Why Biology?: Biology is in an exciting place right now—often top of the headlines due to health concerns, genetics and disease yet biologists still have many questions left to answer—but how do scientists develop their theories when there is no textbook full of answers? There is a lot to learn in biology—but still so much left to discover.

The new A-level introduces current scientific research, the aim is for you to understand how the scientific community works together to advance our understanding of biology

AS Units

Unit 1: Biology & Disease Digestive and gas
exchange systems, communicable and non-communicable diseases, symptoms of disease and interpretation of data. Written paper (1h15), short answer and comprehension 33% of AS marks, 17% A2 marks.

Unit 2: Variety of Living Organisms Genetic and environmental effects upon variation, biochemical and cellular differences in variation, metabolic requirements and adaptations. Written
paper (1h45), short answer and two long answer
questions 47% of AS marks, 23% A2 marks.

Unit 3: Practical & Investigative Skills Principles of designing investigations. Skills of implementation, analysis and evaluation. 20% of AS marks, 10% A2 marks

A2 Units

Unit 4: Populations & Environment
Ecosystems, energy transfer and chemical element cycles. Written paper (1h30).
17% of A2 marks.

Unit 5: Control in Cells & Organisms
Stimulus and responses, biology of nervous and endocrine systems. Written paper (2h15). 23% of A2 marks.

Unit 6: Practical & Investigative Skills
Principles of designing investigations, skills of implementation, analysis and evaluation, including statistical analysis. 10% of A2 marks.

Assessment details

Unit 1	1 hour 15 min Exam	33.3% of AS Mark
Unit 2	1 hour 45 min Exam	46.7% of AS Mark
Unit 3	Practical Assessment	20% of AS Mark

Assessment details

Unit 4

1 hour 30 min Exam

17% of Mark

Unit 5

2 hour 15 min Exam

23% of Mark

Unit 6

Practical Assessment

10% of Mark

Progression

Biology A-level can be used to help fulfil the entry requirements of many university courses leading to qualifications in fields such as: medicine, veterinary science, physiotherapy, environmental sciences, teaching and the ever expanding world of biotechnology, to name but a few.

Exam board

AQA