Essay writing tips

• Spend 5- 10 minutes planning the essay.
• Spend around 40 minutes writing the essay.
• Write about 4-5 different topics (from different parts of the specification). Examiners say a minimum of 4 topics are required but try to do 5 topics!
• Link each topic to the title/ theme of the essay.
• Examiners are looking for in depth explanations- your explanations must demonstrate 2 years of A-level studies and not be simply GCSE explanations.
• An introduction is not required- you’ll end up just repeating the question and wasting time!
• A conclusion is not required- examiners are not looking for your judgement on a topic!
• Any diagrams will only get marks if they are heavily annotated and relevant. Drawings alone are a waste of time.
• This is a biology essay and not an English essay, so spelling, punctuation and grammar are not a big concern UNLESS they impact on the examiners ability to understand your writing OR you spell important scientific terms incorrectly.
• Irrelevant material- not linked to the theme of the essay will lose you marks.
• Significant biological errors (incorrect biology!) will lose you marks.
• Material from beyond the specification must be included and relevant to get 24 or 25 marks

Aiming for 21-25 marks?

Examiners say…

• Response shows a holistic approach to the question with a fully integrated answer which makes clear links between several different topics and the theme of the question.
• Biology is detailed and comprehensive A-level content, uses appropriate terminology, and is very well written and always clearly explained.
• No significant errors or irrelevant material.
• For top marks in the band, the answer shows evidence of reading beyond specification requirements.

In simple terms…

• Minimum of 4 topics from different parts of the spec. May be better to write about 5 topics.
• Topics are linked to the theme of the question and are all relevant.
• No significant errors or irrelevant material.
• Biology is detailed and of A-level standard.

2016

• "The importance of movement in living organisms."
• "The importance of proteins in the control of processes and responses in organisms."

2017

• "The importance of ATP in living organisms."
• "How bacteria can affect the lives of humans and other organisms."

2018

• "The importance of specific shapes fitting together in cells and organisms."
• "The importance to humans of the control of growth, reproduction, and development of organisms, including themselves."

2019

• "The importance of nitrogen-containing substances in biological systems."
• "The adaptations of organisms to their environments."

2020

• Covid- no exams sat!

2021

• "The importance of the movement of substances across cell membranes."
• "The importance of responses to changes in the internal and external environment of an organism."

2022

• "The importance of proteins and peptides in living organisms."
• "The importance of the ability to respond to changes in the environment."

2023

• "The importance of cycles in biology."
• "The importance of enzymes in the control of biological processes."

2024

• "Phosphorus-containing substances and their importance in biological systems."
• "The mechanisms and importance of transport within organisms."

Remember, you have a choice of two titles.

Titles link across multiple topics, hopefully making it easy for you to choose relevant material and write in depth about topics you are more confident with.