Category: Online tutoring

How to proofread your work

You’ve finished! You’re getting ready to submit an important piece of work. But first you need to check it over – to make sure there are no errors, to make sure it ticks all the boxes, to make sure it’s the best it can be. Here are some tips on how to proofread your work:

Firstly, do nothing

Wait! What I mean is: if you’ve just finished a draft, don’t jump to proofreading straight away. Give yourself a day, or two if possible, away from your work. This will allow you to “forget” some of the detail, so you can come back with fresh eyes. It’s very likely that the time away might stimulate new thoughts and ideas – distraction is great for creativity (and for revising, too).

Re-read the brief

Whether this is an essay you started last week, or a PhD thesis you started six months ago, the first step to proofreading is reminding yourself of what the point is.

What are you trying to achieve with the writing?

If you are writing to a formal brief, re-read this carefully. If you set the rules yourself, remind yourself what the outline of your project was before you started. Keep this in mind while you follow the next steps.

What story am I trying to tell?

If your brief has a word limit – make sure you stick to it. Exceeding a word limit sometimes carries a penalty, perhaps even a matched reduction in your total mark, e.g. if you’re 10% over the limit, you might lose 10% of the marks!

On the first proofread, focus on the flow of your work

It’s tempting to focus on the granular details – spellings, missing commas etc. on a first proofread. You can do this of course (and if you see a spelling error while reading, why not correct it?). But in my experience, the best first proofread looks for flow:

Does what you’ve written make sense?
Are there any holes? Or is there anything missing?
Does it need editing rather than proofreading? After all, there’s no point icing a cake if there’s an important layer missing. (This could be a dodgy metaphor I remove during proofreading, for example).

Clarity beats complexity

Whether you are writing a scientific report, a thesis, or a novel, your ideas need to be clear. Remove waffle and get to the point. Your reader will thank you, and it makes it easier to emphasize the points you are trying to make. Avoid unnecessary complexity – again, this applies as much in fiction as in research-driven reports. Clarity beats complexity. That’s not to say you can’t have both, but clarity comes first.

Apply the same level of scrutiny to figures and data

If you are proofreading a report with figures or data, be sure to check your legends and labels. Each figure has a message (or otherwise why is it here?) – is this message clear?

On the second read through, focus on the details

Once the flow of your document is checked – we go again! A second  proofread. This time for spelling, punctuation and grammar. There are a few tips for doing this:

Don’t rely on spell-checks or AI – Use a spell-check, obviously, that’s what it’s there for. Correct the red squiggles. But anticipate that technical terms and names may flag as errors even if they are correct.

Don’t trust AI to understand a piece of writing it has never seen before.

And if you’re writing something new and original (and there’s a fair chance you are), be cautious with relying on AI tools that apply rules based on what they’ve seen before.

Box it off – Isolate small groups of lines (on a screen with a highlighting cursor or by exposing some lines of a printed copy). This focuses your attention and breaks the proofreading job into chunks. Do the same with each section if it’s a larger report.

Take breaks – This amount of laborious attention to detail is wearing. Taking regular breaks helps you to stay sharp.

Go easy on yourself

Don’t call yourself an idiot, or your text rubbish too many times, even in jest. It builds a narrative that hides the amount of effort you have invested. Celebrate that. And accept that, even if proofreading misses an error (and it nearly always willl), you’ve done all that is humanly possible to present your work at its best.

The final pass – proofreading your references

Saving the most fiddly job for last, we check to see our references or bibliography appears as it should:

Are all the references in the correct format?

Does the body of the text cite the correct reference, or the correct figure, in the correct place?

Give proofreading the time it needs

Often people leave proofreading to the last minute before a deadline. Giving proofreading time can make a huge difference to the finishing touches. If possible, aim to have your draft ready a few days before you intend to submit. You’ve done the hard work, it would be a shame to rush the finishing stages. (No matter how good a cake tastes, people will always remember what it looks like.)

