You may fancy a job as a research worker in the new industries associated with the genome and gene therapy, or working for an environmental agency. Or you could teach.What skills do you need? The ability to soak up facts like a sponge, and sort and synthesise a lot of information as well as explain things fully and accurately.How much practical work is there? A fair amount. A requirement for AS- and A-level is that you are assessed on a practical project, eg an experiment looking at enzymes in washing powder That carries 15 per cent of the marks. Plus you undertake a series of named experiments linking with the subject material.Ratio of coursework to exams: 15:85 (see above)Is it hard? Thought to be easier than chemistry or physics, partly because it’s less mathematical. But, according to Ed Lees, an examiner with Edexcel, that’s not the case because you have to describe complicated things pretty technically. And there is some maths, using percentages and ratios, and making sense of statistics.Is it enjoyable? Of course. You will be a walking expert on the human genome, GM food and global warming, and you will be able to separate myth from fact.Who takes it? More students than take physics or chemistry – and more girls than boys.How cool is it? Pretty cool if you’re into environmental protection and healthy eating.

It certainly beats physics in the cool stakes.Added value: You can go on some interesting, if maybe damp, field trips to the British coast, inspecting sand dunes and rocks, or other trips to woodland areas.What subjects go with it? Chemistry.What degrees does it lead to? Biological sciences, a big umbrella area, and health sciences. Also medicine.Will it set you up for a brilliant career? Yes. You could, if you have the talent, end up as a writer on science like Richard Dawkins, or as an academic investigating the brain like Susan Greenfield, also at Oxford Or you could become a research biochemist studying DNA. The fallout from mapping the human genome has thrown out numerous opportunities for research into, for example, cures for Alzheimer’s.What do students say? “I’m doing biology because I want to study medicine I find the subject interesting, but there is a lot to learn. For that reason I find it harder than chemistry.” Hannah Travers, 17, Ridgeway School, Wroughton, near Swindon.Which awarding bodies offer it? All of them do.How widely available is it? Very Virtually all schools and colleges do it..

What does it involve? The study of substances: eg why graphite is soft but diamonds are hard. You look at the make-up of substances, the molecules and atoms, and what happens when you combine them. You also examine chemistry’s relevance to everyday life: eg in making detergents and fibres, and the optimum temperature for washing clothes so as to minimise energy wastage. What does it involve? The study of substances: eg why graphite is soft but diamonds are hard.

You look at the make-up of substances, the molecules and atoms, and what happens when you combine them. You also examine chemistry’s relevance to everyday life: eg in making detergents and fibres, and the optimum temperature for washing clothes so as to minimise energy wastage.
Why do it? Because it’s a heavyweight subject. The universities like it, though not many students take the subject to degree level. It is good preparation for those who want to be doctors, vets or physiotherapists, but you can also use it to get into accountancy or law.What skills do you need? You need to be fairly numerate but not as numerate as a mathematician.

You also need to be logical, according to Helen Eccles, chairman of science at OCR exam board And it helps to have a C or above at GCSE in science. Memory is not as important as in biology.How much practical work is there? It is central to chemistry Some exam boards offer more practical work than others. AQA board devotes 12.5 per cent to practical work which is assessed; OCR, by contrast, has one syllabus that is one-third practical.Is it hard? It has a reputation for being difficult, but the boards are hoping that the reform of the sixth-form curriculum and the new AS- level have made it more accessible.Is it enjoyable? Some of the experiments can be good fun.Who takes it? The more academic pupils. Boys and girls take it in equal numbers.How cool is it? Becoming more popular because of the new AS-level, apparently Numbers are increasing, says Helen Eccles.