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AQA A-Level Biology Paper 3 HELP

Hi! I have my final Biology exam on Monday and I'm struggling to revise because I'm not sure what content I need to mainly know. I know the exam is on both AS and A2 but what should I be revising? Should I prioritise revising practical's?

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Reply 1

BrumSoulja

Practicals enit, they aint gona ask content questions straight up, it's gona be mixed in practical context, so no point revising content, just know enough content to bang out the essay

Reply 2

lolanewbury

Yeah I agree, I would just look at the old syllabus essay titles and write loads of essays, this will help keep your content revision up as well.
Do the spec paper and textbook synoptic questions too
:smile:

Reply 3

EsSa770

I have a question regarding the 25 mark question on paper 3:
should I discuss a few topics related to the essay title in great detail, or better I mention many topics in less detail?

Reply 4

Alex1111111111

Can anyone post the list on predicted essay titles. Can't find it anywhere

Reply 5

Alex1111111111

i'd say more in less detail

Original post by EsSa770

I have a question regarding the 25 mark question on paper 3:
should I discuss a few topics related to the essay title in great detail, or better I mention many topics in less detail?

Reply 6

TheWallFlowerxo

Original post by EsSa770

I have a question regarding the 25 mark question on paper 3:
should I discuss a few topics related to the essay title in great detail, or better I mention many topics in less detail?

My teacher said to write at least 5 topics, so I'd say more topics with less detail but all of what you write has to be relevant

Reply 7

luliloola

Original post by EsSa770

I have a question regarding the 25 mark question on paper 3:
should I discuss a few topics related to the essay title in great detail, or better I mention many topics in less detail?

Aim to hit at least five or six broader topics, the key is it's a synoptic essay and you'll lose marks for breadth if you don't cover enough topics. For example "describe the importance of cycles in biology" could feature the Calvin cycle, the Krebs cycle, nutrient cycles (N/P), the cell cyle, PCR, and the cardiac cycle. This would cover a wide range of topics from several chapters. You need to be precise but still scientific and detailed. I know it's a hard balance to get :smile:

Reply 8

EsSa770

Thanks!
Also, in the mark scheme it says "For top marks in the band (band 5), the answer shows evidence of reading beyond specification requirements".
What does this mean exactly and how do I know what to research?

Reply 9

luliloola

Original post by Alex1111111111

Can anyone post the list on predicted essay titles. Can't find it anywhere

I can remember these three: describe the importance of cycles in biology, negative feedback (probably osmoregulation focused), and DNA/gene technology

Reply 10

luliloola

Original post by EsSa770

You need to include information that shows you've read more into something at a higher level than A level. For example, I want to study marine biology so I've researched osmoregulation in bull sharks and photosynthesis in the marine cyanobacteria prochlorococcus :tongue:

Briefly look at a subject you're interested in and see how you could relate it to the topics we're studying

Reply 11

EsSa770

WOW! Quiet the career path :wink:

Being that I am taking this A level on my own (no classmates or teacher) how would you recommend revising for paper 3?

Reply 12

EsSa770

Original post by Alex1111111111

Can anyone post the list on predicted essay titles. Can't find it anywhere

Here are some titles:
1) The importance to humans of the control of growth, reproduction and development of organisms, including themselves.
2) The importance of proteins in the control of processes and responses in organisms
3) the causes and importance of variation and diversity in organisms
4) how energy is transferred within and between organisms
5) the importance of shapes fitting together in cells and organisms
6) Using DNA in science and technology
7) how bacteria can effect the lives of humans and other organisms

Reply 13

luliloola

Original post by EsSa770

WOW! Quiet the career path :wink:

Being that I am taking this A level on my own (no classmates or teacher) how would you recommend revising for paper 3?

I'm going over all the practicals, practicing essays and generally going over anything I find hard plus topics that haven't come up yet like translocation etc :wink:

Reply 14

EsSa770

Original post by luliloola

I'm going over all the practicals, practicing essays and generally going over anything I find hard plus topics that haven't come up yet like translocation etc :wink:

Right... Did your teacher provide you with a list of topics that are most likely to come up in paper 3?

Reply 15

luliloola

Original post by EsSa770

Right... Did your teacher provide you with a list of topics that are most likely to come up in paper 3?

After paper 2 I spoke to her and she was annoyed because they picked tiny bits from whole topics so they might still come up :frown:

In general a lot of exchange and mass transport hasn't come up, nutrient cycles, response to stimuli and homeostasis, details of respiration, and gene expression.

Reply 16

EsSa770

Original post by luliloola

After paper 2 I spoke to her and she was annoyed because they picked tiny bits from whole topics so they might still come up :frown:

In general a lot of exchange and mass transport hasn't come up, nutrient cycles, response to stimuli and homeostasis, details of respiration, and gene expression.

That is not very encouraging :wink:

I am curious to know, how did your school find paper 2?

Reply 17

luliloola

Original post by EsSa770

That is not very encouraging :wink:

I am curious to know, how did your school find paper 2?

we all found it ok, just annoying and confusing :biggrin:

Reply 18

Shivered-Ice

Original post by EsSa770

I have a question regarding the 25 mark question on paper 3:
should I discuss a few topics related to the essay title in great detail, or better I mention many topics in less detail?

If possible you need to a strike a balance in the middle because you need both breadth and depth. Also make sure your paragraphs have a coherent flow so it makes sense as a whole and isn't a load of disjointed paragraphs. Hope this helps :smile:

Reply 19

EsSa770