A-level Biology Study Group 2023-2024

Clearing and Applications Advisor, Study Forum Helper

Hi, I'm flowersinmyhair and I am going into year 13 this year :smile:

What exam board are you with? I do Edexcel A (Salters-Nuffield)
What do you enjoy most? I enjoy the ecology side of biology the most and doing fieldwork
What do you struggle with? I can find it quite hard to understand the chemistry that goes along side biology

Reply 2

study23!

14

Hi I'm study23! I've just started year 12!

My exam board is WJEC.
My favourite part of biology is DNA and genetics, along with homeostasis from GCSE.
I struggled with the circulatory system in GCSE

Does anyone have any tips for further reading/work experience? I'm hoping to do Medicine at uni so anything which is more relative to the human body would be preferred!

Also if anyone has got any tips that'd be appreciated 😁

Reply 3

Clearing and Applications Advisor, Study Forum Helper

Original post by study23!

Hi I'm study23! I've just started year 12!

My exam board is WJEC.
My favourite part of biology is DNA and genetics, along with homeostasis from GCSE.
I struggled with the circulatory system in GCSE

Does anyone have any tips for further reading/work experience? I'm hoping to do Medicine at uni so anything which is more relative to the human body would be preferred!

Also if anyone has got any tips that'd be appreciated 😁

I would recommend maybe doing some MOOCs on a platform such as FutureLearn as you can choose what you do, and mention what you've learnt on your personal statement while it also helps with biology content

Reply 4

toothysmile

16

Hi my name is toothysmile and I'm a year 13 bio student...
I'm taking Biology OCR A-level, I am most excited about the homeostatsis topics (I'm thrilled that my exam board has 6 chapters on it for A-level). My most hated topic is probably ecosystems and biodiversity as it's very geography adjacent, I don't know why I'm just not a fan... I guess I love a good biological process with feedback loops... (I thought my least favourite would be plants but I actually got really interested in year 12 and it's the topic I love seeing on exam papers as I know it really well... )

(edited 7 months ago)

Reply 5

Clearing and Applications Advisor, Study Forum Helper

Universities Forum Helper

Original post by toothysmile

Hi my name is toothysmile and I'm a year 13 bio student...
I'm taking Biology OCR A-level, I am most excited about the homeostatsis topics (I'm thrilled that my exam board has 6 chapters on it for A-level). My most hated topic is probably ecosystems and biodiversity as it's very geography adjacent, I don't know why I'm just not a fan... I guess I love a good biological process with feedback loops... (I thought my least favourite would be plants but I actually got really interested in year 12 and it's the topic I love seeing on exam papers as I know it really well... )

I guess we're kind of opposite as ecosystems and biodiversity are some of my favourite topics (I do geography as well though)

Reply 6

reubenn05

13

Hi, i'm reuben !
just started year 13
doing aqa
my favourite topic so far has been organisms exchange substances with their environment, specifically the heart/circulatory system
looking forward to homeostasis
i struggle with the the data/evaluate questions; my least favourite topic is ecology

(edited 7 months ago)

Reply 7

HighlightOfUrDay

8

Hi,

I'm with AQA, my favourite parts of biology are the practicals mainly because when it comes to writing them up I feel like a true scientist, and also because I think practicals make it easier to understand the content. The area I'm struggling the most with right now would have to be exam technique: I understand the content it's just the mark-schemes are soooooo harsh.

Reply 8

electroblastz

7

Hi i'm electro and i've just started year 13 of ocr A biology! My favourite part would probably be transport in animals since its all about cardiology and its what im looking forward to study more about in med school. my least favourite would probably be biodiversity since a lot of that stuff was just boring statistical tests and conservation protocols

i also wanted to ask if anyone has any helpful biology revision resources that they use since my school decided to make it much harder to revise biology for no reason :s-smilie:

i liked to make anki flashcards based on class notes but now that the school has removed most of the notes from the powerpoints its virtually impossible to revise from

Reply 9

confuseddork

5

What exam board are you with? OCR A!
What do you enjoy most about this subject/ course? I find it fascinating particularly the parts of biology about the human body
What area do you struggle with in this subject/ course? my main issue is retaining knowledge and plants!

does anyone have any tips for revising and retaining knowledge on biology?

