IB Biology

Prerequisites

Students should have successfully completed Year 10 Science before undertaking IB Biology.

Course Description and Aims

Biology is the study of life. The vast diversity of species makes biology both an endless source of fascination and considerable challenge. Biologists attempt to understand the living world at all levels from the micro to the macro using many different approaches and techniques. Biology is still a young science and great progress is expected in the 21st century. This progress is important at a time of growing pressure on the human population and the environment.

By studying IB Biology students will become aware of how scientists work and communicate with each other. While the scientific method may take on a wide variety of forms, it is the emphasis on a practical approach through experimental work that characterises the sciences. Teachers provide students with opportunities to design investigations, collect data, develop manipulative skills, analyse results, collaborate with peers and evaluate and communicate their findings.

Through the overarching theme of the nature of science, the aims of the IB Biology course are to enable students to:

appreciate scientific study and creativity within a global context through stimulating and challenging opportunities;
acquire a body of knowledge, methods and techniques that characterise science and technology;
apply and use a body of knowledge, methods and techniques that characterise science and technology;
develop an ability to analyse, evaluate and synthesise scientific information;
develop a critical awareness of the need for, and the value of, effective collaboration and communication during scientific activities;
develop experimental and investigative scientific skills including the use of current technologies;
develop and apply 21st century communication skills in the study of science;
become critically aware, as global citizens, of the ethical implications of using science and technology;
develop an appreciation of the possibilities and limitations of science and technology;
develop an understanding of the relationships between scientific disciplines and their influence on other areas of knowledge.

Curriculum Model Overview

Component	Standard Level	Higher Level
Unity and Diversity Form and function Interaction and interdependance Continuity and change	✓	✓
		✓

Practical scheme of work. Prescribe and other practical activities. Individual investigation. Group 4 project.	✓	✓

The Group 4 Project

The Group 4 project is a collaborative activity where students from different Group 4 subjects, within or between schools, work together. It allows for concepts and perceptions from across disciplines to be shared while appreciating the environmental, social and ethical implications of science and technology. It can be practically or theoretically based and aims to develop an understanding of the relationships between scientific disciplines and their influence on other areas of knowledge. The emphasis is on interdisciplinary cooperation and the scientific processes.

Assessment at a Glance — Standard Level

Type of Assessment	Format of Assessment	Time (hours)	Weighting Final Grade (%)
External		3	80
Paper 1	Paper 1A:Multiple-choice questions. Paper 1B: Data based questions	1.5	36
Paper 2	Data-based, short answer and extended response questions.	1.5	44

Internal		10	20
Individual investigation	Investigation and write-up of an open ended task in which a student gathers and analyses data. 3000 words	10	20

Assessment at a Glance — Higher Level