What Topics Are In A Level Biology
A level biology is a very wide and varied subject, so if you’re thinking of choosing to study this subject, be aware that you’ll have to focus on a lot of different things with this specification.
Of course, what topics you’ll study may vary depending on what exam board you are doing, so you’d have to check your exam board’s website or official textbook to know what you’ll be studying for sure.
Cells
Learning about cells is often at the start of the specification, with this being one of the most basic things you’ll learn within the A level.
You will be learning about the cell structures of different types of cell, specialised cells and diffusion across membranes, and learning the stages of a cell’s cycle. There’s a lot to learn with this, but if you can grasp the basics, this topic is where you should pick up your easy marks in the exam and additional online biology tutoring can certainly help.
You may also be introduced to methods of studying cells such as using microscopes – which will come in handy when it comes to doing assessed practical examinations. If you continue to study biology further at degree level, this topic may be useful in getting you familiar with lab equipment, developing your scientific skills.
The environment and everything in it
One of the first things that may come to mind with biology is the surroundings we live in. Of course, biodiversity and evolution are dominating parts of some topics in AS and A level, with students learning how organisms react and adapt to their surroundings. You may learn how organisms exchange substances with their environment, with gas exchange probably being one of the most common examples of this.
Genetics
Possibly one of the most popular topics which can draw people into studying A level biology is the study of genetics. This includes genetic variation, genetic information, and relationships between organisms. Whilst you may have heard of DNA, protein synthesis, and chromosomes at GCSE, prepare to go into a lot more detail with this scientific information at A level.
You might also learn about genetic diversity and how this can arise from mutation or meiosis. When thinking about topics in A level biology, a lot of them are centred around GCSE topics but go into a lot more detail – the massive workload at A level often shocks and throws students off due to the massive step up from GCSE, so you need to be prepared to put in a lot more work to understand and memorise these detailed topics.
The control of gene expression is specifically an A level only topic, with you learning what features can control a gene’s expression, and the regulation of transcription and translation. So, if you think this is something that you’d find interesting, it might be worth picking A level biology – you can always specialise in a specific topic in further study, so don’t worry if you don’t like every single topic in biology.
There are so many topics that you’ll cover in A level biology, allowing you to see what you’re really interested in.
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