Year 11 GCSE Biology Tips

With GCSE exams getting closer Year 11 Biology can seem daunting. Two whole years of content to revise and understand is overwhelming at the best of times – let alone when you have all of your other subjects to worry about too! In this article, we’ve put together 5 tips for GCSE students to help you get started with Year 11 Biology.

1. Study little and often

There is a lot of content to cover over GCSE Biology. Trying to cram it all right at the end of Year 11 Biology is a recipe for disaster. The best way to approach Year 11 is to study little and often.

Try mapping out your topics far in advance and spending an hour or two a week studying consistently over the year. By the time it comes to your revision period you’ll hopefully be surprised by how much you remember!

2. Pay attention to command words

GCSE Biology command words are typically the very first word of an exam question. These words tell you exactly how to approach the question and how the marks will be awarded. Knowing what each command word means is key to your success. Some of the most common command words are:

• State – usually just a one sentence (or even one word) answer. These are usually the easiest question type as you’re being asked to simply recall facts.
• Explain – wants you to show why or how something happens. These questions usually have several steps so make sure to look at how many marks the question is worth and include at least that many different points!
• Describe – is looking for a description of a concept and what’s happening. You won’t be expected to explain why something is happening, just to give a descriptive account.
• Compare and contrast – one of the hardest command words! Here you’re expected to identify similarities and differences between two concepts. It’s quite easy to drop marks here if you don’t include both aspects.

3. Understand that memorisation is key

Memorisation is key to GCSE Biology. Unlike some other science courses, such as GCSE Maths and GCSE Physics, the content in Year 11 Biology isn’t usually too tricky to get your head around. The largest hurdle instead is remembering the sheer amount of concepts on the syllabus!

To cope with this it is important to start memorisation early and use efficient techniques. Spaced repetition and active recall are two techniques proven to increase chances of transferring information into long-term memory. Using flashcards, spread out over the course of the year, is a great way to incorporate this into your study routine.

4. Take your mocks seriously

There is no way to know which Year 11 Biology topics you’re struggling with if you don’t ever test out your knowledge! Your mock exams at school are a great way to replicate a realistic exam setting.

Try and prepare for the mock exam as you would for the real GCSE Biology exam. When you get your results, pay good attention to the questions you got wrong. Take a look where you’re dropping marks: is there a particular topic, or is it your exam technique? Use this information to direct your revision going forward.

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5. Refer to your specification

Your specification should be your holy grail in revision. The specification is a list of all the learning objectives that you should know before you sit the exam for Year 11 GCSE Biology. Use this document as a checklist and make sure you’ve covered and are comfortable with everything on the list! It should be easy to find the specification for your exam board on their website.

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