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AQA Paper 3 Extended Essay: Tips, Mark-schemes and Past Essay Titles
I have been working with some tutees to improve their approach to the AQA Paper 3 Extended Essay - so here are a few tips, and all of the essay titles (and markschemes) since 2007.
A Few Points Raised By The Exam Boards Feedback
The essay is designed to assess whether you can bring together material from a range of topics to illustrate and explain an important concept or idea.
The essay is not just a memory test of what a student knows – it is also a test of whether they have some understanding of what they have learnt and can apply what they know.

The essay is marked using a levels of response system. The demands for scientific content, breadth, relevance and scientific terminology are now found within each level.
It is a synoptic exercise – you are required to recall appropriate factual material from different parts of the specification (AO1), you should identify an underlying theme or idea in an essay title – it will be a ‘big idea’, not a minor topic.
You need to select five or six different examples that you can use to illustrate the theme or idea.
Selecting the topic areas is a challenge to many students.
I suggest that they think about an example that illustrates the theme from topic in each of five kingdoms (OK - protists do supply a challenge).
And then to go up in complexity from a molecule - macromolecule - organelle - cells - tissue - organ - organ system - individual - populations - community - ecosystem.
So this technique should give you breadth and depth
Write a reasonable paragraph about each example (using appropriate A-level terminology) pointing out how it illustrates the theme or idea. And use it to illustrate/explain a biological concept/idea – the ‘theme’ of an essay title (AO2) - often the ‘importance of’.
‘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’. This would make it just a memory test (AO1).
‘Write at a very high level (above A-level) about one or two topics’. This is not a synoptic approach. We do not wish to encourage learning of rote answers involving one or two important topics which might apply across many titles – eg respiration.
TAKE CARE TO
Extension material has to be at least of A-level standard and accurately described using appropriate scientific terminology.
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 after two years of A-level study.
Content has to be of A-level standard to score highly – this includes terminology and the explanation of ‘importance’
Any plan is purely for the student’s use, The essay is a prose exercise – unless a plan is written as a series of sentences (i.e. as an essay), it won’t add to the mark for the essay. The same applies to diagrams/drawings – they would have to be very heavily annotated to count
No introduction or conclusion required - they waste time that could be used for more content
Content from ‘several’ topic areas required – AQA have defined 4 as the minimum for ‘several’ – 5 or 6 might be safer, since best content affects level
A topic area is a topic area in the specification – a numbered sub-section
A-level detail required – though not necessarily all the detail of a topic
A-level terminology required and more important than grammar – this is an exercise concerned with Biology, not English
GCSE-level material only makes possible between 1 and 5 marks
If asked about the importance of something, factual detail and explanation of importance have to be at A-level standard to score above 15 marks
An example not in the specification (for the highest band) has to be at (or above) A-level standard – not GCSE, or what anyone who hasn’t studied A-level Biology would know. Example – quite a few students made reference to cystic fibrosis– relatively few made accurate links to this condition and chloride ion channel protein, diffusion and/or water potentials and osmosis.
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AQA A-Level Biology paper 3 sample essay - Cycles in Biology
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A level Biology Essay Question revision
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This document contains the essay titles and mark schemes used in AQA A-level Biology examinations since 2007. The specifications these exam questions came from are no longer in use, but the marking method has largely remained unchanged. Further guidance on the marking method used with the essay can be found in Paper 3 Essay marking guidance.
A-level terminology required and more important than grammar - this is an exercise concerned with Biology, not English GCSE-level material only makes possible between 1 and 5 marks If asked about the importance of something, factual detail and explanation of importance have to be at A-level standard to score above 15 marks
the essay in BIOL5 - this proved to be the case. • This year, the mean mark for the essay was 14.1 and the SD 5.0 - both slightly higher than for 2016 BIOL5. • The discrimination index was 0.52 - equal highest on the paper and (historically) high for any question on a Biology paper - this means that
AS and A-level Biology. 7401, 7402. Specification Planning resources Teaching resources ... Question paper (A-level): Paper 3 - November 2021 Published 29 Jul 2022 | PDF | 917 KB. Question paper (Modified A4 18pt) (AS): Paper 1 - November 2021 ...
