F215 - Revision thread 13th June 2011

Reply 3380

Wor Carroll

What does everyone think it will be for 75 UMS?

Reply 3381

Crazydavy

13

Original post by Wor Carroll

What does everyone think it will be for 75 UMS?

Maybe 38 marks I would think

Reply 3382

TheDubs

2

Original post by potentialmedicalstudent

why does cabbage take up all the soil nutrients?

Cabbage takes up nutrients or nitrogen, this is normal. However the women, with complete disregard for the environment and nitrogen cycle might i add, harvests the cabbages.

As a result, the nitrogen cycle is broken as the nitrogen won't be returned to the same soil as it won't die there, it will instead be eaten by some human and end up in the bowels of someone. In the normal cycle nitrogen in the plants cells will eventually end up in the same soil again when the plant dies, deteriorates etc.

Reply 3383

heartskippedabeat

10

Original post by sickofexamz

Oh I'm so embarased posted in the wrong thread, I've now deleted it :colondollar:

Haha don't worry :biggrin:

Reply 3384

541850

4

Okay, what I don't understand is in the Nitrogen Cycle, the question on letter F? How does it go straight from nitrogen in the air to Nitrates??? There were no intermediates in that arrow?

Reply 3385

TheDubs

2

Original post by kris2405

Okay, what I don't understand is in the Nitrogen Cycle, the question on letter F? How does it go straight from nitrogen in the air to Nitrates??? There were no intermediates in that arrow?

I think its lightening, i.e. via the haber process. Thats my view on it anyway, they may expect you to know that meaning thats why it didnt show you. :cool:

Reply 3386

potentialmedicalstudent

Original post by TheDubs

Cabbage takes up nutrients or nitrogen, this is normal. However the women, with complete disregard for the environment and nitrogen cycle might i add, harvests the cabbages.

As a result, the nitrogen cycle is broken as the nitrogen won't be returned to the same soil as it won't die there, it will instead be eaten by some human and end up in the bowels of someone. In the normal cycle nitrogen in the plants cells will eventually end up in the same soil again when the plant dies, deteriorates etc.

YAY thank you, every mark is a gem

Reply 3387

biology12345

Has everyone complainied to OCR ?

Reply 3388

Maaya_D

Original post by bangla_man

take a caravan to the country side, live and breath like a hedgehog, for possible synoptic questions for next year, try experiencing how it feels to mate with a sheep..

Original post by TheDubs

Ponder ethical situations that would boggle the minds of the Buddah or Dali Lama

Original post by Tetanus

Revise the WHOLE syllabus as opposed to the bits you find easiest.

Original post by TobeTheHero

From now until your F215 exam watch as many ecological documentaries as possible and learn all the rare sheeps and cows and donkeys as well :wink:

Mostly importantly, buy yourself a book entitled 'all the rare animals' you never know...

I'm assuming the hedgehog comments are in reference to today's exam paper lol. But thank you everyone for your advice :biggrin:

Reply 3389

ibysaiyan

16

Original post by Killmepls

You didn't do this paper right? Take a look at the paper, what do you think?

http://www.scribd.com/doc/57771557?secret_password=us1rkds87fp9rxnkn2p

Also you're a girl :O ?!?

I sat it paper back in jan.
Hm.. the paper looks decent though they added more biodiversity/ecological stuff than needed but I don't see it as an impossible paper :s

Reply 3390

Maaya_D

Original post by Crazydavy

Watch Countryfile?

Original post by Jayson

adopt a hedgehog and feed copper to sheep.

Lol bloody hell this hedgehog seems to be causing a havoc amongst all the A2 students! Thank you though :biggrin:

Reply 3391

TheDubs

2

Original post by Maaya_D

Lol bloody hell this hedgehog seems to be causing a havoc amongst all the A2 students! Thank you though :biggrin:

This hedgehog is much more of a 'prick' than your standard hedgehog

Reply 3392

Sam6066

Just had an epic rant to OCR:

Dear OCR,

Though I suspect that sending this email is a futile endeavour, I feel compelled to do so in order to express my intense dissatisfaction with today's F215 'Biology' paper.

