Each Topic In Detail
Autumn Term Y10 first half: Topic 1 – Key Concepts in Biology
- Microscopes
- Plant and animal cells
- Core practical: using microscopes
- Specialised cells
- Inside bacteria
- Enzymes and nutrition
- Core practical: testing foods
- Enzyme action
- Enzyme activity
- Core practical: pH and enzymes
- Transporting substances
- Core practical: osmosis in potato cores
Autumn term Y10 second half: Topic 2 – Cells & Control
- Mitosis
- Growth in animals
- Growth in plants
- Stem cells
- The brain
- Brain & spinal cord problems
- The nervous system
- The eye
- Neurotransmission
Spring term Y10 first half: Topic 5 – Health, disease & the development of medicines
- Health & disease
- Non-communicable diseases
- Cardiovascular disease
- Pathogens
- Spreading pathogens
- Virus life cycles
- Plant defences
- Plant diseases
- Physical and chemical barriers to pathogens
- The immune system
- Antibiotics
- Core practical: the effect of antibiotics on bacterial growth
- Monoclonal antibodies
Spring term Y10 second half: Topic 6 – Plant structures & their functions
- Photosynthesis
- Factors that affect photosynthesis
- Core practical: light intensity and photosynthesis
- Absorbing water and mineral ions
- Transpiration and translocation
- Plant adaptations
- Plant hormones
- Uses of plant hormones
Summer term Y10: Topic 9 – Ecosystems & material cycles
- Ecosystems
- Energy transfer
- Abiotic factors & communities
- Core practical: quadrats & transects
- Biotic factors & communities
- Assessing pollution
- Parasitism & mutualism
- Biodiversity & humans
- Preserving biodiversity
- Food security
- The water cycle
- The carbon cycle
- The nitrogen cycle
- Rates of decomposition
Autumn term Y11 first half: Topic 3 – Genetics
- Sexual & asexual reproduction
- Meiosis
- DNA
- DNA extraction
- Protein synthesis
- Genetic variants & phenotypes
- Mendel
- Alleles
- Inheritance
- Multiple & missing alleles
- Gene mutation
- Variation
Autumn term Y11 second half: Topic 4 – Natural selection and genetic modification
- The evidence for human evolution
- Darwin & Wallace’s theory
- The development of Darwin’s theory
- Classification
- Breeds & varieties
- Tissue culture
- Genes in agriculture & medicine
- Genetic modification & agriculture
- Fertilisers & biological control
Spring term Y11 first half: Topic 8 – Exchange and transport in animals
- Transport & exchange
- The factors affecting diffusion
- The circulatory system
- The heart
- Cellular respiration
- Core practical: respiration rates in living organisms
Spring term Y11 second half: Topic 7 – Coordination, control and homeostasis
- Hormones
- The hormonal control of metabolic rate
- The menstrual cycle
- Hormones & the menstrual cycle
- The control of blood glucose
- Type 2 diabetes
- Thermoregulation
- Osmoregulation
- The kidneys