Paper Layout

Total Marks: 400. There are 3 sections on the paper: A, B, C.

Section A

• 100 marks / 25 per cent of paper.
• Five Questions out of six must be answered in the space provided on the examination paper.
• Each question carries 20 marks.

Section B

• 60 Marks / 15 per cent of paper
• Two Questions out of three must be answered in the space provided on the examination paper.
• Each question carries 30 marks.

Section C

• 240 Marks / 60 per cent of paper.
• Four questions out of six must be answered into a separate Answer Book.
• Each question carries 60 marks.
• Two questions (Q14 and Q15) are divided into three subsections. Each section is worth 30 marks and only two must be answered.

Syllabus Layout

The current syllabus is divided into three units: 1, 2 and 3.

Unit 1 covers areas such as

• The scientific method.
• Food groups (eg carbohydrates)
• Ecology.

Unit 2 covers

• Cell structure
• Enzymes
• Photosynthesis
• Respiration
• Plant and animal tissues and tissue culture
• Osmosis
• Genetics

Unit 3 covers

• Human physiology
• Plant and animal reproduction
• Microbiology

In addition there are 22 mandatory activities

The Examination Paper has the following layout

Section A

• 2 Questions from Unit 1
• 2 Questions from Unit 2
• 2 Questions from Unit 3

Section B

• All three questions are based on the 22 mandatory activities.
• Background knowledge on each activity is required here.
• Questions can be taken from any unit of the syllabus.

Section C

• 1 Questions from Unit 1
• 2 Questions from Unit 2
• 3 Questions from Unit 3