Biology
Results in the Biology department have been consistently good, and many students continue Biology in one form or another at university. Many have gone on to achieve First Class Honours, and a number hold Doctorates, both medical and academic.
GCSE
We follow the AQA Biology course which gives a broad introduction to many aspects of the subject. The coursework involves a whole practical investigation carried out in lesson time but written up largely in the pupil's own time. The single theory paper is 2¼ hours and there are two levels, Foundation which is limited to a maximum grade C and the Higher paper with grades from D to A*. All teaching up to the time of the mock examinations in December of Year 11 is done at Higher level.
In the AS (L6th) there are three modules:
- Foundation
- Human Health and Disease
- Transport
In addition there is a single piece of coursework. There is some biochemistry in the course, and experience has shown that pupils with GCSE Chemistry cope better with the AS Biology than those without it.
In the A2 (U6th) there are three more modules and another single piece of coursework. The modules are:
- Central Concepts: respiration, photosynthesis, some genetics and evolution
- Mammalian Physiology and Behaviour
- Unifying Concepts - the synoptic paper examining the application of ideas from the whole of the course.