If it’s a paper submission, watch the printer like a hawk

Flick through the pages once printed to make sure the printer hasn’t made any errors to the text or figures. This is especially important if you’re using a shared printer. I once worked with someone who submitted a thesis with Google Map directions to Pizza Hut between chapters two and three as he’d collected everything from a shared printer without checking.

If it’s an online submission, check the submission guidelines

Some submission guidelines are very specific. The text must be formatted a certain way, or saved as a particular type of file. Maybe you need to title an email “FAO” a particular person, or write something specific in a subject line. Make sure you look for submission guidelines to make sure your work gets to where it should be.

How to proofread your work – Optional proofreading steps

If you have the time, loop through and proofread again trying one of these approaches:

Read it again backwards – last paragraph to first, or even last sentence to first. This can give you a different perspective and allow you to spot something you might have missed.

Read it out loud – sometimes this helps to spot errors in the flow of your work.

Read it looking for particular things that you know you do. The amount of times I’ve written “Brian” when I meant “brain”. This is not an error that a spell-checker (human or otherwise) would necessarily pick up on. (I search for Brian in all my writing now).

How to proofread your work – get someone to do it for you!

Having someone else proofread your work is a great idea. A fresh pair of eyes, free from bias, unencumbered by having read it so many times. This could be a friend, or family member or a study buddy. But also…

As luck would have it, I offer proofreading services for academic reports and documents, and critical thinking assignments. Please get in touch if you’d like me to do some proofreading for you. I will provide feedback on how to present your work at its best.

Good luck with your proofreading!

John

Dr John Ankers is specialist tutor and academic coach.  He is director of Woolton tutors

 

Critical review vs literature review vs something else?

It can be difficult to know where to start when writing an academic review. Are you writing a critical review, literature review, critical literature review, peer review – which is it? It’s so confusing!

There are many overlapping terms for academic reviews featuring applied critical thinking. When planning your work, it may be useful to know which you’re being asked to do, and what shape your project will take. Despite their similar names – and the fact that some terms are used interchangeably online – these academic reviews are all subtly different.

Here’s how to tell them apart:

Critical review (aka a “critique”)

Here we summarise the arguments and conclusions in one particular article, then evaluate the validity of its conclusions by referring to other studies (sometimes known as “the literature”). Rather than listing these studies, we need to “weave together” or synthesize their arguments, which may support or contradict the article. We come to our own balanced conclusion on the validity and value of the article, highlighting any bias as we go. (I have a blog on how to write a critical review)

Literature review

This is a more straightforward summary of important and relevant studies around a particular topic, idea or hypothesis. There is no critical evaluation here, just an unbiased appraisal of what is out there in the literature. This often forms part of the introduction to a larger piece of work like a dissertation or thesis.

Critical literature review

A literature review with critical evaluation of the conclusions from multiple studies. This is often a much larger project, perhaps even an entire dissertation. Reaching our own conclusions often requires evaluating the data and research methods in multiple studies, and so skills in data interpretation and statistical analysis are essential.

Peer review

Similar to critical appraisal in a clinical setting, peer review requires experience and skill to rigorously evaluate the data, methods, analysis and conclusions in one particular study, paying close attention to the design of the experiments, how they were conducted and the strength of the data. Peer review often results in a recommendation for further studies to better support a conclusion.

Your assignment or piece of work may blur the lines between these definitions. Don’t hesitate to get in touch if you’d like some help – I specialise in helping students with applied critical thing, proof-reading and planning.

All the best,

John

Dr John Ankers
Specialist critical thinking tutor

How to write a critical review

Critical reviews are an important part of many academic reports, dissertations and theses, as well as evidence-based practice. We write a critical review to examine the value of an article or source – are its points valid? Are its conclusions free from bias? Can we trust it?

Writing critical reviews tests a number of skills – our ability to summarise information and evaluate (critically analyse) conclusions. We must also synthesise arguments – weaving together evidence from different sources to see if it truly agrees with the article’s arguments, or leads us to a different conclusion.

