The Biology Curriculum serves as a continuation of the Science (S1-3) Curriculum. With careful consideration of students’ prior knowledge and everyday experiences, it is designed to cover major aspects of biology, and to highlight relevance of biology to social, technological and environmental issues. The curriculum framework has three interconnected components: Learning Targets, Curriculum Emphases, and Compulsory and Elective Parts. The following diagram represents the relationships between the various components.

The curriculum consists of compulsory and elective parts. The compulsory part covers a range of content that enables students to develop understanding of fundamental biological principles and concepts, and the scientific process skills. There are four topics in the compulsory part – Cells and Molecules of Life, Genetics and Evolution, Organisms and Environment, and Health and Diseases.

The elective part is designed to cater for the diverse interests, abilities and needs of students. It aims to provide an in-depth treatment of some of the topics in the compulsory part, an application of essential knowledge and concepts, or an extension of certain areas of study. There are four topics in the elective part – Human Physiology: Regulation and Control, Applied Ecology, Microorganisms and Humans, and Biotechnology. Students are required to study any two out of the four topics.

*Extracted from “Science Education Key Learning Area – Biology Curriculum and Assessment Guide”