Biology,
International A Level
Pearson Edexcel Biology (A-Level) for International A Level (Year 12 (AS) and Year 13 (A2)): 8 units of the scheme of work, a tutor, Nyamin Apiyo, anchored to them, exam-style questions marked with the reasons, and a Practice Buddy for the past papers you bring. Plus the Biology Lab in 3D for the practical paper.
The Scheme Of Work, Unit By Unit
The 8 units the Pearson Edexcel Biology (A-Level) scheme on CognitaSTEM follows, in teaching order. Each unit is what the tutor teaches from and what the exam-style questions are set on.
- Lifestyle, health and risk
- Genes and health
- Voice of the genome
- Biodiversity and natural resources
- On the wild side
- Immunity, infection and forensics
- Run for your life
- Grey matter
How You Learn It
NYAMIN APIYO, YOUR BIOLOGY TUTOR
A subject tutor anchored to the Pearson Edexcel Biology (A-Level) specification. Ask by voice or text at any hour; the answer is taught from the units below and worked on a board you can read back.
PRACTICE BUDDY
Upload the past paper or mark scheme you have and the buddy takes you through it question by question, marks your answers and explains what the examiner wanted. No paper to hand? It sets questions from the specification instead.
WORKED ON THE BOARD
Every explanation is written out on an interactive board as it is spoken: the equation, the diagram, the essay plan. Read it back, copy it into your notes, ask for it another way.
THE BIOLOGY LAB IN 3D
Practical work on a 3D bench, marked on the server from what you actually do: the skills the practical and alternative-to-practical papers test. Reset it and run it again as often as you need.
Which Years
Biology (A-Level) runs through International A Level (Year 12 (AS) and Year 13 (A2)). A learner picks up in whichever year they are in, and the tutor keeps to that year's part of the specification unless asked to look ahead or back.
Homeschooling? The same tutor, labs and buddies work for a child learning at home; a parent sees every session from the parent dashboard.
Questions
Which Biology (A-Level) units are covered?
All 8 listed above, from "Lifestyle, health and risk" to "Grey matter", following the Pearson Edexcel specification for International A Level (Year 12 (AS) and Year 13 (A2)).
Can I do the Biology practicals online?
Yes. The Biology Lab runs practicals on a 3D bench with real apparatus and marks the method, the readings and the conclusion, so you rehearse the practical skills before you sit the paper. See the Edexcel practicals page for the full list.
Where do the answers come from?
From the Pearson Edexcel specification and the files you upload, and nothing else. The tutors and buddies are grounded in the units listed on these pages and in the past papers, notes and mark schemes you give them; they do not invent facts or pull from the open internet. Your syllabus and your files are the only truth they teach from.
Is this free?
A free account gives you the tutors with a daily allowance, the 3D labs and the Practice Buddies. Premium adds unlimited tutor time; the pricing page has the current price in Kenyan shillings, and schools and homeschooling families pay the same.
Does it work on a phone?
Yes. Everything runs in the browser on an ordinary smartphone over mobile data, including the 3D labs.
Do you register candidates for the exams?
No. Pearson Edexcel exams are sat at a registered Pearson centre; homeschooled learners enter as private candidates. CognitaSTEM teaches and revises the specification and tells you where a learner stands before the exam.