The AS/A level course will provide a suitable basis from which students can go on to undertake studies involving Biology in higher education establishments, whilst at the same time providing a complete course for students not intending to study Biology at a higher level. Most of the major advances now being made in this subject are in the areas of Microbiology, Biotechnology and Genetics, which are producing new industries and job opportunities.
Biology is increasingly becoming more analytical and a study of Mathematics at least up to GCSE level is desirable. There is a significant syllabus requirement to apply statistical methods in the analysis of data. For students who wish to study Biology at University level, as a pure or applied science, e.g. in medical, dental or veterinary courses, such a mathematical background is essential. The increased emphasis on Biochemistry and Physiology means that students wishing to take up AS/A level Biology should have done a Double Certificate course in Science. Students wishing to take up this course should ideally have a grade B or above in GCSE double certificate Science.
Under the new AS/A level scheme, students must do AS level in year 12. The successful students who pass the AS level may then carry on in year 13 to do the A level course.
As biology modules
A2 biology modules
The A2 course is complimented by a four day residential trip to Dorset. The focus of this trip is to complete a piece of coursework based on the ecology of sand dune succession. The resources below are broken into subject areas, but these may not match up exactly with the exam specification you are following...
Biochemistry
- Aerobic catabolism. The energy in many cells is produced by the oxidation of glucose. This resource describes the ATP budgets of these cells.
- Biochemicals. A-level biology goes into rather more detail than the proteins, carbohydrates and fats you learnt about at GCSE. This resource describes all the chemicals you are likely to come across at A-level.
- DNA. Interactive DNA model.
- Fruitful DNA. How to extract DNA from kiwi fruits using kitchen equipment.
- Enzyme kinetics. How enzymes work.
Cell biology
- Cell biology. Eukaryotes and prokaryotes.
- Domains. A little more detail on the three domains of life: eukaryotes and the two prokayotic groups, the Bacteria and Archaea.
- Water potential. Osmosis and the nasty calculations involved in working out the water potential of plant cells.
Molecular biology and biotechnology
- BLAST. How we identify living things using their DNA.
- Model organisms. The animals, plants, fungi and bacteria used by biologists for experiments.
Genetics and natural selection
- Genetic code. Reference table of h the genetic code that converts mRNA to protein.
- Genetics. Simple (and not so simple) Mendelian genetics.
- Geological timeline. The ages of the Earth.
- Natural selection. Darwin's theory underpins all of biology: without understanding evolution, biology is nothing more than a list of facts. Find out whay it's so important here.
Statistics
- Statistics. An extremely exhaustive guide to all the stats you'll ever need in A-level biology. Perfect for preparing for those field trips...
- Fair test. Making tests fair is more than just using controls. Find out why...
- Correlation causality. How not to get tripped up by people misusing statistics.
Essays
- Essay writing. How to write essays that don't annoy the person marking them.
