As you turn the page and start a new chapter of your educational journey, understanding the mechanics of how NCEA and the New Zealand Curriculum work will make this journey a little easier. When it comes to NCEA the part often considered the scariest is the external exams. As year 11 or NCEA Level 1 students, it is the fear of the unknown that can cause a bit of doubt and anxiety. Our guide on the NCEA Level 1 Biology syllabus helps fill in those blanks.
For all the science subjects; biology, chemistry and physics, there is a range of internal and external assessments. Biology like physics and chemistry has three assessments for you to complete in the end-of-year exam. The exam is three hours long so you have around one hour to complete each paper. It may sound like a lot of time but if you have spent your exam preparation learning your acids and bases, organic chemistry, evolution and more, it will go by quickly.
Exams are about being prepared and being prepared requires planning. Unlike internal assessments, externals do not allow any support material to be brought in with you. You can bring in water, a few snacks, pens and your brain. Unfortunately when we are nervous or stressed our brain can let us down a bit. As soon as we step through the doorway, take a seat, open the exam booklet to the first page and read the first question all the information we had been going over seems to exit stage left.
This is normal and revising and practising different revision techniques such as using flashcards can help your memory recall. The revision techniques are slightly different for internal assessments as the mechanics of the standards are quite different. For more information read our NCEA Level 1 Biology Study guide.
Where to access NCEA Level 1 Biology Past Exam Papers
The New Zealand Qualification Authority or more commonly known as NZQA is the organisation responsible for NCEA. The aim of NCEA is not to trick or blindside you, it is about making sure that you have understood and gained a certain level of knowledge and skills. One thing they do that is helpful is that they publish all exams that have been used online for anyone to access. The trick is to know where to find them.
The site itself is built for teachers and educational workers. You will see a lot of numbers attached to standards and assessments. All of this is for teachers and you don’t have to worry about them too much. When you do start looking at exam papers there are a few guidelines that will help you choose the best ones to use. Ideally, you want to use only the exam papers from the last three years max five.
It is important to stay within this timeframe because of the format and content of the Biology exam changes. This is valid advice for the other science subjects chemistry and physics as well. If you revise with exam papers that are no longer in the current exam specifications you may be in for an unpleasant surprise when you sit your exam. Another thing to keep an eye out is for changes in the assessment. This happens every couple of years as the standard is revised and updated so it stays relevant to scientific discoveries (like Pluto is no longer considered a planet type of stuff).
It can be a little tricky to know if a standard has been updated but key changes are easiest to find in the Exemplars section. Exemplars are examples of students' work completed in past exams at Not Achieved, Achieved, Merit and Excellence level. The NZQA decided to only put up new exemplars if there was a change in the assessment. If there is a change, older exam papers can be useful but remember to keep in mind that your exam will not be as closely aligned to it. For more information on Exemplars read our guide on NCEA Level 1 Biology Exam Questions.
How to revise with NCEA Level 1 Biology Past Papers
As you may have gathered from above, there are not a lot of past exam papers that could be used to just attempt exam questions over and over again. It is a finite resource so knowing when best to use them will help you use them wisely. While we may have the urge to turn over a new page it is actually your old pages you want to start with.
Past exam papers are interesting as it seems like NZQA is giving you the questions in advance but make no mistake about it, questions are not repeated in NCEA. So rote learning the questions and answers will do you no good. What they are good for is seeing how you answer the questions, whether you struggle with answering, using them to practise the structure of your writing, or practising decoding the question itself.
The very first thing you need to do is revise. To do a past exam paper straight off the bat with no revision is not recommended but if you want to see how much you know beforehand then the choice is yours. Re-reading your notes over and over again is studying harder, not smarter. You need to engage with the information. This can be done through creating flashcards, mind maps, and practising drawing different structures with no help and within a certain time limit (like a buzzer-beater game).
When it comes to revision some studies have shown that studying for less time but more frequently over a longer duration of time improves our memory recall. We can only focus for so long so spending hours pouring over our notes is not that effective. When it comes to creating revision tools, make them colourful, precise, and by hand. When we write by hand the muscle movement seems to help retain the information more than using electronic devices. Devices definitely have a solid use in your revision toolbox. They are great for revising when you are on the bus, in the car or waiting for something or someone.
Once you have the revision down now it is time to bring in the past papers. You can practice using your notes or without them. If you really want to have a solid study session, have a go at one assessment without help and give yourself an hour to complete it. Once you are finished, use your notes to improve your response.
Break down of the NCEA Level 1 Biology Assessments
For the external exams, the three assessments focus on micro-organisms, the life cycle of flowering plants and Mammal as a consumer. Each standard will have its own set of knowledge and skills you will need in order to pass. Past papers are a great way of practising revising a range of different key theories and formats that may appear in the end-of-year exam.
When you go over the standard Demonstrate understanding of biological ideas relating to micro-organisms it is about key ideas and theories about fungi, bacteria and pathogens and their role in the world. There is a range of skills being tested from labelling, explaining roles and functions, analysing causes and proposing solutions, comparing and contrasting and more.
For those of you whose inner artists are calling you can let your imagination go wild within the very strict criteria of drawing a labelled diagram with correct terms. Within this standard, you will be asked to label a diagram of something, so practise with the past exam paper. Try and do it without help first then add in improvements with your notes after. Remember you won't have anything to help you in your exam so try not to refer back to your notes continuously.
The difference between achieved and merit is the keyword defining or explaining. For achieved, you are describing what happens and for merit, you are also adding in the why. When you practice with your past exam paper check to see if your answer has described what has happened or have you gone a step further and explained why it happens. For example, if you describe what decomposers such as fungi do in nutrient recycling that is achieved. If you also explain the role of fungi in a nutrient cycle then you have demonstrated you have an in-depth understanding and that is merit.
Putting your best foot forward
Preparation is the key to success but that doesn’t mean you have to do it alone. Superprof is a site that enables learners to find a tutor that suits their needs. Whether that be biology, chemistry, physics, or industrial engineering you can find a tutor in the subject or hobby you want. If you are after a bit more information on NCEA Level 1 Biology our complete guide is there to help.
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