Biology
In Biology, students will continue to develop their practical skills. They will also learn about the applications and implications of science, the benefits and risks that science brings and the ways in which society uses science to make decisions.
A Level
Biology currently attracts around 35 AS students per year. The chosen SNAB course ensures that a range of future career opportunities are kept open for successful students. The course is ‘Context-Led’, beginning with an application that draws on many different areas of Biology, and then moving on to the biological concepts underlying this application.
Each Student is supported by the recommended text but, even more important, is the personal student on-line account, which gives our students direct access to activities, practicals, weblinks and on-line tutorials from the Edexcel examination board. At AS level, the course has three units. Unit 1 focuses on Lifestyles, Transport Systems, Genes and Health. Unit 2 focuses on Development, Plants and the Environment. We undertake visits such as the captive breeding of lemurs at the Isle of Wight Zoo. Unit 3 requires students to write up one of these visits or a biological issue, in a report, as well as on their practical skills through on-going core practicals.
At A2, a further three units are studied. Unit 4 covers the Natural Environment and Species Survival. Unit 5 covers Energy, Exercise, and Coordination. Unit 6 is a personal experimental investigation, written up by the students, which is started in the latter stages of the AS course with fieldwork on the Isle of Wight