Biology
A-Level Biology is the study of life itself. It explores the theories and principles involved in living systems, in all their intricate beauty.
If students are interested in recent developments in genetic engineering or disease prevention, understanding how we evolved, finding out how cells – ‘little bags of water with things dissolved in them’ – carry out so many different processes in a seemingly effortless fashion, tracking down natural resources, the true impacts of pollution on the natural world, or animal care and conservation programmes, to name a few, then A-Level Biology is the ideal subject.
The content covered is split into eight sections:
- Biological molecules
- Cells
- Organisms exchange substances with their environment
- Genetic information, variation and relationships between organisms
- Energy transfer in and between organisms
- Organisms respond to changes in their internal and external environments
- Genetics, populations, evolution and ecosystems
- The control of gene expression
Students have the choice of taking AS-Level Biology, or the full A-Level Biology course. The AS course is a 1-year course and will cover sections 1-4 only. The A-Level course covers all eight sections over two years.
Assessments
The qualifications are linear so students sit all of their exams at the end of the course.
AS-Level
For this level there are two examination papers students sit at the end of the course. Both papers will cover any content from the four sections covered, including relevant practical skills; and will have an equal ranking of 50%. The questions will be short answer, comprehension, and extended response.
A-Level
For this level there are three examination papers students sit at the end of the course.
- Paper 1 covers any content from sections 1-4, including relevant practical skills. Questions will be a mixture of short and long answer and extended response. 35% of A-Level.
- Paper 2 covers any content from sections 6-8, including relevant practical skills. Questions will be a mixture of short and long answer and extended response. 35% of A-Level.
- Paper 3 covers any content from sections 1-8, including relevant practical skills. Questions will be a mixture of structured questions, including practical technique; critical analysis of experimental data; and one essay from a choice of two. 30% of A-Level.
Chemistry
Chemistry enables students to describe the material world, and through chemistry we can answer questions such as: ‘what happens when sugar dissolves in tea?’; ‘why is mercury a liquid at room temperature?’; ‘how do we make plastics?’; ‘what can we do about global warming?’; and ‘how and why will I be affected when oil runs out?’
Our lives are inextricably linked with chemistry, from baking a cake to recharging a mobile phone. The subject is at the forefront of responding to the needs of society, with chemists central to making advances in designing new materials, efficient energy use, drug development, and technology.
A-Level content is split into nineteen topics:
- Atomic Structure and the Periodic Table
- Bonding and Structure
- Redox I
- Inorganic Chemistry and the Periodic Table
- Formulae, Equations and Amounts of Substance
- Organic Chemistry I
- Modern Analytical Techniques I
- Energetics I
- Kinetics I
- Equilibrium I
- Equilibrium II
- Acid-base Equilibria
- Energetics II
- Redox II
- Transition Metals
- Kinetics II
- Organic Chemistry II
- Organic Chemistry III
- Modern Analytical Techniques II
Students have the choice of taking AS-Level Chemistry, or the full A-Level Chemistry course. The AS course is a 1-year course and will cover topics 1-10 only. The A-Level course covers all 19 topics over two years.
Assessments
The qualifications are linear so students will sit all their exams at the end of the course.
AS-Level
For this level there are two examination papers students sit at the end of the course.
- Paper 1 covers any content from topics 1-5. Questions will be a mixture of multiple choice, short and long answer response, calculation, and extended writing. Some questions will assess conceptual and theoretical understanding of experimental methods. 50% of AS-Level.
- Paper 2 covers any content from topics 2, 5, 6-10. Questions will be a mixture of multiple choice, short and long answer response, calculation, and extended writing. Some questions will assess conceptual and theoretical understanding of experimental methods. 50% of AS-Level.
A-Level
Students sit three examination papers at the end of the course.
- Paper 1 covers any content from topics 1-5, 8, 10-15. Questions will be a mixture of multiple choice, short and long answer response, calculation, and extended writing. 30% of A-Level.
- Paper 2 covers any content from topics 2, 3, 5-9, 16-19. Questions will be a mixture of multiple choice, short and long answer response, calculation, and extended writing. 30% of A-Level.
- Paper 3 covers any content from any of the 19 topics. The paper will include synoptic questions that may draw on two or more different topics listed; and questions that assess conceptual and theoretical understanding of experimental methods that will draw on students’ experiences of the core practicals. 40% of A-Level.
Physics
A-Level Physics gives students the opportunity to explore the phenomena of the universe and to look at theories that explain what is observed. A-Level Physics is a mixture of highly conceptual thinking and very practical applications. Students will need to think about abstract ideas such as fields, but be able to apply those ideas to how, for instance, electric motors work.
Content
The content covered is split into eight sections:
- Measurements and their errors
- Particles and radiation
- Waves
- Mechanics and materials
- Electricity
- Further mechanics and thermal physics
- Fields and their consequences
- Nuclear physics
Students also study 1 of the option topics:
- Astrophysics
- Medical physics
- Engineering physics
- Turning points in physics
- Electronics
Students have the choice of taking AS-Level Physics, or the full A-Level Physics course. The AS course is a one-year course and will cover sections 1-5 only. The A-Level course covers all eight sections, and one option topic over two years.
Assessments
The qualifications are linear so students sit all of their exams at the end of the course.
AS-Level
Students sit two examination papers at the end of the course.
- Paper 1 covers any content from sections 1-5. Questions will be a mixture of short and long answer response. 50% of AS-Level.
- Paper 2 covers any content from sections 1-5. Questions will be a mixture of short and long answer response on practical skills and data analysis; short and long answer response from across all areas of the content; and multiple choice questions. 50% of AS-Level.
A-Level
For this level there are 3 examination papers students sit at the end of the course.
- Paper 1 covers any content from sections 1-5, and 6.1 (periodic motion). Questions will be a mixture of short and long answer response, and multiple choice. 34% of A-Level.
- Paper 2 covers any content from sections 6.2, 7 and 8. There is an assumption of knowledge from sections 1-6.1. Questions will be a mixture of short and long answer response, and multiple choice. 34% of A-Level.
- Paper 3 has 2 sections. Section A covers practical skills and data analysis, while section B covers the option topic. Questions will be a mixture of short and long answers response on practical experiments and data analysis, and the option topic. 32% of A-Level.
