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Transition from GCSE
Introduction
Teaching biology at AS is very different from teaching GCSE biology. We hope that
this document provides some pointers on how to prepare and develop students as
they move from GCSE to A level. Some points to remember:
 Your students have chosen to study biology.
 You can expect them to be at least reasonably interested.
 You can expect them to work at the subject.
 Much of the topic material may be familiar to your students – e.g. structure
of cells and cell specialisation.
 Some material, however, will be new – e.g. plasma (cell surface) membrane
structure.
 All the material will be covered in much greater detail than at GCSE. It may
be important to start with certain topics that are familiar.
 It is important not to immediately confront them with excessive detail that
may put them off continuing the course.
My students
Another important aspect to remember is that your students could have come from
a variety of backgrounds. They may have been taught by specialist biology
teachers or by non-specialist science teachers. They may have studied biology as
part of a combined science GCSE, as a separate subject GCSE or even as an
International GCSE. The GCSE course followed by your students will affect:
 their experience of biology
 their level of knowledge
 the topics they have covered
 the level of detail covered within those topics
 the emphasis with which those topics were approached
 how much practical work they may have done.
If you teach in a school with its own sixth form and the majority of your AS students
come from within the school then you will know how well prepared they are. If this
is not the case, it is perhaps appropriate to assume that all your students have a
minimum of preparation for AS biology.
What level of knowledge can I assume?
All GCSE science and biology courses must include a certain minimum core
content. This includes the following topics:
 Organisms are interdependent and adapted to their environments.
 Variation within species can lead to evolutionary changes, and similarities
and differences between species can be measured and classified.
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The ways in which organisms function are related to the genes in their cells.
Chemical and electrical signals enable body systems to respond to internal
and external changes, in order to maintain the body at an optimal state.
Human health is affected by a range of environmental and inherited factors,
by the use and misuse of drugs and by medical treatments.
The QCA website contains useful information:
 Download subject criteria for science GCSE from QCA website
 Download science programme of study for Key Stage 4 from QCA website
Differentiation
If your students come from a variety of academic backgrounds, it may be useful to
differentiate your classes in some way. Classes that separate those who have
done well at separate science GCSE biology from those who have struggled to
pass a combined science GCSE might seem a good idea. The teaching can then
be aimed at an appropriate level of detail, and progress may be quicker with one
class than the other.
However, there are also disadvantages – if students placed in one class make
better progress than expected, or do not achieve as well as expected, can they be
moved between the classes? Also, by separating groups in this way you may be
denying one group the benefit of working with students who had a very different
experience at GCSE. For example, some GCSE courses emphasise the
importance of research and discussion more than others.
A better approach might be to offer extra catch-up classes to those students who
may have covered fewer topics or less detail at GCSE.
Activities for the end of year 11
You may be lucky enough to retain some year 11 students who will carry on into
year 12 and study biology. If this is the case, there are some activities that may
help to introduce them to AS biology. These activities should be practical-based
rather than theory-based. Your year 11 students are unlikely to be interested in, or
remember any, detailed theory over the summer holiday!
Suitable activities include:
 A colourful practical, such as investigating the effect of temperature on cell
membranes. This can be done using yeast stained with neutral red or the
more usual example of beetroot discs. This will introduce them to the type of
practical work they can expect but involves a relatively simple theoretical
concept.
 Using liver extract immobilised in alginate beads to break down hydrogen
peroxide, to investigate the effect of changing substrate concentration or
enzyme (catalase) concentration.
 Using microscopes to discover things that they have not seen before:
 plasmolysis in cells of onion epidermis or Elodea leaves
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observing stomata open and close in Tradescantia
observing starch grains in banana smears.
Where should I start?
The Teacher Support CD contains information on weekly plans and work schemes.
OCR has also published its own work scheme. These documents are for your
guidance and do not need to be followed exactly. Indeed, many specialist biology
teachers will have their own favoured sequence of topics or way of teaching that
they have found works very well. Any teachers new to teaching AS (and older
hands) would probably do well to experiment a little with different sequences and
different methods to find what works best for them in their particular situation.
The OCR specification has been written with a teaching sequence in mind. Each
module represents a teaching block. Within each module the sections build upon
each other and the sequence of learning outcomes makes logical sense. Following
the sequence of learning outcomes should provide a suitable structure in itself.
