What to expect from the essay question (AQA A Level Biology): Revision Note
Exam code: 7402
What is the essay question?
Paper 3 has a free-response essay question as the final question of the paper
Essay questions are designed to assess your ability to bring together learning from different parts of the A Level Biology specification (opens in a new tab)
The essay assesses your overall understanding, and your ability to apply knowledge to the context given
Essay titles are drawn from big ideas in biology, such as:
DNA and the genetic code
control and regulation
cycles in biology
adaptation and evolution
survival and the environment
cells
molecules in biology
In the exam you will have two essay titles from which to choose; you should choose the title that best fits your knowledge and understanding
What should your essay contain?
Examiners are not looking for perfection, but will expect an essay to show:
knowledge and understanding of the A Level course
selection of material that is relevant to the title
selection of material from different areas of the course
the ability to present ideas coherently and logically
the use of appropriate biological language
How is the essay marked?
The essay question is worth 25 marks
13 marks of AO1: Demonstrate knowledge and understanding of scientific ideas, processes, techniques and procedures
12 marks of AO2: Apply knowledge and understanding of scientific ideas, processes, techniques and procedures
A best fit approach, based on the AQA essay mark scheme (adaptation below), is used by examiners to award marks
Students who show knowledge but don’t link their ideas to the theme in the title will get a mark in the 11-15 range
Fundamental errors limit the mark range, so it is important to learn definitions of key words and explain key ideas correctly
Mark band | Breadth | Links with the question theme | Accuracy | Level of detail | Use of terminology | Relevance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
21-25 | At least four topics covered | The answer makes clear links between several different topics and the theme of the question | No significant errors | Biology is detailed and comprehensive A-level content Biology is always clearly explained | Uses appropriate terminology consistently | No irrelevant material |
16-20 | At least four topics covered | Answer links several topics to the main theme to form a series of interrelated points which are clearly explained | Biology is fundamentally correct A-level content | Contains some points which are detailed, though there may be some which are less well developed | Appropriate use of terminology | One irrelevant topic may be present |
11-15 | At least four topics covered | Topics are not interrelated and links are not made to the theme of the question | Biology is usually correct Some significant errors | A-level content Usually clearly explained, but lacks detail | Generally uses appropriate terminology | Response mostly deals with suitable topics More than one irrelevant topic may have been included |
6-10 | Only one or few aspects covered | May contain a number of significant errors | Biology presented shows some superficial A-level content that may be poorly explained, lacking in detail | Limited use of appropriate terminology | May contain a number of irrelevant topics | |
1-5 | Response only indirectly addresses the theme of the question | May contain a large number of errors | Content is generally below A-level Merely presents a series of biological facts which are usually descriptive in nature or poorly explained | Terminology is generally below A-level | May contain a large number of irrelevant topics. | |
0 | Nothing of relevance or no response | |||||
Examiner Tips and Tricks
The essay is an exercise in synopsis, not an excuse to tell the examiners everything you know in detail about a few topics; that approach will not gain you high marks.
Things not to do:
Do not just think of every possible thing that relates to the title and write as much as you can about it, with no thought of the main theme/idea
Do not write at a very high level (above A-level) about one or two topics that cover many areas that you have learnt by rote
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