Biological science is literally everywhere and everything. As a living being, you are part of biology. So if you want to know how a human body functions, as well as every other living organism, biology is how you find out. It’s the best and truest way to understand the world around you. More than just that, though, biologists serve a key function in helping us live, thrive, and survive, and there are tremendous benefits to working in biology. Biology can push you to enter higher education or to pursue a specific career, but above all you should be enthused into studying this challenging, innovative, practical science because you enjoy it. Students who have previously studied Biology as part of a co-ordinated, integrated or combined science course or as a separate science at GCSE are equally acceptable as A-Level candidates but they should be aware that they are likely to find the course very challenging unless they have achieved grade 7 or above at GCSE. Furthermore, it is expected that a student wishing to study Biology at A-Level would have a good pass in GCSE Maths, as the mathematical skills now form a more significant portion of the Biology course.
For entry into the Sixth Form we require a positive end of school testimonial and normally the securing of a minimum six GCSEs, including Maths and English, at grades 9-5 (or grade equivalent). Students should achieve a grade 6 or above in those subjects they wish to take at A-Level. For subjects with no associated GCSE, the grades achieved in other subjects will be taken into consideration. Usually Grade 7 or above.
The A-Level Biology course is taught over two years with external exams to be taken at the end of the Upper Sixth year. The A-Level exam consists of three written papers. Paper 1 assesses the course content taught in the Lower Sixth year and makes up 35% of their A-Level. This is a two hour exam consisting of a mixture of short and long answers and also an extended response question worth 15 marks. The total for this paper is 91 marks. Paper 2 assesses their Upper Sixth work in the same way as Paper 1 with the same marks and time allocations. Paper 3 is a synoptic paper that covers material over both Lower and Upper Sixth years and includes a 25 mark essay as well as 15 marks based on experimental work carried out over the two years. This is a two hour paper worth 78 marks and 30% of the final A-Level grade. There are no controlled assessments for A-Level Biology but students will undertake 12 specific investigations that they will be asked questions about in Paper 3.
About Education Provider
| Region | South East |
| Local Authority | Oxfordshire |
| Ofsted Rating | |
| Gender Type | Co-Educational |
| ISI Report | View Report |
| Boarding Fee | £32,310 - £41,640 |
| Sixth Form Fee | £21,990 |
| Address | Bloxham, Banbury, OX15 4PE |
Biological science is literally everywhere and everything. As a living being, you are part of biology. So if you want to know how a human body functions, as well as every other living organism, biology is how you find out. It’s the best and truest way to understand the world around you. More than just that, though, biologists serve a key function in helping us live, thrive, and survive, and there are tremendous benefits to working in biology. Biology can push you to enter higher education or to pursue a specific career, but above all you should be enthused into studying this challenging, innovative, practical science because you enjoy it. Students who have previously studied Biology as part of a co-ordinated, integrated or combined science course or as a separate science at GCSE are equally acceptable as A-Level candidates but they should be aware that they are likely to find the course very challenging unless they have achieved grade 7 or above at GCSE. Furthermore, it is expected that a student wishing to study Biology at A-Level would have a good pass in GCSE Maths, as the mathematical skills now form a more significant portion of the Biology course.
For entry into the Sixth Form we require a positive end of school testimonial and normally the securing of a minimum six GCSEs, including Maths and English, at grades 9-5 (or grade equivalent). Students should achieve a grade 6 or above in those subjects they wish to take at A-Level. For subjects with no associated GCSE, the grades achieved in other subjects will be taken into consideration. Usually Grade 7 or above.
The A-Level Biology course is taught over two years with external exams to be taken at the end of the Upper Sixth year. The A-Level exam consists of three written papers. Paper 1 assesses the course content taught in the Lower Sixth year and makes up 35% of their A-Level. This is a two hour exam consisting of a mixture of short and long answers and also an extended response question worth 15 marks. The total for this paper is 91 marks. Paper 2 assesses their Upper Sixth work in the same way as Paper 1 with the same marks and time allocations. Paper 3 is a synoptic paper that covers material over both Lower and Upper Sixth years and includes a 25 mark essay as well as 15 marks based on experimental work carried out over the two years. This is a two hour paper worth 78 marks and 30% of the final A-Level grade. There are no controlled assessments for A-Level Biology but students will undertake 12 specific investigations that they will be asked questions about in Paper 3.