WACE ATAR Biology case studies
WACE ATAR Biology · Put your knowledge to work in context.
The Western Australian Certificate of Education ATAR Biology course is a Year 11 and Year 12 senior secondary subject offered within the WACE, the senior secondary qualification administered by the School Curriculum and Standards Authority (SCSA), the statutory body for Kindergarten to Year 10 and Years 11 and 12 in Western Australia. It suits students building an Australian Tertiary Admission Rank who intend to pursue biological science, health, environmental or related university pathways, and who are prepared to combine conceptual understanding with data interpretation and extended written explanation. The syllabus is organised around four broad areas: Science Inquiry Skills; Science as a Human Endeavour; Science Understanding of biological diversity and ecosystem dynamics; and Science Understanding of cells, genetics and evolution. Assessment in an ATAR course typically combines school-based tasks with an external examination, and past ATAR course examinations are published by the Authority for practice. The WACE ATAR Biology case studies are 5 cases and about 2,420 words.
1Salinity pulses and a freshwater crayfish survey
A river reach below an irrigation district is sampled for the threatened freshwater crayfish Cherax tenuimanus . Two sites are compared.
527 words, about 3 min2A translocation decision for a fragmented lizard population
A grassland lizard occupies three habitat patches separated by a highway and cropland. Patch 1 holds about 240 adults, Patch 2 about 35, and Patch 3 about 12.
486 words, about 2 min3Interpreting a fertiliser and algal bloom dataset
Students monitor a lake receiving runoff from farmland. They sample four sites weekly for 10 weeks, measuring nitrate, phosphate, chlorophyll a and water clarity.
459 words, about 2 min4Evaluating a claim about a gene-edited crop
A company reports that a gene-edited wheat line yields 12% more grain than the conventional variety in field trials. The edit disables a gene that slows starch breakdown in the grain.
459 words, about 2 min5Antibiotic resistance in a hospital isolate
A hospital microbiology lab tests a bacterial isolate from a patient with a persistent wound infection. The isolate is resistant to three antibiotics but sensitive to a fourth, Drug X.
489 words, about 2 min