Should I do VCE Biology?

[William1103]

I'm in year 10 and was wondering if I should do VCE Biology. Many people said that it's hard and you need to remember a lot of things / take a lot of notes. Is the subject as hard as people say? Is it required as a prerequisite for some courses in University or can you just start learning it there? I would appreciate it if anyone could inform/give me some advice ^_^

[Gogo14]

YEESS
Do bio-best subject out there. course is interesting and exposes you to a variety of areas of biology. Its not hard at all, content wise, its a sufficient amount to remember, but its actually so simple if you revise constantly. I think its a prerequisite for some science courses, but you can usually do another science instead to fufil the requirement (e.g. chem).

Although bio can be frustrating if your school is 

well this is my opinion anyways. I liked bio, and so I found it moderately challenging at times, but enjoyable

Edit: I dont want you to persuade you to do bio if you don't find it interesting (check out study design), just trying to bring light to the subject to show that it can be a fun subject if you enjoy it

[dosh24]

I would recommend doing bio before year 12 if you are going to do it. Its fairly easy to be good at it however if you want great marks then it does take a lot of time and practice and getting used to. I think I got 75% on my first sac but still managed a 45 so don't give up if you're finding it difficult. Put the time in and resources such as checkpoints are tremendously helpful.
Goodluck!

[_juwayriyah]

I would recommend doing bio before year 12 if you are going to do it. Its fairly easy to be good at it however if you want great marks then it does take a lot of time and practice and getting used to. I think I got 75% on my first sac but still managed a 45 so don't give up if you're finding it difficult. Put the time in and resources such as checkpoints are tremendously helpful.
Goodluck!

HeyI'm also aiming for a study score of 45 for biology. If you don't mind can you please tell me your average sac marks and what you got in the exam. Much appreciated 

[dosh24]

HeyI'm also aiming for a study score of 45 for biology. If you don't mind can you please tell me your average sac marks and what you got in the exam. Much appreciated

My average sac marks was high 80%'s but depending on your school and how hard the sac is you should aim for 90%+. You don't find out what you got on the exam but for practice exams you do you should aim for 90% or more. I likely lost less than 5 marks on the exam. goodluck

[vox nihili]

Yes, you should.


The idea that Biology is a subject that really requires you to remember a lot and take lots of notes is probably flawed. It's how some students study the subject, but imo it's a bad way to go about things. It can be a really rewarding, challenging and interesting subject if you put the time and effort into understanding, rather than just smashing through notes.

[Quantum44]

Bio is a great subject to do, particularly in year 11 as you have plenty of time to study. It's not an incredibly difficult subject but you have to master the content through thorough memorisation and understanding while being able to write succinctly and fluidly in SACs and exams.

HeyI'm also aiming for a study score of 45 for biology. If you don't mind can you please tell me your average sac marks and what you got in the exam. Much appreciated 

I can offer some input for this question. I got a 45 in bio last year and recently got my statement of marks and got 101/110 in the exam. As for SAC marks it really depends on your cohort. In my school I got an A but it was scaled up to A+ since we had a strong cohort.

[vcestressed]

YASSS, do bio! I did unit 2 bio this year and although the unit 1/2 content was a little dull and sometimes uninteresting, the unit 3/4 content looks much more better (no inheritance and pedigrees, yay!). Its a subject you can not 'force' yourself to love. You really need to look forward to every lesson so i would advice you to pick it if you think you'll like it, not because people tell you to do it. Its true that you can struggle when your teacher is bad but you just gotta deal with it (i had to!). Definitely give it a shot even if you are only slightly interested. Its certainly worth it. Good luck

[William1103]

Thank you everyone  
Also, should I get the Cambridge Checkpoints VCE Biology 1&2 to help me along the way or is it not necessary?

[vcestressed]

For unit 1/2, i wouldn't recommend it! This is simply bc you really only need your textbook for preparation of SACs. 

[Quantum44]

Thank you everyone  
Also, should I get the Cambridge Checkpoints VCE Biology 1&2 to help me along the way or is it not necessary?

Checkpoints seems a bit unnecessary for unit 1/2 but it is definitely helpful for 3/4 bio if you want exam style practice questions. However if you have plenty of time to focus on bio 1/2 it will give you a head start in learning to phrase your answers for 3/4 and help you revise the content.

[jaimeb0810]

definitely do vce bio early- it's probably the best science of them all and opens up so many courses, and that way if you don't want to you don't have to do a science in year 12 as they're quite content heavy and can focus on other subjects. I loved it honestly, and even though i didn't achieve a 40+, (for other reasons that impacted on my ability to do well), it was a really great experience and I feel as if i have a head start in front of other students who didn't do a 3/4 early. I loved the content, found it so interesting and am now looking at doing it potentially in uni best of luck!