by staff tutors. Students sit Unit 1in January and carry out their ISA controlled assessment in June.
All students are provided with their own textbook.
How Parents Can Help Parents are encouraged to monitor their children’s homework diary and can also keep an eye on their daughter’s progress on the various National Curriculum objectives via the learning progress sheets, which are issued at the start of each new topic. Parents can also encourage their children to develop a wider interest by discussing Biological subjects, which appear in the news.

Students take Triple award science and therefore study Biology as a separate GCSE. We follow the AQA board syllabus (3411). The course is a blend of the traditional and modern and aims to stimulate an interest in how organisms work and how they relate to their environment and wider society. The course builds on the foundations laid at KS3 and helps develop skills of analysis and evaluation and to prepare students for further study at AS and A2. There are 4 components to the GCSE: 3 theory exams and one practical component called an Investigative Skills Assessment (ISA). Each is worth 25%.

Homework Is set each week and comprises practical write-ups, mini projects, data handling activities and examination practice questions.
Testing and Assessment All GCSE exam question work is marked right from the beginning of year 10
according to the GCSE grade outcomes of A* to E. Each unit in year 10 is assessed by specially designed short answer questions. Student progress is tracked by the centralised mark book and under performing students can be offered additional help through the departmental peer mentoring scheme and on an as needs basis

YEAR 10
TOPIC	UNIT	LESSONS
Energy and Biomass	1.5.1	2
Decay Process/Carbon cycle	1.6.1	2
Differences in organisms	1.7.1	1
Drugs	1.3.1	6
Reproduction	1.7.2	10
Evolution	1.8.1	4
Cells/Diffusion	2.1.1/2	3
Organs	2.2.1	3
Proteins	2.5.1	1
Enzymes	2.5.2	8
Respiration	2.6.1/2	3
Photosynthesis	2.3.1	8
Distribution of organisms	2.4.1	3
Cell Division	2.7.1	5
ISA		6

Year 10
In year 10, the curriculum focuses on aspects of animal and plant physiology, looking at how plants obtain energy and nutrients and their role in food chains and the ecosystem and how animals produce and use energy through aerobic respiration. The role of genes in creating genetic variation is examined and methods of genetic manipulation such as genetic Engineering and cloning are reviewed and discussed. The importance of variation as a driver of evolution and the process of natural selection in developing new species is also studied. Students consider the importance and function of enzymes in controlling intracellular and extracellular processes along with industrial applications of enzymes in the field of Biotechnology. The curriculum also looks at how different drugs affect the nervous system and reviews their social impact on Society. Students consider the dangers of recreational drugs and learn about the procedures involved in drugs trials as well as some of the ethical issues surrounding animal testing.

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