Question papers (3) (1) Paper 1 (8) Paper 2 (8) Paper 3 June 2017 (3) June 2018 (5) June 2019 (5) November 2020 November 2021 (5) A-level (4) Paper 3 November 2020 Showing 4 results Question paper (A-level): Paper 3 - November 2020 Published 18 Jan 2022 | PDF | 1.1 MB Question paper (Modified A4 18pt) (A-level): Paper 3 - November 2020
1) Monosaccharides: glucose, fructose, galactose 2) Disaccharides: condensation / hydrolysis / glycosidic bonds 3) Energy source (e.g. glucose, fructose, galactose released via respiration) 4) Respiration - use of carbs 5) Photosynthesis (formation of carbs/glucose) 6) Polysaccharides 7) Starch 8) Glycogen 9) Structural e.g. cellulose
AQA A LEVEL BIOLOGY Paper 3 2022. Flashcards. Learn. Test. Match. ... AQA A level Biology Essay. 18 terms. Jesscane1. AQA A Level Biology - 25 Mark Essays. ... Verified questions. anatomy and physiology. Nine children attending the same day-care center developed red, inflamed eyes and eyelids. What are the most likely cause and name of this ...
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...
Essay AQA A-Level Biology paper 3 sample essay - Cycles in Biology Module Unit 4 BIOL4 - Populations and environment Institution AQA Book AQA Biology A Level Student Book This essay explores the importance and prevalence of cycles in biology.
1. Syllabus for Cambridge International AS & A Level Biology 9700 (2019, 2020 and 2021) 2. Learner Guide Cambridge International AS & A Level Biology 9700. 3. AS Biology Practical Revision Sheet by Dr. Silvana Wanis. 4. A-Level Biology - Perfect Biological Drawings in Paper 3 by David de lecturer. 5.
AQA A-level biology paper 3 24th June 2022 essay discussion Redroses12345 3 What are everyone's essay predictions? Reply 1 8 months ago 3 Redroses12345 What are everyone's essay predictions? I feel like 'the importance of cycles' might come up or something about 'the importance of water' Reply 2 8 months ago 2 I emi9999900
Final exams on the horizon? Kick-start your revision with our 4-day Biology A Level Easter revision courses for AQA and OCR (A). Book now for online or face-to-face in London. Here you will find past exam papers and mark schemes for each of the modules below.
Exam paper questions organised by topic and difficulty. Our worksheets cover all topics from GCSE, IGCSE and A Level courses. Give them a try and see how you do! Join now. ... A Level Biology Home / A Level / Biology Choose from your exam board: AQA A Level Biology Revision Notes Topic Questions Past Papers Past Paper Topic Questions.
exam-mate is an exam preparation and exam builder tool, containing a bank of topical and yearly past papers. It covers Cambridge IGCSE Past Papers, Edexcel International GCSE, Cambridge and Edexcel A Level and IAL along with their mark schemes. Students can use it to access questions related to topics, while teachers can use the software during teaching and to make exam papers easily.
Final exams on the horizon? Kick-start your revision with our 4-day Biology A Level Easter revision courses for AQA and OCR (A). Book now for online or face-to-face in London. For each of the papers below, there are revision notes, summary sheets, questions from past exam papers separated by topic and other worksheets.
Here are my 3 essay predictions for AQA A level Biology paper 3 (Exams 2022)** Please do not JUST learn these for the exam. The titles may be similar but ar...
AQA biology essays - past paper questions 5.0 (7 reviews) Term 1 / 33 The importance of movement in biological molecules and cells Click the card to flip 👆 Definition 1 / 33 Synaptic transmission Nerve Impulse Glucose control/ Homeostasis Transcription, Translation Regulation of transcription and translation Translocation, Movement of blood
File previews. Document containing 17 different essay titles, including 5 essays written in full and the rest with very detailed essay plans and ideas to be used in paper 3 AQA biology. These were written for my A level exams in 2019 and were highly successful. From the plans, students can recognise that several paragraphs can be adapted ...
AQA A-level BIOLOGY 7402/3 Paper 3 Question Paper + Mark s... - $12.45 Add to Cart. Browse Study Resource | Subjects. AQA. AQA JUNE 2022. AQA A-level BIOLOGY 7402/3 Paper 3 Question Paper + Mark scheme [MERGED] June 2022.
A level Biology Essay Question revision. Subject: Biology. Age range: 16+ Resource type: Other. 4.7 7 reviews. Bossing Biology . 3.475862068965517 74 reviews. Resources to supplement my YouTube channel Bossing Biology . Last updated. 18 October 2022. Share this. Share through email; Share through twitter;