The Biology Curriculum

GCSE Biology

Depending on their SAT results in year 9, students will take either GCSE Biology, (which is made up of all three of the Biology units below), or Core and Additional Science B (which covers just the first two units, B1 and B2):

Biology 1 (B1)

• How do human bodies respond to changes inside them and to their environment?
• What can we do to keep our bodies healthy?
• How do we use/abuse medical and recreational drugs?
• What causes infectious disease and how can our bodies defend themselves against them?
• What determines where particular species live and how many of them there are?
• Why are individuals of the same species different from each other?
• What new methods do we have for producing plants and animals with the characteristics we prefer?

Biology 2 (B2)

• What are animals and plants built from?
• How do dissolved substances get into and out of cells?
• How do plants obtain the food they need to live and grow?
• What happens to energy and biomass at each stage in a food chain?
• What happens to the waste material produced by plants and animals?
• What are enzymes and what are some of their functions?
• How do our bodies keep internal conditions constant?
• Which human characteristics show a simple pattern of inheritance?

Biology 3 (B3)

• How do dissolved substances get into and out of animals and plants?
• How are dissolved materials transported around the body?
• How does exercise affect the exchanges taking place within the body?
• How do exchanges in the kidney help us to maintain the internal environment in mammals and how has biology helped us to treat kidney disease?
• How are microorganisms used to make food and drink?
• What other useful substances can we make using microorganisms?
• How can we be sure we are using microorganisms safely?

Assessment

The Biology GCSE has

• three 45 minute papers (tiered) containing structured questions
• a centre-assessed unit.

For more information visit www.aqa.org.uk

Advanced level Biology

In the sixth-form, the Biology Department will be offering two qualifications – AS and A level Biology from WJEC, and the Cambridge Pre-U from CIE.

WJEC AS/A2 Biology 2071/3071

What is it? Advanced level Biology is a basis for the study of Biological processes in both animals and plants. It is wide ranging in its coverage and builds on a students enjoyment and interest in how the living world works. The study of Biology is rigorous and can be challenging, combining a wide range of study skills. The course can be studied as a stand alone AS, or as a full A level qualification.

Who is it for?
The course is aimed at anybody who has enjoyed their studies of Biology at GCSE and wishes to extend this for a further one or two years.
Advanced level Biology is an ideal subject to allow access into higher education in both biological and other non-biology based subjects.

Further details: For full course details contact www.wjec.co.uk

CIE Cambridge Pre-U Biology

Origin and fundamentals of life The origin of life The chemicals of life The earliest cells and fundamental aspects of cell functioning	Energy ATP Biochemistry of respiration Photosynthesis
Evolution of the eukaryotic cell Cell structure and function Genes and protein synthesis Cell replication Evolution of multicellular organisms Transport systems of multicellular organisms Nutrition of mammals as an example of multicellular organisms Sensitivity to stimuli in multicellular organisms Mammalian immunity and monoclonal antibodies	Mechanisms of evolution Meiosis and genetics and the mechanisms of evolutionary change Reproduction Organisms in the environment Evolutionary and ConservationEcology Biotechnology Gene Technology

Who is it for?
The course is aimed at those who intend going onto university to study Biology related courses, including Medicine, Dentistry & Veterinary Sciences. It is a two year course and as such cannot be taken as an AS.
The nature of the course makes it more suited to the most able students.

What are the entry requirements?
We are looking for an A* in GCSE Biology.
The course has limited places and in the event of it being over-subscribed, places will be allocated based on GCSE Biology point scores, and performance in other relevant subjects.

Further information
For full details about the course structure and content:

www.cie.org.uk/qualifications

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