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TKI Biology Assessment Resources

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For Excellence, the student needs to integrate biological knowledge to develop a comprehensive informed response to a socio-scientific issue.

A comprehensive response must provide reasons, justifying why a personal position and proposed action(s), at a personal and/or societal level, have been chosen.

The student needs to evaluate the biological knowledge (Explanatory Note 5) related to the issue by comparing the significance of implications, or considering the likely effectiveness of the proposed action(s) or commenting explicitly on the sources and information used.

This student has described and explained relevant biological concepts and processes (1), and biological (2) and social (3) implications relating to the issue of fortifying bread with folic acid. Two differing opinions or viewpoints about the issue are given – one against (4) and one for (5).

A personal position (6) and a proposed societal action (7) are chosen, and explained with supporting evidence.

The student has provided evidence of evaluating the biological knowledge related to the issue by commenting explicitly on the sources and information used (8).

Ideas such as the validity (age, scientific acceptance) and bias are considered in depth.

For Merit, the student needs to integrate biological knowledge (Explanatory Note 5) to develop a reasoned informed response to a socio-scientific issue.

This involves explaining why a personal position and proposed action(s) at a personal and/or societal level have been chosen.

This student has described and explained relevant biological concepts and processes (1), and biological implications relating to the issue of fortifying bread with folic acid (2). A social implication is briefly considered (3). Two differing opinions or viewpoints about the issue are given – one against (4) and one for (5).

A personal position (6) and proposed societal action (7) are chosen and explained with supporting evidence.

This evidence does not reach Excellence because the student needs to explain the social implications in more depth, and justify the personal position and proposed action by including more evidence on the likely effectiveness of the proposed action.

Alternatively, for Excellence the student could provide evidence to compare the significance of biological and social implications, or comment on the sources and information used by considering ideas such as validity and bias.

For Merit, the student needs integrate biological knowledge (EN 5) to develop a reasoned informed response to a socio-scientific issue.

This involves explaining why a personal position and proposed action(s) at a personal and/or societal level have been chosen.

This student has described and explained some relevant biological concepts and processes (1), and biological implications relating to the issue issue of fortifying bread with folic acid (2).

A social implication is considered (3).

Two differing opinions or viewpoints about the issue are given – one against (4) and one for (5).

A personal position (6) and proposed societal action (7) are chosen and explained with some supporting evidence.

For a more secure Merit, the student could:

• explain the social implications of fortifying bread with folic acid more thoroughly
• use biological knowledge to explain why the personal position and proposed action by fortifying bread with folic acid have been chosen with more related supporting evidence.

For Achieved, the student needs to integrate biological knowledge (EN 5) to develop an informed response to a socio-scientific issue.

This involves:

• presenting a personal position, developed using relevant biological knowledge
• proposing action(s) at a personal and/or societal level.

This student has described relevant biological concepts and processes (1), and biological implications relating to the issue of fortifying bread with folic acid (2).

A social implication is briefly considered (3).

Two differing opinions or viewpoints about the issue are given – one against (4) and one for (5).

A personal position (6) and personal proposed action (7) are given.

To reach Merit, the student could:

• explain the biological concepts and processes relating to the issue
• explain the social implications of fortifying bread with folic acid more thoroughly
• develop a reasoned informed response by using biological knowledge with supporting evidence to explain why the personal position and proposed action by fortifying bread with folic acid  is chosen.

For Achieved, the student needs to integrate biological knowledge (EN 5) to develop an informed response to a socio-scientific issue.

This involves:

• presenting a personal position, developed using relevant biological knowledge
• proposing action(s) at a personal and/or societal level.

This student has described some relevant biological concepts and processes (1), and biological implications relating to the issue of fortifying bread with folic acid (2).

A social implication is briefly considered (3).

Two differing opinions or viewpoints about the issue are given – one against (4) and one for (5).

A personal position (6) and proposed societal action (7) are given.

For a more secure Achieved, the student could develop the relevant biological concepts and processes relating to the issue more thoroughly to support the personal position taken, and proposed societal action, of fortifying bread with folic acid.

For Achieved, the student needs to integrate biological knowledge to develop an informed response to a socio-scientific issue.

This involves:

• presenting a personal position, developed using relevant biological knowledge
• proposing action(s) at a personal and/or societal level.

An overview of what is meant by ‘biological knowledge’ can be found in Explanatory Note (EN) 5.

This student has made an attempt to describe relevant biological concepts and processes (1), and biological implications relating to the issue of fortifying bread with folic acid (2).

A social implication is briefly considered (3).

Two differing opinions or viewpoints about the issue are given – one against (4) and one for (5).

A personal position is given (6).

To reach Achieved, the student could:

• describe the relevant biological concepts and processes relating to the issue in more detail to support the personal position taken
• describe the implications relating to the issue to further develop an informed response
• propose an action of fortifying bread with folic acid at a personal and/or societal level.