A-Level Biology Practical Endorsement

The A-level Biology CPAC Practical Endorsement course at BioGrad Exams comprises 12 experiments, carefully chosen to enable students to demonstrate their competencies in each of the Common Practical Assessment Criteria (CPACs). The key to biology is the ability to design experiments to investigate the effects of changing variables on a biological system, and several experiments allow the student the opportunity to demonstrate their abilities in this area. Students are also required to perform microbiological protocols through the preparation of agar plates and bacterial cultures, using the aseptic technique to investigate the effects of various antibiotics. Intricate dissection of a lamb’s heart develops fine motor skills and attention to detail, whilst the chromatography of red and green leaves reveals the components involved in photosynthetic processes.

The course is as much a learning experience as an assessment. The aim is for the student to improve their general approach towards practical work over the course of the week and provide a tangible framework upon which preparations for A-level can be firmly secured.

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

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

Required 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.

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

Required Practical 5 – Dissection of a mammalian heart.

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

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

Required 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.

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

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

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

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

• Students must be studying A-level Biology with AQA, Edexcel or OCR by distance learning or at a further education centre.
• This is an intensive practical course designed for students to ‘fast track’ the A-Level practical assessment. This basic course contains a limited number of opportunities to attempt each of the assessed practical techniques, therefore BioGrad recommends that students without any prior practical laboratory experience consider the 1 day ‘Introduction to Laboratory Skills’ which offers the chance to gain vital skills required to be successful in their assessment.