Biology

Eleventh grade Biology is usually AP Biology or an honors elective taken after chemistry, and it works at introductory college level. The College Board organises it around four Big Ideas — evolution, energetics, information storage and transmission, and systems interactions — rather than a list of topics, and questions ask students to reason from data rather than recall facts.

The two features students find hardest are the statistics (mean, standard error, chi-square, and the formula sheet supplied in the exam) and the free-response questions, which require a claim supported by specific evidence and clear reasoning. Thirteen required investigations underpin the course, and the exam draws directly on them.