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Biology
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Animal and plant cells: key structures and functionsProkaryotic vs eukaryotic cellsUsing a light microscope safely and correctlyMagnification: calculating and using scale barsBiological drawings: rules for clear, labelled cell diagramsSpecified practical: Observe plant and animal cells and draw what you seeCell differentiation and specialised cellsStem cells: what they are and why they matter (benefits and risks)Mitosis: growth, repair and cell replacementEnzymes as biological catalystsEnzyme action: lock-and-key and active site ideasFactors affecting enzyme activity (temperature, pH, concentration)Specified practical: Investigate factors affecting enzyme actionAerobic respiration: purpose and word equationAnaerobic respiration in humans vs yeast (products and energy)Comparing aerobic and anaerobic respiration (efficiency and outcomes)Digestion as breaking down insoluble food into soluble moleculesWhy the body needs glucose, amino acids, fatty acids and glycerolSpecified practical: Food tests for starch, glucose and protein
Diffusion: what it is and why it happensOsmosis: water movement and partially permeable membranesActive transport: moving substances against a concentration gradientSurface area to volume ratio: why size matters for exchangeExchange surfaces: features that speed up diffusionOsmosis in living tissue: predicting and explaining mass changeSpecified practical: Osmosis in potato chips (solute concentration investigation)Gas exchange in humans: alveoli structure and functionBreathing and ventilation: how air moves in and outThe heart: structure, chambers and blood flow pathwayBlood vessels: arteries, veins and capillaries (structure meets function)Blood components: plasma, red cells, white cells, plateletsCoronary heart disease: links to lifestyle and riskSpecified practical: Observe artery and vein tissue under a microscope and drawXylem: transporting water and minerals (adaptations of vessels)Phloem and translocation: moving sugars around the plantRoot hair cells: absorption and active transport of mineral ionsLeaf structure: labelling a transverse section (T.S. leaf)Stomata and guard cells: controlling gas exchange and water lossTranspiration: what it is and what affects itPotometers: investigating transpiration rate safely
Defining health and disease (physical, mental and social factors)Pathogens: bacteria, viruses, fungi and protists (how they cause disease)Transmission routes: direct contact, water, air and vectorsPreventing spread: hygiene, isolation and vaccinationThe immune system: barriers and basic defence mechanismsWhite blood cells: phagocytosis and antibody productionVaccination: how it works and herd immunity basicsEvaluating vaccination decisions: evidence, risk and media influenceAntibiotics: what they treat (and what they don’t)Antibiotic resistance: how it develops and how to reduce itMRSA: why resistant strains are dangerous and control measuresAseptic technique: safe culturing, plating and incubating microbesSpecified practical: Investigate the effect of antibiotics on bacterial growthDeveloping medicines: preclinical testing and clinical trialsSide effects, placebos and managing risk in drug testingNon-communicable diseases: what they are and why they’re increasingLifestyle factors and disease rates (diet, exercise, alcohol, smoking, UV)Cardiovascular disease: causes and preventionTreatments for cardiovascular disease (statins, stents, lifestyle change)Cancer: risk factors and the role of mutations (core idea)
The nervous system: CNS, PNS and basic rolesNeurones: sensory, relay and motor (structure and function)Synapses: how signals pass between neurones (core idea)Reflexes: reflex arc and why reflexes are fastMeasuring reaction time: accuracy, repeatability and biasSpecified practical: Investigate factors affecting reaction timesThe endocrine system: glands and hormones overviewNegative feedback: the key idea behind homeostasisBlood glucose control: insulin and glucagonDiabetes: Type 1 vs Type 2 and managing blood sugarThermoregulation: keeping core temperature stableThe kidneys: removing urea and balancing water and saltsFiltration and selective reabsorption in the nephron (core pathway)ADH and osmoregulation: dilute vs concentrated urineOsmotic challenges: what happens to cells when body fluids changeSpecified practical: Dissection of a mammalian kidneyPlant hormones: auxin and tropisms (phototropism and gravitropism)Gibberellins and ethene: effects on growth and ripeningUsing plant hormones in agriculture and horticulture
Photosynthesis: what happens and why it mattersChlorophyll and chloroplasts: trapping light energyPhotosynthesis as an endothermic reaction (energy in)The photosynthesis word equation (and what each substance means)Limiting factors: light intensity, carbon dioxide and temperatureInterpreting limiting factor graphs (spotting what’s limiting)Inverse square law (light intensity with distance) in photosynthesis contextsUsing glucose made in photosynthesis (respiration, storage, building biomass)Specified practical: Investigate factors affecting the rate of photosynthesis
Levels of organisation: organism to ecosystemPopulations and communities: what the terms mean in exam questionsAbiotic vs biotic factors: examples and impactsCompetition and interdependence in ecosystemsFood chains and food webs: energy transfer pathwaysTrophic levels and pyramids (numbers, biomass, energy)Biomass: what it shows and how it changes through a food chainDecomposers: the role of microbes and detritivoresDecomposition: factors that affect rate (temperature, oxygen, moisture)Specified practical: Investigate factors affecting decompositionSampling: quadrats, random sampling and avoiding biasDistribution: transects and identifying change across a habitatSpecified practical: Investigate abundance and distribution of a speciesBiodiversity: what it is and why it mattersMeasuring biodiversity: species richness and comparing habitatsThe carbon cycle: stores, transfers and human impactsThe water cycle: processes and how humans affect itPollution, land use and climate effects on biodiversityConservation strategies: local and global protection (and data issues)Biological control and invasive species: benefits, risks and changing practiceFood security: population, changing diets, pests, sustainability and costIncreasing yields with fewer resources: GM, farming practices and trade-offs
The genome: what it means and why it mattersDNA basics: genes, alleles and chromosomes (how they link)Gene expression: genes coding for proteins (core idea)Mutations: what they are and how they can affect phenotypeSpecified practical: Simple DNA extraction from living materialSexual vs asexual reproduction: similarities and differencesGametes and fertilisation: forming a zygoteMitosis vs meiosis: what each is for (core comparison)Inheritance key terms: genotype, phenotype, dominant, recessiveMonohybrid crosses: using genetic diagrams to predict offspringSex determination: XX/XY inheritance (core model)Variation: genetic, environmental and a mix of bothContinuous vs discontinuous variation (and how to spot each)Natural selection: variation, competition, survival and reproductionEvidence for evolution: fossils, antibiotic resistance, selective pressuresDarwin and Wallace: developing the theory of natural selectionSelective breeding: steps, benefits and drawbacksGenetic engineering: what it is and the basic process stepsGM: benefits, risks and ethical considerations in farming and medicine
