New GCEs for 2008
GCE Biology (2410)
AS outline
At AS, this specification will stimulate the enthusiasm of teachers and students from the start. It emphasises the way in which biologists work and the contributions of biology to society in a way that underpins the specification but is not intrusive.
The AS specification has 3 units:
Unit 1: Biology and Disease
Topic list
- How digestive and gas exchange systems may be affected by communicable and non-communicable diseases
- How a knowledge of basic biology allows us to understand the symptoms of disease and interpret data relating to risk factors.
Assessment
| Written Paper: | 1 hour 15 minutes |
| Weighting: | 33% of total AS Level marks |
| 16% of total A Level marks |
Five - seven short answer questions plus two longer questions (a short comprehension and a short structure essay)
Unit 2: The Variety of Living Organisms
Topic list
- The influence of genetic and environmental factors on intraspecific variation
- How the variety of life is reflected in similarities and differences in its biochemical basis and cellular organisation
- How size and metabolic rate affect an organism's requirements and give rise to adaptations.
Assessment
| Written Paper: | 1 hour 45 minutes |
| Weighting: | 46% of total AS Level marks |
| 23% of total A Level marks |
Five - seven short answer questions plus two longer questions (one will emphasise data handling and include a section requiring continuous prose. The other will assess How Science Works).
Unit 3: Practical and Investigative Skills
Topic list
- Practical work in the contexts of Units 1 and 2
- Assessment of implementing skills on practical work as a whole
- Assessment by AQA-set tasks, to reduce the burden on teachers and students.
Assessment
| Internal Assessment | |
| Weighting: | 20% of total AS Level marks |
| 10% of total A Level marks |
Practical skills assessment (PSA)
Investigative skills assignment (ISA).
Key documents
