National 3
The Course consists of three mandatory Units. Each of the component Units is
designed to provide progression to the related Unit at National 4.
Units are statements of standards for assessment and not programmes of learning and teaching. They can be delivered in a number of ways.
Unit 1 – Living Environment (National 3)
In this Unit, learners will develop their scientific skills and carry out practical and other learning activities related to the investigation of the living environment, including ethical and topical issues. Learners will investigate the key areas of sampling and identifying living things, from different habitats, to compare their diversity; factors influencing the distribution of living things; the process of photosynthesis and why plants are vital to sustaining life on Earth; the use of different types of chemicals in agriculture and their
alternatives; and the potential impact of chemicals and their alternatives on the world’s food production.
Unit 2 – Earth’s Resources (National 3)
In this Unit, learners will develop their scientific skills and carry out practical and other learning activities related to the investigation of the Earth’s resources, including ethical and topical issues. Learners will investigate the key areas of renewable energy sources including benefits and potential problems; formation, characteristics and uses of minerals; formation, characteristics and uses of common rocks; formation, characteristics and uses of soils; and useful substances which can be extracted from natural resources.
Unit 3 : Sustainability (National 3)
In this Unit, learners will develop their scientific skills and carry out practical and other learning activities related to the investigation of sustainability, including ethical and topical issues. Learners will investigate the key areas of processes which may contribute to climate change; the possible impact of atmospheric change on the survival of living things; and the causes and possible consequences of an environmental issue, and ways to manage the impact.
Conditions of Award
To achieve the National 3 Environmental Science Course, learners must pass all of the required Units. The required Units are shown in the Course outline section.
National 3 Courses are not graded.
