Biology

Course summary

A cell is a miniature marvel of organisation that has been many millions of years in the evolutionary making. What is more impressive still is that cells can coalesce into even more complex structures: tissues, organs and ultimately organisms. The average human body contains 37 trillion cells, enough if laid out end to end to reach to the moon and back. Yet the whole operation is controlled by a genetic code of four simple letters and it can be quickly brought to a standstill by a rogue fragment of DNA in the form of a virus. The scope of biology is enormous, and it is an exciting time to be studying it. Advances in technology mean that we can sequence and manipulate genomes, and use computer modelling to help us understand complex systems. At the same time, there is still so much to discover. Building on the material you have learned at GCSE, an A level in Biology will explore the living world from its micro- to its macro-levels and explore it across a wide range of organisms, from fungi and plants to invertebrates and mammals. You will learn a wide range of subject content that focuses on some key concepts including cells as units of life, biochemical processes, DNA as a molecule of heredity, natural selection, organisms in their environments and observation and experiments. The CIE course is split over two years with summative assessments at the end of each academic year. In the first year of study, you will cover the following topic areas: Cell structure, biological molecules, enzymes, cell membranes and transport, the mitotic cell cycle, nucleic acids and protein synthesis, transport in plants, transport in mammals, gas exchange, infectious diseases and immunity. There is an emphasis put on the importance of developing practical skills through the content of these topics so you will be carrying out regular experiments and investigations to help you elucidate biological phenomena and visualise structures that you can relate to functions. At the end of this academic year, you will take three assessments. A multiple-choice paper and a structured questions paper will test your knowledge and understanding of the topics covered and a practical skills paper will require you to complete an experiment involving an element of microscope work and answer questions based on your practical activity. In the second year of study, you will use your prior understanding as a scaffold to learning about the following areas: Energy and respiration, photosynthesis, homeostasis, control and coordination, inheritance, selection and evolution, classification, biodiversity, conservation and genetic technology. These topics use the concepts from the learning in lower sixth and so present the opportunity for you to fully appreciate the synoptic nature of biology and make important links across different topic areas. At the end of this academic year, you will take another two assessments. A structured questions paper will test your knowledge and understanding of all topics from the A-level course you have studied and a planning, analysis and evaluation paper will ask questions based on the practical skills that you have acquired over the experiments you have completed.