AS/A Level GCE (for first teaching in 2008) Biology - H021 H421

Notice

Updated Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ's)

FAQ's relating to practical tasks, moderation of tasks, training, recruitment and support materials can be found on the Biology FAQs page.

Update to specification

The specification for this qualification has been updated. Vertical black lines indicate a significant change to the previous printed version. Changes can be found on page 58.

Popular documents

View all documents

PDF icon

Specification (updated 15 December 2008)

PDF, 753 Kb
PDF icon

Guide to what has changed

PDF, 390 Kb
PDF icon

Notice to centres - Revised versions of the specification

PDF, 16 Kb
Zip icon

Specimen assessment materials - All units, including sample raw data for evaluative task (updated 30 March 2009)

Zip, 2930 Kb

View all documents associated with this qualification.

View all documents

Overview

This specification has been written for students who wish to continue their study of Biology after GCSE. It has been designed to enable centres to deliver the Units using the framework provided or to design a custom course.

The specification is divided into topics, each covering different key concepts in Biology. Applications of biology are covered throughout the specification.

Benefits to you and your learners of teaching this qualification

  • The specification has been developed in consultation with teachers, universities, research organisations (such as the Sanger Institute) and professional bodies (the Biosciences Federation and the Institute of Biology).
  • The specification is based upon the existing successful GCE Biology specification.
  • There is less emphasis on recall and more on understanding and application.
  • Units F211 and F214 are designed to give you the maximum opportunity to enter candidates in the January examination series.
  • All four externally assessed units are offered in the January and June series.
  • You can adopt either a staged or terminal assessment model.
  • There is straightforward assessment of practical skills using OCR-set tasks and (non-hierarchical) mark schemes.

Ask a question

Do you have a question that is not covered here and needs subject specialist knowledge? If so please get in touch with our Customer Contact Centre.