Cambridge International A/AS-Level Biology Revision Guide A: Knowledge with understanding ‘This involves your knowledge and understanding of the facts and concepts described in the learning outcomes in all of the 21 sections. Questions testing this Assessment Objective will make up 45% of the whole examination. B; Handling information and solving problems This requires you to use your knowledge and understanding to answer questions involving unfamiliar contexts or data. The examiners ensure that questions testing this Assessment Objective cannot have been practised by candidates. You will have to think to answer these questions, not just remember! An important part of your preparation for the examination will be to gain confidence in answering this kind of question. Questions testing this Assessment Objective will make up 32% of the whole examination, C: Experimental skills and investigations This involves your ability to do practical work. The examiners set questions that require you to carry out investigations. It is most important that you take every opportunity to improve your practical skills as you work through your course. Your teacher should give you plenty of opportunity to do practical work in a laboratory. Questions testing this Assessment Objective will make up 23% of the whole examination. Notice that more than half of the marks in the examination — 55% — are awarded for ‘Assessment Objectives B and C. You need to work hard on developing these skills, as well as learning facts and concepts. There is guidance about Assessment Objective C for AS on pages 98-120, and for A2 on pages 226-236. The examination papers ‘The AS examination has three papers: © Paper | Multiple choice © Paper2 Structured questions © Paper 31 or 32. Advanced practical skills Paper | and Paper 2 test Assessment Objectives A and B. Paper 3 tests Assessment Objective C. Paper | contains 40 multiple choice questions. You have | hour to answer this paper. ‘This works out at about one question per minute, with time left over to go back through some of the questions again. Paper 2 contains structured questions. You write your answers on lines provided in the question paper. You have I hour 15 minutes to answer this paper. Paper 31 of 32 is a practical examination. You will work in a laboratory. As for Paper 2, you write your answers on lines provided in the question paper. You have 2 hours to answer this paper.