from 2026 onwards, the subject has been improved pretty heavily from the flawed old design as mentioned in the previous reviews as well as the handbook. it follows a decently simple class routine including 3 lectures as well as either a practical or a workshop every week. this keeps the workload relatively manageable as well as giving students enough information to understand the content (in my opinion). it's by no means a free subject though, be prepared to have this be one of those first year subjects that you really put a lot of effort into. i had a VCE biology background but found that while the content covered generally the same areas, the detail as well as difficulty of assessments was generally higher (although still manageable), however those who didn't do VCE biology shouldn't be stressed as the lecturers do a great job at explaining the basics as well as the finer details. expect to study a good amount for the exam and ensure that you are really particular with your group project since their marking can be super pedantic. overall though, definitely a fun subject with a good amount of content to get through. The lecturers are really great and there are a decent amount of resources for you if you are struggling especially when it gets to exam time.

much better than previous years i gather by the previous responses. very lenient with marking on assessments, and the quizzes/tests contained zero surprises. i did QCE bio and most if not all (except genetics, but even then it was taught much differently) of what i remember had nothing to do with what we learnt in this subject, so if you didnt do VCE bio i think you'd be fine anyway. dont bother getting the textbook no matter what they tell you, save your money, even if you didnt do any chemistry (i had not and it was fine, although i struggled the most with the first topic, the chemistry of life).

They redid this subject for 2026 and I can definitely say it is SO much better than my peers' experiences from the last year or two. The final exam is really predictable, they tell you what to expect, they allow you a cheat sheet, and overall I'd recommend it!

Taught through prerecorded videos and seminars and covers VCE/IB bio content at a much faster pace. Amount of information can feel overwhelming (and kinda is), but in general only the gist is needed. Pracs and workshops are pretty boring, only attendance for pracs are taken. Is a prereq for many second level bio-related subjects so is unfortunately required for many majors. Assessments are ok, with a few tests, a short prac report and an exam. The staff prioritise understanding over rote learning, so is forgiving given you understand the content well enough. Staff said there would be no scaling but I got a higher mark than thought was possible (93), so assume that some scaling did occur.

poorly organised, relies very much on vce biology 3/4. content is interesting but subject is very time consuming

IF YOU DID NOT DO BIOLOGY 3/4 VCE BE WARNED. this subject heavily relies upon and assumes knowledge from vce. there are biobytes available which you can watch and help a ton (do not be like me and wait until right before the exam to consider them). yes there are a lot of videos, but yes they are EXTREMELY helpful if you dont already have friends who did bio 3/4 to help you. overall - the subject is doable, but NOT easily. quite time consuming, but still interesting content (plus there is some overlap with chemistry if you do that as well)

so poorly organised and no support

Easy wam booster! no need for study. Highly recommend!

Speaking from a perspective who has no prior biology background and has H1ed the subject. Absolutely horrendous coordination of the subject, with prerecorded small snippets of videos substituting actual lectures. Bare minimum support from staff, furthered with an overwhelming amount of content for one that has never came across biology before. The amount of time I have spent self-learning the content given the unclarity of the content delivery was unbelievable. This ended up as my lowest grade up to date which is disproportionate to the amount of time I have dedicated to this subject. A one star coming from me relative to the 5 stars I have given to CHEM10003 and MAST10006.

I have never felt more stupid than I did while taking this subject. Coming from a background with no bio (only did chemistry in high school) this subject and the crazy amount of content felt like being run over by a car repeatedly. Like, short prerecorded videos as lectures, really? I had no idea what was going on!! Seminars are just stupid, workshops are stupid, pracs made me feel like I was gonna explode I had no idea what was happening. Please, I beg of you, stay away from this subject unless it's a prereq or you've done bio already. Save yourself