New specification section

The main section of this website has supported various GCSE specifications for several years.
However for teaching from September 2006 onwards, there are a number of changes to the GCSE science curriculum.

Each exam board (Edexcel, OCR, AQA) has produced its own version and its own scheme (or schemes!) of assessment (see below).

The main advantage from a teacher's point of view, and I dare say also from a pupil's, is that there is much less emphasis on the assessment of practical work: no "coursework".

This is the format of the Edexcel Biology which I shall be following:

GCSE Biology	Unit number		Topic title further information (originating from the Edexcel Specification) * updated September 2007	Support material available on this site		Resources available from external sites
	B1	a	1. *Environment	Feeding relationships Competition Food chains and webs Examples of food chains Measuring population sizes Ecological pyramids Conversion of biomass and energy Alien Invasions Predator prey interdependence Natural Selection	ECOSYSTEMS HUMANS AND THE ENVIRONMENT	Can GM save the world? The BBC Horizon programme sent Jimmy Doherty - an advocate of sustainable farming - on a personal mission to get at some of the truths on GM. Post about this programme on the Bioethicsbytes site (filtered by my school network!) Extracts below: Amish farmers embrace GM crops - BBC video showing corn borer larvae How to create a GM plant - BBC video Darwin stuff Open University Darwin site (from the above) Devolve Me - see yourself as you would have looked as an early human
		a	2. *Genes	The two methods of reproduction Follow-on information from above: strawberries potatoes bananas onions apples bacterial reproduction Genetic fingerprinting Genes, DNA and Chromosomes Human genome project Gene therapy Cloning for body part transplants Rabbit genetics Pedigrees	DNA STRUCTURE, REPLICATION and NUCLEAR DIVISION Asexual reproduction and artificial propagation As above - might not be filtered Another attempt CLONES and CLONING Cell division and chromosomes VARIATION, HEREDITY AND ENVIRONMENT GENETICS GENETIC INHERITANCE DIAGRAMS GENETIC PEDIGREES MANIPULATING GENES	Thanks biotutors! Peppered moth simulation Stem Cells in The Spotlight Transgenic cloning to make chocolate milk! Cloning mini mouse Scientific American Gene Hunters
		b	3. *Electrical and Chemical Signals	Measuring Reaction Times (modified) [word document] Table converting drop distance to time [excel spreadsheet] Nervous co-ordination Passage of nervous impulses Voluntary and reflex actions How the eye works The iris reflex Hormonal control of the menstrual cycle	THE BRAIN AND NERVOUS SYSTEM RESPONSE AND CO-ORDINATION & DRUGS BLOOD HORMONES AND THE ENDOCRINE SYSTEM THE HUMAN REPRODUCTIVE SYSTEM Birth control PREGNANCY AND BIRTH THE EYE AND VISION	Reaction times testers Sheep Traffic light How many boxes can you check in 30 seconds? Bigger stimulus prompt
		b	4. *Use, Misuse and Abuse	Opiates and cannabinoids Paracetamol Spiders on drugs video Microbes and disease Methods of microbial transmission The body’s defence systems against microbial diseases Tuberculosis TB prevention and control The distribution of TB	MICRO-ORGANISMS CAUSING DISEASE	Some recommended URLs
	B2		1. *Inside Living Cells	Aerobic respiration Effects of exercise	DNA STRUCTURE, REPLICATION and NUCLEAR DIVISION DNA and PROTEIN SYNTHESIS Micro-organisms as alternatives in food production
			2. *Divide and Develop		DNA STRUCTURE, REPLICATION and NUCLEAR DIVISION
			3. *Energy Flow		Cell structure CYCLES IN THE ECOSYSTEM
			4. *Interdependence			Extreme environments Links to some good video material
	B3		1. *Biotechnology	Pharmaceutical molecules in 3-D aspirin taxol quinine, artemesinin etc Functional foods Microbial products	FERMENTATION USING OTHER MICRO-ORGANISMS MANIPULATING GENES	BBC news etc files on Stem Cells
	B3		2. Behaviour in Humans and Other Animals	Feeding behaviour Domestication of animals by Man	National Geographic videos embedded on BioTopics Apes with tools Chimps with tools Chimps use tools to hunt mammals "Genius" chimp outsmarts tube Musk Oxen vs wolves Working Dogs Born to Run Wildebeest Migration Cheetah vs gazelle Amazing Antlers	Association for the Study of Animal Behaviour Association for the Study of Animal Behaviour GCSE exercises from above Patterns of Life: Moths, Adaptations and Predators National Geographic Videos

Revision guides: Clicking on the links below will take you to a page allowing you to order books (at slightly discounted prices) from Amazon.co.uk.

