Why study Biology? Saving threatened species, studying microbes, growing organic plants for food, curing diseases? The 21st Century offers many challenges to biologists. Which ones are you interested in? New knowledge in areas such as genetics, molecular biology, and biochemistry, the environment and marine sciences have profound effects on human society and the environment which we inhabit. The world moves quickly and in order to move with it and participate fully people need to be ‘in the know’. Studying A Level Biology at Holcombe Grammar School gives you the skills and opportunities to advance human knowledge and understanding in today’s world, in order to make a difference to tomorrow’s. Topic 1: Biological Molecules This topic looks at carbohydrates, lipids, proteins, nucleic acids and water and their role in biological systems. Topic 2: Cells This topic looks are the dichotomy in cell structure between prokaryotes and eukaryotes. It also focuses on cell organisation and the control of the movement of materials in and out of cells and its role in cell communication. Topic 3: Organisms exchange things with their environments This topic focuses on large organisms, where exchange surfaces are associated with mass transport systems that carry substances between the exchange surfaces and the rest of the body and between parts of the body. Topic 4: Genetic information, variation and relationships between organisms This topic looks at the genetic causes of diversity and the relationship between the genome and the environment and the role of mutations in bringing about variation. Topic 5: Energy transfers in and between organisms (A Level only) This topic looks at the energetics and biochemistry of respiration and photosynthesis as well as energy fluxes in ecosystems. Topic 6: Organisms respond to changes in their internal and external environments (A Level only) This topic looks at the role of nervous, hormonal and growth regulator mediated mechanisms for regulating the internal and external environments of organisms with a clear focus on cell to cell communication. Topic 7: Genetics, populations, evolution and ecosystems (A Level only) This topic helps you understand how common ancestry can explain the similarities between all living organisms, such as common chemistry (e.g. all proteins made from the same 20 or so amino acids), physiological pathways (e.g. anaerobic respiration), cell structure, and DNA as the genetic material and a ‘universal’ genetic code. Topic 8: The control of gene expression (A Level only) This topic studies the many factors that control the expression of genes and, thus, the phenotype of organisms. Some are external, environmental factors, others are internal factors. This will give you an appreciation of common ailments resulting from a breakdown of these control mechanisms and the use of DNA technology in the diagnosis and treatment of human diseases. What will Biology offer you in the future? Whether deciding on a career in psychology, medicine, genetics, forensics, pharmacy, veterinary medicine, biochemistry or journalism, a biological qualification gives you many skills and increases your career options so you can adapt to the world changing around you.