My chief issue pertains to the ecology sections of the exam, which were extensive. Indeed, copious portions of the paper were dedicated to the matter, both at its beginning and near its end. This seems incredibly disproportional when viewed in the context of OCR's quite broad syllabus. Admittedly, it would be an impossibility to incorporate every topic into an exam such as F215; the number of marks available simply do not allow for it. However, today's paper was overly unreasonable in this regard, allocating only a handful of marks to module 2 in particular.

This overemphasis on ecology can be, to a great extent, linked to what was a far larger flaw of the exam: its astonishing level of non-biological questions. Now, I for one am all for application of knowledge; this places a cap on regurgitation and lends better candidates an opportunity to convey their biological prowess. Having said this, it seems completely illogical to equip candidates with two years of intricate biological knowledge, only to pose exam questions that do not require it. The seaweed-eating goats, troublesome hedgehogs and antic ladybirds were just a few examples of this being done in F215 . These questions simply did not necessitate a detailed biological knowledge; in fact (with the exception of exam technique), it could be contended that a biology student is no better equipped to answer such generic questions than the average layman. Surely, only students of biology should be capable of correctly answering questions in a biology exam. Otherwise, it simply becomes a test of logic, deductive reasoning and exam technique, rather than what it should be: biology. It seems a gross injustice to hard-working candidates, to nullify their efforts in this way, placing them on the same playing field as candidates who have never set eyes on an OCR biology textbook.

I readily acknowledge that the paper was not blighted entirely by these issues. Some questions seemed fair and reasonable. However, this cannot justify the significant remainder of the paper's content, which can only be described as heinous.

I would appreciate any response to these concerns,

Your disgruntled candidate,

??? ??????? :angry:

Reply 3393

TheDubs

2

Hah, if you think the exam board cares, you can forget about it. They will only change if their is continued media attention put on them, not campaigns from students via the internet.

These are private organisations your talking about. Which means their goal is profit, profit at all costs (excuse the pun, hoha) If it works and it avoids severe public criticism, they'll play it as long as they can. This is the exact reason why state owned exam boards should be the only option, not fur-king private ones :angry:

Reply 3394

twelve

13

Original post by Sam6066

Just had an epic rant to OCR:

Dear OCR,

Though I suspect that sending this email is a futile endeavour, I feel compelled to do so in order to express my intense dissatisfaction with today's F215 'Biology' paper.

My chief issue pertains to the ecology sections of the exam, which were extensive. Indeed, copious portions of the paper were dedicated to the matter, both at its beginning and near its end. This seems incredibly disproportional when viewed in the context of OCR's quite broad syllabus. Admittedly, it would be an impossibility to incorporate every topic into an exam such as F215; the number of marks available simply do not allow for it. However, today's paper was overly unreasonable in this regard, allocating only a handful of marks to module 2 in particular.

This overemphasis on ecology can be, to a great extent, linked to what was a far larger flaw of the exam: its astonishing level of non-biological questions. Now, I for one am all for application of knowledge; this places a cap on regurgitation and lends better candidates an opportunity to convey their biological prowess. Having said this, it seems completely illogical to equip candidates with two years of intricate biological knowledge, only to pose exam questions that do not require it. The seaweed-eating goats, troublesome hedgehogs and antic ladybirds were just a few examples of this being done in F215 . These questions simply did not necessitate a detailed biological knowledge; in fact (with the exception of exam technique), it could be contended that a biology student is no better equipped to answer such generic questions than the average layman. Surely, only students of biology should be capable of correctly answering questions in a biology exam. Otherwise, it simply becomes a test of logic, deductive reasoning and exam technique, rather than what it should be: biology. It seems a gross injustice to hard-working candidates, to nullify their efforts in this way, placing them on the same playing field as candidates who have never set eyes on an OCR biology textbook.

I readily acknowledge that the paper was not blighted entirely by these issues. Some questions seemed fair and reasonable. However, this cannot justify the significant remainder of the paper's content, which can only be described as heinous.

I would appreciate any response to these concerns,

Your disgruntled candidate,

??? ??????? :angry:

Okay, a well written letter, even if I don't agree its justified. It was annoying, and a rubbish paper, but its done now and there's nothing you can do about it.

Also, wasn't it sheep who were eating seaweed? If you're going to send this, I'd at least make sure your facts are right...