How hard is A Level Biology

My daughter applied to sixth form thinking she would do biology (got an 8 in her triple science). She then decided against it as looking at 'what would I do if my plans for a creative career doesn't pan out' and social anthropology was what she came up with, so did Psychology (and History and Art) instead. Seeing friends take Biology and she was very glad she didn't! They in turn, were quite happy they didn't do essay intense History.
While it is wise to project ahead somewhat - no point imagining yourself being a writer for example but only taking stem subjects - I agree with @clary. My DD enjoyed Psychology, it was a new subject and she found it interesting and relatively easy. Art was her passion (though A level art can suck the joy out of creating), and loved History but found it tough going. But perseverance is her strength and she achieved A stars in all.
But, as it often happens, along the way changed her direction from art to an academic subject and is now applying for Sociology.
So good she is thinking ahead, but she should do what she is good at and interested in. A levels are both a means to an end but at this tender age also an exploration of subjects that may lead to something she hasn't thought of yet.

Agree with the others. Encourage her to pick subjects she loves for A level, that’s the way to do well and open further doors.

DD is predicted 7-8 in biology GCSE and tbh I’m still worried about biology A level. We might have to get a tutor. She’s much better at physics (9 in her mocks) but hates it so there’s no point pursuing!

So much content in A level bio. All the medic types find it easy so if you struggle (in comparison) there's huge downside risk to results. One or two bad questions can make a huge difference to the final grade. Mark scheme is very specific

Lots of nursing students have first work as HCAs for years then do an access course to get into uni.

Some are sponsored by their workplace

Lots of the younger ones straight out of A levels drop out once they realise what the job entails

Hi OP, I’d look at the entry requirements for nursing for unis she might be interested in. I think you’d find a BTEC is acceptable to many. For fullness of information there is also an argument that the types of skills you gain at A level will set up up better for uni. My DD did A level biology and an applied science BTEC and I am a uni lecturer. I’m trying to remember DD’s GCSE grade though…she did combined science and it was either 6 or 7. She was just really passionate about biology though and did work incredibly hard.

Not sure what the entry requirements are for nursing but I’d definitely swerve Biology. As pp said upthread all the medics do Biology so the grade boundaries are insane - but also the content is enormous.

Sociology is a fascinating subject. Psychology often counts as a science with a lot of degrees.

I’d also have said applied science or health and social care, rather than biology. What other subjects does she want to do?

I am a science teacher. I teach GCSE science and a level physics but I have a biology a level myself. To be honest, if she is looking at 5/6 at GCSE I would advise against science a levels. If she gets the six she may well be allowed to take it but if there are subjects she is better at I would go with those.

DD really enjoyed biology at GCSE but struggled at A-level as (at least in her spec) there was a lot of biochemistry and cellular stuff, as well as the ecology and genetics which mainly interested her. The grade distribution is skewed by the fact that so many people taking it are intending to be medics.

Agree with PP that the mark scheme is very specific, you have to use the right keywords in answers.

Go online and look at past papers so she can see how hard it might be for her

I hear you @goosebumps that it's hard to have to choose what to do when so young - which is why I go against what is sometimes suggested on MN and say that students should pick subjects they enjoy - and hopefully a further path will suggest itself from there.

To take your DD's example - IMHO it should be "I really enjoy [biology, history] so I will take it at A level - where will that lead me?" rather than "I want to be a [nurse, doctor, history teacher] OKI, so I'd better take [biology, chemistry, history] even tho I don't really like it.

Does your DD enjoy biology? I feel like if you don't, you might not enjoy nursing. Mind you I have been called out on this before IIRC, along the lines of "there's no physics in an engineering degree actually" - despite many engineering degrees asking for it. So maybe it's different for more applied subjects, Certs if you anted to be a history teacher so needed a history degree, so needed history A level, but oh dear you don;t like history, that's going to be a miserable life choice for sure, and you would maybe be better off picking the thing you do like. Not saying this is necessarily true about your DD btw.

Has your daughter spoken to a careers advisor OP? If she can speak to a good one, it might be helpful.

I agree it’s hard when they have to commit to subjects so young but aren’t sure what they want to do. My son is at uni now and still isn’t sure what’s next for him.

Yes she is loving it so far. there is quite a bit of Biology content in the foundation course. She is at Bournemouth Uni. I don't think it's ideal doing the extra year at Uni as obviously it's an extra year of student debt but for her there were limited options really and she desperately wanted to go to Uni this year.

DD found it awfully hard and ended up with a U ! She is now doing a foundation course at Uni leading onto Nursing. She got decent grades in her other 2 A'levels but Biology was just a massive struggle from day 1.

The combined science grade won't show how well she did in the individual papers. It is just the 2 grades across all three subjects (so could hide e.g. an 8 in bio and a 4 in physics).
Do you know what grades she is getting on the bio papers currently? School may well grade the papers separately as well as giving the combined score. I wouldnt try A level with 6s. If she is looking at 7s on bio papers which is getting pulled down by the others, it's worth talking to school.

For me, Bio was the hardest of my A levels (phys, chem and maths being the others). But it was much easier than me attempting an essay subject!

Ds just started ALevel biology and is finding it very very hard. Huge step up. Elder ds also did it and found it difficult. Look at the syllabus and past papers to see what ypu both think.

She should look for a school or college that offers the BTEC Extended Certificate in Applied Human Biology. It's equivalent to one A-level but better for students whose Science GCSEs are below 7s. It's accepted by many places for nursing or for other purposes.

Yeh agree with everyone else. Ds got a 9 at GCSE (ace teacher, ace class) and got A at A level but it was a lot of work.

No grades are shown with double science for individual sciences tho if it’s the same school, teachers may be aware if she excelled at bio but the physics pulled down her overall grade.

My son did triple science, got an 8 in Biology and still found A level a huge step up. There’s a lot to remember. His college allowed you to do it if you got a 6 at GCSE but those students really struggled and most didn’t get a C.

Agree with everyone here, especially the very specific mark scheme. You can give the correct data in an answer, but the way it is worded has to be very specifically done.

DD achieved an A* at GCSE, but struggled at A level. She did well in the end, but it was a monumental effort.

She might find it very hard with a 6. DS2 got a 9 and found it hard, although he did get an A star (just!). He also did maths and chemistry and fond biology the most challenging.
Lots of content, a very picky mark scheme, quite different than GCSE.