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How to answer A-level Biology essay questions
The Synoptic essay questions in paper 3 of the AQA A-level biology course carries 25 marks, so can make a big difference to your overall grade. The essay encourages you to think across different topics (some call this “synoptic” or “holistic” thinking). This is also valuable for other areas of the exams, particularly the application questions .
Here are a few tips for tackling your A-level biology essay: (As an example, Let’s use the title “The importance of movement in cells and tissues”)
Think broadly…
Essay titles are deliberately vague to give you the chance to show your knowledge in a variety of topics. To help you to choose what’s most relevant, look out for subjective words like “movement” and “cells”. Think of the possible alternatives. “Cells”, for example, hints that you could discuss plants, animals, single-celled organisms etc. in your essay. “Movement” could mean short distances (across a membrane) or much further (circulation or mass flow) or even the whole tissue moving (phototropism).
Visualize and catastrophize!
If you can’t think of enough topics for an “importance” essay, flip the question around – what would happen if movement in cells suddenly ground to a halt? Or if ATP suddenly vanished, or our cells were robbed of their ions? Sometimes catastrophizing in this way frees up thoughts, and helps you see what is really important. Another way is to picture every diagram in your notes or textbook that features the thing-that’s-important-in-the-question. If it’s in a diagram, it could go in your essay.
Pick your strongest topics
It’s possible to drop marks on the essay for scientific errors. With that in mind, even if you have lots of ideas for things to include, always pick the topics you can write confidently about. For bonus marks, try to order them in a way that “flows” like a story. Take care to use A-level (and not GCSE) language too.
Keep an eye on the question
While you’re writing, keep asking yourself “Where am I placing the emphasis?”. If the essay is about movement, perhaps you don’t need a whole page about nervous responses, only the bits where movement is involved – sodium ions flowing through channels, waves of depolarisation etc. Movement is the focus of the essay, after all, not neurons. Always ask yourself “Does this sentence fit with the title of the essay?”
Use outside knowledge
The top marks for the essay are reserved for displaying “evidence of reading beyond specification requirements”. Often you can drop recent scientific research or news into your writing – how vaccines tackle COVID might work in an essay about viruses, for example. I often encourage students to have a quick look at the news pages of New Scientist pages (eg https://www.newscientist.com/subject/health/ ) before paper 3 for inspiration – you don’t need to spend ages doing this, just long enough to have one or two ideas up your sleeve…
Good luck with your essay!
If you’d like to work through some example essay questions, please get in touch with me at Woolton Tutors (or Woolton Biology) and we can set up some online biology tutoring sessions.
Best wishes,
Dr John Ankers
Specialist online A-level biology tutor
www.wooltontutors.co.uk
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Full Mark A-Level Biology essay - How is energy transferred within and between organisms
Subject: Biology
Age range: 16+
Resource type: Unit of work
Last updated
26 September 2018
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A full 25 mark A-Level Biology essay addressing the title: How is energy transferred within and between organisms
- Holistic introduction
- Photosynthesis
- Conversion to chemical energy in bonds
- Food chains - Losses at successive stages
- Respiration
- Glucose and ATP
- Necessity for energy carriers - Gibbs’ free energies
- Homeostasis and energy loss
- Nervous communication and electrical impulses
- Synaptic plasticity
- Heart regulation
- Holistic conclusion
Contains information from beyond the syllabus. Examples are structured in a clear and logical format.
Useful for revision for this specific topic and to see a sample structure of a high grade essay.
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Top mark A-Level Biology Essays
A collection of high mark, sample essays for A-Level Biology, providing helpful revision content and examples of logical structuring. New Specification! Includes essays on the titles: - The Importance of movement in living organisms - Explain the importance of shapes fitting together in cells and organisms - Carbon dioxide may affect organisms directly or indirectly. - How is energy transferred within and between organisms - Explain the importance of shapes fitting together in cells and organisms - Different types of relationships and interactions between organisms - The membranes of different types of cells are involved in many different functions - The importance of DNA in science and technology Save over 70%!
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Biology is detailed and comprehensive A-level content, uses appropriate terminology, and is very well written and always clearly explained. No significant errors or irrelevant material. For top marks in the band, the answer shows evidence of reading beyond specification requirements. 16-20. Relational.
14) DNA/RNA (pentose) The importance of shapes fitting together in cells and organisms. 1) Enzyme properties and digestion. 2) Protein structure. 3) Plasma membrane structure and cell transport. 4) Antigens, antibodies, B cells & T cells. 5) Vaccines. 6) Structure of DNA.