Sounds great, but how do we do it?

How to structure a critical review

Most critical reviews have four sections. An introduction to the article and its context. A summary of the article’s main points and conclusions. A critical evaluation of these arguments, and our own final conclusion.

To examine these, let’s imagine we’re asked to write a critical review of a fictious blog post written by a fictitious drug company (Vital-X ltd) promoting a cancer drug (Drug X). The blog references some research and makes a conclusion that Drug X should be widely prescribed to treat lung cancer.

How to write a critical review introduction

In the introduction, we outline clearly what we’re reviewing, i.e. the title, author and publication date  of the article. We may also describe the context of the work. Using our example of the cancer drug blog, we might describe the clinical setting and what treatments are currently used. We also need to state what the intention of our critical review is – to evaluate the blog’s conclusions with reference to scientific evidence, or perhaps a particular ethical framework.

For our fictitious example, the introduction could begin: “This critical review will evaluate a blog titled ‘Drug X will eradicate lung cancer’ published on the Vital-X website (2026). The blog article references two studies performed by Vital-X on…”

How to write a critical review summary

In the summary section we describe the main points and conclusions raised in the article. These questions are useful to keep in mind:

  • What are the main conclusions presented?
  • What evidence is presented to support these conclusions?
  • Who is the target audience of the article (e.g. the public, academics, patients)?
  • What is the article trying to achieve?

For our fictitious example, the summary may start: “The blog concludes that Drug X causes a decrease in size of lung tumours over a six-month period. It makes reference to two studies, one in mice (Sheeran et al. 2023) and one using human cells in a lab (Martin et al. 2025).  The authors state that the reduction in tumour size and volume is significant and argue that the drug should be made available for wider use…”

How to write a critical review evaluation 

Evaluation is the biggest part of writing a critical review, and will carry most of the marks in an assessment.  Here we evaluate the article’s strengths and weaknesses in supporting its conclusions.

We examine how well any evidence in the article supports the conclusion. But we also do our own research, weaving together (“synthesising“) conclusions from other relevant studies into a clear picture which may agree or disagree with the author’s conclusions.

Importantly, while we are keeping an open mind, free from bias, we are also highlighting any examples of the author’s bias that we find. Here are some questions to keep in mind while critically evaluating:

  • Does the research/ literature referenced in the article fully support the conclusion? Or does the conclusion over-reach? Is it too sweeping? For example, a drug tested in mice may not work in humans. A profound effect after six months may not be the same after five years.
  • Are there any gaps in the references?  We should look to see if the same effort has been made to include all the relevant literature, even work that contradicts the author’s conclusions. Have any studies been misrepresented? Are there any other, independent, studies performed using Drug X that haven’t been mentioned in the blog.
  • Can we synthesize an argument from other research that comments on the conclusion? Imagine the authors of other studies as people discussing (or arguing over!) the conclusion – do they agree? Where do they not agree? Present their points together in a coherent argument, rather than simply listing the references. A good place to look for these is Google Scholar.
  • Is there any evidence of bias or a conflict of interests? For example, a drug company promoting their own drug based on data from their own studies. It is perfectly reasonable to highlight areas of doubt without fearing that you are making an accusation. In science, trust is precious and most scientists go to great lengths to ensure impartiality and transparency.
  • Is all the data referenced in the article from peer-reviewed studies? Again, having as many people rigorously appraising data increases trust an validity in our conclusions.
  • If the article contains data, does it support the conclusion? (A critical review is less likely to focus on data interpretation – this is more often found in larger projects like critical literature reviews, or peer reviews.)

