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GCSE (9-1)BiologySpecificationPearson Edexcel Level 1/Level 2 GCSE (9 - 1) in Biology (1BI0)First teaching from September First certification from Issue 3

Summary of Pearson Level 1/Level 2 GCSE (9–1)in Biology (1BI0) specification Issue 3 changesSummary of changes made between previous issue and this currentissuePage numberThe mapping of the maths skill 3b to content topics 5.24, 6.6, 8.5B and8.12 has been removed.22, 23, 28Head Teacher Declaration Form has been updated. The deadline tocomplete and submit the Head Teacher Declaration form has beenchanged from 15th May to 15th April. Also, the form of submission hasbeen changed from email to a website upload.51If you need further information on these changes or what they mean.

Contents1Introduction2Why choose Edexcel GCSE in Biology?2Supporting you in planning and implementing this qualification3Qualification at a glance42Subject content53Assessment information334Administration and general information36Entries36Access arrangements, reasonable adjustments, special consideration andmalpractice36Student recruitment and progression39Appendix 1: Mathematical skills43Appendix 2: Taxonomy45Appendix 3: Apparatus and techniques47Appendix 4: Practical Science Statement51Appendix 5: The context for the development of thisqualification52Appendix 6: Transferable skills54Appendix 7: Codes55Appendix 8: Calculators56

1 IntroductionWhy choose Edexcel GCSE in Biology?Supporting success in scienceScience matters. That’s why we’ve built the most inclusive GCSE (9–1) courses, so everystudent can enjoy science and succeed in their studies.Every student is different. With the same science and equal number of exams across ourtiered qualifications, you can structure the courses in the ways that mean you can bestsupport and stretch your students together.Our specifications are straightforward, and our selection of core practicals are designed tohelp bring science learning to life. And when it comes to our assessments, they’re shaped toencourage all students to best show what they know and can do.2Pearson Edexcel Level 1/Level 2 GCSE (9-1) in BiologySpecification – Issue 3 – February Pearson Education Limited

Supporting you in planning and implementing thisqualificationPlanning Our Getting Started guide gives you an overview of the new GCSE qualifications to helpyou to get to grips with the changes to content and assessment and to help youunderstand what these changes mean for you and your students. We will give you editable schemes of work that you can adapt to suit your department. Our mapping documents highlight key differences between the new and qualifications.Teaching and learningThere will be lots of free teaching and learning support to help you deliver the newqualifications, including: a free series of teacher, student and technician worksheets will help cover each element ofplanning and delivering every core practical a free practical guide to help you prepare for the changes to practical assessment a free maths guide for scientists to help you embed mathematics in your scienceteaching.Preparing for examsWe will also provide a range of resources to help you prepare your students for theassessments, including: additional assessment materials to support formative assessments and mock exams marked exemplars of student work with examiner commentaries.ResultsPlusResutsPlus provides the most detailed analysis available of your students’ examperformance. It can help you identify the topics and skills where further learning wouldbenefit your students.Get help and supportOur subject advisor service, led by Stephen Nugus and Julius Edwards will ensure youreceive help and guidance from us and that you can share ideas and information with otherteachers.Learn more at examWizardexamWizard is a free exam preparation tool containing a bank of Edexcel GCSE Scienceexam questions, mark schemes and examiners’ reports. Existing questions will be reviewedand tagged to our new specifications so they can still be used, and question descriptions willbe updated.Pearson Edexcel Level 1/Level 2 GCSE (9-1) in BiologySpecification – Issue 3 – February Pearson Education Limited

Qualification at a glanceContent and assessment overviewThe Pearson Edexcel Level 1/Level 2 GCSE (9–1) in Biology consists of twoexternally-examined papers. These are available at foundation tier and higher tier.Students must complete all assessments in the same tier.Students must complete all assessment in May/June in any single year.Paper 1 (*Paper code: 1BI0/1F, 1BI0/1H)Written examination: 1 hour and 45 minutes50% of the qualification100 marksContent overview Topic 1 – Key concepts in biology Topic 2 – Cells and control Topic 3 – Genetics Topic 4 – Natural selection and genetic modification Topic 5 – Health, disease and the development of medicinesAssessment overviewA mixture of different question styles, including multiple-choice questions, short answerquestions, calculations and extended open-response questions.Calculators may be used in the examination. Information on the use of calculators duringthe examinations for this qualification can be found in Appendix 8: Calculators.Paper 2 (Paper code: 1BI0/2F, 1BI0/2H)Written examination: 1 hour and 45 minutes50% of the qualification100 marksContent overview Topic 1 – Key concepts in biology Topic 6 – Plant structures and their functions Topic 7 – Animal coordination, control and homeostasis Topic 8 – Exchange and transport in animals Topic 9 – Ecosystems and material cyclesAssessment overviewA mixture of different question styles, including multiple-choice questions, short answerquestions, calculations and extended open-response questions.Calculators may be used in the examination. Information on the use of calculators duringthe examinations for this qualification can be found in Appendix 8: Calculators.*See Appendix 7: Codes for a description of this code and all other codes relevant to thisqualification.4Pearson Edexcel Level 1/Level 2 GCSE (9-1) in BiologySpecification – Issue 3 – February Pearson Education Limited

