Sixth Form Subject Choices 2021 - Flipbook - Page 13
What could I go on to do at the end of my course?
You could follow a degree course or a higher national course in Biology as well as those courses with a direct
link to biology such as environmental science, medicine, nursing, dentistry, psychology and pharmacy.
Possible career openings are pharmacy, biotechnology, and catering and land management.
What is the course content and how is it assessed?
A Level
Unit 1:
Topic 1 - The role of diet and other lifestyle factors in the maintenance of good health; with particular
reference to the heart, circulation and cardiovascular disease.
Topic 2 - The properties of and transport of materials across cell membranes and gaseous exchange
surfaces, DNA structure and replication, protein synthesis, enzymes and monohybrid inheritance through
the context of the genetic disease cystic fibrosis.
Unit 2:
Topic 3 - Cell structure and ultrastructure, cell division, the importance of fertilisation, the roles of stem
cells, gene expression, cell differentiation and tissue organisation.
Topic 4 - The topic focuses on biodiversity and the wealth of natural resources used by humans. Why there
are so many different species is considered first, with the concept of niche and adaptation explored.
Unit 3:
Topic 5 - This topic builds an appreciation that photosynthesis is the primary process that underpins the
majority of ecosystems, and provides students with an understanding of how ecosystems work.
Topic 6-This topic starts by looking at how forensic pathologists use a wide variety of analytical techniques
to determine identity and the time and cause of death of an organism, including humans. It then considers
how bacteria and viruses use a variety of routes into their hosts and how hosts have evolved barriers and
internal mechanisms to combat infections.
Unit 4:
Topic 7 - This topic is centred on the physiological adaptations that enable animals and humans, particularly
sports people, to undertake strenuous exercise. It explores the links between an animal’s physiology and its
performance.
Topic 8 - The scene is set by considering how the working of the nervous system enables us to see. Brain
imaging and the regions of the brain are considered. The topic also demonstrates how an understanding of
brain structure and functioning is relevant to issues such as the response to stimuli, the development of
vision and learning.
The A Level exam papers are:
Paper 1- The Natural Environment and species survival, topics (100 marks - 2 hours)
Paper 2- Energy, Exercise and Coordination (100 marks - 2 hours)
Paper 3- General and Practical applications in Biology (100 marks - 2 hours)
All three A Level papers are taken at the end of the second year.
Science Practical endorsement (Internally assessed and externally moderated by Pearson Edexcel)
The AS exam papers are:
Paper 1: Lifestyle, Transport, Genes and Health
Paper 2: Development, Plants and the Environment
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Sixth Form Prospectus