For our fictitious example, our evaluation may start: “The conclusion that Drug X causes a decrease in lung tumours over a six-month period is based in a study on mice (Sheeran et al. 2023), raising concerns about how confidently we can conclude its efficacy in human cancer. Indeed, other studies (Osbourne et al. 2024, Ward et al. 2025) suggest the effect on tumour size is minimal at healthy doses. Two studies (Iommi et al. 2022) and (Butler et al. 2023) show lethal side-effects of the drug in mice. These references were not discussed in the blog, suggesting the conclusions may be biased…”

How to write a critical review conclusion

Your balanced opinion matters. Following your evaluation, do you agree with the conclusions in the article? What is your overall impression? In the conclusion we discuss the value of the article. Feel free to praise the bits of the article you like. Perhaps it’s well written and clear. Maybe some of the conclusion is well supported by the literature. But it’s likely that some or all of the conclusions are not supported or even contradicted. There may be suspicions of bias and vested interests. Do not feel bad about challenging these – after all, left unquestioned, a dangerous drug may find its way into hospitals. While writing the conclusion try thinking “So what?” Well, if I agree, then the conclusions are valid, but if I disagree, then something needs to change – and we can make recommendations for what happens next.

For our fictitious example, our conclusion may start: “Having evaluated the conclusion in the blog, I believe it is misleading. The data in the studies referenced does not support the conclusion and recommendation that Drug X be widely used in humans. Moreover, recent studies not referenced by the blog suggest Drug X has harmful side-effects. In order to address these concerns, further work is required to assess the long-term effects of Drug X, and the safe dose for treatment in human patients…”

Would you like some help with writing a critical review?

I hope these tips help you to write a critical review. It’s likely that your own review will have its own requirements specific to your field – perhaps medicine, nursing or veterinary science. If you’d like help getting to grips with how to start, or feedback from proof reading, please get in touch. I specialise in helping students with critical thinking projects.

Good Luck!

John

Dr John Ankers
Critical thinking tutor
Woolton tutors

Tips for the night before the exam

You’re almost there. You’ve worked really hard and the exams are finally here. Revision at this stage is probably just finishing touches. But there are a few tips to keep in mind the night before the exam and to take with you on the big day.

  1. Remember to read the question

I know, I know – this is a cliché. The easiest piece of advice to follow, and the easiest to forget in the moment. Sometimes we scan a question quickly, spot a few key words and make an assumption about how to answer without reading on. I can’t overstate this – please read the question to the end. Read it twice. There are clues in there. This is particularly important for questions with data and diagrams – make sure you understand what the chart or graph shows before starting on your answer. Continue reading “Tips for the night before the exam”

A-level biology summer school – get a head start on next year

Our online A-level biology summer school sessions are here to help.

The sessions are designed to reassure and prepare – whether you’re making the transition from GCSE to A-levels (and we have a blog that may help), or looking to recap and test your knowledge as you head towards your exam year and more detailed topics in Year 13.

Your choice of online A-level biology summer sessions

Summer one-to-one tutoring
Friendly, one-to-one A-level biology tutoring sessions are available during the summer holidays. Click to find out more about tutoring with John.

Summer masterclasses
In this year’s summer masterclass sessions for small groups (£35 per hour session) we’re covering four important areas on four evenings (6:05-7pm) in August. The sessions are designed to be suitable for all students on all A-level biology exam boards. They are friendly, relaxed and supportive 🙂

Email John@wooltontutors.co.uk for a chat about your needs and to book your place.

Mon 03/08/26 Biological molecules (and exam question practice)
Wed 12/08/26 Genes and protein synthesis (and exam question practice)
Wed 19/08/26 Gas exchange (and exam question practice)
Wed 26/08/26 Meiosis and mitosis (and exam question practice)

The sessions are designed around “core” topics, combined with exam technique for application and evaluate questions, so as to be useful for AQA, Oxford AQA International, Edexcel (Salters) and OCR students – where appropriate I will indicate where the exam boards differ in what you need to know and prepare for. The aim is to give you more confidence in your biology studies 🙂

We are also taking booking for the term-time A-level biology masterclass, starting October 2025.

