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Animal and plant cells: structures and functionsUsing a light microscope and drawing cells (required practical)Specialised cells, tissues, organs and organ systemsDiffusion and factors affecting diffusionOsmosis in cells (including turgor and plasmolysis)Active transport and why cells need itEnzymes as biological catalystsFactors affecting enzyme activity (temperature, pH, concentration)Investigating enzyme action (required practical)
Aerobic respiration: word and symbol equationsAnaerobic respiration in animals (lactic acid)Anaerobic respiration in plants and microorganisms (fermentation)The human respiratory system (airways to alveoli)Ventilation: breathing in and out (mechanics)Gas exchange at the alveoli (adaptations + diffusion)Comparing inspired and expired airSmoking and lung disease (tar, nicotine, carbon monoxide)
Why we need digestion (large to small soluble molecules)Nutrients and a balanced dietFood tests (starch, sugars, protein, lipids)The digestive system: organs and their functionsDigestive enzymes (carbohydrase, protease, lipase)Bile and emulsificationAbsorption in the small intestine (villi)The products of digestion and how they’re usedInvestigating the energy content of foods (required practical)
The heart: structure, valves and blood flowDouble circulation and why it’s efficientBlood vessels: arteries, veins and capillariesBlood components and their functionsExchange at capillaries and in tissuesCardiovascular disease and risk factorsTreatments for cardiovascular disease (stents, statins, transplants)Evaluating lifestyle changes and medical treatments
Plant organs and tissues (including xylem and phloem)Photosynthesis: equation, chloroplasts and limiting factorsHow plants use glucose (storage and making new materials)Investigating factors affecting photosynthesis (required practical)Transpiration and stomataTransport in plants: the transpiration streamFactors affecting transpiration (required practical)Mineral ions and deficiency symptoms (N, P, K)Using fertilisers (NPK) and impacts on growth
Food chains, food webs and trophic levelsPyramids of numbers and pyramids of biomassEnergy transfers and efficiency between trophic levelsDecomposition and the role of micro-organismsThe carbon cycleThe nitrogen cycle (including soil bacteria)Sampling: quadrats, transects and random samplingCapture–recapture and estimating population sizeInvestigating distribution and abundance (required practical)Human impacts: pollution, eutrophication, indicator species, intensive farming
Why classification is needed (species and biodiversity)The five kingdoms and key characteristicsUsing classification keysAdaptations: structural, behavioural and functionalCompetition and interactions in ecosystemsBiodiversity and why it mattersMeasuring biodiversity (sampling methods)Capture–recapture in practiceBiological control and introduced species risks
The cell cycle and why cells divideMitosis: what happens and what it producesGrowth, repair and differentiationCancer and uncontrolled cell divisionStem cells: embryonic vs adultUses of stem cells in medicineRisks, ethics and regulation of stem cell researchTissue rejection and the need for matching
DNA, genes and chromosomesAlleles, genotype and phenotypeVariation: inherited vs environmental causesMonohybrid inheritance and Punnett squaresDominant and recessive genetic disordersSex determination and inheritance patternsMutations: causes and consequencesUsing genetic evidence in medicine and society
Types of variation: continuous vs discontinuousMeasuring variation in a populationInvestigating variation in organisms (required practical)Natural selection and adaptationSpeciation and extinctionEvolution in action: resistance in bacteria and pestsHuman evolution and evidence from fossils/DNAThe human genome and why it matters for medicine
The nervous system: receptors, coordinators and effectorsReflex actions and reflex arcsThe eye: structure and functionHormones and the endocrine systemBlood glucose control (insulin and glucagon)Temperature regulation and negative feedbackDrugs and alcohol: effects on body processesPlant hormones and tropisms (phototropism and gravitropism)Investigating reaction time (required practical)
Excretion and the urinary systemKidney structure and the nephronFiltration at the glomerulusSelective reabsorption and urine formationOsmoregulation and the role of ADHTesting urine for glucose and protein (required practical)Dialysis: how it works and limitationsKidney transplants: tissue typing and rejection
Micro-organisms: useful vs harmfulAseptic technique and safe culturingFactors affecting microbial growthTemperature control in food storageAntibiotics: what they do (and don’t do)Investigating antibiotics on bacterial growth (required practical)Industrial fermentation and bioreactorsPenicillium and producing penicillin
Health and disease: communicable vs non-communicablePathogens and how diseases spreadHIV/AIDS, chlamydia and malaria (cause, effects, prevention)Physical and chemical barriers (skin, mucus, stomach acid)Immune response: phagocytes, antibodies and antitoxinsVaccination and herd immunityAntibiotics, antivirals and resistanceDeveloping new medicines: testing and clinical trialsEvaluating risk, evidence and vaccination decisions
Planning investigations: variables, hypotheses and method designRisk assessment and safe practical workCollecting results: accuracy, precision and repeatabilityPresenting data: tables, graphs and unitsAnalysing data: means, rates, % change and drawing conclusionsEvaluating methods and improving reliabilityPreparing for the WJEC practical task format
