Intermediate 2 Biology
The Intermediate 2 Biology course provides an obvious route to Higher Human Biology but contributes to general education in a unique way giving insights to our environment, to the basic necessity for energy, the principles of genetics, evolution, maintaining the balance of the body’s chemistry, and Animal Physiology. It is also suitable for those wishing to study Biology for the first time.
Three Units are covered by the syllabus, set practicals are incorporated and skills in essay writing are developed. Unit 1 -Living Cells covers cell structure and function, diffusion and osmosis in plant and animal cells, enzyme action, aerobic and anaerobic respiration and photosynthesis. Unit 2 -Environmental Biology and Genetics covers ecosystems and factors affecting variety of species in an ecosystem Unit 3 -Animal Physiology covers mammalian nutrition, control of the internal environment, circulation and gas exchange, sensory mechanisms and processing of information.
Course will utilise a range of teaching strategies, pupil notes, textbooks, DVD’s, computer packages/ websites and the Scholar programme. The pupils will be expected to make full use of the textbooks provided and will be encouraged to visit library resources and appropriate websites on a regular basis.
Homework will consist of completing notes begun in class, answering questions on the current unit, essay writing, writing summaries and revising for unit tests and examinations. Homework will be issued by the teacher as appropriate to the pupil’s position in the unit and is expected to take up to approximately 2 hours per week.
To gain the award of this course, the pupil must achieve a pass in all component units of this course as well as the external assessment, which will provide the basis for grading the attainment in the course award. Pupils will have to write one report of an experimental activity per unit which will be internally assessed. Pupils will also sit a prelim. The SQA external assessment will take place in May /June.