Practical Companions for A Level AQA Biology

Transform A Level practicals with these targeted resources – specially designed for CPAC (Common Practical Assessment Criteria) mastery! Move away from prescriptive methods and give your students independence with planning tasks, method scaffolds and exam-style evaluation in these excellent packs. Full teacher notes included!

This is a really well designed resource that has a lot to offer the teacher, student and technician.

C Russell, HoD, Examiner and Peer Reivewer
Included in each pack 6 required practicals + 4–6 extra practicals for further chances to meet CPAC criteria
  • Pre-lab tasks empower students to develop their own practical methods!
  • Follow-up tasks and exam-style questions provide valuable practice of analysis and evaluation
  • Organisation and planning made simple:
    • Sample data and answers for analysis for when the practicals go wrong!
    • Technician notes simplify preparation
    • Easy progress tracking with a CPAC cross-reference table

What do teachers say about this resource? (7706)

This is a really well designed resource that has a lot to offer the teacher, student and technician.

It provides a range of background information for teachers who are less confident with any of these practicals and there is a lot for science technicians to look at too – I currently have a new technician and I know she would find the resources that have been referenced really useful in her preparation to deliver the practicals for our classes.

The variety of suggested tasks is also really useful. Not all schools have the same equipment, so providing alternative activities all in one resource is fantastic.

A lot of students complete the required practicals and treat them as stand-alone activities, finding it hard to link them to their learning in lessons and wondering what type of questions they could be asked about them. Whilst teachers can find old ISA/EMPA questions as practice, I thought the questions that were set were quite challenging and reflected the need for students to really ensure they understood both the underlying theory of each practical and that limitations and improvements they could make to their methodology.

C Russell, HoD, Examiner and Peer Reivewer

I really liked it – I thought it was easy to use and I had confidence that it increased our students’ understanding of the practical method followed and the underlying science and context.

Well produced; nicely laid out; good questions to stimulate student response (particularly liked the prompt questions within the method), good extension questions and nice photos/diagrams.

S Newland, HoD and ZigZag Customer

Overall I thought this was a very comprehensive resource providing practicals to enable students to meet the practical requirements of the course and also support students with their preparations for the practical style questions on the exam papers.

L Warnett, Teacher and Peer Reviewer

Good - a very thorough resource, closing linked to the specification with appropriate questions included.

C Pybus, HoD and Peer Reviewer