Biology

Course summary

Have you ever marvelled at how the chemicals of life come together to form organisms that can grow, move and reproduce? Have you ever wondered how cells recognise each other and communicate to form tissues, or how such a vast and diverse world of living things can have evolved from simple single-celled organisms? If so, Biology is the subject for you! During the course, you will be exploring some of these big questions: What makes us all different? How do muscles work? How do you make a genetic fingerprint? What does a bee’s waggle dance mean? If you have a fascination for the natural world and its life processes, the study of Biology can be immensely rewarding. It offers the opportunity to explore a range of biological topics in greater depth and it builds on the skills acquired lower down the school. For those who have succeeded at GCSE Biology, but feel their major interests lie in other areas, Biology SL can provide an interesting and perfectly accessible subject to complement your IB studies. There are four core topics which include: cell biology, molecular biology, organisms and ecosystems. There are opportunities within nearly every topic to raise an ethical debate and consider the ‘nature of science’ in the issues being studied. You will be expected to complete independent study in and out of class, and all lessons are designed to be interactive; everyone is encouraged to contribute their ideas. You will have the opportunity to participate in a range of enrichment opportunities, including a compulsory field trip in the summer term, a lecture day and The Biology Olympiad competition. In addition, there are clubs such as Dissection Club, BioMed Society and SciZmic, or you could get involved with producing Absolute Zero and Dr Dolphin magazines.