The General Biology course provides opportunities for students to develop their scientific skills of curiosity, observation, collection and analysis of evidence in the context of the living world. They conduct practical investigations and have the opportunity to participate in field-based excursions that encourage them to apply what they have learnt to real world situations. Students explore the diversity of organisms and how scientists make sense of the natural world. A local area study will be conducted to understand the dynamics of ecosystems. They study cells and cell processes, adaptations of organisms and the transition of genetic material to the next generation. In the Year 12 General Biology course, students investigate asexual and sexual reproduction in a diverse range of organisms, life cycles of selected plants and animals, the role of deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) in inheritance, how changes in DNA occur and the effects on populations in the face of environmental change.