Throughout the course, practical skills and techniques are developed. These skills are assessed by written examination and through a range of compulsory laboratory practicals. Within the course there are opportunities to carry out fieldwork, group work, guided learning, seminars, new technologies and experimental tasks. In the summer term of Year 12 we run a weeklong residential fieldtrip to Slapton Ley in Devon. During the fieldtrip we complete the compulsory ecology based practical work. The estimated cost of the field trip is £450. • Foundations in Biology: Biological molecules, enzymes, cells, DNA, membranes and cell division. • Exchange and Transport: Animal transport, plant transport, exchange surfaces. • Biodiversity, Evolution & Disease: Diseases, biodiversity, classification & evolution. • Communication, homeostasis & energy: Respiration, photosynthesis, nervous system, hormones, plant responses, excretion. • Genetics, Evolution & Ecosystems: Cellular control, inheritance, manipulating genomes, cloning and biotechnology, ecosystems, populations and sustainability