Professional Focus Paper
Course: Biology
1.
Level: National 5
Who is this paper for and what is its purpose?
This paper is for teachers and other staff who provide learning, teaching and support as learners work towards
Biology National 5.
Curriculum for Excellence is a unique opportunity to raise achievement and to ensure that all learners are better
prepared than they have been in the past for learning, life and work. This is because the new curriculum gives real
scope to build learning from 3–18 in a joined-up, seamless way. As a result, progression in learning can be much
stronger with a clear focus on attributes and capabilities, skills (including higher-order thinking skills), and
knowledge and understanding. These are delivered through the experiences and outcomes of the 3–15 Broad
General Education (BGE) and, at the senior phase, through programmes that build directly on the BGE leading to
qualifications. Because of a strengthened focus on the nature and quality of learning experiences, self-motivation is
likely to be increased and learners consequently more engaged and enthused. To ensure continuity and
progression, qualifications at the senior phase have been designed to embrace this unambiguous focus on highquality learning.
Curriculum for Excellence has the flexibility to meet the needs of all learners in their local circumstances, enabling
each to achieve their very best. For example, some centres may take the opportunity to offer qualifications over two
years which might involve learners bypassing qualifications at a given level, whereas others may enable learners to
work towards qualifications within one year. In both cases, the advice in this paper is relevant to the learning and
teaching approaches that learners will encounter. This paper, then, is intended to stimulate professional reflection
and dialogue about learning. It highlights important features of learning which are enhanced or different from
previous arrangements at this SCQF level.
How will you plan for progression in learning and teaching, building on the BGE and, where applicable, National 4,
to meet the needs of learners?
2.
What’s new and what are the implications for learning and teaching?
Biology National 5 consists of three mandatory Units and a Course Assessment, providing learners with the
opportunity to develop and apply skills, alongside increasing their depth of knowledge and understanding.
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Cell Biology
Multicellular Organisms
Life on Earth
Course Assessment: assignment and a question paper
BIOLOGY
To achieve Biology National 5, learners must pass all of the required Units including the Course Assessment,
which takes the form of an assignment and a question paper and covers the added value of the course.
What are the key aspects of Biology National 5?
Progression from the Broad General Education
This qualification has been designed to articulate with the BGE. Staff will find it useful alongside this paper to refer
to the Biology Progression Framework as they plan learning that builds on the BGE into National 5.
Added Value
Added value at National 5 takes the form of an assignment and a question paper, which offer significant scope for
personalisation and choice. It pulls together the application of skills of scientific inquiry and related biology
knowledge and understanding, and the possible effects on the environment or society. It will allow scope for further
development and application of the literacy and numeracy skills developed within the BGE.
Hierarchy of Units
From National 3 onwards, the hierarchical nature of the Units allows for flexible learning and teaching, in classes
and groups as appropriate to circumstances, and enables learners to be given recognition for their best
achievement. Learners may gain Units at more than one level, based on their level of skills and knowledge and
understanding of the key areas of biology. The degree of choice within the Units further allows for new areas of
study for learners who are able to progress from one level to another, while ensuring that learners are not required
to repeat content from one level to the next. This approach has the potential to encourage all learners to aim high.
Fewer, broader outcomes
Staff will now be able to build learning programmes that suit local circumstances because Units are less
prescriptive and more flexible with fewer broader outcomes designed to encourage a more holistic and rounded
approach to learning. These outcomes can be developed in contexts chosen locally in consideration of the needs
and interests of learners, and will be best when designed to build on learning encountered at previous stages.
What are the key features of learning in Biology National 5?
Learning will be best when it applies a variety of creative and innovative approaches to the development of interest
and enthusiasm for biology, building on earlier experiences. Biology provides opportunities for active and
collaborative learning in creative, relevant, inspiring and engaging contexts. Well-designed experiences in biology
will develop learners’ curiosity and problem solving and analytical thinking skills; skills for collaborative learning and
independent thinking; and interest and enthusiasm for learning. For example, consideration of the uses of stem
cells in the Multicellular Organisms Unit lends itself to learners identifying media coverage associated with ethical
issues which are of interest or relevance to them, such as ‘Would you eat a test-tube burger?’ Or ‘Would you
participate in a stem cell trial if you were diagnosed with multiple sclerosis or diabetes?’. Applying evaluative skills,
learners could consider the extent to which the media coverage is based on scientific evidence, as they develop
their understanding of the science of stem cells. This is exemplified through Education Scotland’s advice and
guidance Health and Disease for National 5 Biology.
How will you promote enthusiasm for biology through relevant, inspiring and engaging contexts?
BIOLOGY
A blend of classroom approaches, pitched at a more challenging level than at earlier stages, will involve hands-on
practical tasks, including experiments and open-ended investigations, together with whole-class plenary
discussions and direct interactive teaching. For example, biomes within the Life on Earth Unit offer rich
opportunities for open-ended investigations around biodiversity, while engaging learners in whole-class, small
group and one-to-one discussions around issues of sustainability, and the impact of human activity in a Scottish
and global context. This is exemplified in the Education Scotland advice and guidance for Environmental Science:
Human Influences on Biodiversity.
