Academic Matters - Biology

Academic Matters

Kate Waring, Head of Department – Science

Year 12 Biology Excursion – Hasting’s Point

The QCAA syllabus for Year 12 Biology mandates an Internal Assessment (IA2)  student experiment worth 20% of overall marks. The experiment is based on a practical that involves the process of stratified sampling to collect and analyse primary biotic and abiotic field data to classify an ecosystem on the rocky shores of Hasting’s Point. The students must then modify the mandatory practical by refining, extending, or redirecting the experiment, in order to address their own related hypothesis or question.

The major aim of the Hastings Point Biology excursion is for Year 12 students to be able to collect sufficient and relative qualitative data and/or quantitative data to address the research question. When the students are back in the classroom, they then need to process and present the data appropriately, analyse and interpret the evidence, followed by evaluating the reliability and validity of the experimental process. The students then need to communicate their finding in an appropriate scientific genre.