1 year – AS
2 year – A2.

Exam Board: OCR

Minimum subject specific entry requirements: Maths C. English C - Plus GCSE Science B and GCSE Additional Science B Or GCSE Separate Sciences: Biology B, and a B in another Science subject.

Contact Person: Ms Danis

Course Content:

AS Units consist of:

F211: Cells, exchange and transport:
Module 1 cells
Module 2 Exchange and transport

F212: Molecules, biodiversity, food and health:
Module 1 Biological molecules
Module 2 Food and health

F213: Practical assessment: Quantitative, qualitative and evaluative skills
internally assessed under examination conditions.
A2 consists of AS plus the following units:

F214: Communication, homeostasis and energy:
Module 1 Communication and homeostasis
Module 2 Excretion
Module 3 Photosynthesis
Module 4 Respiration

F215: Control, genomes and environment:
Module 1 Cellular control
Module 2 Biotechnology and gene technologies
Module 3 Ecosystems and sustainability
Module 4 Responding to the environment

F216: Practical assessment: Quantitative, qualitative and evaluative skills
internally assessed under examination conditions.

Assessment:

Four units (two at AS, two at A2) are externally assesses through written examinations
Two units (Practical assessments one at AS, one A2) are internally assessed.

This course will suit you if you are enthusiastic about biology and wish to further your understanding of the subject. This course is especially useful for those who are interested to pursue a career in biology and biology related areas, such as Medicine.

The course allows you to appreciate how society makes decisions about scientific issues
and allows you to develop and demonstrate a deeper appreciation of the skills, knowledge
and understanding of ‘How Biology Works’ in the world that we live in.

Teaching Methods:

You will be expected to actively participate in discussions and debates and are required
to independently research current scientific issues. You will also have opportunities to
demonstrate and further improve independent learning skills, communication skills,
application of number, ICT skills, working with others, analysis and problem solving skills.

Progression:

This specification provides a suitable foundation for the study of biological science or
related courses in higher education such as medicine, dentistry, zoology, biochemistry,
pharmaceutical chemistry, biomedical sciences, genetics and psychology.