Which A-Level Biology should I do? Edexcel A/B

Which A-Level Biology should I do? I have the choice between the Edexcel Biology A (SNAB), and Biology B, and intrested in pursuing a career in medicine, such as peadreactrics or oncology ect. I much prefer human biology over plants, so which spec would be better for me, and which does uni's prefer?

hi! im currently in year 13 and sitting my last bio exam tomorrow (snab) so I might be able to help!

I copied this from the Pearson website incase you haven't seen it:

'Biology at A level is a mix of many different disciplines, from biochemistry, physiology and anatomy, to ecology, microbiology, and genetics. Our two Biology A level specifications give students the same core coverage of key biological knowledge, but with different additional emphases. For instance, Biology A (Salters-Nuffield) contains more ecology, while Biology B focuses more on microbiology.The two specifications also choose different examples to illustrate particular areas of biology: when covering the physiology of an organ system, Biology A (Salters-Nuffield) uses the heart as an example, whereas Biology B uses the kidney. Lastly, the Biology A course is structured to be delivered using the popular Salters-Nuffield teaching materials, although it can also be taught using a concept-based approach.'

overall I dont think that unis will have any particular preference between the two specs because they're both still broad biology a levels which cover most of the same content, so id say uni is not something you have to factor into the decision.

I dont know as much about the ins and outs of biology b, but for snab i do think theres a good range of topics including human biology. theres lots of specific examples of diseases like cystic fibrosis, parkinson's disease, cardiovascular disease etc that we link in to the course, so you'd be able to learn more about some disease processes which can help set you up for medicine.
there is also a good chunk of the snab course on plants and ecology (different organisms in different habitats type stuff) like it says on the Pearson website, so if thats not really something you're interested in then it may be worth looking at biology b instead.

I hope this helps! let me know if I can answer any questions

I am definitely drawn towards A-level biology spec B, but there aren't many resources or books available. In SNAB do you focus more on plants and ecology or the human biology side? I'm fine with ecology and plants, but i think it would be more useful for me to focus on human biology, as im not interested in a career in ecology ect
thanks sm for your help!

the lack of resources for biology b is a good thing to consider!! from what ive seen there is definitely more available for snab which is helpful when you're studying, but there are still some resources for b if you dig for them.

in snab we have 8 topics total, and only really 2 of those topics focus on ecology (4&5). the other topics are more broad biological knowledge like genetics and biological processes e.g. protein synthesis, DNA replication, nervous system transmission, muscle contraction etc. all of those areas apply to human biology and is the kind of thing that would be in most biology a level specifications.
there is still ecology in biology b, just slightly less than in snab.
also, biology b doesnt really include any more content on human biology than snab does. biology b focuses more on microorganisms rather than ecology, so you will probably end up with the same amount of knowledge of human biology from either specification (albeit different aspects of human biology).

I have just come to the exact same conclusion! Looking at the spec for both of them, the topics are not all that different, and everything i could think of in human bio is covered in both. It is definitely a big advantage that there is so many resources available, so i'd have a better chance of getting a high grade. Another question, how long do you think it would take to complete? I was thinking of running it alongside gcse's (im homeschooled) and doing it a year from now. Or would it be better to do it two years form now, but do other a-levels with it? My a level plan was to do four; math,bio,chem,psychology. Thanks sm

woah thats dedication!
it could be possible to do the whole spec in one year if you decided to give it a go. plus, getting biology out of the way sooner will also be helpful for the future as you'll have more time for your other three a levels.

at my school, we had 5 hours of biology lessons a week and we just finished the course before exams started - so it took us the full two years. although we were studying three a levels at a time, so just focusing on one should mean you can get it done faster. plus studying at home means you can structure how much time you spend on the course.

one thing I will mention is that im sure you've heard a lot of people talk about bio a level having a loooot of content and the difficulty can be quite a step up from gcses (I definitely heard that all the time when I was starting!) as annoying as that sounds, it is generally true, so you'll have to put in plenty of effort to manage in one year and get your head around some of the content.

id say go for it if you think you're up for it! you can always give it a go and if you decide its too much alongside gcses then you can just take it the next year

Which A-Level Biology should I do? I have the choice between the Edexcel Biology A (SNAB), and Biology B, and intrested in pursuing a career in medicine, such as peadreactrics or oncology ect. I much prefer human biology over plants, so which spec would be better for me, and which does uni's prefer?

the lack of resources for biology b is a good thing to consider!! from what ive seen there is definitely more available for snab which is helpful when you're studying, but there are still some resources for b if you dig for them.

in snab we have 8 topics total, and only really 2 of those topics focus on ecology (4&5). the other topics are more broad biological knowledge like genetics and biological processes e.g. protein synthesis, DNA replication, nervous system transmission, muscle contraction etc. all of those areas apply to human biology and is the kind of thing that would be in most biology a level specifications.
there is still ecology in biology b, just slightly less than in snab.
also, biology b doesnt really include any more content on human biology than snab does. biology b focuses more on microorganisms rather than ecology, so you will probably end up with the same amount of knowledge of human biology from either specification (albeit different aspects of human biology).

Hi! I'll be starting snap biology in september, do you know any good resources for this exam board??

Hi, I am currently doing my A-Levels which includes edexcel a biology. I am hoping to pursue biomed in uni and a lot of the modules seem to coincide with the topics I have done. There is a good mix of plants and human but the majority tends to be human-oriented. I have enjoyed the course and the practicals are quite fun but it may be worth emailing your uni. I'm not sure what edexcel b is like but at the end of the day most of the A-level bio courses overlap quite a bit and any info you don't know at uni will be supplemented with resources and someone else will have always taken the same board as you.

heyy i've got all the resources i've amde as there are none online!! I recieved an amazing grade this year with it please pm me