BIOLOGY (AQA)

Cottingham, Hessle and Wolfreton Sixth Form College

Who is the course aimed at?     

This course is aimed at students who have demonstrated a sound understanding of biology during their GCSE studies and who are looking to extend their knowledge and understanding of the subject further. Students should have an ability to:

• Follow and develop practical instructions
• Record and interpret data in a range of formats
• Use a wide range of resources to consolidate concepts 
• Work in teams, employing different learning strategies 
• Use and apply mathematical techniques
• Work independently

What will you learn?     

Throughout the course you will develop many essential skills including critical and independent thinking.

You will design and record your own investigations, process and evaluate data, conduct research and also make conclusions based on the reliability, accuracy and validity of data collected.

The course covers a wide range of exciting topical areas:

• Biological molecules
• Cells
• Organisms exchange substances with their environment
• Genetic information, variation and relationships between organisms
• Energy transfers in and between organisms
• Organisms respond to changes in their internal and external environments
• Genetic, populations, evolutions and ecosystems
• The control of gene expression

How will you be assessed?         

• Paper 1: written exam - 2 hours, 35% of A Level                                                  Biological molecules, cells, organism exchanges with the environment, genetic information variation
• Paper 2: written exam - 2 hours, 35% of A Level                                                      Energy transfers, organism responses to changes in the environment, genetics populations evolution and ecosystems, control of gene expression

• Paper 3: written exam - 2 hours, 30% of A Level                                                              Questions on any content from the specification, including relevant practical skills, alongside an essay style question

• Practical endorsement                                                                                                                 In-house assessment of practical biology skills

How will you learn?       

Learning will take place through:

• Teacher led activities and interactive teaching introducing new material
• Practical experiments and modelling
• Regular homework tasks to consolidate new material and research new concepts
• The use of dedicated text books and revision guides 
• The use of past exam questions and mark schemes 
• Student centred activities
• Working in groups to solve problems and develop ideas
• Developing analytical skill in response to experimentation data

Enrichment activities and independent learning?           

There will be informal drop in / revision sessions available to support classroom learning and aid student progress throughout the course.

You will be expected to work more independently and take responsibility for your own learning as well as be prepared to work as part of a group, giving and receiving help from other students.

What and where next?

Biology can lead to many careers including medicine, dentistry, pharmacy, physiotherapy, nutrition, nursing and midwifery.

The subject also supports careers in the other sciences as well as geography, psychology, physical education etc.

Many students choose to progress on to university to continue their studies in the subject and related areas.

More information          

For more information about this course please see the specification below or contact the sixth form team.