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GCSE BiologyApply Now »
Location: Ilkeston
Years: 1
Weeks: 32
Hours: 2.50
Start: 09/09/2020
Days / Times: Tuesday 18:00 to 20:45
Tuition (£): 811.00*
Concessions: 362.00***
Interview: Y
Course Summary
This AQA GCSE focuses on all aspects of Biology at Level 2. It is taught over a 30-week period and will include practical activities. At least 15% of the marks in the written exams will draw on practical activities. Like most evening classes, it is a condensed one-year course which would normally be taught over two years in secondary schools, so extra reading at home will be necessary.
Good attendance is essential to you achieving a C grade (new grade 4/5) or above in this course. Any lessons missed, especially practical lessons, will be detrimental to your learning.
Entry requirements
You will need to have an interview and should be aged 19 years or over. You will need to have a good grasp of written English and comprehension.
GCSE Science to at least a grade D would be beneficial.
Course Content
You will study:
- Cell biology
- Organisation
- Infection and response
- Bioenergetics
Paper 2 Topics:
- Homeostasis and response
- Inheritance, variation and evolution
- Ecology
How will I be assessed?
Paper 1:
- Written exam: 1hr 45 minutes
- 100 marks
- 50% of GCSE
Paper 2:
- Written exam: 1hr 45 minutes
- 100 marks
- 50% of GCSE
Both papers have multiple choice, structured, closed short answer and open response type questions.
Foundation tier: grades 1-5 are available
Higher tier: grades 4-9 are available
Are there any additional costs or specialist equipment required?
N/A
What can I do after this course?
Our GCSE Biology qualification will enable you to progress to many higher level science-based courses, for example our Access to HE Science. It will also provide an excellent foundation for the Access to Health Professions programme.
GCSE Biology is also a basic requirement for many degree courses, in particular for the healthcare sector and PGCE programmes.
Did you find the course information on this page useful?
* Tuition - This figure is the fee to be paid if you are not entitled to any concessions.
*** Co-Tuition - This figure is the fee to be paid if you are entitled to any partial concessions.
Pavla Kesslerova
Derby College helps mature postgraduate student progress on learning journey
Former Derby College GCSE student Pavla Kesslerova is travelling to Zimbabwe next month to undertake further research for her MSc Health Psychology course.
Pavla, who is originally from the Czech Republic, graduated from Sheffield Hallam University last year with a first class honour’s degree in psychology.
But the former adult GCSE maths and English student, who studied at the Ilkeston site, believes she would not have “progressed on her learning journey” without Derby College.
Before having her two children, Pavla worked for 10 years supporting young adults with autism, starting as support worker then becoming team leader, deputy manager and ultimately domiciliary care manager.
She said: “After my maternity leave, I felt I needed to expand my academic knowledge and “activate” my brain again. I wasn’t sure how to approach this, though, as I’d become a mother later in life and felt a bit anxious about going “back to school” in my 40s.
But, as soon as I stepped into Derby College in Ilkeston for the initial knowledge test, I felt at ease. I was welcomed and reassured that people in my age group regularly took evening classes with Derby College.”
Pavla needed maths and English GCSEs to study for a psychology degree, plus she wanted to boost her “Maturita”, the Czech equivalent of A levels. The year she spent at Derby College helped prepare her well for university.
She said: “Psychology research is all about statistics, and one needs to be confident in maths before engaging with complicated quantitative research methods. Academic writing is a massive part of the Psychology course; the GSCE in English gave me a great foundation.”
While in Africa, Pavla will be gathering further data for her research project, which centres on gaining a better understanding of vaccine hesitancy.
She added: “I still feel grateful to Derby College and would definitely recommend it. Without it I would not have been able to progress on my learning journey.”
I still feel grateful to Derby College and would definitely recommend it. Without it I would not have been able to progress on my learning journey.
