A-Level Biology Practical Endorsement Course

The A-Level Biology Practical Endorsement course at BioGrad Education is a five-day, laboratory-based assessment programme designed for students studying AQA, OCR, Pearson Edexcel or Eduqas A-Level Biology. Students complete a minimum of 12 practical activities, providing opportunities to demonstrate the Common Practical Assessment Criteria (CPAC) routinely and consistently.

The course covers essential A-Level Biology practical techniques, including enzyme investigations, microscopy, microbiology, aseptic techniques, dissection, chromatography and investigations into biological processes. These activities allow students to apply their existing scientific knowledge and demonstrate practical competency in a professional laboratory environment.

Practical assessments are delivered by experienced scientists who provide guidance and support throughout the course. Students should already have a good understanding of the practical skills and procedures required by their examination board, as the programme focuses on assessing competency rather than teaching the A-Level Biology syllabus.

BioGrad Education offers A-Level Biology Practical Endorsement courses for private candidates, home-educated students and independent learners who need to complete their practical assessments separately from their written A-Level examinations.

Our five-day course provides access to professional laboratory facilities and experienced assessors, allowing students to demonstrate the Common Practical Assessment Criteria (CPAC) through a minimum of 12 practical activities.

Students must be registered with an exam centre where they will sit their written A-Level Biology examinations. The exam centre must have an appropriate working agreement with BioGrad Education so that Practical Endorsement results can be communicated correctly.

Is your exam centre not already partnered with BioGrad? Contact our team before booking. We can approach your preferred centre to discuss establishing a working agreement. You can also view our consortium exam centres .

During BioGrad Education's A-Level Biology Practical Endorsement course, students complete a minimum of 12 practical activities covering essential biological techniques, including enzyme investigations, microscopy, microbiology, dissection, chromatography, respiration and ecological sampling.

These activities provide opportunities to apply existing scientific knowledge, develop confidence in a professional laboratory environment and demonstrate the Common Practical Assessment Criteria (CPAC) routinely and consistently.

Practical 1 – Investigation into the effect of a named variable on the rate of an enzyme-controlled reaction.

Practical 2 – Preparation of garlic root meristems to investigate stages of mitosis and calculating the mitotic index.

Practical 3 – Production of a dilution series of a solute to produce a calibration curve with which to identify the water potential of plant tissue.

Practical 4 – The effect of a named variable on the permeability of cell surface membrane.

Practical 5 – Dissection of a mammalian heart.

Practical 6 – Microbiological techniques and investigation into the effect of antimicrobials.

Practical 7 – An investigation of pigments present in leaves.

Practical 8 – Investigation into the effect of a named factor on the rate of dehydrogenase activity in extracts of chloroplasts: the effect of ammonium hydroxide on the time taken for chloroplasts to decolourise DCPIP.

Practical 9 – An investigation of the effect of temperature on respiration in yeast.

Practical 10 – Using choice chambers to investigate responses in invertebrates to light/dark or humid/dry conditions.

Practical 11 – Use a colorimetric technique to produce a calibration curve with which to identify the concentration of glucose in an unknown ‘urine’ sample.

Practical 12 – Investigation into the effect of a named environmental factor on the distribution of a given species.

• Students must be studying an England A-Level Biology qualification with AQA, Eduqas, Pearson Edexcel or OCR.
• Students should have a good understanding of the practical skills, techniques and procedures required by their examination board specification before attending the Practical Endorsement course, as the programme focuses on assessing practical competency rather than teaching the syllabus.
• If a student has had limited opportunities to develop their practical laboratory skills before studying A-Level Biology, BioGrad Education recommends considering our 1-day Introduction to Laboratory Skills course before completing their Practical Endorsement. This course provides an opportunity to develop essential laboratory skills and gain confidence working in a laboratory environment.