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• NCEA on TKI
• NZQA website

Biology 2.6 Describe diversity in the structure and function of animals

Key tips

• Practise writing paragraphs that express biological ideas clearly. This is not an essay-style standard and preparing essay-style answers disadvantages candidates because the answers are then not precise enough. Familiarise yourself with previous examination questions as to what is required.
• Where appropriate, use clear, accurate, well-labelled, and annotated diagrams.
• Do not use a unicellular animal to describe aspects of structure or function.
• Manage your time. It is suggested that you spend about 20 minutes describing (text and diagrams) the systems in three animals and give the rest of the time explaining and discussing.
• Use appropriate biological terminology. Convince the examiner that you understand! For example: With respect to gaseous exchange, don't write 'Carbon dioxide comes out'. Instead, write 'Air with a higher percentage of carbon dioxide is breathed out'. With respect to circulation, don't write 'passes through the heart once'. Write 'passes through the heart once each circuit' or 'double circulation keeps the blood at constant pressure'.
• Avoid the use of general words like 'food' in your answers. In previous assessments, the following descriptions written by students reduced the quality of their answers:
  
  • 'food is absorbed in the small intestine'
  • 'mutualistic microbes living in the foregut help to digest the food'
  • 'food is egested out the anus'.
• Some other examples that fail to show clear demonstration of understanding are:
  
  • 'nutrients sucked out'
  • 'uric acid crystals popped into the system'
  • 'the insect's skin'.
• Remember that insects do not have blood; they have haemolymph.

Check out the Biology 2.6 Diversity in Animals questions thread in the forums as many students have posted their information and been given valuable feedback from the biology teachers.

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