KS5 - Biology
A Level (AQA)
Biology is the study of living organisms in their environments. The A level course also leads on to the application of this knowledge in areas such as gene technology and environmental biology.
Over the course of the two years of study, students will examine 8 topics spanning fundamental areas in the subject. These topics are:
- Biological molecules
- Cells – Organisms exchange substances with their environment
- Genetic information, variation and relationships between organisms
- Energy transfers between organisms
- Homeostasis
- Genetics, populations, evolution and ecosystems
- The control of gene expression
INTERNAL ASSESSMENT
Students will be assessed throughout the course, via half termly assessments, as well as the formal calendared mock examinations for the whole sixth form.
EXTERNAL ASSESSMENT
At the end of the course there will be three examinations, each of 2 hours in duration.
Paper 1 – content from topics 1-4
Paper 2 – content from topics 5-8
Paper 3 – content from any topic, plus a synoptic essay and data handling task
PRACTICAL ASSESSMENT
There is no longer any controlled assessment in the A-level sciences, however there are 12 practical tasks that all students must undertake as part of the course, and student competency in these areas is reported alongside their A level grade simply as a pass or fail.
a level biology detailed course breakdown.pdf