Biology

Assessment

This A Level is a two-year linear course which will culminate in three exams at the end of year 13. For Edexcel, two of these exams focus on the content and mathematical skills of the course and the third paper focuses on synoptic skills and the experimental skills that have been taught throughout the two years. For OCR the experimental skills are tested in all 3 papers. The questions in these exams include multiple choice answers, short answer questions, longer answer questions, mathematical calculations and extended writing tasks. There is no practical assessment in the course, however, there will be a standard set of practical skills that will be assessed in the final exams at the end of the course. Students will be awarded a separate Science Practical Endorsement alongside their A Level Biology grade. This will be a teacher-assessed Endorsement based on the student's competency against Practical Assessment criteria. Students will be assessed as either pass or not reported. The Endorsement will not contribute to the overall grade for their A Level Biology qualification, but the result will be recorded on the student’s certificate.