IB Diploma Biology: Key Updates and Changes
1. Removal of the Options
- The removal of Options has significantly reduced course content.
- Some topics from the former Options are now included in the main syllabus, ensuring a broader and more integrated approach.
- Content reductions in other areas aim to provide students with more time for reflection and concept integration.
2. Guiding Questions
- Open-ended questions introduced at the start of each sub-topic.
- Designed to elicit prior knowledge, guide topic sequencing, and deepen understanding over time.
- Useful for topic openers, ongoing discussion, and revision.
3. Skills in the Study of Biology
- Replaces "prescribed practicals" from the 2016 curriculum.
- Acts as a checklist of required skills, including techniques, technology use, and mathematical scope.
- Offers flexibility for teachers to decide how and when to incorporate these skills into the course.
4. Linking Questions
- Encourage revisiting and connecting concepts across the syllabus.
- Foster a deeper, networked understanding by addressing content in multiple contexts.
5. Four Main Themes
The syllabus is organized around four key themes to enhance conceptual learning:
- Unity and Diversity
- Form and Function
- Interaction and Interdependence
- Continuity and Change
Additionally, content is structured across four levels of organization:
- Molecules
- Cells
- Organisms
- Ecosystems
This streamlined structure emphasizes connections, coherence, and application in biological studies.