Learning experiences can require independent learning and ensure learners develop the skills required to take
responsibility for their own learning and, as appropriate, to draw on the support of their peers, building on skills that
have been developed at earlier stages. For example, the study of control and communication, and the effect of
lifestyle choices on animal transport and exchange systems within the Multicellular Organisms Unit provides
opportunities for learners to make decisions, manage and take responsibility for their learning to explore the
science which will allow them to express informed views on health issues. This can lead to them participating in
debates around motions such as ‘Patients are entitled to health care whatever their lifestyle choices’. This is
exemplified in the Health and Disease advice and guidance developed by Education Scotland.
Approaches that allow space for personalisation and choice should be built in at all stages, taking account of
individual learner progress, how she/he learns and the contexts that each finds particularly interesting. The key
areas of inheritance within the Multicellular Organisms Unit and genetic engineering in the Cell Biology Unit would
be appropriate contexts in which the learner could explore an area of interest, appropriate to her/his individual
progress. This might include researching the human genome project or the study of inherited conditions such as
cystic fibrosis or Huntington’s disease in order to consider questions such as ‘Should employers be able to see
your genome before employing you?’ This is exemplified in the Inheritance advice and guidance from Education
Scotland.
How will you ensure a balanced overall blend of approaches in the classroom?
Effective partnerships have an important role to play and can expand on those already established at earlier
stages. These could include drawing on relevant expertise among staff in other curriculum areas including, for
example, social studies, technologies or RME, as well as links with employers and businesses developed
independently or through organisations such as STEMNET. These links can also promote an understanding of
potential careers, occupations, ways of learning and future training pathways.
Learning should develop high-quality scientific inquiry and investigation skills, building on skills developed within
the BGE and, as appropriate, National 4. This should involve scientific inquiry, which includes finding associations
and investigating models in real-life and relevant contexts. Learning and teaching should provide opportunities to
generate and use suitable questions for scientific inquiry and practical investigation or research. Learners should
continue to have opportunities to decide on a course of action, for example, what to observe or measure, or how to
carry out observations or measurements. In addition, learners should be given opportunities to decide on an
appropriate approach to determine or discover answers or solutions, building on their learning at previous stages.
BIOLOGY
Learning experiences may include the use of data loggers, and the collection and analysis of increasingly complex
data, again progressing from the knowledge and skills gained earlier. Learners should continue to have
opportunities to evaluate the inquiry or investigative process and the adequacy or appropriateness of their
approaches. Learning and teaching should offer opportunities for learners to make adjustments to investigations
and experimental design as their work progresses.
How will you ensure that learners have opportunities to encounter a broad and challenging range of data and
sources of evidence?
Learning and teaching will embed literacy at an appropriate level. This will include, for example, opportunities for
learners to access and use information from a range of sources to inform their learning in biology, selecting,
summarising and inferring. These experiences can involve working independently or collaboratively to evaluate
such sources, for example, considering the credibility and value of the sources, reliability of information and
techniques used to influence opinion, including persuasion and bias. They will also enable learners to engage in
informed debate on biology-related and ethical issues. When presenting findings, learners could be given the
opportunity to select the appropriate way to share their thinking with others, and to develop skills which persuade,
evaluate, explore issues and express opinions, all based on scientific evidence.
Well-planned approaches to learning in biology enable learners to develop numeracy skills, including applying
and developing skills in: understanding the practical importance of accuracy and reliability; making choices about
how to record and display data in a clear way from an extended range of tables, charts, diagrams and graphs;
making effective use of technologies; interpreting data contained in a range of formats; evaluating and interpreting
raw data, and data from tables and graphs, from their own work or other sources; and commenting on observed
relationships within the data, and the extent to which that interpretation is realistic.
How will you ensure that learners develop and apply skills in literacy and numeracy at a higher level than at
previous stages?
Links with a range of curriculum areas such as other sciences, mathematics and social studies subjects, are
essential to help learners apply and make connections in their learning. This will help to ensure their skills are
reinforced and transferrable.
How can you ensure that learners can access opportunities to apply their learning in different curriculum areas?
BIOLOGY
3.
Qualification information
The SQA website provides you with the following documents:
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Assessment Overview
Course Specification
Unit Specification
Course Assessment Specification
Unit Assessment Support Packages
Support Notes
Full information on arrangements for this qualification is available at the SQA website:
Biology National 5: http://www.sqa.org.uk/sqa/47427.html
4.
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What other materials are available on the Education Scotland website which staff
could use?
Sciences Principles and Practices
Concept Development in the Sciences
The Sciences 3–18
Environmental Science: Human Influences on Biodiversity
Biology – Food Security
Biology – Health and Disease
Biology – Inheritance
Support materials have been produced over the last year to support Curriculum for Excellence and further support
materials and events are planned. This downloadable list is updated quarterly with the most up-to-date details
available from the page below.
Published and planned support for Curriculum for Excellence:
http://www.educationscotland.gov.uk/publishedandplannedsupport
T +44 (0)141 282 5000 E enquiries@educationscotland.gov.uk W www.educationscotland.gov.uk
Education Scotland, Denholm House, Almondvale Business Park, Almondvale Way, Livingston EH54 6GA
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