Home > Subjects > Biology > Level 3 > 3.7 Human evolution > Achievement criteria
- Subject: Biology
- AS: AS90719
- Level: 3
- Credits: 3
- External
Biology 3.7 Describe trends in human evolution
Achievement criteria
The level of achievement that you will reach is decided by the way you answer each question. The key words are describe, explain, and discuss trends in human evolution.
Achievement
- You are able to describe trends in human evolution. This involves identifying key words to apply in the context, writing precise and complete descriptions in an ordered manner, and giving features of and/or outlining.
Make sure you:
- can describe key features of primate and hominin anatomy
- understand the meaning of the term ‘trend’
- can outline the trends in cultural evolution and are able to relate these to physical features such as cranial capacity
- can interpret phylogenetic trees and information presented in tables
- understand the impact of environmental change on human evolution
- can distinguish between the out-of-Africa and multiregional hypotheses.
Achievement with Merit
- You are able to explain trends in human evolution.
- You must be able to provide a reason as to how or why something occurs.
Make sure you:
- meet the criteria for Achievement
- are able to make effective use of resource material in your answers
- understand the links between environmental change and patterns of human dispersal
- can apply your knowledge to unfamiliar contexts, for example, relate your knowledge of cultural evolution to the possibility of boat-building by erectus.
Achievement with Excellence
- You are able to discuss trends in human evolution.
- You must be able to show understanding by linking biological ideas. It may involve justifying, relating, evaluating, reviewing, interpreting, comparing and contrasting, analysing.
Make sure you:
- meet the criteria for Merit
- can explain how selection pressures could influence skeletal features, for example, impact on locomotion, pelvic inlet AND recognise the action and outcome of conflicting selection pressures
- are able to link cultural evolution with changes in cranial capacity, providing named examples
- can make explicit links between different concepts and ideas.
