Useful websites/

revision materials.

Exam board Course page:

https://qualifications.pearson.com/en/qualifications/edexcel-gcses/music-

2016.html

Revision and student guides available at the school shop or amazon. CGP/

Pearson/Rheingold

ABRSM grade 1- 4 music theory exercise books

All students have ‘Set works on a Page’ revision guides and detailed guides

from Edexcel.

Revision sessions. Every A Wednesday

Additional Subject


Component 1:

Solo performance:

• Grade 4 standard piece required.

• Students should be receiving individual tuition on their main

instrument to get support outside of lessons

• Minimum of 30min – 1hr individual instrumental/vocal practice per

day

Ensemble Performance

• Students expected to rehearse at least twice a week outside of

lessons (lunch or after school) leading up to the assessment (February

– March term)

Component 2: Composition: Free and Set Brief

• Minimum 5 hours in class provided on each composition.

• Additional hrs are allowed, and are available after school by

appointment.

Component 3: Appraising

• Use online theory lessons and practice exercises to develop your

knowledge and your aural listening skills.

• Listen to the set works as much as possible, and to the extended

listening material to widen your knowledge for section B.

• Practice essay questions.

Access the support material and use the ‘Set works on a Page’ to help you

revise.

3D

Exam Board. OCR

Exam Specification

Code.

J175

Details about the as-

sessment.



Exam dates and dura-

tion of exam.

23 – 24 and 30 April - Students will be selected for either of these

dates

1 May 10 Hour final piece, based on A2 worksheets




Exam: Minimum of 3 x A2 worksheets and final end piece to be

completed by 14th

December to meet the 4 attainment objectives

(AO’s): Artist/Designer research, observational, development,

Modelling and final idea, must be completed by the exam, 3

weeks per sheet both in and out of school. Final Piece done in

10hr Exam. Students can prepare elements prior to the exam.

Exam Papers. Students have chosen a question from the exam paper first week

back after Christmas. All have a copy.

Useful websites/ revi-

sion materials.

Pinterest boards


Examples in Design room.

Revision workshops. Coursework that is not finished - attend afterschool on a

Thursday to complete. Exam worksheets can also be done.

Revision sessions. Every week A Wednesday

Additional Subject


N/A

Graphics

Photography

Exam Board. OCR

Exam Specification

Code.

J172 Graphics

J173 Photography

Details about the as-

sessment.



Exam dates and dura-

tion of exam.

3 April

4 April

10 Hour final piece, based on A2 worksheets.




Exam: Minimum of 3 x A2 worksheets and final end piece to be

completed by 14 December to meet the 4 attainment objectives

(AO’s): Artist/ Designer research, observational, development,

Modelling and final idea, must be completed by the exam, 3

weeks per sheet both in and out of school. Final Piece done in

10hr Exam. Students can prepare elements prior to the exam.

Exam Papers. Students have chosen a question from the exam paper first week

back after Christmas. All have a copy.

Useful websites/ revi-

sion materials.

Pinterest boards


Examples in Design room.

Revision workshops. Coursework that is not finished - attend afterschool on a Thurs-

day to complete. Exam worksheets can also be done.

Revision sessions. Every week A Wednesday

Additional Subject


N/A

TRIPLE SCIENCE

Exam Board. AQA

Exam Specification

Code. Physics 8463

Chemistry 8462

Biology 8461

Details about the

assessment –

including duration

All papers are 100 marks and equally weighted

A total of 6 Written exams of 1 hour 45mins each.

Exam dates and

duration of exam.

14 May 2018 - BIO 1

16 May 2018 - CHEM 1

22 May 2018 - PHYS 1

7 June 2018 – BIO 2

12 June 2018 – CHEM 2

14 June 2018 – PHYS 2

What’s assessed Bio Paper 1 Topics 1 - 4 Cell Bio, Organisation, Infections and

Response, Bioenergetics.

Bio Paper 2 Topics 5 - 7 Homeostasis and Response, Inheritance,

Variations and Evolution and Ecology.

Chem Paper 1 Topics 1 - 5 Atomic Structure and the Periodic

Table, Bonding Structure and the Structure of Matter,

Quantitative Chemistry, Chemical Changes and Energy Changes.

Chem Paper 2 Topics 6 - 10: The Rate and Extent of Chemical

Change; Organic Chemistry; Chemical Analysis; Chemistry of the

Atmosphere; and Using Resources.

Physics Paper 1 Topics 1 - 4: Energy; Electricity; Particle Model of

Matter; and Atomic Structure.

Physics Paper 2 Topics 5 - 8: Forces; Waves; and Magnetism,

Electromagnetism and Space.

Past Exam Papers. CGP Assessment pack provided.

Useful websites/

revision materials.

CGP Revision Guide Book - available from the school shop.

Collins Connect have the text books available that accompany the

course

www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/gcse/science/

www.my-gcsescience.com

https://www.cgpbooks.co.uk/interactive_gcse_science

Revision sessions. Every A Thursday

SCIENCE (Combined Trilogy)

Classes 11.2, 11.3, 11.4 only

Exam Board. AQA

Exam Specification

Code. Gateway Combined Science: Trilogy 8464 H or F

Details about the

assessment –

including duration

All papers are 70 marks and equally weighted.

A total of 6 Written exams of 1 hour 15mins each.

Exam dates and

duration of exam.

14 May 2018 - BIO 1

16 May 2018 - CHEM 1

22 May 2018 - PHYS 1

7 June 2018 – BIO 2

12 June 2018 – CHEM 2

14 June 2018 – PHYS 2

What’s assessed. Bio Paper 1 Topics 1 - 4 Cell Bio, Organisation, Infections and

Response, Bioenergetics.

Bio Paper 2 Topics 5 - 7 Homeostasis and Response, Inheritance,

Variations and Evolution and Ecology.

Chem Paper 1 Topics 1 - 5 Atomic Structure and the Periodic

Table, Bonding Structure and the Structure of Matter,

Quantitative Chemistry, Chemical Changes and Energy Changes.

Chem Paper 2 Topics 6 - 10: The Rate and Extent of Chemical

Change; Organic Chemistry; Chemical Analysis; Chemistry of the

Atmosphere; and Using Resources.

Physics Paper 1 Topics 1 - 4: Energy; Electricity; Particle Model of

Matter; and Atomic Structure.

Physics Paper 2 Topics 5 - 7: Forces; Waves; and Magnetism and

Electromagnetism.

Past Exam Papers. CGP Assessment pack provided.

Useful websites/

revision materials.

CGP Revision Guide Book - available from the school shop.

Collins Connect has text books available that accompany the

course

www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/gcse/science/

www.my-gcsescience.com

https://www.cgpbooks.co.uk/interactive_gcse_science

Revision sessions. Every A Thursday

Additional Subject


N/A.

Subject ATues AWed AThurs AFri BTues BWed BThurs BFri

Art Y

Catering/

Textiles

Y

DT/

Graphics

Y

Drama Y

English Y Y

MFL Y

Geogra-

phy

Y

History Y

M+E Y

Maths Y Y

Music Y

Science Y

Sport Y

Year 11 Extra-Curricular Revision Sessions 2018-19

sir james smith’s gcses 2019 · exam board. wjec exam specification code. c560p1 details about...

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