Duration
1 day
Exam board
AQA, Cambridge iGCSE, Edexcel, Edexcel iGCSE, OCR, WJEC
Availability & Prices

Our GCSE courses offer students the opportunity to contextualise specification content and develop practical skills in new and inspiring environments.

Tailored to awarding body Biology GCSE specifications this course will cover key ecology subject content, as well as use of apparatus and techniques and mathematical requirements through enquiry-based activities. Students will develop their understanding of the natural world by working scientifically, developing their experimental and analytical skills.

Students will measure the population size of a common species in a habitat and use sampling techniques to investigate the effect of a factor on the distribution of a species. They will sample invertebrates in a freshwater habitat and learn about the ways in which they are adapted to their environment. They will investigate the trophic structure of a freshwater ecosystem, constructing pyramids of number and biomass from their own data and calculating the efficiency of biomass transfers between trophic levels.

Example Timetable

Example timetable

Our day courses usually run from 9:30 until 3:30, but times can be adjusted to suit your group and travel plans. There is also the option to extend the day to allow more time for fieldwork and more detailed follow up.

Sampling techniques

Students will use a variety of fieldwork techniques to measure abiotic and biotic factors within a habitat.

They will use random sampling to measure the population of a common species within a habitat and use systematic sampling to investigate how environmental factors affect the distribution and abundance of organisms within a habitat.

Lunch

Freshwater ecology

Students will sample invertebrate communities in a freshwater habitat. They will identify the organisms found and learn about their feeding relationships and other adaptations. Abiotic factors such as flow rate and temperature may by measured, exploring the impact these environmental factors have on invertebrate distribution and abundance.

Using their own data, students will be able to construct pyramids of number and biomass and calculate the efficiency of energy transfer between trophic levels.

How this course fulfills the specification

AQA GCSE Biology

  • 4.7.1 Adaptations, interdependence and competition
  • 4.7.2 Organisation of an ecosystem
  • 4.7.3 Biodiversity and the effect of human interaction on ecosystems
  • 4.7.4 Trophic levels in an ecosystem
  • 8.2.9 Required Practical 9

Edexcel GCSE Biology

  • Topic 9 Ecosystems and material cycles, in particular, 9.7 and 9.8 B, and 9.16B.
  • Core Practical 9.5

Edexcel iGCSE Biology and Double Award Science

  • 4 Ecology and the environment: (b) Feeding relationships
  • 4.2 investigate the population size of an organism in two different areas using quadrats
  • 4.4B investigate the distribution of organisms in their habitats and measure biodiversity using quadrats

OCR Gateway Biology A

  • B4.1 Ecosystems (in particular, B4.1 h – j)
  • Biology PAG 3: Sampling techniques

OCR 21st Century Science Biology B

  • B3.3 How are organisms in an ecosystem interdependent? In particular, B3.3 6 to 8.
  • Biology PAG 3: Sampling techniques

WJEC Combined Science and GCSE Biology

  • 1.6 Ecosystems, nutrient cycles and the human impact on the environment
  • Specified Practical Work: Investigation into factors affecting the distribution and abundance of a species.

Cambridge iGCSE Biology and Science

  • 19.1 / B18.1 Energy Flow
  • 19.2 / B18.2 Food chains and food webs

Added value of this course
  • Develop personal skills
  • Have fun
  • Be inspired by a passion for the subject
  • Build friendships

Why Choose Field Studies Council?

  • Expert tuition by fully trained staff

  • Stunning locations across the UK

  • Outstanding curriculum knowledge

  • Rigorous health and safety procedures

  • Support before and after your visit

  • Free places for visiting staff