Useful for A-level Biology students about to start Y12 (AS):
  • Help getting ready for A-level biology, with a head start on biological molecules, cells, DNA and other topics you’ll meet in the first year of A-level biology.
  • Gently make the transition from GCSE to A-level, seeing where the course builds on what you already know.
  • Get answers to any questions you might have about the course, or the science itself.
  • Top up your maths skills ready for the “maths for biologists” aspect of the A-level course.
  • Explore the different types of questions that come up in mocks, class tests and the A-level exams themselves.
  • Put A-level biology topics into context, reflecting on the latest research, career ideas, and university prospects.
Useful for A-level biology students entering Year 13 (A2):
  • Recap your Year 12/ AS biology learning, with “troubleshooting” on any topics you find challenging.
  • Work on areas for improvement following mock exams or class test results.
  • Get a head start on Year 13 topics that delve deeper into DNA, genetics and the nervous system.
  • Focussing on the assessment outcomes (AO) of the major exam boards.
  • Work on specific aspects of the exam, such as “evaluate” questions, “application” questions and exam technique.
  • Boost your confidence ahead of the new term.

Please get in touch with me (John@wooltontutors.co.uk) to ask about our A-level biology summer school and we’ll take it from there.

All the best,

John
John@wooltontutors.co.uk

Dr John Ankers is a specialist online A-level biology tutor

https://wooltontutors.co.uk

How to make a revision timetable that works

Whether you’re revising for GCSE or A-levels or preparing for university or college exams, making a revision timetable or a revision plan is an important step to learning anything. Complementing our post on how to revise, here we’re exploring what you need to make a revision timetable, and how to structure your revision sessions.

We find that revision is most effective as part of your weekly routine alongside your learning. In contrast to “cramming” in the days or weeks before exams, (which rarely works and often increases stress) regular revision helps to build confidence.

Continue reading “How to make a revision timetable that works”

How to use the p-value in A-level biology

The problem with biological processes is that they’re messy. The same measurements taken on different days are likely to be slightly different (in some cases very different) due to the random nature of biological molecules sloshing around in cells. Scientists call this randomness “noise”. Noisy measurements might fool us into thinking a change we observe in our experimental data is important, when in fact it’s just the universe being random. We need a way of spotting a difference that stands out – that is significant – this is where we turn to statistical tests and the p-value in A-level biology.

Why do we need statistical tests and the p-value in A-level biology?

Statistical tests allow us to spot important relationships rising above the randomness or “background noise” of the universe (or perhaps inside a cell). We carry out statistical tests in A-level biology because even if a change in our data looks dramatic by eye (we might say one bar on a graph is “obviously” higher than another), the test provides an unbiased reassurance to make our conclusions confidently.

What is the p-value in A-level biology?

Some statistical tests work by setting a threshold (sometimes called the “confidence level”) and then analysing the difference between two sets of data. The resulting number, called the p-value, is compared with the threshold to see if it’s higher or lower (see below for an example). Stats tests allow us to separate “real” biological differences from differences that could be explained by randomness in our measurements. Only differences rising above this noise gain the title “significant”.

Strictly speaking, scientists will only draw conclusions if they have a significant statistical test to back them up. Scientific journals expect statistical tests, sometimes lots of them (we discuss how to choose a statistical test in another post).

What is the null hypothesis in A-level biology?

In order to be strict with our conclusions (because if we aren’t, other scientists will be!) we begin with the (rather pessimistic) view that there is no significance in our results – that there is no difference between our control data and or test data, perhaps drug X doesn’t reduce the size of cancerous tumours. This doom and gloom starting point is called the “null hypothesis”, and it’s a great place to begin – because statistics can argue that it’s wrong! If the null hypothesis is wrong or “rejected”, this means we can conclude there has been a significant effect in our data – drug X does treat the cancer.

How do we use a p-value in A-level biology?

Scientists, and A-level biology exam papers, often use a p-value threshold of 5% or 0.05. But what does that mean? If a statistical test gives us a p-value of less than this threshold, there is a less than 5% probability that the behaviour we see in our data is due to random chance – i.e. rather than noise explaining differences in our data, there is over 95% probability the difference in the data is “real”. So we “reject” the null hypothesis, and conclude that the difference we see is significant.

