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Langley Grammar School

Langley Grammar 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