Biology

Biology

Mr G Bonfante - HoD

Mrs D Knaggs

Mr B Schober

Mrs R Wright

Competition Cactus (see below)

Biology is taken as a separate subject from Year 8 having been begun as part of the general science course in Year 7. Boys have two periods per week in Year 8 and then three in Year 9. We begin with an introduction to the diversity of life, looking at the huge range of types of living organisms apart from humans. Most living things though are microscopic and consist of just single cells, and microbiology is our first major topic in Year 8.

We continue with studies of how organisms reproduce and pass on their characteristics to their offspring. And after this we start to look at how organisms function, humans in particular. There are topics for example on food and diet, healthy eating, digestion and control and coordination. In Year 9 we also start to look at topics which form part of the GCSE including how people affect the planet.

The AQA Science specification is followed for GCSE in Years 10 and 11. Boys take Biology unit 1 at the end of Year 10, unit 2 in January of Year 11 and then unit 3 in June of Year 11 if following the full GCSE course. In addition to the written unit tests, boys also learn “How Science Works”. This is the practical part of the course and includes such elements as how to make an investigation a fair test, how to get precise and reliable data, and how to analyse them and draw valid conclusions. Evaluation is also important here, understanding that investigations may not be perfect and that things do go wrong but may be improved on.

At present around 25 boys each year continue with Biology into the sixth form, many with the intention of studying Medicine, Dentistry or Veterinary Science at university. Plenty also become Biochemists, Geneticists or Microbiologists. In fact the range of biological science degrees available is enormous, providing plenty of career opportunities. We follow the OCR specification at the moment for A level but the specification is changing from September 2008 to follow on from the new GCSE.

Finally a competition for those of you have read this far. The picture of the cactus was taken in the South of France and I’m offering a small prize for the best explanation as to why this species is not native to the UK.

DEC