Imagine a graph with two bars, both representing tumour size in patients, but one involves treatment with our new drug, Drug X. The size of this bar “looks” smaller, a statistical test gives us a p-value of 0.04. What does this mean, and what can we conclude?

A full exam answer might be:

The null hypothesis is that Drug X does not have an effect on cancerous tumour size.

The statistical test shows a p-value of 0.04 (or 4%) meaning there is a less than 5% probability that the difference between the data with the drug or without is due to chance (i.e. it’s far more likely that the difference isn’t due to chance) As our confidence threshold is 5%, we can conclude that the difference is significant, so we reject the null hypothesis and conclude the drug X does have a (significant) effect.

Exactly the same logic is applied analysing data in different contexts in A-level biology – from crop growth, to muscle strength to blood glucose levels.

Hope this helps!

 

How to use statistical tests in A-level biologyThere’s much more help with statistical tests, p-values, significance etc. (and model answers to statistics exam questions) in our eBook “How to use statistical tests in A-level biology”, available here. 

 

If you’d like to work through some A-level biology statistics questions, from exam boards like AQA, please get in touch with me at Woolton Tutors, and we can set up some online A-level biology tutoring sessions. Alternatively, AQA students might be interested in my weekly A-level biology masterclass sessions for practice on exam technique.

Best wishes,

John

Dr John Ankers

Specialist online A-level biology tutor and academic wellbeing coach

https://wooltontutors.co.uk

How to study A-level biology as a private candidate

Many students choose to study A-level biology as a private candidate, enjoying the flexibility of home education/ home-schooling or online education. I have helped several students find their way with the practicalities involved, like choosing an exam board and an exam centre. I have also tutored several A-level biology candidates through all or part of their course. I would like to share some of this advice with you:

How to choose an A-level biology exam board

Choosing an A-level biology course (linked with an exam board) is the first step to sitting A-level biology as a private candidate. I’ve listed some popular choices below, which are respected by universities and colleges. There are differences in their course structure and the types of questions that feature on their exams.

Each of these options involves a mixture of fact learning and recall (often referred to as Assessment Objective 1), applied knowledge (AO2) and evaluating data (AO3). They also involve practical experiments, which, while not compulsory, often help with university applications – see below. Each exam board has a “specification” document which introduces their course in more detail.

AQA A-level biology

AQA is the most popular choice for A-level biology in schools in the UK, and is perhaps also (slightly!) easier than others in terms of the exam content. However, it features a 25-mark essay question on paper 3 which some students may find challenging.

Specification document for AQA A-level biology.

Entry fees for AQA A-level biology.

There are 3 exam papers in AQA A-level biology (each 2 hours long) and  12 practical experiments (see below)

Edexcel Salters-Nuffield A-level Biology

Edexcel uses similar content to AQA, but with greater depth in certain areas. The exams are often more challenging, but reward students able to apply their knowledge and “think like a scientist”. Edexcel is often chosen for students intending to study medicine or related disciples at university because of the (slightly) greater emphasis on medical topics.

Specification document for Edexcel Salters A-level biology.

Entry fee information for Edexcel Salters A-level biology.

There are also 3 exam papers in AQA A-level biology (each 2 hours long) and  12 practical experiments (see below).

 OCR A

Similar to Edexcel, OCR A is another course aimed slightly more towards thinking like a scientist, data interpretation and experimental design (AO2/ AO3). The specification for OCR was recently updated to include more up-to-date case studies.

Specification document for OCR A A-level biology

Entry fees for OCR A A-level biology

There are 3 exam papers in AQA A-level biology (each between 1.5 and 2.25 hours long) and  12 practical experiments (see below)

These are the most popular choices of course providers, but there are several other A-level biology exam boards for private candidates – including Eduqas, OCR B and Edexcel B. Please do get in touch to discuss the pros and cons of these.