Since the new science courses are based on a new specification (syllabus), older textbooks are not specifically aimed at delivering the exact content expected for tests. Make sure you are using the right book for your course!

Here I have concentrated on books for Edexcel 360 Science. Only some cover all that is needed for Biology in one book - most include Chemistry and Physics, and there are at least 3 books - one for each level, and possibly different volumes for homework/summary/revision purposes.


	This GCSE Biology Edexcel Science Revision Guide is written in the usual CGP zany style with plenty of colour and occasional diverting comments to keep you going. However it covers the whole contents of the full Biology GCSE - all 3 sections. Also by CGP, the GCSE Biology Edexcel 360Science Workbook has a slightly different format: no colour, and spaces for you to write in your own answers to tutorial style questions. It also covers the whole contents of the full Biology GCSE - all 3 sections.

Text books
Edexcel 360 science

Edexcel is owned by a publishing company, Pearson Educational. So as well as being an examining board, Edexcel also produces a suite of (3) students' textbooks, each with a CD ROM containing an electronic version of the textbook, backed up by (3) teacher's guides, with (3 sets of) extra support material - ActiveTeach CD ROMs, and also Copymaster Files.
They do not produce books covering individual sciences, i.e. each contains chemistry and physics, as well as biology.

Each of the clickable links below should connect you to the appropriate Amazon.co.uk page, and their offers on these products. For completeness, I have also included the ISBN of various other products, presumably available directly from Edexcel.

GCSE Core Science Students' Book & ActiveBook CDROM 1 903133 368 8	GCSE Additional Science Students' Book & ActiveBook CDROM 978 1 903133 61 3	GCSE Separate Science Students' Book & ActiveBook CDROM 978 1 846901 53 9
Active teach Edexcel GCSE Science: Teachers' Active Teach CDROM 1 84690 104 9	Active teach GCSE Additional Science: Teachers' Active Teach CDROM 978 1 84690 103 4	Active teach GCSE Science: Extension teachers' Active Teach CDROM 978-1846901546
Teacher's Guide & CD-ROM 1 901313 370 X	Additional Science Teacher's Guide & CD-ROM 978 1 901313 62 0	Separate Science Teacher's Guide CD-ROM 978 1 864901 54 6
GCSE Science Copymaster file 1-90313-364-5	Additional Science Copymaster File & CD-ROM 978-1-903133-56-9	Extension Copymaster file 978 1846901529
		GCSE Additional Science Mark Management Tool 978-1846901065

Other publishers

Hodder Murray has produced some quite informative books which seem to address the specification in a businesslike way.

Hodder Murray GCSE Science student textbook endorsed by edexcel 978 0 340 90729 0	Hodder Murray GCSE Additional Science student textbook endorsed by edexcel 978 0 340 90730 6	As far as I know, there is no Hodder Murray GCSE Separate/Extension Science student textbook for the Edexcel specifications
Hodder Murray Edexcel GCSE Science Higher Homework Book 978 0 340 91490 8	Hodder Murray Edexcel GCSE Science Foundation Homework Book 978 0 340 91489 2	Other material from Hodder Murray Hodder Edexcel GCSE Science: Evaluation Pack 0 340 92639 2 Edexcel GCSE Science Teachers Book ISBN - 9780340914861 Edexcel GCSE Science Interactive Presentations ISBN - 9780340925447 Edexcel GCSE Science Worksheet CD-ROM ISBN - 9780340914953

Collins Education has also produced some quite well illustrated textbooks to support Edexcel 360 science.

GCSE Science for Edexcel 360
Science Student Book
ISBN - 0007214480

GCSE Science for Edexcel 360
Additional Science Student Book
ISBN - 0007216408

GCSE Science for Edexcel 360
Separate Sciences Student Book
ISBN - 0007216416

Various links

External links to relevant material on 2006 GCSE science and biology pages of the main GCSE exam boards:

Edexcel

Edexcel boasts a vast series of websites, and the most useful one in this context is http://www.edexcel.com/Pages/home.aspx

For information on the GCSE specifications, you can click here to get the full recently updated (now 202 page!) GCSE Science, GCSE Additional Science, GCSE Biology, GCSE Chemistry and GCSE Physics GCSE Science Specification

in pdf format - check out the side-barred sections!

Edexcel suggests 2 possible different approaches to teaching this specification: by "context" and "concept" and provides these GCSE Schemes of Work

(only accessible to teachers/authorised Edexcel Online users).

Assessment Activities - GCSE Science

(also only accessible to teachers/authorised Edexcel Online users).

OCR

OCR GCSE Science explained (http://www.ocr.org.uk/qualifications/gcse/science/explained.html)

National Curriculum in Action

New specification section

Darwin stuff

Extreme environments

National Geographic videos embedded on BioTopics

Other publishers