Chemistry and Psychology

Law and Psychology

Maths and Chemistry

French, Chemistry and Maths

English Literature and English Language

Chemistry and Maths

Geography and Maths

Chemistry and Law

English Literature, Maths

Maths and Chemistry

Chemistry, Further Mathematics, Mathematics

Chemistry, Psychology

Chemistry, Psychology and Extended Project

Maths and Spanish

I enjoyed it at GCSE and I needed it to get into the course I want to do at uni

Because I enjoyed it at GCSE’s

It was my favourite subject at GCSE and I have especially always wanted to know more about how the human body works.

I chose to study Biology because I am hoping to go on and study medicine at university. In addition to this I really enjoyed biology in year 11 and couldn't consider not continuing.

I chose to study A Level biology because I really enjoyed the subject at GCSE and found it interesting. I wanted to learn further skills within biology and discover more about the subject and in more detail.

Helpful towards doing medicine at uni but I also enjoyed it throughout school.

It's interesting practical/hands-on, and you get to dissect hearts.

I had a strong interest in the subject from GCSE and need it to progress onto my Uni course of choice.

Interest in the living aspect of biology as well as the possible interest in medicine from further study.

I enjoyed it at GCSE so I thought it would be an interesting subject to learn about at A level.

Compulsory for medicine, interesting and relevant for long term goal.

The content seemed interesting and very in depth, it also pairs well with my other subjects.

I needed to take A Level biology for the types of degrees I was interested in studying at univeristy, which were all healthcare and medicine related. I was also just genuinely very interested in biology as a science, in particular topics like disease and genetics!

Biology was by far my favourite science at secondary and I find the human body fascinating so I was just drawn to study it at A level.

Very content heavy, but most information is relatively easy to understand and quite interesting.

Much more in depth than GCSE and I found it more difficult due to the amount of content.

A Level Biology is challenging, but also very rewarding. There are new things you learn every day, new links you can make to other topics and although it is difficult it is a fun and extremely interesting subject to take.

Biology is surprising. Honestly, going into A-levels I knew biology was going to be hard (and it is - there's no doubt about it) but I didn't expect to enjoy it as much as I do. Biology is amazing - the depth of detail that we go into makes everything - even plants - just that little bit more intriguing and makes me want to keep studying it. Biology is a lesson that I look forward to as there is a great working environment and I'm always intrigued to find out more...

A Level biology is a really interesting course as it expands on knowledge previously learned at GCSE. There is a wide variety of practicals to partake in, which help develop skills and are just fun to carry out. There are a fair amount of tests within the course to test our knowledge of what we have learned, but they are actually really helpful in consolidating information. Biology also compliments a number of other subjects, such as chemistry or psychology, which means that other knowledge can be applied to some concepts and make it slightly easier to understand.

Enjoyable but big jump up from Y11, everything links so have to be clear on all of the work, the course is interesting just lots to do.

In depth, detailed, and VERY necessary to keep on top of it and go over what you did in lesson. The grade you get depends on how much work and independent study you put in. Also there is coursework/written work about the practicals you do, that can be quite time consuming and tedious but helps in exam questions because you know more about that topic.

The course is interesting because you know more about things that happen in everyday life - breathing, disease, biodiversity etc. Makes you seem smarter to other people.

Its definitely challenging, there is a lot of content to cover and you need to be serious with yourself from the beginning and make an effort to put the work in to get what you want out of the course. But at the same time it is incredibly rewarding. I love understanding more about the way our bodies work and how other aspects you don't necessarily think of as important are very important to how our planet is today; e.g. water, we take it for granted but as a molecule it is incredibly important to every living organism on the planet.

Interesting and gripping but does contain a large amount of content.

I personally find it a very interesting subject as each module is quite different so you get to learn a lot of different aspects of biology. It is a hard subject because there is a lot of content to learn and lots of specific examples you need to know, but if you enjoy the subject trying to learn everything isn't so bad.

