Hello and welcome to the Biology Department here at Reigate College.
My name is Alys Dreux and I’m the Head of Biology A Level. Biology is a really popular A Level choice and I’m really pleased you’re planning on taking it as one of your A Level options.
To help prepare you for the course and to get you excited about studying it at A Level, I’d like you to complete the tasks and activities below. Many of the initial tasks are exploratory in nature, so give you the opportunity to delve more deeply into a specific topic, if its an area of particular interest to you.
You’re not required to formally submit your findings, but you’ll have the chance to share what you’ve learnt with teachers and fellow Biologists when you start at the College in September.
If you’re considering studying Medicine, Veterinary Science or Dentistry at university, then please complete our New Starters activities for Medics, Vets and Dentists (MVD) ahead of starting at Reigate College. Please note, you will need to be studying A Levels in Biology and Chemistry, and be anticipating a good set of GCSE results to be accepted onto this programme.
The tasks are organised in three distinct steps and should all be completed by Choices Day on 25 August 2026. This is to give you the best insight into what the courses will be like and/or help prepare you for them.
Please note, some Course Leaders (for example for Music) may release their tasks earlier, as they may form part of the College’s audition process. If this applies to you, you’ll be notified separately.
New Starters Course Tasks and Activities
| Release date | Suggested Completion Dates | |
| Explore your Subject | 1 June | 1 July |
| Get Going | 1 June | 1 August |
| Aim High | 1 June | 1 September |
Explore your Subject
As an A Level Biologist, you’ll study a variety of biological content linked to the following themes:
- Cell & Molecular Biology
- Anatomy & Physiology
- Ecology & Conservation
To help start preparing you for the course in September, we’d like you to have a go at the following activities and ideally complete the ones that particularly appeal to you by 1 July.
1. Take a look at the Wildlife Trust’s website
Wherever you happen to live, whether it’s in an urban town or in rural countryside, you can connect with nature via the Wildlife Trust.
Take a look at:
2. Explore your back garden or local area
Nature is all around us. See which species you can identify, be they birds, bugs or bigger beasts such as foxes and hedgehogs:
www.woodlandtrust.org.uk/trees-woods-and-wildlife/identify-wildlife/
3. Investigate further afield
Take a look at: www.wildlifetrusts.org/webcams
4. Help track the effects of weather and climate change in your area
Visit: www.woodlandtrust.org.uk/visiting-woods/things-to-do/natures-calendar/
5. Find out about the conservation work of Jersey and London Zoos; investigate the steps they’re taking to help save endangered animals
See:
www.durrell.org/visit-jersey-zoo/meet-our-animals/
www.zsl.org/zsl-london-zoo/exhibits
Then follow their animals on their YouTube channel webcams:
www.youtube.com/channel/UC0S3BrrgMjBDGN4BY4xjBJA
www.youtube.com/user/ZSLvideo/featured
6. Visit a museum, either virtually or in person
There are lots of brilliant resources available online. For example:
www.sciencemuseum.org.uk/medicine
Or you can take part in virtual tours
https://artsandculture.google.com/partner/natural-history-museum
https://naturalhistory.si.edu/visit/virtual-tour
https://hsm.ox.ac.uk/past-exhibitions-and-displays
7. Investigate and open your mind to new areas of Biology, by watching a science documentary
www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/categories/science-and-nature/featured
Here are some suggestions:
- ‘Secret Universe: The Hidden Life of the Cell’
- ‘Secrets of Skin’
- ‘Between Life and Death’
- ‘Weird Nature’
- Anything with David Attenborough and animals!
8. Take time to catch up on new advances in Biology
Look out for biological stories in the science section of a broadsheet newspaper, science journal or via a respected website.
Here are some suggestions:
www.bbc.co.uk/news/science_and_environment
www.sciencenewsforstudents.org
www.sciencedaily.com/news/top/science/
9. Try listening to podcasts
Good examples include:
www.bbc.co.uk/podcasts/category/scienceandnature-scienceandtechnology
www.bbcearth.com/blog/?article=the-best-nature-science-and-technology-podcasts
10. Take time to watch a TED Talk
There are topics on things like:
- Solving the antibiotic resistance crisis
- How gut microbes can affect your health
- How nanoparticles could change the way we treat cancer and
- How to 3D print human tissue
See: www.ted.com/talks?sort=newest&topics%5B%5D=biology
11. Get to grips with the key Biology A Level by accessing tutorials and quizzes in Khan Academy
www.khanacademy.org/science/biology#intro-to-biology
Good sections to start with include: Macromolecules, Structure of a Cell, Membranes, DNA and Human Biology.
Get Going
Your Get Going task for Biology A Level is to complete five GCSE Review packs. These cover important areas that are needed for the first parts of the Biology A Level course.
The review packs have been prepared using BBC GCSE Bitesize so please use the links provided at the start of the packs to help you.
In a lot of cases you will see two links for each section based on the exam board (AQA and Edexcel). Don’t worry if you’ve studied a different exam board (i.e. OCR), the biology information will still be recognisable.
You must use all links to access all the information you need to complete the pack. You will also need to work through the whole GCSE Bitesize link in order to get all the information you need to provide the best possible answers you can. You can also use your GCSE textbook, class notes and GCSE revision guide to add in more relevant Biology that you have covered in school.
In some cases, there may be new Biology that you haven’t come across before. If this is the case, please still have a go! All the content is of GCSE standard and it will all be useful in helping you extend your knowledge into the A Level. Every bit of theory within the review packs will be used once you start the A Level course.
How to complete them: There are two main possible ways to complete the packs:
1. Print out the packs and complete by hand (this is the preferred option), or
2. If you don’t have access to a printer then please save the packs somewhere safely and write out the questions and answers on file paper.
Packs below:
- The Heart & Cardiovascular System
- Cardiovascular Disease
- DNA & Protein Synthesis
- Enzymes
- Transport in Cells & Gas Exchange
It is important you have a copy of your completed packs at the start of the A Level as they will help you get started with the A Level content.
Try your hardest and do your best!
Aim High
Welcome back to Biology. For this final series of tasks, I’d like you to complete a mini research project.
Research into Cardiovascular Disease (CVD)
The aim of the project is:
1. To research:
- types of CVD
- key risk factors
- the benefits and risks of specific drug treatments for CVD
2. To practice and develop scientific research and referencing skills needed for A Level
Instructions:
To complete this task you will need to do the following:
- Use the Internet to carry out research on the specified areas of cardiovascular disease (please make sure you’re choosing reputable websites for this).
- Type your research into the Word document attached below. Do not simply copy or cut and paste information, but present the information in your own words.
- Reference the websites and specific pages that you use for each piece of information you gather (see more details below).
- Bring your completed work with you to your first Biology lesson.
Please complete the tasks by downloading this Word document and typing your answers into it.
I hope you enjoy this project and I look forward to seeing what you’ve produced in September.
Head of Biology
