Search the VCAA website

•  
• Bulletins & Memos|
• Calendar|
• Excellence & Awards|
• School Administration

• Early Years
• VEYLDF 0-8 (Victorian Early Years Learning and Development Framework)
• Years Prep to 10
• NAPLAN (National Assessment Program - Literacy and Numeracy)
• VELS (Victorian Essential Learning Standards)
• Senior Secondary
• VCE (Victorian Certificate of Education)
• VET (Vocational Education and Training)
• VCAL (Victorian Certificate of Applied Learning)

Biology

Back to Top

Accreditation period - Units 1-4: 2006-2011

The accreditation period for Biology has been extended by two years from 31 December 2009 until 31 December 2011.

Biology is scheduled for review in 2010.

Back to Top

Curriculum

• Study Design (March 2009, PDF - 375KB)
  Details of areas of study, outcomes and assessment for Biology Units 1-4: 2006-2011. The online version of the study design has been updated to include the amendment outlined in the following erratum:
  • Study Design Erratum (PDF - 405KB)
    VCAA Bulletin, July 05, p.8.
  For details of how to purchase a hardcopy of the VCE Biology Study Design, please refer to Publications .
• Suitable Resources (August 2008)
  An update of suitable resources for VCE Biology.
• Study Summary (March 2009, PDF - 46KB)
  A summary of the VCE Biology Study Design for 2006-2011.

Back to Top

Assessment

• Assessment Handbook (DOC - 207KB)
  Contains assessment information for both school-assessed coursework and the examinations including the examination criteria.
• Examinations Reports
  Find past exams and sample exams for Biology.

Back to Top

Support Material

• Expert Papers addressing new content in Units 3 and 4
  • Signal transduction (April 2007, DOC - 107KB)
  • Recent developments and advances in evolutionary theory (March 2007, DOC - 64KB)
  • Molecular Biology (PDF - 52KB)
  • Proteomes, Genes and Junk DNA (PDF - 79KB)
• Frequently Asked Questions
  Questions raised during the implementation of the Biology Study Design.
• Mapping of Key Knowledge (PDF - 43KB)
  Provides a comparison of the key knowledge and key skills in the VCE Biology Study Design 2006-2011 with the 2000-2005 Study Design.

 

Back to Top

---

 

The Victorian Curriculum and Assessment Authority publishes administrative advice and regulations for the VCE in the VCE and VCAL Administrative Handbook 2009. Changes to advice and regulations occur during the year. The details of all such changes are published in the VCAA Bulletin and VCAA Bulletin P–10 on a regular basis. It is essential that VCE teachers familiarise themselves with advice and regulations in the VCE and VCAL Administrative Handbook and regularly check the VCAA Bulletin.