A-level Biology
You will have access to 120 x 1 hour A-level Biology lessons delivered live by your course teacher (2 per week during term time throughout the course). All of these live sessions are also recorded to allow you to access any of your previous lessons whenever you want to, which is very useful for revising!
Pembrokeshire College Online also includes revision and exam preparation sessions towards the end of the course to prepare you for your exams.
Course Information
Qualification: Biology A-level (9BN0)
Awarding Body: Edexcel
Start Date: September 2023
Exam Date: May/June 2025
Lesson 1: Monday 10:15 – 11:15*
Lesson 2: Tuesday 10:15 – 11:15*
Duration (including self study): 360 hours
Live Lessons: 120 x 1 hour sessions
Class Size: 8 students
Support: Teacher support and exam preparation
Coursework: Practical Endorsement Workshop
Fee: £2250 – (Two year course)
payment plans available
*Until closer to the start of term these dates are approximate. We aim to keep them as close to this as possible.
Course Specification: Biology A-level
The A Level Biology course covers the following topics:
- Lifestyle, Health and Risk
- Genes and Health
- Voice of the Genome
- Biodiversity and Natural Resources
- On the Wild Side
- Immunity, Infection and Forensics
- Run for your Life
- Grey Matter
While there are no formal requirements to study A-level Biology with Pembrokeshire College Online, but we recommend that you have completed an appropriate GCSE/IGCSE Biology or Science course prior to your study and have a strong grasp of English and Maths.
Included with your A-level Biology Course is:
- 24/7 access to the online training platform – so you can study anytime
- ALL learning documentation (including text books)
- Access to media-rich interactive learning resources
- 120 hours of A-level Biology online lessons (including recordings)
- Lively and interactive lessons, where you can engage with other students
- Dedicated course teacher
- Teacher-marked homework assignments + feedback
- 24 months priority support from your course teacher
- Teacher-marked past papers
- Revision support and examination preparation
As part of your A-level Biology course you will be required to complete regular homework assessments.
While your homework does not count towards your final grade, it is used to monitor your progress, ability, and to enable your teacher to support your learning and ensure you are prepared for the exams.
All homewok assignments have been designed to prepare you for your examinations, and questions are based on examination style questions.
Your homework assignments have been designed to match a specific Pembrokeshire College Online live session, so it is easy to go back and revisit the relevant lesson if you get stuck.
The most important part of your A-level Biology course (apart from you) is your dedicated teacher.
All our teachers have extensive academic experience and have taught in the classroom as well as online.
You will be assigned a course teacher when you enrol on your course who will support you for the duration of your studies.
You can contact your teacher via email or messaging with any questions.
24 months of tutor support is included with this course.
Paper 1: The Natural Environment and Species Survival – 9BN0/01
This paper will assess the following topics:
- Topic 1: Lifestyle, Health and Risk
- Topic 2: Genes and Health
- Topic 3: Voice of the Genome
- Topic 4: Biodiversity and Natural Resources
- Topic 5: On the Wild Side
- Topic 6: Immunity, Infection and Forensics
100 marks
2 hours – written paper
33.33% of Biology A-level
The paper may include multiple-choice, short open, open-response, calculations and extended writing questions
The paper will include questions that target the conceptual and theoretical understanding of experimental methods
Paper 2: Energy, Exercise and Co-ordination – 9BN0/02
This paper will assess the following topics:
- Topic 1: Lifestyle, Health and Risk
- Topic 2: Genes and Health
- Topic 3: Voice of the Genome
- Topic 4: Biodiversity and Natural Resources
- Topic 7: Run for your Life
- Topic 8: Grey Matter
100 marks
2 hours – written paper
33.33% of Biology A-level
The paper may include multiple-choice, short open, open-response, calculations and extended writing questions
The paper will include questions that target the conceptual and theoretical understanding of experimental methods
Paper 3: General and Practical Applications in Biology – 9BN0/03
This paper will assess the following topics:
- Topic 1: Lifestyle, Health and Risk
- Topic 2: Genes and Health
- Topic 3: Voice of the Genome
- Topic 4: Biodiversity and Natural Resources
- Topic 5: On the Wild Side
- Topic 6: Immunity, Infection and Forensics
- Topic 7: Run for your Life
- Topic 8: Grey Matter
A scientific article will be pre-released on the Edexcel website 8 weeks before the examination
100 marks
2 hours – written paper
33.33% of Biology A-level
The paper may include multiple-choice, short open, open-response, calculations and extended writing questions
The paper will include questions that target the conceptual and theoretical understanding of experimental methods
Science Practical Endorsement – 9BN0/04
The assessment of practical skills is not a compulsory requirement of the course of study for A-level Biology. It will appear on all students’ certificates as a separately reported result, alongside the overall grade for the qualification.
Students must carry out a minimum of 12 practical activities which, together, meet the requirements of:
- 5b (Practical skills identified for direct assessment and developed through teaching and learning)
- 5c (Use of apparatus and techniques)
Students’ practical work will be assessed by teachers, using common practical assessment criteria (CPAC) that are consistent across exam boards
Students who demonstrate the required standard across all the requirements of the CPAC will receive a ‘pass’ grade
It is your responsibility to find an exam centre and we recommend you book your exams 6 months prior to the date of exams.
Exams are not included in the course fees.
The A-level Biology course is £2250 – payment plans are available
Please contact the Pembrokeshire College Online team for more details on this course
Phone: 01437 701 490
Email: online@pembrokeshire.ac.uk