Biology is almost like a mountain - the further you climb up the more things you have to take care of whether it's stress, previous chapters that needs to be reviewed or new content that will get more complex. So you're almost like a string that's being stretched by the challenges there's a limit that you want to extend carefully to get your best outcome but you have to make sure to take time to self-care and relax so the string doesn't snap.

Very stressful but rewarding, lots of content and you have to know key terms and the specifics. If you do not keep on top of work from the beginning of the year its very easy to fall behind but staff are always prepared to help prevent this and keep you organised as it is a fairly big jump between GCSE and A Level. Class is always interesting and there is never nothing to be doing, practicals are interesting and not half as intimidating as it seems.

Taking A Level biology is definitely a big challenge, as some of the concepts can be quite difficult to wrap your head around, especially in the 2nd year. It's also fairly fast paced, but each topic is always covered thoroughly and the teachers are very approachable, so you never feel worried about asking for help. Because the course has such a huge range of content, there's something for everyone - even if you don't find a certain topic interesting, you'll definitely find one that you enjoy. (I loved doing practicals, especially dissections!)

I loved studying biology. I looked forward to every lesson and to go in and learn something new, about things that make up and impact on our everyday lives. That’s one thing about biology - there is a lot of content, but I think if you are genuinely interested in the subject, like I was, you will not find it overwhelming. Obviously there were chapters that I found easier to grasp than others but I think this is based on your own personal interests. For example in first year I preferred the transport in animals chapter to the transport in plants, but it made me understand that I would need to put in more work when revising plant topics.

Great teachers and there’s lots of additional work on the website to help with revision

Very good teaching, support, resources and organisation for example the biology website is a really good resource

The teaching and support is amazing, I’ve never felt that I couldn’t go and ask for help. I have always been able to get an answer to my question too, never left in the dark about something I’ve needed to know the answer to. The resources and organisation of the course is also amazing, if you miss something or don’t understand a certain topic it is so easy to be able to get information as it is so easy to find.

The teachers are great - the style of teaching really suits my learning style and allows me to well and enjoy every lesson. In addition, there are loads of resources provided to accompany every lesson allowing you to recap and go over things.

The teaching of the course is of a really high standard and the teachers are always around to provide extra support or to answer any questions. Textbooks are provided and revision guides and available, which have all of the information needed to understand and revise the content, as well as there being plenty of practice questions to test ourselves on it for revision purposes.

It's really important to be organised from the start of the year. It's very independent but there's a lot of support if you are struggling.

The teaching and support is excellent, if you have any questions or are struggling at all the teachers will do all they can to help and advise you on ways you can improve. There are a lot of resources so organisation on the student's part is key but once you start it is fairly straightforward. Topics feed into each other and the course is taught in a way that makes developing your growing knowledge logical and organised.

Very good, keeps the work balanced and not repetitive.

All the teachers are very helpful, there is plenty of resources to help you learn.

Teaching - great, the teachers' confidence and passion in the course helps the student to be more driven and enthusiastic.

Resources - everything and more is there.

Organisation - great, nothing to worry about

The teaching is always at a high standard and booklets have everything you need for each topic and they are always handed out before you begin the topic so you can read over the content, they also contain some PPQs which are very helpful in order to prepare for end of topic tests. Class is always organised and we know what we're doing next lesson and homework is frequently given out in order to keep knowledge fresh. Even during quarantine teachers have made sure we can't fall behind and taken time to create home study versions of each topic so that we can understand them and not fall behind even in unwanted circumstances like these.

From my experience the teaching, resources and organisation of the course has consistently been of a very high quality. All of the teachers are really supportive and patient, so if you're struggling you'll get all the help you need until you properly understand a concept. I personally loved how organised the course was, for example how each module lent itself to the next one and always linked back to the foundations of biology you learn at the start of 1st year. There are always a variety of different activities each lesson and lots of resources available to guide you through chapters, such as online textbooks and practice papers.

The lessons throughout the two year course vary from things like group work to cut and stick activities, with harder bits of content taking multiple activities to ensure it really sticks. I have never felt like I couldn’t ask for help or something explaining further as I knew the teachers were always there whether it be in lesson, at drop in sessions or over email. There is a website for biology students with all the resources including powerpoints from lessons and past paper questions, this is well organised so easy to find whatever you are looking for.

