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LangleyGrammar School

  • Biology

    Key Stage 3

    Please refer to the Science (Years 7&8) subject page for details of the biology topics taught at Key Stage 3

     

    GCSE

    Students studying the subject at GCSE follow the OCR Gateway Biology A (J247) specification. During the course the following topics are covered.

    Year 9 Year 10 Year 11

    B1.1 Cell structures

    • Plant and animal cells
    • Bacterial cells
    • Light microscopy
    • Electron microscopy

     

    B1.2 What happens in cells

    • DNA
    • Transcription and translation
    • Enzymes
    • Enzyme Reactions

     

    B1.3 Respiration

    • Carbohydrates, proteins and lipids
    • Aerobic respiration
    • Anaerobic respiration

     

    B1.4 Photosynthesis

    • Photosynthesis
    • Photosynthesis experiments
    • Factors affecting photosynthesis
    • Interaction of limiting factors

     

    B2.1 Supplying the cell

    • Diffusion
    • Osmosis
    • Active transport
    • Cell differentiation
    • Stem cells

    B2.2 The challenges of size

    • Exchange and transport
    • Circulatory system
    • Heart and blood

     

    B2.2 The challenges of size

    • Plant transport systems
    • Transpiration stream
    • Factors affecting transpiration

     

    B3.1 The nervous system

    • Nervous system
    • Reflexes
    • The eye
    • The brain
    • Nervous system damage

     

    B3.2 The endocrine system

    • Hormones
    • Negative feedback
    • The menstrual cycle
    • Controlling reproduction
    • Using hormones to treat infertility
    • Plant hormones
    • Uses of plant hormones

     

    B3.3 Maintaining internal environments

    • Controlling body temperature
    • Controlling blood sugar
    • Maintaining water balance
    • Inside the kidney
    • Responding to osmotic challenges

     

    B4.1 Ecosystems

    • Ecosystems
    • Abiotic and biotic factors
    • Competition and interdependence
    • Pyramids of biomass
    • Efficiency of biomass transfer
    • Nutrient cycling
    • The carbon cycle
    • Decomposers

     

    B5.1 Inheritance

    • Variation
    • Sexual and asexual reproduction
    • Meiosis
    • Dominant and recessive genes
    • Genetic crosses
    • Mutations
    • The history of genetics

    B5.2- Natural selection and evolution.

    • Natural selection
    • The evidence of evolution
    • The theory of evolution
    • Classification systems

    B6.1- Monitoring and maintaining the environment.

    • Sampling techniques
    • Loss of biodiversity
    • Increasing biodiversity
    • Maintaining biodiversity
    • Monitoring biodiversity

    B6.2- Feeding the human race.

    • Food security
    • Feeding the world
    • Selective breeding
    • Genetic engineering
    • Producing a genetically engineered organism
    • Use of biotechnology in farming

    B6.3- Monitoring and maintaining health.

    • Health and disease
    • Spread of communicable diseases
    • Preventing the spread of communicable diseases
    • Human infections
    • Plant diseases
    • Plant defences
    • Identification of plant disease
    • Blood and body defence mechanisms
    • Monoclonal antibodies
    • Vaccinations
    • Prevention and treatment of disease
    • Aseptic technique
    • New medicines
    • Noncommunicable diseases
    • Treating cardiovascular disease
    • Modern advances in medicine

    For more detailed information on the course content and assessment please refer to the examination board website: http://www.ocr.org.uk/qualifications/gcse-gateway-science-suite-biology-a-j247-from-2016/

    For additional resources:

    Please visit our Youtube channel- https://youtube.com/@lgsbiology8643?si=Tzvvz50ob-LKJR_X

    Please visit our LGS biocast- https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/lgs-biocast/id1674569448

    A Level

    Students studying the subject at A Level follow the OCR Biology A (H420) specification. During the course the following topics are covered.

    Year 12 Year 13

    Module 1- Development of practical skills.

    • Planning, implementing, analysing and evaluating practical procedures over the full A level course.

     

    Module 2- Foundations in Biology

    • Cell structure
    • Biological molecules
    • Nucleotides and nucleic acids
    • Enzymes
    • Biological membranes
    • Cell division, cell diversity and ceullar organisation.

     

    Module 3- Exchange and transport

    • Exchange surfaces
    • Transport in animals
    • Transport in plants

     

    Module 4-

    • Communicable diseases, disease prevention and the immune system
    • Biodiversity
    • Classification and evolution

     

    Module 5- Communication, homeostasis and energy

    • Hormonal communication

     

    Module 6- Genetics, evolution and ecosystems

    • Ecosystems
    • Populations and sustainabilty

    Module 5- Communication, homeostasis and energy

    • Communication and homeostasis
    • Excretion as an example of homeostatic control
    • Neuronal communication
    • Plant and animal responses
    • Photosynthesis
    • Respiration

     

    Module 6- Genetics, evolution and ecosystems

    • Cellular control
    • Patterns of inheritance
    • Manipulating genomes
    • Cloning and Biotechnology

    For more detailed information on the course content and assessment please refer to the examination board website: http://www.ocr.org.uk/qualifications/as-a-level-gce-biology-a-h020-h420-from-2015/

     Youtube channel- https://youtube.com/@lgsbiology8643?si=Tzvvz50ob-LKJR_X

    Additional resources

    Students may find the following links and/or resources useful to further their studies of this subject:

    BBC Bitesize KS3 Science

    www.docbrown

    our youtube channel- https://youtube.com/@lgsbiology8643?si=Tzvvz50ob-LKJR_X

    And a link to our LGS biocast- https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/lgs-biocast/id1674569448