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AQA Biology Synoptic Essay

Finding it really hard to do these essays, I'm resitting as an external student so don't have much input into how to write them. Just trying to do 'Uses of DNA in science and technology' Where do I start? also as long as its relevant does it matter what you say. The mark schemes give you a plan, do you have to include all the points for top marks because i find that I don't have time to include all the points from the mark scheme! please help
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Original post by velvetwaterxox
Finding it really hard to do these essays, I'm resitting as an external student so don't have much input into how to write them. Just trying to do 'Uses of DNA in science and technology' Where do I start? also as long as its relevant does it matter what you say. The mark schemes give you a plan, do you have to include all the points for top marks because i find that I don't have time to include all the points from the mark scheme! please help


No, they do not expect you to mention all the key topics they have listed.

First list down all relevant topics from both AS and A2. In your first paragraph always start with definition (in that example of "use of DNA", explain what is meant by DNA and why it's important in living organisms including prokaryotes).

After listing down every topic you know, start by writing a few stuff about it that could be relevant e.g. in AS unit 2 you learnt about DNA hybridisation and copying DNA molecule, so explain how you can do that and then talk about how you can apply this to anything else (e.g. inserting gene in non-functional proteins to make them function again or something like that).

Here's a TSR guide in synoptic essay (try this one too

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