Biology For A’Levels

The purpose of this book is to provide a detailed selection of practical laboratory investigations suitable  for Advanced Level biology students. Comprehensive Practical Biology covers the course of  both the Senior Cambridge and London Boards.  All the investigations presented in this book are arranged  in order according to the A’Level syllabus and covers  every aspect of the syllabus. This will help the students  as well as the teachers to work systematically with their  syllabus. The book also aims to train students to  understand the principles and applications of biology  and make logical deductions and conclusions. It encourages students to interpret and analyse results of  their practical work. As students progress through this   course, they will develop their knowledge, extend their existing skills and acquire new skills as well. In compiling this manual I lay little claim to originality. Indeed, most of the practicals have been compiled from
previously attempted investigations and from questions  and problems featured in past examination papers.  However, investigations included here have been
modified to make them as effective as possible and were  specifically tried and tested by biology students and the  staff of Aitchison College over a period of several years. All illustrations in this book have been paired with step- by-step written explanations. Slides, anatomical drawings, illustrations, tables etc. all have been used
profusely to help students get a clear overview of the  concepts and structures explained. It also contains an  extensive coloured section on histology. Text and corresponding visuals have been systematically placed,  hence the student need not flip pages back and forth  unnecessarily in order to understand a concept.
Wherever necessary, co loured illustrations have been  provided. At the end of the manual I have included useful references such as a glossary of biological terms,
a technician’s guide and an index, A major drawback in existing practical biology books  for A’Levels is that they are written by Europeans, using
the flora and fauna of Europe. Such specimens, basic  equipment and sometimes even chemicals are difficult  to obtain in Pakistan. Neither the climate nor the
working conditions in this part of the world are suitable  for such experiments and hence results vary and are  usually not exact. Most teachers have little or no practical  experience of how to overcome these problems and  cannot organise practical classes without the help of
trained technicians. Sadly, in most schools even of the  highest calibre, trained technicians are not available!  Keeping these problems in mind, I scoured every possible  source and collected and compiled investigations that are  possible to perform in Pakistan, within our limitations. While developing this book I have solved and answered all problems and difficulties that I encountered as a teacher while teaching biology to A’Level students. I now  know that any teacher using this book will benefit from  my extensive and exhaustive research. I have used the flora and fauna of Pakistan, mentioning
the botanical names of plants and trees as well as the  common names in English and local names in Urdu. For  example, the botanical name of the mulberry tree is Morus   alba and the local name in Urdu is shehtoot.  In so doing, I decided to write my own manual with  the needs of the student, teacher and technician  constantly in mind. This book is the fruit of my labour.
SALMA SIDDIQUI
June, 1999