Buy a big folder

To make sure you are organised from the first day.

Be prepared to put in the work, it gets hard. But it is worth it!

Biology is hard but not impossible. If you have the desire to learn and you enjoy biology then do it, it was the best decision I made when choosing A-levels.

I would advise anyone thinking of taking biology A level to make sure that they have a good understanding of GCSE concepts in order to be able to develop them at A Level. Also, I would recommend considering how biology fits in with their other subjects and which subjects would compliment it, perhaps depending on the path that they wish to take after college.

Make sure you like the subject.

Be prepared for a bigger workload that your GCSEs/secondary school, get organised and take it seriously. Make sure you're confident with all the GCSE biology before you start, it will make life easier.

Start as you mean to go on; if you have high grade ambitions then put the work in from the beginning of the course. Keep yourself and your folders organised, pay attention and don't neglect revision. There is a lot of content and if you don't start revision until later in the course you will spend a lot of time trying to catch up your understanding of earlier topics.

Also don't be afraid to ask for help, from the teachers or other students, everyone wants to help you succeed.

If you enjoy it and are willing to put in the work then its a great subject to take.

It's important for you to not only 'need' to do well but 'want' to do well or you can get lost in loaded content, or to get overwhelmed.

It's important for you to know the big picture too - the course isn't linear, it's interlinking all the chapters are linked to each other so it's important for you to learn the new chapters, but more important for you to review it and know it inside out.

It's a very rewarding A level to take, it can lead you onto many different areas at university if taken with the right other A levels. However it is very stressful and you cannot afford to fall behind, constant exam questions and revisiting older topics needs to be done. Revision resources should be made quickly after classes, but this is common in most content heavy A levels. Also don't forget that if you do take it, teachers are always willing to help if you are struggling and to take advantage of any extracurricular activities that involve biology in any way- these are very helpful

I would say definitely consider taking biology A Level, especially if you're interested in taking a degree or apprenticeship that's science-based in the future. If you commit to working hard consistently, you will get out what you put in - biology is hugely rewarding when you work hard and manage your time effectively.

I think it’s very important that you “hit the ground running” with A level biology. The start of college is exciting with the freedom you have in comparison to secondary school but it’s important to remember that you will still be assessed on the topics you cover at the start. One thing I found very useful was to prepare revision materials as I was studying each topic. This meant I had them available for any assessment and I therefore maximised the time I had to refresh myself on the content.

Go to uni to do veterinary science, or I may have a gap year to get more experience.

Go to university to study law.

I am going to university.

Hopefully, head off to university to study medicine.

I intend to go to university and study an English related degree.

Medicine at uni.

Go to university.

My ambition is to go to university to study veterinary medicine.

University of Newcastle.

Hopefully go to The University of Edinburgh to study Biomedical science.

Go to uni, learn either medicine or pharmacy.

Go to university to either study Psychology or veterinary medicine

I've chosen to study Dietetics at the University of Plymouth, starting from September 2020 (hopefully)

My plan is to go to Newcastle University to study biomedical sciences. This stemmed from my love for human biology which has been enhanced over the past two years.

Not sure yet I want to go to uni and then see what I can do after

I would really like to work abroad with medicine. Maybe with the doctors without borders or on a Mercy ship. I've always wanted to travel the world and these would allow me to do a great job whilst experiencing the world.

I would like to continue on and become a journalist.

Doctor.

Probably a scientific or geographical career that involves travelling.

Long term goals... let's see where the road takes us.

Law??

No idea!

Become a doctor/surgeon or pharmacist.

...not really.

After I graduate, I plan on becoming a registered dietician working for the NHS. I've also been thinking about potentially persuing a PhD in the future relevant to modern biology and dietetics.

My aim after university is to work in the NHS where I can use my knowledge to benefit others. Although biomedical sciences involves lots of lab work, I would like to still have patient contact to actually see the people I am helping.