A Level Biology – Edexcel B – 4 Days: Edexcel B, AS/A Level Biology

Example Timetable

The following is an example of how a 4-day course might look. Our courses are as flexible as possible to meet your requirements, with other topics and skills able to be substituted into this timetable. There will be some variation between what is offered at specific centres due to habitat availability.

Day 1

Arrive Midday 
Welcome by FSC staff, centre tour and introduction, pre-course meeting of FSC staff and teachers, allocation of wellies and waterproofs as appropriate.

Afternoon and evening - Biodiversity (including Core Practical 16b) 
Students will use random sampling to compare two habitats, calculate species diversity and investigate variation within a species using Student’s t-test. This could be done in various habitats, including rocky shore, woodland, heathland or moorland depending on the centre visited. Core practical 16b, investigating the effect of one abiotic factor on the morphology of one species, can also be included in this session.

Day 2

Succession (including Core Practical 15) 
A full day session investigating succession using systematic sampling. Students will measure abundance and distribution of species and analyse the data using Spearman’s rank correlation coefficient.  Core Practical 15, investigating different sampling methods, can also be covered in this session.

Day 3

Investigative Skills (Core Practical 16a) 
Students will build on the skills they have learnt throughout the first two days to plan, justify and carry out their own ecological investigation into the effect of an abiotic factor on the distribution of a species. They will collect, process and analyse their own data, and research and reference their findings.

Day 4

Ecosystem management and conservation 
A visit to a local site of conservation interest to consider how conservation of habitats is balanced with human needs. Topics discussed may include the reasons for maintaining biodiversity, management of succession, sustainable resource management, international and local conservation agreements to protect species and habitats, and in-situ and ex-situ conservation techniques.

Depart Midday 

How this course fulfills the specification

Detailed coverage of ecological content from Topics 3 and 10, with opportunities to make synoptic links to other units, for example transport in plants and photosynthesis.

Practical Endorsement

Our courses will include Core Practical 15 and 16 and can also include Core Practical 11.

There will be multiple opportunities to assess all five CPAC during practical activities, including those that require demonstration of independence and some degree of choice (e.g., CPAC 2).

Students will be encouraged to use IT for data collection and analysis, and to carry out referenced research (CPAC 5). Students will undertake risk assessment for all environments visited and techniques used (CPAC 3).

Practical Skills, Apparatus and Techniques

The ‘hands on’ nature of our courses provide multiple opportunities for students to apply the practical skills on which they will be assessed and develop and demonstrate their use of apparatus and techniques including: 1, 5, 8, 11 and 12.

These skills will be integrated and contextualised within the topics and ecological investigations undertaken.

Maths and Statistical Skills

Our courses include a wide range of applied maths and graphical skills and, depending on the topics covered, can cover the following statistical tests: Student’s t-test, Spearman’s rank correlation coefficient and the chi-squared test. Students can also calculate Simpson’s index of diversity using their own data.

Develop skills

• Communication | Resilience | Independent thinking | Leadership
• Numeracy | Literacy | Investigative skills | Observation

Enhance Knowledge

• Ask questions.
• Apply knowledge in the real world and make links.
• Make sense of new places and understand our place and role within this.

Enjoy

• Have fun | Make friendships | Connect with nature