Reply 10

Clearing and Applications Advisor, Study Forum Helper

Original post by confuseddork

What exam board are you with? OCR A!
What do you enjoy most about this subject/ course? I find it fascinating particularly the parts of biology about the human body
What area do you struggle with in this subject/ course? my main issue is retaining knowledge and plants!

does anyone have any tips for revising and retaining knowledge on biology?

Flashcards for me are the best thing, especially if you make your own.

Reply 11

electroblastz

7

Original post by flowersinmyhair

Flashcards for me are the best thing, especially if you make your own.

I second this. Made my own bio flashcards and got A* in the summer mock. While I can't say the same thing will definitely happen in the real exam, there's no doubt that studying your own flashcards coupled with practising past paper questions is one of the best ways to revise for a level biology

Reply 12

back-nightie

Original post by Pwca

Welcome to the A-level Biology Study Group! :hello:

This is where you can chat with other students studying the same subjects as you and support each other as you head towards your exams :grouphugs:

You can post any useful tips and resources that you come across, offer support to others, share your successes, or just have moan when it gets tough! :yes:

Just remember, it’s against the site rules to ask for or offer any copyrighted papers, or to take conversations off-site to do these things. Posts that break these rules will be removed.

A few possible ice breaker questions are:
What exam board are you with?
What do you enjoy most about this subject/ course?
What area do you struggle with in this subject/ course?

Good luck with the next few months. Remember, ask for help, support where you can and together we can do this! :yeah:

Hi, I am a black nightie... and I just started my 12.
I do international A-level.
I like the ecology side of biology. that's my favoriteeee anddd also the practicals!!!!
I struggle with mechanics. it's like ughhhhhh......

thank youuu <333... Also best of luck to everyone.

Reply 13

back-nightie

Original post by electroblastz

I second this. Made my own bio flashcards and got A* in the summer mock. While I can't say the same thing will definitely happen in the real exam, there's no doubt that studying your own flashcards coupled with practising past paper questions is one of the best ways to revise for a level biology

owww that's great, congrats on doing good in your mocks. Can you please share your flashcards??? if you don't mind...

Reply 14

toothysmile

16

Why is maths in biology different to maths in maths?? Can anyone explain??

Reply 15

back-nightie

Original post by toothysmile

Why is maths in biology different to maths in maths?? Can anyone explain??

Mathematics and biology are different fields of study....And mathematics requires strong analytical skills whereas biology doesn't require much. And if you are gonna ask why maths is in biology ...its because mathematics plays a critical role in a better understanding of the natural world.

Reply 16

toothysmile

16

Original post by back-nightie

Mathematics and biology are different fields of study....And mathematics requires strong analytical skills whereas biology doesn't require much. And if you are gonna ask why maths is in biology ...its because mathematics plays a critical role in a better understanding of the natural world.

Lol I mean when doing percentages, t test, criticall values in Bio it's very different from doing them in maths... (it was a joke)

Reply 17

nata1ie

6

Hi I'm Natalie, London based mature student. Studying A-Level Biology - need to get an A for Uni!
Started with AQA but thinking of switching to EdExcel Syllabus A - seems less content heavy and more ecology.
Hoping to study Marine Biology. Interested in genetic evolution / morphology of fish due to environmental / ecological changes later on - I might be mad enough to attempt an EPQ on an aspect of this if I can find an appropriate supervisor. Right now I am finding genetics and ecology fascinating.
I don't have a classroom teacher, currently looking for a tutor, so would really appreciate seeing your sixth form / college recommended resources / book lists for AQA and EdExcel.
Thanks!

Reply 18

electroblastz

7

Original post by back-nightie

owww that's great, congrats on doing good in your mocks. Can you please share your flashcards??? if you don't mind...

Thank you! :h:

I make all my flashcards on quizlet so if u just search my name up you'll be able to find all my bio and chem flashcards. Just to warn you I use a lot of abbreviations in my flashcards but they are usually defined in the description..

Reply 19

Coolioko