Listed below are three potential starting points.
1 Cell structure
Recapping GCSE
 The first module of the AS course starts with cell structure – at GCSE your
students will have looked at cells using a light microscope. This would be a
good place to start.
 Allow them to make slides of materials that they can view under the light
microscope.
Progression
 Teach them how to set up a compound microscope correctly.
 Try to show them structures and use tissues they have not seen before. For
example, a smear of banana on a slide can be stained to clearly show
starch grains.
 However, it is important not to spend too long looking at a wide variety of
slides and tissues as this can lead to boredom and an unwillingness to use
the microscope later in the course.
 The use of an electron microscope to see further detail is the next logical
step. For this, it would be useful to visit a local university biology department
or similar.
2 Transport
Recapping GCSE
 All your students should have learned about the heart, blood vessels and
blood as a system to transport materials around the body. They will
probably also have learned a little about blood pressure.
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A simple revision of the basic ideas of a pump producing pressure to push
fluid through the vessels can lead to the reasons why large active
organisms need a closed transport system and smaller, less active
organisms do not.
Progression
 A dissection of a mammalian heart will reveal many structural features and
lead to discussion about the different thicknesses of the ventricle walls and
how the apparently flimsy valves function.
 The thickness of the walls can be related to the need for higher pressure on
the systemic circuit.
3 Exchange surfaces
Recapping GCSE
 The role of the lungs as organs of gaseous exchange and how their
structure suits them to this function should be familiar to most of your
students.
 Relating this structure to the requirements of a good organ of exchange
should make a clear link between their GCSE knowledge and the higher
level of detail that is required at AS.
Progression
 Looking at lung tissue under high power using a light microscope should
quickly lead to the realisation that lung structure is much more complex than
just a collection of little air sacs to increase surface area.
Where not to start
Traditionally, many teachers like to start AS biology with teaching Biological
molecules (Unit 2 Module 1). There are certainly benefits to this strategy, and an
understanding of the properties of biological molecules can help with
understanding the properties of biological structures such as membranes.
However, an early approach to Biological molecules is quite dissuasive to weaker
candidates – especially those who do not study chemistry. This strategy should
perhaps be kept for the most able candidates.
The new OCR specification has been written to avoid the need to teach Biological
molecules too early, it is now a part of Unit 2. The topics in the first unit can all be
taught without a deep understanding of the properties of biological molecules and
the questions set in the Unit 1 examination will not expect such knowledge.
That said, if you are an experienced teacher with able students and you prefer
teaching Biological molecules first, there is no real harm in doing so. You may,
however, find it hard to cover all of the Unit 1 work in the first term in order to
prepare for the examination in January.
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Practical work
At GCSE most students will have been used to carrying out practical work in pairs
or even in small groups. At AS you may be lucky enough to have smaller groups to
teach, and practical work can be undertaken individually. It is a good idea that
students get into the habit of working alone right from the start. Many practical
procedures are relatively straightforward and this should not be a problem. There
may, however, be a few practicals that involve handling a lot of glassware – in
these instances your students can work in pairs. This will avoid using too much
glassware and help the students cope when the procedure is fairly complex.
Often the most important aspect of practical work is relating it to theory. The ability
to explain the results in scientific terms and using scientific models is very
important. The students must also be able to analyse, interpret and evaluate their
work. This must be done individually.
Assessed practical work – coursework
The assessed practical assignments will be made available on the OCR website by
the start of the academic year. It is important that you (or a member of your
department) access these practical tasks very early on. Although they must be
kept secure, you will still be required to know which topics they assess.
The assessed tasks should be set as a part of the teaching of the relevant topic. It
will be OK to carry out some other practical work first. You should also ensure that
all the skills relevant to the assessed work have been acquired by the students
before setting the actual task.
In conclusion
Teaching AS should be very different from teaching GCSE; however, remember:
 Your students have chosen to study biology.
 You can expect them to be at least reasonably interested.
 You can expect them to work at the subject.
As a result, the emphasis in teaching should be more on guiding their learning
rather than teaching. Remember that your students should be smart, independent
learners; they may have read some articles covering new research or extra detail
of which you are unaware. Be honest with your students and be prepared to accept
that in some aspects of Biology they may have an advantage over you; always be
willing to discuss topics at their level.
© Pearson Education Ltd 2008
This document may have been altered from the original
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