2 Subject contentQualification aims and objectivesGCSE study in the sciences provides the foundation for understanding the material world.Scientific understanding is changing our lives and is vital to the world’s future prosperity. Allstudents should learn essential aspects of the knowledge, methods, processes and uses ofscience. They should gain appreciation of how the complex and diverse phenomena of thenatural world can be described in terms of a small number of key ideas that relate to thesciences and that are both inter-linked and of universal application. These key ideas include: the use of conceptual models and theories to make sense of the observed diversity ofnatural phenomena the assumption that every effect has one or more cause that change is driven by differences between different objects and systems when theyinteract that many such interactions occur over a distance without direct contact that science progresses through a cycle of hypothesis, practical experimentation,observation, theory development and review that quantitative analysis is a central element both of many theories and of scientificmethods of inquiry.These key ideas are relevant in different ways and with different emphases in the threesubjects. Examples of their relevance are given for each subject in the separate sectionsbelow for Biology, Chemistry and Physics.The three GCSE Science qualifications enable students to: develop scientific knowledge and conceptual understanding through the specific disciplinesof Biology, Chemistry and Physics develop understanding of the nature, processes and methods of science, through differenttypes of scientific enquiries that help them to answer scientific questions about the worldaround them develop and learn to apply observational, practical, modelling, enquiry andproblem-solving skills in the laboratory, in the field and in other learning environments develop their ability to evaluate claims based on science through critical analysis of themethodology, evidence and conclusions, both qualitatively and quantitatively.Students should study the sciences in ways that help them to develop curiosity about thenatural world, that give them an insight into how science works and that enable them toappreciate its relevance to their everyday lives. The scope and nature of the study should bebroad, coherent, practical and satisfying. It should encourage students to be inspired,motivated and challenged by the subject and its achievements.The key ideas specific to the Biology content include: life processes depend on molecules whose structure is related to their function the fundamental units of living organisms are cells, which may be part of highly adaptedstructures, including tissues, organs and organ systems, enabling living processes to beperformed effectively living organisms may form populations of single species, communities of many speciesand ecosystems, interacting with each other, with the environment and with humans inmany different waysPearson Edexcel Level 1/Level 2 GCSE (9-1) in BiologySpecification – Issue 3 – February Pearson Education Limited5

living organisms are interdependent and show adaptations to their environment life on Earth is dependent on photosynthesis in which green plants and algae trap lightfrom the Sun to fix carbon dioxide and combine it with hydrogen from water to makeorganic compounds and oxygen organic compounds are used as fuels in cellular respiration to allow the other chemicalreactions necessary for life the chemicals in ecosystems are continually cycling through the natural world the characteristics of a living organism are influenced by its genome and its interactionwith the environment evolution occurs by a process of natural selection and accounts both for biodiversity andhow organisms are all related to varying degrees.All of these key ideas will be assessed as part of this qualification, through the subjectcontent.Working scientificallyThe GCSE in Biology requires students to develop the skills, knowledge and understanding ofworking scientifically. Working scientifically will be assessed through examination and thecompletion of the eight core practicals.16Development of scientific thinkingaUnderstand how scientific methods and theories develop over time.bUse a variety of models, such as representational, spatial, descriptive,computational and mathematical, to solve problems, make predictions and todevelop scientific explanations and an understanding of familiar and unfamiliarfacts.cAppreciate the power and limitations of science, and consider any ethical issuesthat may arise.dExplain everyday and technological applications of science; evaluate associatedpersonal, social, economic and environmental implications; and make decisionsbased on the evaluation of evidence and arguments.eEvaluate risks both in practical science and the wider societal context, includingperception of risk in relation to data and consequences.fRecognise the importance of peer review of results and of communicating resultsto a range of audiences.Pearson Edexcel Level 1/Level 2 GCSE (9-1) in BiologySpecification – Issue 3 – February Pearson Education Limited

23Experimental skills and strategiesaUse scientific theories and explanations to develop hypotheses.bPlan experiments or devise procedures to make observations, produce orcharacterise a substance, test hypotheses, check data or explore phenomena.cApply a knowledge of a range of techniques, instruments, apparatus andmaterials to select those appropriate to the experiment.dCarry out experiments appropriately, having due regard to the correctmanipulation of apparatus, the accuracy of measurements and health and safetyconsiderations.eRecognise when to apply a knowledge of sampling techniques to ensure anysamples collected are representative.fMake and record observations and measurements using a range of apparatus andmethods.gEvaluate methods and suggest possible improvements and further investigations.Analysis and evaluationApply the cycle of collecting, presenting and analysing data, including:4apresenting observations and other data using appropriate methods.btranslating data from one form to another.ccarrying out and representing mathematical and statistical analysis.drepresenting distributions of results and making estimations of uncertainty.einterpreting observations and other data (presented in verbal, diagrammatic,graphical, symbolic or numerical form), including identifying patterns and trends,making inferences and drawing conclusions.fpresenting reasoned explanations, including relating data to hypotheses.gbeing objective, evaluating data in terms of accuracy, precision, repeatability andreproducibility and identifying potential sources of random and systematic error.hcommunicating the scientific rationale for investigations, methods used, findingsand reasoned conclusions through paper-based and electronic reports andpresentations using verbal, diagrammatic, graphical, numerical and symbolicforms.Scientific vocabulary, quantities, units, symbols and nomenclatureaUse scientific vocabulary, terminology and definitions.bRecognise the importance of scientific quantities and understand how they aredetermined.cUse SI units (e.g. kg, g, mg; km, m, mm; kJ, J) and IUPAC chemical nomenclatureunless inappropriate.dUse prefixes and powers of ten for orders of magnitude (e.g. tera, giga, mega,kilo, centi, milli, micro and nano).eInterconvert units.fUse an appropriate number of significant figures in calculation.Pearson Edexcel Level 1/Level 2 GCSE (9-1) in BiologySpecification – Issue 3 – February Pearson Education Limited7

Practical workThe content in