Higher Biology vs Human Biology Q

[HigherUp]

My DD did Biology at Nat 5 and has chosen to do Biology at Higher. Only when she saw her new timetable at school this week it said ‘Higher Human Biology’ It transpires that her school don’t do Higher Biology only Human Biology. This is the first we’ve heard of it.

I’m quite annoyed because I know that when she does Advanced Higher it will be Biology. Where’s the sense in that?!

She might also want to do Marine Biology at Uni. I’ve checked St Andrews entry requirements and you need Biology or Human Biology but I can’t help thinking that they’d favour a candidate with straight Biology rather than just Human Biology for a subject that deals with eco systems and sea mammals/creatures.

Anyone got any thoughts? I’m a namechanger by the way and have been on MN for over a decade 🙂

My dd did Higher Human Biology as a crash higher and really enjoyed it. It is the same level as straight Biology so has the same number of UCAS points.

Thanks readalot - did she go on to do a degree related to biology? I’m reassured that it has the same UCAS points but I get the feeling that, certainly in the past, it was deemed to be a slightly ‘lesser’ qualification than Biology simply because it’s a narrower field of study. But I’m happy to be corrected on this!

DS did this. Nat 5 biology, H Human Biology, Adv H Biology. Not an issue, now in 2nd year at Uni doing a biology-related course.

No sorry DD did go on to university but not a science related degree. She did start doing AH biology but dropped it as she was doing 2 other AHs and a Nat5

My DS did this too - Nat 5 Biology, Higher Human Biology, then Advanced Higher Biology. Just finished first year at uni doing a biology-related degree. He found Higher a bit less enjoyable as he's more animal-orientated than human, but he didn't seem to struggle going back to general biology for AH.

Thanks everyone - the school are reassuring me that Higher Human Biology is treated as equivalent to Higher Biology by Universities. But what I don’t get is why NOT have Nat 5 Human Biology, Higher Human Biology and Advanced Higher Human Biology OR Nat 5 Biology, Higher Biology and Advanced Higher Biology?

What is the reasoning behind providing Nat 5 Biology, Higher HUMAN Biology and then Advanced Higher Biology. This is what’s totally perplexing me. It’s not as if they can say they don’t have teachers with the broad enough experience to teach Biology at a level beyond Nat 5 because they evidently DO because they offer it at Advanced Higher?!! So it’s not a staffing issue.

So why only offer Human Biology at Higher? Surely when it comes to teaching those pupils who’ve taken Higher Human Biology the Advanced Higher Biology course, there will be a hole in their knowledge of the elements of the broader Biology curriculum? They’ll have a lot more catching up to do on animal and plant Biology…

A quick look at last years’ stats and it would seem roughly 7000 students took Higher Biology and 7000 took Higher Human Biology / so more or less a 50/50 split (it was a couple of hundred more that took Biology)

Is Higher Human Biology deemed an ‘easier’ qualification to get a good mark in perhaps? But if that is the case, then the Unis would be wise to that surely and look more favourably upon a student who’d got the Higher in straight Biology - but I’m being assured that’s not the case.

Anyway, there’s nothing I can do about it. We’re not going to move schools over it or start a campaign or anything - but I would like to understand the thinking.

I have no idea. Our school offered both but students aren’t allowed to do both - as ucas will only count one or the other.

Gules Your school offered both? I wish we had the same choice.

It’s a big school with 200 in each year group. Ds chose human for s5 and then did adv h biology and it really wasn’t an issue.