TEACHING
There will be a variety of teaching methods, from at least two members of staff: lecture and tutorial style lessons; practical work and experiments; use of microscopes and fieldwork; independent learning.

ASSESSMENT
Written module examinations in Year 12 and 13 in January and June. There are 2 practical skills units to be assessed. One at AS and one at A2. Both are set by the Board and internally assessed. There will be long and short answer questions and Year 13 will be more difficult than Year 12. Year 13 examinations will also require knowledge, understanding and skills from Year 12. At the end of Year 12 students are required to participate in a residential field trip. The cost will be around £250.

THE REQUIREMENTS
A minimum of BB in Science and Cs in Mathematics and English at GCSE.

EXPECTATIONS
Students are expected to take much more responsibility for their own learning at this level. Commitment, hard work and a genuine desire to learn are essentials for success. AS and A level Biology are not ‘easy options’. A consistently high level of commitment is required, and expected.

THE FUTURE
The list of possible degrees which are Biology-related is very long and includes subjects like Biochemistry, Zoology, Botany, Microbiology, Genetics and Environmental Science together with Pharmacology, Medicine, Dentistry and Veterinary Science.

FURTHER INFORMATION
See Mr D James, Head of Biology or Mrs J Jones.

Comments from current and past students:

“Biology is an interesting and challenging subject. I would like to continue to study other aspects of Biology at University.”
“Biology is a subject which is very relevant to our world today and I am enjoying studying it at the moment.”
“I am constantly surprised at the breadth of study in A level Biology. No topic lasts too long and the subject matter is very diverse…”
“My Biology group is relatively small. The atmosphere is friendly and there is so much to learn it is never boring."