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AQA GCSE Biology revision notes

Short notes for every spec point. Pick a topic, then a note.

1

Cell biology

3 subtopics · 17 notes

Cell structure
  1. Subtopic overview: questions, flashcards and PDFs
  2. Eukaryotes and prokaryotes
  3. Animal and plant cells
  4. Required practical 1: using a light microscope
  5. Cell specialisation
  6. Cell differentiation
  7. Microscopy
  8. Culturing microorganisms Triple only
  9. Culture calculations Triple only
  10. Required practical 2: antiseptics and antibiotics Triple only
Cell division
  1. Subtopic overview: questions, flashcards and PDFs
  2. Chromosomes
  3. Mitosis and the cell cycle
  4. Stem cells
Transport in cells
  1. Subtopic overview: questions, flashcards and PDFs
  2. Diffusion
  3. Surface area to volume ratio
  4. Exchange surfaces
  5. Osmosis
  6. Active transport
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2

Organisation

3 subtopics · 27 notes

Principles of organisation
  1. Subtopic overview: questions, flashcards and PDFs
  2. Cells, tissues, organs and organ systems
  3. Size and scale
Animal tissues, organs and organ systems
  1. Subtopic overview: questions, flashcards and PDFs
  2. The digestive system
  3. Enzymes
  4. Amylase, proteases and lipases
  5. Bile
  6. Required practical: food tests
  7. Required practical: the effect of pH on amylase
  8. The heart and the double circulatory system
  9. Controlling the heart rate
  10. The lungs and gas exchange
  11. Blood vessels
  12. Blood
  13. Coronary heart disease
  14. Treating cardiovascular disease
  15. Health and disease
  16. Handling data about disease
  17. Risk factors and causes
  18. The effect of lifestyle on disease
  19. The cost of non-communicable diseases
  20. Using data about risk factors
  21. Cancer
Plant tissues, organs and systems
  1. Subtopic overview: questions, flashcards and PDFs
  2. Plant tissues
  3. The leaf as an organ
  4. Roots, xylem and phloem
  5. Transpiration and stomata
  6. Factors affecting the rate of transpiration
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3

Infection and response

3 subtopics · 13 notes

Communicable diseases
  1. Subtopic overview: questions, flashcards and PDFs
  2. Communicable (infectious) diseases
  3. Viral diseases
  4. Bacterial diseases
  5. Fungal diseases
  6. Protist diseases
  7. Human defence systems
  8. Vaccination
  9. Antibiotics and painkillers
  10. Discovery and development of drugs
Monoclonal antibodiesTriple onlyHigher tier
  1. Subtopic overview: questions, flashcards and PDFs
  2. Producing monoclonal antibodies
  3. Uses of monoclonal antibodies
Plant diseaseTriple only
  1. Subtopic overview: questions, flashcards and PDFs
  2. Detection and identification of plant diseases
  3. Plant defence responses
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4

Bioenergetics

2 subtopics · 8 notes

Photosynthesis
  1. Subtopic overview: questions, flashcards and PDFs
  2. The photosynthetic reaction
  3. Factors that affect the rate of photosynthesis
  4. Interacting factors and the inverse square law Higher tier
  5. Required practical: light intensity and the rate of photosynthesis
  6. Uses of glucose from photosynthesis
Respiration
  1. Subtopic overview: questions, flashcards and PDFs
  2. Aerobic and anaerobic respiration
  3. Response to exercise
  4. Metabolism
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5

Homeostasis and response

4 subtopics · 23 notes

Homeostasis
  1. Subtopic overview: questions, flashcards and PDFs
  2. What homeostasis is
  3. Parts of a control system
The human nervous system
  1. Subtopic overview: questions, flashcards and PDFs
  2. Structure and function of the nervous system
  3. Reflex actions and the reflex arc
  4. Required practical: reaction time
  5. The brain Triple only
  6. The eye: structures and their functions Triple only
  7. Accommodation Triple only
  8. Defects of the eye Triple only
  9. Control of body temperature Triple only
Hormonal coordination in humans
  1. Subtopic overview: questions, flashcards and PDFs
  2. The human endocrine system
  3. Control of blood glucose concentration
  4. Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes
  5. Water balance and the effect of osmosis on cells Triple only
  6. The kidneys and urea Triple only
  7. ADH and water level Triple onlyHigher tier
  8. Kidney failure: dialysis and transplant Triple only
  9. Hormones in human reproduction
  10. Contraception
  11. The use of hormones to treat infertility Higher tier
  12. Adrenaline, thyroxine and negative feedback Higher tier
Plant hormonesTriple only
  1. Subtopic overview: questions, flashcards and PDFs
  2. Plant hormones, phototropism and gravitropism
  3. Uses of plant hormones Higher tier
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6

Inheritance, variation and evolution

4 subtopics · 22 notes

Reproduction
  1. Subtopic overview: questions, flashcards and PDFs
  2. Sexual and asexual reproduction
  3. Meiosis
  4. Advantages and disadvantages of sexual and asexual reproduction Triple only
  5. DNA and the genome
  6. DNA structure Triple only
  7. Genetic inheritance
  8. Inherited disorders
  9. Sex determination
Variation and evolution
  1. Subtopic overview: questions, flashcards and PDFs
  2. Variation
  3. Evolution
  4. Selective breeding
  5. Genetic engineering
  6. Cloning Triple only
The development of understanding of genetics and evolution
  1. Subtopic overview: questions, flashcards and PDFs
  2. Theory of evolution Triple only
  3. Speciation Triple only
  4. The understanding of genetics Triple only
  5. Evidence for evolution
  6. Fossils
  7. Extinction
  8. Resistant bacteria
Classification of living organisms
  1. Subtopic overview: questions, flashcards and PDFs
  2. The Linnaean system and binomial names
  3. Developments in classification
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7

Ecology

5 subtopics · 23 notes

Adaptations, interdependence and competition
  1. Subtopic overview: questions, flashcards and PDFs
  2. Communities
  3. Abiotic factors
  4. Biotic factors
  5. Adaptations
Organisation of an ecosystem
  1. Subtopic overview: questions, flashcards and PDFs
  2. Producers, consumers and food chains
  3. Sampling: distribution and abundance
  4. Predator-prey cycles
  5. How materials are cycled
  6. Decomposition Triple only
  7. Impact of environmental change Triple onlyHigher tier
Biodiversity and the effect of human interaction on ecosystems
  1. Subtopic overview: questions, flashcards and PDFs
  2. Biodiversity
  3. Waste management
  4. Land use
  5. Deforestation
  6. Global warming
  7. Maintaining biodiversity
Trophic levels in an ecosystemTriple only
  1. Subtopic overview: questions, flashcards and PDFs
  2. Trophic levels
  3. Pyramids of biomass
  4. Transfer of biomass
Food productionTriple only
  1. Subtopic overview: questions, flashcards and PDFs
  2. Factors affecting food security
  3. Farming techniques
  4. Sustainable fisheries
  5. Role of biotechnology
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