New Advanced Higher Subject Implementation Events Biology:

Unit Assessment at Advanced Higher

Flexible and open Assessment Standards and Evidence Requirements in Units

Greater range of techniques and methodologies for assessment – encouraged

Assessments can be designed to provide evidence across more than one Outcome or Unit

More opportunities to gather naturally occurring evidence – assessment as part of learning and teaching

 

Unit assessment - recapUnit assessment - recap

As previously, Assessment Support will be provided which you can use to:

Assess your candidates

Adapt for your own assessment programmes

Help you develop your own assessments

Unit Assessment SupportUnit Assessment Support

Unit Assessment Support at Unit Assessment Support at Advanced Higher – key featuresAdvanced Higher – key features

Valid from August 2015 Complements and supports learning and teaching Assess competence against Unit Outcomes and

Assessment Standards Designed to encourage professional judgement Provide broad-based tasks – allow assessors to choose

appropriate context and forms of evidence Show range of approaches to generating assessment

evidence Give information on the type of evidence which could be

gathered

Summary of Requirements to pass a Unit

Assessment Standards can be achieved in a variety of ways.

Assessors should ensure that the work is the candidate’s own.

Advanced Higher Biology UnitsAdvanced Higher Biology Units

3 Units2 ‘standard’ UnitsBiology: Cells and ProteinsBiology: Organisms and EvolutionplusInvestigative Biology

‘‘Standard’ UnitStandard’ Unit

Outcome 1 Apply skills of scientific inquiry and draw on knowledge and understanding of the key areas of this Unit to carry out an experiment/practical investigation by:

Outcome 2Draw on knowledge and understanding of the key areas of this Unit and apply scientific skills by:2.1 Making accurate statements and giving clear

descriptions/explanations2.2 Solving problems

Summary of Requirements to pass a ‘Standard’ Unit

Outcome 1

All six Assessment Standards are required. They

can be achieved through a number of activities. The experiment/practical investigation chosen

for this activity should therefore meet all of the Assessment Standards for Outcome 1.

The actual experiment(s) is the choice of the centre but must be commensurate with this level.

Transfer of Evidence – Outcome 1

The evidence for Outcome 1 for one of the ‘standard’ Units can be used as evidence for achievement of Outcome 1 in the other ‘standard’ Unit of this Course.

The achievement of Outcome 1 in the Investigative Biology Unit of this Course can be used as evidence for the achievement of Outcome 1 for the ‘standard’ Units of this Course.

There is no requirement to match Assessment Standards.

Note – not vice versa

Summary of Requirements to pass a ‘Standard’ Unit

Outcome 2

This can be achieved through a number of activities.

2.1 at least half of the responses should be correct across the key areas of the Unit.

2.2 all 3 problem solving skills (making generalisations/predictions, processing

information and analysing information) must be achieved.

Summary of Requirements to pass a ‘Standard’ Unit

Outcome 2

Assessment Standard 2.1 is Unit specific

Assessment Standard 2.2 in the ‘standard Unit’ is transferable and need only be evidenced once in the Course.

Summary of Requirements to pass Investigative Biology Unit

Outcome 1Apply skills of experimentation and draw on knowledge and understanding of scientific principles and process to carry out a biological investigation by:1.1   Designing investigative procedures appropriate to the aim 1.2   Taking account of ethical considerations, as appropriate, in, for example, the use of living materials, human subjects and the conservation of natural habitats 1.3   Identifying potential hazards, assessing associated risks and applying appropriate control measures 1.4   Collecting data with precision and accuracy 1.5   Using initial results to develop or confirm procedures in the experimental design

Outcome 1: Key Points 1

This activity requires candidates to apply skills of scientific inquiry to plan and carry out a practical research investigation.

The investigation can also provide the basis of the project report for the Course assessment, if required.

Outcome 1: Key Points 2

The candidate should, with guidance/discussion from the assessor, select a biology topic that they will investigate.

The topic can involve biology that is covered in the Advanced Higher Course or can involve Biology outwith this Course content.

The candidate should keep a record of their work.

Outcome 1: Key Points 3

It would not be appropriate to provide a template for candidates at this level; therefore a template must not be provided.

Candidates are provided with a set of prompts to guide them to produce the required evidence for assessment 

The record of candidate work can form the basis of the project report for the Course assessment, if required.

Summary of Requirements to pass Investigative Biology Unit

Outcome 2Draw on knowledge and understanding to analyse and evaluate reports of biological research by: 2.1 Evaluating the scientific method 2.2 Analysing the experimental design 2.3 Evaluating the analysis and presentation of data 2.4 Evaluating conclusions  

Outcome 2: Key Points 1

This can be achieved through a number of activities

Candidates should have opportunity to analyse and evaluate a Case Study

The Case Study must be on an appropriate biological topic at Advanced Higher level

Outcome 2: Key Points 2

Questions must cover all of the Assessment Standards

At least half of the candidate’s responses to the questions should be correct for each Assessment Standard.

Unit assessment support packages at Advanced Higher

Package 1 Unit by Unit approach – discrete assessment tasks

for each Unit

Package 2 Unit by Unit approach – discrete assessment tasks

for each Unit

Package 3 Portfolio approach – naturally occurring evidence

Assessment Packages 1 and 2 ‘Standard’ Units

These packs consist of two assessment activities for each Unit:

Activity 1: a report of an experiment or practical investigation to generate evidence for Outcome 1

Activity 2: a set of questions to generate evidence for Assessment Standards 2.1 and 2.2

Assessment Packages 1 & 2Investigative Biology

These packs consist of two assessment activities for this Unit:

 Activity 1: a biological investigation to generate evidence for Outcome 1

Activity 2: a set of questions to generate evidence for Outcome 2

Assessment Package 3

Portfolio Approach

This pack outlines the gathering of naturally occurring evidence.

Re-assessment: Outcome 1

If the candidate’s evidence does not satisfy all of the Assessment Standards, the candidate only needs to be reassessed on the Assessment Standards that have not been met 

Re-assessment: ‘standard’ Units Assessment Standard 2.1

If you have given a test and the candidate fails AS 2.1 then for reassessment you could either:•give another test covering all the key areas•analyse the candidate's performance in the first test and only reassess the key areas they didn't do well in

Either way, at least half of the statements and descriptions/explanations should be correct across the key areas given. 

Re-assessment: ‘standard’ Units Assessment Standard 2.2

If a specific Problem Solving skill (analysing) is not achieved, then only that skill need be re-assessed

If, after re-assessment, the candidate fails to demonstrate that Problem Solving skill within this Unit assessment, they could be given further assessment opportunities to demonstrate this skill, in the other Units of the Course

Re-assessment: Investigative Biology Unit Outcome 2

Outcome 2

If a candidate gets less than half of the opportunities correct for an Assessment Standard, then they would need to be re-assessed only in the Assessment Standard(s) that they have not achieved

Workshop 1Unit Assessment

Workshop Aims To understand the assessment and evidence requirements of Unit assessmentTo consider a range of ways of generating evidence for Advanced Higher Unit assessment

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