hey guys, im currently year 10 and next year i will be doing bio as a 3/4 subject despite not having completed units 1/2. will i be at a disadvantage compared to those who have done units 1/2, and so should I just try and grind units 1/2 over the holidays? or should i just study units 3/4 during the holidays instead? Please give me suggestions on what i can do to make the most of my holidays in order to prepare for bio 3/4 next year! Thank youu
VCE BIO 3/4 acceleration
Def do unit 3/4 headstart on the holidays. And start of by learning about eukaryotic cells (so like animal and plant cells) and prokaryotic cells (such as bacterial cells) and learn the little things in the cell (the organelles) and their function. don't dive to deep into functions at that point but just know the general function. Then after that I think just start grinding unit 3/4. u got this!!
tsch hey, i also did bio as a higher study subject, just completed units 3 & 4 this year! from my perspective having done units 1 & 2 early, I would say don't focus too much on studying 1 & 2 content, rather focus on units 3 & 4, and try to get a headstart on that if you can.
if during units 3 & 4 you come across content that may link to units 1 & 2, I would say only then revise that part of the content, if that makes sense. not much of units 3 & 4 relates back to units 1 & 2. especially unit 4, it barely covers content from bio 1 & 2. for context in unit 4 you study immunity, evolution, and complete a prac for one of the SACs.
the only links to units 1 &2 for units 3 & 4 would probably be the key science skills, which you might have learnt in other science subjects, bioethics (just try to learn some definitions for this), and the structure of prokaryotic cells and eukaryotic cells, as well as the functions of some organelles (rough endoplasmic reticulum, golgi apparatus, etc).
ik that might sound like a lot, or a bit overwhelming if you're unfamiliar with that content but you can do this!
if you're eligible for doing a higher study subject that must mean that your teachers believe you're ready to do so. at least that's how it works at my school.
If you are still a little bit concerned about having missed content from units 1 & 2, maybe ask your teacher for headstart if they can revise some of it with you. that might help 
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Hi!
As someone who jumped into bio 3&4 this year with 0 background knowledge, I would say go for units 3&4!
(Highlighted keywords and TLDR are sufficient information despite me spending an hour and half on this one comment to make sure I can convey everything I needed to know last year.)
Units 1&2: Not necessary to study the whole thing. Some stuff from units 1&2 does matter for units 3&4, but it's unofficial/implied. It's mostly ATP, structures of eukaryotes vs. prokaryotes, structures of plant cells vs. animal cells, exocytosis, organelles, key science skills, bioethics, and some other basic concepts, and a lot of these will be revisited anyway. Ask a biology teacher for anything else that I have fogotten here, and then you'll be all set to excel year 12 biology!
Preparation: Do try and get familiar with the content beforehand since biology is a little bit of a weirdo as a subject. It takes repetition and time for it to click. With limited year 9/10 knowledge, students who have sat through units 1&2 look like they understand the content better and faster in the beginning, but the trp operon arrives and suddenly, not a single soul understands a word from the teacher. (Just kidding, but repetition and reading before class is the key to keeping your sanity in biology, that's a piece of advice that even university students find useful when studying biology.)
Scientific poster: A SAC worth just as much as an exam-style SAC (all 4 science subjects have it, it's mandatory in units 2 and 4), and here is when you'd wish you had done bio 1&2 if you won't be studying another science subject. But it will be fine! The poster isn't a good enough reason to regret skipping year 11 biology. The poster is the most time-consuming and easiest SAC of the year because you will be following directions of a rubric (namely, writing in present tense, having clear methodology, correct incitation and insightful discussion) and analysing information based on what you gather from scientific studies you research for your experiment. (Since the format is so different from other normal SACs and year 9/10 CATs, I thought it was worth a mention.)
Motivational (?) anecdote time: When I sat in biology class for the first time during my school's headstart week last year, I ended up crying after the class was over because I could not keep up. (pretty embarrassing, I know. -_-).
But! That didn't prevent me from performing above average throughout the year. So the disadvantage isn't something that would hold back a motivated and disciplined student. (And I wasn't doing the homework and regular studies.)
TLDR: No need to study units 1&2 except for some basic stuff. A little bit of studying ahead and general biology is beneficial so that nobody else cries after their first biology class like I did. It may seem that people who did study units 1&2 understand it better, but biology 3&4 is designed so that people can take it without units 1&2, so remember that you will do amazing!
