Science - Biology

Curriculum Leader Science: Mr Jonathan Brown

Examination board: IGCSE Oxford AQA 9201

Course Content

This International GCSE Biology qualification provides students with a solid grounding in the principles of life sciences. Students will explore a wide range of biological concepts and develop essential practical skills, data analysis abilities, and critical thinking skills. This course aims to make students scientifically literate and able to apply biological knowledge in their everyday lives and future studies.

Through this syllabus, students will develop knowledge and understanding of the subject content, the practices of science, and how science as a discipline develops. Students will hone their ability to work as a scientist by learning to observe, question, hypothesise, and conduct various types of scientific enquiry to further scientific knowledge.

The course content is divided into the following key areas:

• Organisation: The study of cells, biological molecules, enzymes, transport in animals, and transport in plants.

• Bioenergetics: Photosynthesis and respiration.

• Ecology: Adaptations, populations, communities, ecosystems, and biodiversity.

• Organisms interaction with the environment: The nervous and endocrine systems in humans, as well as the plant and animal responses.

• Inheritance: The study of reproduction, variation, and genetics.

• Variation and evolution: The theory of evolution and the development of new species.

How will you be assessed? 

• Paper 1: Structured, closed short answer, and open response questions.

  • 1 hour 45 minutes

• Paper 2: Structured, closed short answer, and open response questions.

  • 1 hour 45 minutes

Key Skills

The students will learn to:

• Critically analyse data.

• Conduct risk assessments and work safely in a laboratory environment.

• Identify limitations with theories, processes, and data.

• Apply mathematical knowledge and understanding to biological problems.

• Communicate effectively using scientific vocabulary.

Careers

This qualification is a gateway to careers related to science, including: Medicine, Pharmacology, Marine Biology, Botany, Forensics, and many more!