The VCE 2024 Biology exam sparked a range of reactions from students and teachers. So we caught up with Edrolo teacher-presenter Andrew Douch to get his insights on the exam, and advice for how teachers and students can start prepping for the 2025 exam.
The full 40-minute exam debrief interview with Andrew Douch is available on Edrolo for all VCE Biology Daily Practice and Daily Plus subscribers.
The multiple-choice section of the exam was generally predictable and aligned with expectations. Students who had a solid grasp of the fundamental concepts and were familiar with the course content likely found this section manageable.
Notably, questions related to the immune system proved challenging for many students, with several questions in the 50% success rate range.
The short answer section presented a mix of familiar and unexpected questions. The first seven questions were largely in line with what students might have anticipated based on previous exams. However, there were some thought-provoking questions that required students to apply their knowledge in new and innovative ways.
One notable example was a question on sympatric speciation in eucalypts. While the study design primarily focuses on howier palms as an example of sympatric speciation, the exam question presented a scenario involving a different group of eucalypts.
This highlighted the importance of understanding the underlying principles of speciation rather than relying solely on memorizing specific examples. Another example was a question asking students to "state the scientific investigation methodology used to collect the samples of these eucalypts," which many students found difficult as it focused on science skills rather than purely biological content.
Additionally, a question about genetic diversity between two distinct groups of trees required students to apply their knowledge of natural selection to a specific scenario, rather than simply providing a rote-learned explanation.