Studying International A-level biology as a private candidate

Candidates outside the UK have the choice of several international A-levels. These are slightly different, but broadly equivalent in terms of UCAS and respected by universities. Please get in touch to discuss these options – or take a look at my case study on studying A-level biology in Dubai, as much of the advice applies in other parts of the world.

Choosing an exam centre for A-level biology as a private candidate

There are no options to take the A-level biology exams online… yet. The AQA is trialling a number of digital exams as an option for the future. Instead, you will need to find a local centre to sit your A-level biology exams. The Joint council for qualifications (representing all the exam boards above) has a list of approved centres – take a look to see if there is one local to you. https://www.jcq.org.uk/private-candidates/

What about practical experiments when studying as a private candidate?

School students have the opportunity to perform 12 practical experiments (see the list below) as part of their A-level biology course, towards meeting a set of standards for “thinking like scientists”. These are known as the Common Practical Assessment Criteria (CPAC) – the AQA website (for example) has information on CPAC. Completing these experiments gives you a “practical endorsement” – this does not affect your grade either way, but will appear as a tick box on your UCAS application. Some university courses look favourably or even require students to have their practical endorsement.

If you’re studying A-level biology as a private candidate, one option is to book a space at a private laboratory centre to perform the experiments and gain their practical endorsements. These can be googled, but I’m happy to discuss the options if you want to get in touch. Whichever you choose, make sure they are approved by the JCQ.

For interest, here are the 12 practical experiments:

Practical 1 – Investigation into the effect of a named variable on the rate of an enzyme-controlled reaction.

Practical 2 – Preparation of garlic root meristems to investigate stages of mitosis and calculating the mitotic index.

Practical 3 – Production of a dilution series of a solute to produce a calibration curve with which to identify the water potential of plant tissue.

Practical 4 – The effect of a named variable on the permeability of cell surface membrane.

Practical 5 – Dissection of a mammalian heart.

Practical 6 – Microbiological techniques and investigation into the effect of antimicrobials.

Practical 7 – An investigation of the pigments present in leaves.

Practical 8 – Investigation into the effect of a named factor on the rate of dehydrogenase activity in extracts of chloroplasts: the effect of ammonium hydroxide on the time taken for chloroplasts to decolourise DCPIP.

Practical 9 – An investigation of the effect of temperature on respiration in yeast.

Practical 10 – Using choice chambers to investigate responses in invertebrates to light/dark or humid/dry conditions.

Practical 11 – Use a colorimetric technique to produce a calibration curve with which to identify the concentration of glucose in an unknown ‘urine’ sample.

Practical 12 – Investigation into the effect of a named environmental factor on the distribution of a given species.

Planning your studies and getting help

Once you are enrolled on a course, your first step should be to read your exam board’s specification document. Next, purchase a textbook for your course. The biology can look daunting at first, but there is plenty of help out there.

Be wary of package courses offered on flashy websites and ask yourself: who is delivering the course? how much experience do they have? Can I meet them before I commit? Elsewhere, Student room and even Reddit have dedicated groups for A-level biology students for you to share your experience and ask for advice.

You can also consider one-to-one tutoring to support your A-level biology. I have spent over 10 years taking students through A-level biology exams on all the exam boards mentioned above. I have also helped several students studying A-level biology as a private candidate. I have written blog posts and study guides on A-level biology.

I can provide online one-to-one tutoring for all or part of your A-level biology course, as well as a regular exam technique masterclass. If this interests you, please do get in touch.

I wish you the best of luck!

John

Dr John Ankers
Director, Woolton Tutors
Specialist in online A-level biology tutoring

How to answer A-level Biology essay questions

The Synoptic essay questions on paper 3 of the AQA A-level biology course carry 25 marks, so doing well can make a big difference to your overall grade. The essay encourages you to think across different topics (some call this “synoptic” or “holistic” thinking). This is also valuable for other areas of the exams, particularly the application questions.

