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REVISION CHECKLIST for IGCSE Biology 0610
A guide for students
How to use this guide
The guide describes what you need to know about your IGSCE Biology examination.
It can be used to help you to plan your revision programme for the theory examinations and
will explain what the examiners are looking for in the answers you write. It can also be used
to help you revise by using the tick boxes in Section 3, ‘What you need to know?’, to check
what you know and which topic areas of Biology you have covered.
The guide contains the following sections:
Section 1 - How will you be tested?
This section will give you information about the different types of theory and practical
examination Papers that are available.
Section 2 - What will you be tested on?
This section describes the areas of knowledge, understanding and skills that you will be
tested on.
Section 3 - What you need to know
This shows the syllabus content in a simple way so that you can check:
• the topics you need to know about
• how the Extended syllabus (Supplement) differs from the Core syllabus
• details about each topic in the syllabus
• how much of the syllabus you have covered
Section 4 - Appendices
This section covers the other things you need to know, including:
• information about the mathematical skills you need
• n about terminology, units and symbols, and the presentation of data
• the importance of the command words the Examiners use in the examination papers
Not all the information will be relevant to you. For example, you will need to select what you
need to know in Sections 1 and 3, by finding out from your teacher which examination Papers
you are taking. Section 1 - How will you be tested?
1.1 The examinations you will take
You will be entered for three examination Papers, two theory Papers and one
practical Paper.
You will need to ask your teacher which practical Paper you are taking. Nearer the time
of the examination, you will also need to ask which theory Papers you are being entered
for.
If your teacher thinks that you should enter for the examination based on the Core
syllabus, you will take Paper 1 (theory), Paper 2 (theory) and one of the practical Papers
(4 or 5 or 6).
If your teacher thinks that you should enter for the examination based on the Extended
syllabus, you will take Paper 1 (theory), Paper 3 (theory) and one of the practical Papers
(4 or 5 or 6).
Whether you take Paper 2 or 3 will depend on the progress your teacher thinks you
have made and which Paper most suits your particular strengths. You should discuss
this with your teacher.
1.2 About the theory Papers
The table gives you information about the theory Papers
Paper number How long and What’s in the paper? What’s the % of
how many the total marks
marks?
Paper 1 45 minutes (40 40 multiple-choice questions. You 30%
marks) choose one answer you consider
correct from a choice of 4 possible
answers.
Paper 2 1 ¼ hours (80 Short-answer questions and 50% (you do
marks) structured questions. You should either Paper 2 or
write your answers in the spaces Paper 3)
provided. The Paper tests the Core
syllabus.
Paper 3 1 ¼ hours (80 Short-answer questions and 50% (you do
marks) structured questions. You should either Paper 2 or
write your answers in the spaces Paper 3)
provided. The Paper tests topics in
both the Core and Extended
syllabus.
Practical Paper see next table see next table 20%
Total 100%
1.3 About the practical Papers
Twenty percent of the marks for IGCSE Biology are for practical work. Practical work
is based only on the Core syllabus.
You will do one of the practical Papers shown in the table. Your teacher will tell you which
practical Paper you will do. The number of marks varies between the Papers but your
final mark will be calculated so that it is worth same percentage of the total examination
as the other practical Papers.
Paper number How long and What’s involved?
and type what it’s marked
out of?
Paper 4 no fixed time (48 You design and carry out experiments, which are
(coursework) marks) then marked by your teacher. You will be
assessed on 4 skill areas. You need to produce 2
pieces of work for each skill area.
Paper 5 1 ¼ hours (40 You do a practical exam, which is supervised by a
(practical test) marks) teacher. There are usually 2 questions testing 4
skill areas.
Paper 6 1 hour (60 marks) You answer a written paper about practical work.
(alternative to There are usually 6 questions, which test the
practical) same skill areas as Paper 5.
Here is some more detail about each of the practical Papers. If you are unsure of
anything, ask your teacher.
1.3.1 Paper 4 (Coursework)
You will carry out several experiments throughout your Biology course, which will be
marked by your teacher. Your teacher will mark you on four different skill areas (Using
apparatus, Observing, Handling results, Planning and Evaluating.)
What you have to do to get a basic (B), medium (M) or high (H) mark is shown below.
The differences between basic, medium and high marks are shown below in italics and
underlined.
Skill C1: Using apparatus
You follow written instructions to set up and use apparatus correctly. You carry out your
work safely.
B: You follow instructions correctly to do a single practical operation e.g. testing a
sample of Food to find out if it contains starch.
You use familiar apparatus with a little help on points of safety.
M: You follow instructions correctly to do a series of step-by-step practical operations
e.g. testing a leaf to find out if it contains starch or investigate the digestion of
starch by amylase
You use familiar apparatus fairly well with no help on points of safety
H: You follow instructions correctly to do a series of step-by-step practical
operations, but you may need to change one step if things don’t work out as you
thought e.g. lower the concentration of amylase if the digestion of starch goes too
fast.
You use familiar apparatus very well with no help on points of safety.
Skill C2: Observing
You make observations and measurements and write them down clearly.
B: You make suitable observations when given some detailed instructions. You
record results correctly when given a detailed table or some help.
M: You make suitable observations when given minimal instructions. You record
results correctly when given an outline table or minimal help.
H: You make suitable observations without help and record results as accurately as
the apparatus allows. You record results correctly without help.
Skill C3: Handling results
You draw graphs and/ or perform calculations from your results. You draw conclusions
from your results and recognize any results, which do not fit into the pattern.
B: You draw graphs or charts (or do some calculations) from your results when
given detailed suggestions.
You draw simple conclusions from your results.
M: You draw graphs or charts (or do some calculations) from your results when
given only a little help.
You draw simple conclusions from your results and comment on the patterns
shown by the data e.g. a high concentration of amylase causes a faster rate of
reaction than a low concentration.
You comment on results which do not fit the pattern.
H: You draw graphs or charts (or do some calculations) from your results when
given no help.
You draw more general conclusions from your results and comment on the
patterns, e.g. the greater the concentration of amylase, the faster the reaction.
You comment on results which do not fit the pattern and suggest how to deal with
them e.g. ignore them.
You suggest what errors there are in your experiment. Skill C4: Planning and evaluating
You plan your experiment given some basic information from your teacher. You suggest
how well your plan worked and modify if necessary.
B: You write a simple plan for your experiment.
You modify your plan after doing several experiments to see which works the
best.
M: You write a plan for your experiment, which has a series of logical steps in it.
You modify your plan after doing trial experiments and give reasons why you
need to alter your original plan.
If there are two variables (things which can change e.g. concentration of
amylase, concentration of starch), you recognise that one variable needs to be
changed, while the other is kept the same. E.g. keep the concentration of starch
the same but vary the concentration of amylase.
H: You write a plan for your experiment which has a series of logical and
clearly reasoned steps.
You modify your plan after doing trial experiments and give reasons why you
need to alter your original plan and suggest to what extent your plan works and
why. You suggest how to deal with unexpected results. If there are more than
two variables you recognise which need to be controlled (kept constant) and
which needs to be ch