GCSE Biology

GCSE Biology Course Overview

Learn the role Humans play in shaping the environment and our relationship to plants and animals. Gain a better understanding of science through practical skills that you can carry out at home to explore topics further. 

Pre-requisites

None

Qualification

GCSE in Biology

Support and benefits

• Flexible terms times
• Stepped learning approach
• Access to a dedicated tutor and student advisors to guide you through your studies
• Access to the ICS online Student Community, allowing you to interact with other students and browse our resource library
  

Key topics

• Cell Structure 
• Nerves & Hormones 
• Food Drugs & Disease 
• Living Things and their Environment 
• Reproduction & Evolution 
• Transport Across Boundaries & Plant Nutrition 
• Energy & Nutrient Transfer
• Enzymes & Homeostasis 
• Variation

GCSE Biology Course Code

G25

Technical Requirements

• You may need some household items for experiments
• Cannot be taken with GCSE Science

Examination Fee and Registration

Students will have to pay an examination fee of £21.80. This is payable to the AQA Examination Board. For further information on examinations, please see the Assessment tab.

Please note students are responsible for making their own exam arrangements.

Students should contact AQA as soon as possible to find out the deadlines for applying to sit the examinations. At this time students should also request the Entry Form for Private Candidates and also a list of centres and details of Open Centres for Private Candidates.

Find out more information about arranging your AQA examination.

ICS Support Period

12 months

GCSE Biology Distance Learning

Exams are held in June of each year. You’ll complete six formative assessments and three practical assignments during your GCSE Biology course. You’ll also complete either three or four exams, plus a test, on completion of your course.

Formative assessments are intended to help both you and your tutor measure your progress through the course, highlighting any areas where revision is necessary. Formative assessments do not, however, count towards your final grade.

You will either complete Exam 1 or BOTH Exam 1a AND Exam 1b.

Assessment Breakdown

• Formative Assessments 1-8: these assessments contain a mix of short answer, multiple choice and short report questions
• Practical Assignment 1 (Formative): a practical assignment requiring you to analyse and evaluate evidence, and to draw conclusions
• Practical Assignment 2 (Formative): a practical assignment requiring you to plan (but not conduct) an experiment
• Practical Assignment 3 (Assessed): you will design an investigation to test a hypothesis or prediction, carry out this investigation, and then test write a report based on the evidence
• Exam 1: a written paper consisting of short answer questions. It must be completed within 45 minutes and is worth 25% of your overall grade.
• Exam 1a: a paper consisting of matching/multiple choice questions. It must be completed within 30 minutes and is worth 12.5% of your overall grade.
• Exam 1b: a paper consisting of matching/multiple choice questions. It must be completed within 30 minutes and is worth 12.5% of your overall grade.
• Exam 2: a written paper consisting of short answer questions. It must be completed within 45 minutes and is worth 25% of your overall grade.
• Exam 3: a written paper consisting of short answer questions. It must be completed within 45 minutes and is worth 25% of your overall grade.
• Practical Coursework Test: a test lasting 45 minutes and consisting of 2 sections. The first section asks you questions related to the results of your Practical Assignment 3, and the second section asks you questions related to data gathered from an experiment similar to your own. This test, along with a Practical Skills Assessment (which grades your competence in completing Practical Assignment 3), is worth 25% of your overall grade.

Notes

Short answer questions will normally require you to perform a calculation, respond to data, or to write a short answer of between a sentence and a paragraph.

Each multiple choice question comes with four potential answers. Only one of these answers is correct; the other three are wrong. You must identify the correct answer.

Matching questions are very similar to multiple choice questions, but instead feature 8 items, 4 of which are numbered (1) to (4), and 4 of which are lettered (a) to (d). You must match each letter with the relevant number. For example, 4 parts of a diagram might be labelled with the numbers (1) to (4), with a list of the 4 correct labels below, each given a letter from (a) to (d). You must match the correct part of the diagram with the correct label.