What will you do on this course?
Biology is taught at both Standard Level (SL) and Higher Level (HL). It is one of the Group 4 subjects (Experimental Sciences) in the Diploma Programme.
At SL, the Biology course comprises topics in:
Cell Biology, Molecular Biology, Genetics, Ecology, Evolution and Biodiversity, Human Physiology.
Additional HL topics are:
Nucleic Acids, Metabolism, Cell Respiration and Photosynthesis, Plant Biology, Genetics and Evolution, Animal Physiology.
Option:
Human Physiology.
How will you be assessed
There are three written papers, which include multiple choice questions, short answer questions and essay questions. The written papers make up 80% of the total mark. Paper 1 has multiple choice questions, Paper 2 has short answer questions and essays. Paper 3 is about the option (Option A,
Neurobiology and Behaviour) and questions about practical work and experiments. The remaining 20% of the Biology mark comes from assessed practical work, including the Group 4 project, which is done in combination with students of the other sciences.
What could this course lead to?
There are many courses linked directly to Biology e.g. Anatomy, Animal Sciences, Biochemistry, Biology, Botany, Dentistry, Forestry, Genetics, Medicine, Microbiology, Pharmacology, Pharmacy, Physiology, Veterinary Science and Zoology are all courses or careers which people follow having studied Biology at Sixth Form level. There are many others related to Biology that the IB course will also help with; Chemistry, Geography, Physical Education, Physics and Psychology, to name but a few. Biology is a highly regarded subject. Students of Biology often study it alongside Chemistry, Physics or Geography. As one of the ‘traditional’ sciences, universities will know that you have a knowledge of scientific theory and practice, designing and carrying out experiments and analysing results.