This essay will discuss the role of genetic inheritance in the development of several human diseases, namely: Cystic Fibrosis, Huntington's disease, and Alzheimer's disease, as well as the ethical implications surrounding genetic testing and treatment. Use specific examples to support your arguments. In A Level Biology essays, it is ...
Appropriate terminology was often poorly used or absent. For example, many students wrote about 'signals' and 'messages' rather than impulses/action potentials. The use of 'levels' and 'amounts' for concentration was also very common. The essay is supposed to be written using appropriate terminology, at a level to be expected ...
Learn how to write the 25 mark essay on the AQA A-level paper 3. I fully explain the mark scheme, how to analyse the titles, how to structure your paragraph...
The AQA Biology essay may fill you with dread, but that's why I am going to make it easier and boost your confidence. In this video, I talk you through two ...
A collection of high mark, sample essays for A-Level Biology, providing helpful revision content and examples of logical structuring. New Specification! Includes essays on the titles: The Importance of movement in living organisms; Explain the importance of shapes fitting together in cells and organisms;
The Synoptic essay questions in paper 3 of the AQA A-level biology course carries 25 marks, so can make a big difference to your overall grade. The essay encourages you to think across different topics (some call this "synoptic" or "holistic" thinking). This is also valuable for other areas of the exams, particularly the application.
2 Pages • Essays / Projects • Year Uploaded: 2022. This is an example essay for the third paper in the AQA biology exams. This received 24/25 and shows the variety of topics that need to be covered when writing such essays :) This essay is titled 'The importance of nucleotides and nucleotide derivatives in keeping organisms alive' and contains applicable paragraphs for any essay topic ...
AQA - Biology Unit 5 The Essay: 2 Marking the essay Scientific content Is the essay Good (12 marks) ... required at A-level content If the essay has been classed as good, add 2 marks if there is one tick in the box, or 4 marks if there are two or more ticks. Breadth ... One such example is lung cancer caused by smoking. While some people ...
University: University of Salford. Download. AI Quiz. Document continues below. Model answers for the essay on Paper 3 of AQA A-Level Biology paper for revision for exams the importance of enzymes in the functioning of different cells,
A marked A* example of an AQA A-level Biology essay in paper 3, containing 4 paragraphs and a mind-map essay plan on the importance of membranes in living organisms. This essay is synoptic, detailed, coherent and links back to the question, which scored 20+ marks.
that essays fall into being the 11-15 level, followed by the 16-20 level and the 6-10 level. The 21-25 level is the next most common mark band for essays, highlighting that it is relatively rare that an essay meets the requirements to achieve a mark over 20 on the A-level biology essay.
Aqa a level biology synoptic essays aqa a2 biology: writing the synoptic essay dr robert mitchell ct publications aqa a2 biology: writing the synoptic essay. Skip to document ... The ATP formed as part of respiration is used in a wide variety of contexts in biology. For example in order for an animal to move and hunt for food within its ...
Resource type: Assessment and revision. File previews. docx, 23.74 KB. This guide is for A-Level Biology students in Year 13 doing the AQA spec. It contains advice for the essay at the end of Paper 3 along with four example essays. It's useful for understanding how to write your own essay.
A collection of high mark, sample essays for A-Level Biology, providing helpful revision content and examples of logical structuring. New Specification! Includes essays on the titles: - The Importance of movement in living organisms - Explain the importance of shapes fitting together in cells and organisms - Carbon dioxide may affect organisms ...
Hello!Thank you to the three students who submitted their essays to be marked for this video. Find out how the essay is marked and use this to help you work...
An example that is relevant to the title and is not required in the specification content. The example must be used at A-level standard. Response mostly deals with suitable topics but they are not interrelated and links are not made to the theme of the question. Not addressing the biological theme of the essay (e. importance) at A-level ...
A LEVEL BIOLOGY: 25 Mark essays. 4.6 (39 reviews) Get a hint. The importance of shapes fitting together in cells and organisms. Click the card to flip 👆. *Enzyme properties and digestion. *Antigens, antibodies, B cells & T cells. *Structure of DNA. *DNA replication.
Studying from past student work is an amazing way to learn and research, however you must always act with academic integrity. This document is the prior work of another student. Thinkswap has partnered with Turnitin to ensure students cannot copy directly from our resources. Understand how to responsibly use this work by visiting 'Using ...
New AQA A level Biology