Here are a few tips for tackling your A-level biology essay: (As an example, let’s use the title “The importance of movement in cells and tissues”)

  1. Think broadly…

Essay titles are deliberately vague to give you the chance to show your knowledge in a variety of topics. To help you to choose what’s most relevant, look out for subjective words like “movement” and “cells”. Think of the possible alternatives. “Cells”, for example, hints that you could discuss plants, animals, single-celled organisms etc. in your essay. “Movement” could mean short distances (across a membrane) or much further (circulation or mass flow) or even the whole tissue moving (phototropism). Continue reading “How to answer A-level Biology essay questions”

How to answer A-level biology describe and explain questions

The wording of A-level biology describe and explain questions is  important.  Often when people lose marks in exams, it’s not due to being completely wrong, but slightly wrong – the answer might make perfect sense, but miss the point of the question. Very frustrating!

I’ve written about how to answer A-level biology evaluate questions, and application questions, (and how to choose a statistical test), but what about Describe and explain questions? What’s the difference? What does each question want from you?

Answering A level biology describe questions

“Describe” questions want to know what is happening in front of you – perhaps in a graph, a scientific diagram or a picture. You need to describe what you can see!

Describe and explain questions in A-level biology
A typical A-level Biology graph. Describe – What can you see? Explain – Why does it look like this?

Imagine the examiner doesn’t know any biology and can’t see the paper – your job is to tell them what’s going on. What is the line in the graph doing? What is the plant in the picture above doing in response to sunlight?

The line may show a relationship between two variables – look for their names on the axes of a graph. Can you see a correlation between temperature and enzyme activity? Or, for the plant picture, the bend of a plant and the light levels around it?

Steer clear of using “it” in your descriptions – use scientific names instead. “The gradient of the line is…” or “the line representing enzyme activity flattens after…”

Keep an eye on the number of marks the question is worth – these will tell you how many details you need to mention.

Answering A level biology explain questions

Explain questions want to know why something is happening. You may still have a graph in front of you, but why does it look like that?

Focus on scientific explanation – what is going on “behind the scenes”? If the graph is of enzyme activity, we might talk about how the enzyme meets the substrate and the effect of temperature on how often this happens – explaining why the graph points upwards.

Use clear language here, too. Instead of “it” use the correct names for whatever you are writing about. Clear language doesn’t have to involve lots of scientific words. The idea is that your points logically follow each other. This happens, then this happens… so in the graph this happens.

Use the word “because” in your answer – it’s a good way to focus yourself on the explanation rather than the description.

Answering A level biology describe and explain questions

Some exam questions ask you to both “describe and explain”. Here you can be methodical – look at the number of marks for the question and divide it in half. This is the number of points you need to mention, including a description and explanation for each.

Remember for each pair of marks – first describe “What does this look like?” then explain “Why does it look like that?”

Answering A level biology Suggest questions

Some questions may ask you to “suggest an explanation” for a graph or an event in the text. This is slightly different to an “explain” question as it gives you a little more freedom.

There may be multiple reasons why something behaves as it does, or why a line flattens on a graph. Your job here is to pick a theory than makes sense, then argue how and why it explains what’s going on. The mark scheme will likely have lots of flexibility to allow for whichever explanation you choose.

If you have any questions about the difference between suggest, describe and explain questions just get in touch.

Good luck!

You can find an expanded version this guide, with added bits including model answers to real describe and explain exam questions, in our shiny eBook “How to answer A-level Biology exam questions“.

 

If you’d like to work through some A-level biology describe and explain questions, from exam boards like AQA, please get in touch with me at Woolton Tutors, and we can set up some online A-level biology tutoring sessions. AQA students might be interested in my weekly A-level biology masterclass sessions for practice on exam technique.

Best wishes,

John

Dr John Ankers

Specialist online A-level biology tutor and academic wellbeing coach

https://wooltontutors.co.uk