Biology

Assessment

Students will sit three written examination papers, details outlined below. Paper 1: 2 hours, 91 marks, 35% of A level – examines any content from Units 1-4, including relevant practical skills, with 76 marks awarded for a mixture of short and long answer questions, and 15 marks for extended response questions. Paper 2: 2 hours, 91 marks, 35% of A level – examines any content from Units 5-8 including relevant practical skills, with 76 marks awarded for a mixture of short and long answer questions, and 15 marks for extended response questions. Paper 3: 2 hours, 78 marks, 30% of A level – examines content from all units, with 38 marks awarded for structured questions, including practical techniques, 15 marks for critical analysis of given experimental data and 25 marks for one essay from a choice of two titles. The A-level Biology does not involve the completion of any coursework. Instead practical work will be assessed in the written examinations. A separate ‘endorsement’ of practical work will be awarded by teachers. If students pass, this will be reported on their certificate, independent of their A-level grade.