Biology AS Level
AS level Biology is the study of life, from the complexities of the human body to much simpler protozoa. An essential choice if you plan to go on to study medicine, nursing or physiotherapy. In this course you will learn about genes and health, biodiversity and more.
This course is one of our new Gold Star AS levels. Find out more about them here.
Price:
| Price | £450.00 |
Course requirements
A GCSE or equivalent in Biology (minimum grade B) and Chemistry (minimum grade C) or Double or Triple Science (minimum grade B) and Maths (minimum grade C) is strongly recommended for this course. This is an online course so you will also need access to the internet.
Duration of study
It's really up to you but, as a guide, an AS level course takes about 120-150 hours plus extra time for assignment work you submit to your tutor. You will have tutor support for a period of up to 24 months from the date of enrolment. Some students allow 18-24 months to complete an AS level, but others complete the course within a year.
Specification
This course follows specification 8BN0 from the awarding organisation Edexcel. Full details of the specifications can be obtained from Edexcel's website.
Topics
Section 1 - Lifestyle, health and risk
Section 2 - Genes and health
Section 3 - Voice of the genome
Section 4 - Biodiversity and natural resources
- What is cardiovascular disease?
- Who is at risk of cardiovascular disease?
- Risk factors for cardiovascular disease
- Biochemistry involved in cardiovascular disease
- Reducing the risk of cardiovascular disease
Section 2 - Genes and health
- The effects of cystic fibrosis on the lungs
- Why is CF mucus so sticky?
- The roles of proteins and enzymes
- How is the CFTR protein made?
- How is cystic fibrosis inherited?
- Testing for CF
Section 3 - Voice of the genome
- Cells and their components
- In the beginning
- From one to many: the cell cycle
- How development is controlled
- Genes and environment
Section 4 - Biodiversity and natural resources
- Why are there so many different species?
- How did organisms become so well adapted?
- Classification and speciation
- Plant cells and tissues
- Making use of biodiversity in plants
- On the brink
Exams and assessment
Two exams:
Non-exam assessment (NEA):
- 1 hour 30 minutes, 50% of marks
- 1 hour 30 minutes, 50% of marks
- The AS level exams are written, with no practical element, but throughout the exam you will be expected to use your understanding of practical theory to answer questions. You will have gained this knowledge through the 9 core practicals within your course.
Non-exam assessment (NEA):
- None
Assignments
Assignments do not contribute towards your final grade but provide you with an opportunity to submit work to your tutor for marking and feedback. This will help you to gauge your progress as you work through the course.
This course has:
This course has:
- 1 introductory assignment
- 4 assignments
Set texts and resources
Active e-book versions of these texts will be included free with your course:
Additional texts:
- Salters-Nuffield AS/A level Biology Student Book 1, University of York Science Education Group, Pearson Education 2015
Additional texts:
- Maths Skills for A Level Biology, J Penny, Oxford University Press 2013
Using learn@nec
Your course is delivered online through learn@nec, so it’s important that you have access to a computer and the internet. We recommend that your computer is using one of the following operating systems and browsers to improve your experience of using learn@nec:
Operating systems:
Browsers:
learn@nec may work on other operating systems and browsers with some restrictions. You can see full details of the system requirements by clicking here.
Operating systems:
- Windows 7 or later
- Mac OSX 10.7 or later
- Google Chrome OS
- Android 4.4 or later, using the Chrome browser
- iOS 6 or later, using the Safari browser
Browsers:
- Google Chrome (latest version)
- Mozilla Firefox (latest version)
- Safari 6 or later
- Internet Explorer 10 or later (excluding IE11)
learn@nec may work on other operating systems and browsers with some restrictions. You can see full details of the system requirements by clicking here.
How to enrol
There are several ways to enrol with NEC:
- Click the ‘Enrol now’ button above.
- Telephone us on 0800 389 2839 or +44(0)1223 400200 and speak to our course advice team.
- Ask us to send you an enrolment form which you can complete and return by post.
Paying in instalments
It’s your choice: you can pay in full at the point of enrolment, or you can spread the cost over monthly instalments with our finance offer. To pay in instalments you will need to enrol by telephone.
Representative example:
The National Extension College (NEC) is the trading name of the Open School Trust, which is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (register number 676788). Finance is provided through the Deko platform by a number of lenders. You will be offered the best rate available based on your credit history and the lenders’ credit decision policies.
Deko is a trading name of Pay4Later Ltd who act as a credit intermediary. They are registered in England and Wales (company number 06447333) and authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (register number 728646). For more information please go to www.dekopay.com/faq or visit www.dekopay.com.
Representative example:
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£450
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£45
£405
£67.50
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£450
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The National Extension College (NEC) is the trading name of the Open School Trust, which is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (register number 676788). Finance is provided through the Deko platform by a number of lenders. You will be offered the best rate available based on your credit history and the lenders’ credit decision policies.
Deko is a trading name of Pay4Later Ltd who act as a credit intermediary. They are registered in England and Wales (company number 06447333) and authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (register number 728646). For more information please go to www.dekopay.com/faq or visit www.dekopay.com.
AS Level Biology Course Sample
Thank you for your interest in this course.
Please fill out your details below, and you will receive an email containing a link to download the course sample.
What our students say...
"I have found that the learn@nec site has been very easy to use and I am able to access course material quickly and easily. I particularly like how there is a course checklist where you can keep track of your progress and are able to see how many topics you have to complete so I can designate my time for each subject accordingly."
— NEC A level Biology student
