Aims and Introduction

As a contribution to general education, Biology should provide pupils with an understanding of themselves and the natural world in which they live.  The courses give emphasis to the role of practical activity and investigation as vehicles for extending pupils’ knowledge of the subject and developing necessary skills.   The courses also provide a basis for further study of the subject, although the intention is not, in the first instance, to produce professional biologists.   Recognition of the demands of society and of the need to produce citizens who are aware of the biological benefits and hazards which will impinge on their every-day lives, plays a significant part in the course.

The scope of Biology, the boundaries of which are rapidly expanding, is extremely wide and varied including not only traditional study of plants and animals and the environments, but also of such areas of molecular biology and biotechnology which have clear relevance to modern society.