Koala4444 hii, omg thank u so much, u gave me the reassurance i needed because i was genuinely panicking for bio. i was really scared that id be at a huge disadvantage having not done units 1 & 2 this year so its nice hearing that you were also in the same situation as me. ill definitely start reviewing some of the bio 3&4 content before my head start and hopefully ill have a little more confidence then also i appreciate the one hour and a half u spent typing this, it was really helpful!!
also do you recommend using edrolo for bio or should i rely on the textbooks instead?? thanks sm i acc love u
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frog_of_spades hii thank u sm!! im so relieved i dont have to study the whole 1&2. also do you recommend any resources or textbooks for bio 34? theres a whole lot out there and i want to know which ones are actually helpful in terms of exam prep and understanding : )
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tsch
I'm so happy that my experience was of help to you!
This is going to be another long answer, be cautious because circumstances and experiences vary from person to person.
I'll be honest, I didn't use Edrolo much despite having access (official school textbook) because my teacher gave us notes so bye bye textbooks! I also genuinely don't agree with any textbooks wholeheartedly, mostly because they can accidentally make mistakes or add unnecessary stuff. (VCAA should have their own regulated textbooks so we don't have to panic over different books every year, but alas.)
So, study design in the VCAA biology section and past exams (both NHT and VIC) are the ultimate guides by which we humble students abide in VCE biology 3&4. (Or any other subject at year 12 level.) Nothing else will be as valuable in helping you understand what you need to know in 2025 late October/early November. This sucks, because the study design just conveys the title/topic and then textbooks and teachers have to interpret it. Luckily a teacher who cares about their job and ATARNotes community are very helpful in regards to making sure you don't learn the 'wrong' things.
Edrolo videos of Andrew Douch are pretty good to build up your understanding even though sometimes the videos contain content beyond VCE biology. (He's really famous for helping VCE bio students and my teacher was a total fanboy.) But check if his former (free?) podcasts and stuff are available or not, because money! (Yes, I'm cheap) Unless your school mandates it like mine did. -_-
What else Edrolo is good for? The questions of the textbook! Not identical to the VCAA exams (some are modified VCAA questions though), but the answers and structures are very well explained. It makes for good practice, even if most of it isn't VCAA level. Other publishers like Heinemann (for chemistry. I'm comparing chemistry heinemann to Edrolo biology[3&4]/psychology[1-4]/legal studies[1&2]/chemistry[3&4].) or jacaranda (psychology to psychology comparison here, not only it had too much unnecessary information, but I can't for the life of me figure jac+ out.) don't have questions and answers so accessible and beautifully broken down. Also, full answers are printed at the back of the print book or digital, and the text is quite easy to read, compared to some other publishers, even if it may have other problems. (I'm looking at Heinemann and jacaranda again. Awful websites, difficult to navigate and not available offline, whereas Edrolo has a pdf version of the book with your name on every page! Disclaimer: I also haven't looked at other publishers than Edrolo for a few months so I could be wrong.) Basically, Edrolo questions are worth trying out because of helping you learn the next point you will read.
Important: in VCE 3&4 of pretty much any subject, questions have command words, concepts and allocated marks that allow for a specific way of structuring answers based on key information and words. It can be very strict and may take some time to develope the skills of breaking down a question so precisely and accurately to gain 4/4 or 5/5. It's not difficult though, by being mindful of it and using examiner reports and (I swear I'm not sponsored, just had some good experiences) Edrolo questions and answers you can maximise marks and minimise confusion of why you or someone else performs not as good as they expected when they know and understand everything. It might be obvious to some people, but since you haven't done units 1&2 of any subject to my knowledge, I had to mention it. The good news is that it does of transfer onto other subjects when it comes to short answer questions. (Not those 10 mark questions you might see in some humanities or art, I mean normal questions for subjects like psychology, PE and whatever where you have to use sentences to answer 2-6 marks.)
You should consult your future teachers to see if they see Edrolo appropriate and that you don't spend extra dollars for something you won't use, espcially if they choose some other textbook.
Also, don't buy Checkpoints(at least don't buy brand new or digital version). It's the recent and freely available VCAA exam questions so the entire state is getting ripped off while they don't even bother taking out the MS questions from 2019 in the 2024 edition, the previous study design which ended in 2021.
Remember: Study designs and past exams come first! Edrolo is an adequate resource as long as your teachers agree and will correct their mistakes like the expected ATP yield of aerobic respiration.
I'm always open to more questions, especially about specific details around the course experiencr, exams/SACs and such, so don't hesitate to reach out to me and please don't stress or obsess over the lack of experience. You will be not just be okay or fine, but better than that!
tsch
My pleasure! I hope you enjoy your VCE and especially biology classes!