transition pack for a level biology - the consortium

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Transition Pack for A Level Biology

GetreadyforA-level!AguidetohelpyougetreadyforA-levelBiology,includingeverythingfromtopicguidestodaysout

andonlinelearningcourses.

Commissioned by The PiXL Club Ltd. April 2018

© Copyright The PiXL Club Ltd, 2018

Pleasenote:theseresourcesarenon-boardspecific.Pleasedirectyourstudentstothespecificsofwherethisknowledgeandskillsmostapply.


ThispackcontainsaprogrammeofactivitiesandresourcestoprepareyoutostartA levelBiology inSeptember. It isaimedtobeusedafteryou complete your GCSE throughout the remainder of the summertermandover the summerholidays to ensure youare ready to startyourcourseinSeptember.

https://www.distance-education-academy.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/biology-a-level-course.jpg

Kickbackthissummerwithagoodread.ThebooksbelowareallpopularsciencebooksandgreatforextendingyourunderstandingofBiology.

TheRedQueenItsallaboutsex.Orsexualselectionatleast.Thisbookwillreallyhelpyourunderstandingofevolutionandparticularlythefascinatingroleofsexinevolution.Availableatamazon.co.uk

AShortHistoryofNearlyEverythingAwhistle-stoptourthroughmanyaspectsofhistoryfromtheBigBangtonow.Thisisareallyaccessiblereadthatwillre-familiariseyouwithcommonconceptsandintroduceyoutosomeofthemorecolourfulcharactersfromthehistoryofscience!Availableatamazon.co.uk

StudyingGeographyaswell?Hen’sTeethandHorse’sToesStephenJayGouldisagreatevolutionwriterandthisbookdiscusseslotsoffascinatingstoriesaboutgeologyandevolution.Availableatamazon.co.uk

Aneasyread..Frankenstein’sCatDiscoverhowglowinthedarkfisharemadeandmoregreatbiotechnologybreakthroughs.Availableatamazon.co.uk


JunkDNAOurDNAissomuchmorecomplexthanyouprobablyrealize,thisbookwillreallydeepenyourunderstandingofalltheworkyouwilldoongenetics.Availableatamazon.co.uk


InheritTheWind(1960)Greatifyoucanfindit.BasedonareallifetrialofateacheraccusedofthecrimeofteachingDarwinianevolutioninschoolinAmerica.Doesthedebaterumbleontoday?

Lorenzo’sOil(1992)Basedonatruestory.Ayoungchildsuffersfromanautoimmunedisease.Theparentsresearchandchallengedoctorstodevelopanewcureforhisdisease.

AndromedaStrain(1971)SciencefictionbythegreatthrillerwriterMichaelCricthon(mostfamousforwritingJurassicPark).HumansbegindyingwhenanalienmicrobearrivesonEarth.

GorillasintheMist(1988)AnabsoluteclassicthatretellsthetruestoryofthelifeandworkofDianFosseyandherworkstudyingandprotectingmountaingorillasfrompoachersandhabitatloss.Atearjerker.

SomethingtheLordMade(2004)ProfessorSnape(thelategreatAlanRickman)inaverydifferentrole.Thefilmtellsthestoryofthescientistsatthecuttingedgeofearlyheartsurgeryaswellasissuessurroundingracismatthetime.

TherearesomegreatTVseriesandboxsetsavailabletoo,youmightwanttocheckout:BluePlanet,PlanetEarthIandII,,Icarus,Blackfish,TheAscentofMan,Catastrophe,FrozenPlanet,LifeStory,TheHuntandMonsoon.

Everyonelovesagoodstoryandeveryonelovessomegreatscience.Herearesomeofthepicksofthebestfilmsbasedonreallifescientistsanddiscoveries.YouwontfindJurassicParkonthislist,we’velookedbackoverthelast50yearstogiveyouourtop5filmsyoumightnothaveseenbefore.Greatwatchingforarainyday.


ANewSuperweaponintheFightAgainstCancerAvailableat:http://www.ted.com/talks/paula_hammond_a_new_superweapon_in_the_fight_against_cancer?language=enCancerisaveryclever,adaptabledisease.Todefeatit,saysmedicalresearcherandeducatorPaulaHammond,weneedanewandpowerfulmodeofattack.

WhyBeesareDisappearingAvailableat:http://www.ted.com/talks/marla_spivak_why_bees_are_disappearing?language=enHoneybeeshavethrivedfor50millionyears,eachcolony40to50,000individualscoordinatedinamazingharmony.Sowhy,sevenyearsago,didcoloniesstartdyingen-masse?

WhatDoctorsDon’tKnowAbouttheDrugsTheyPrescribeAvailableat:http://www.ted.com/talks/ben_goldacre_what_doctors_don_t_know_about_the_drugs_they_prescribe?language=enWhenanewdruggetstested,theresultsofthetrialsshouldbepublishedfortherestofthemedicalworld—exceptmuchofthetime,negativeorinconclusivefindingsgounreported,leavingdoctorsandresearchersinthedark.

GrowingNewOrgansAvailableat:http://www.ted.com/talks/anthony_atala_growing_organs_engineering_tissue?language=enAnthonyAtalla'sstate-of-the-artlabgrowshumanorgans—frommusclestobloodvesselstobladders,andmore.

Ifyouhave30minutestospare,herearesomegreatpresentations(andfree!)fromworldleadingscientistsandresearchersonavarietyoftopics.Theyprovidesomeinterestinganswersandasksomethought-provokingquestions.UsethelinkorscantheQRcodetoview:


1. Divideyourpageintothreesectionslikethis

3.Usethelargeboxtomakenotes.Leaveaspacebetweenseparateideas.Abbreviatewherepossible.

5.Writeasummaryofthemainideasinthebottomspace

2. Writethename,dateandtopicatthetopofthepage

4. Reviewandidentifythekeypointsinthelefthandbox

Imagestakenfromhttp://coe.jmu.edu/learningtoolbox/cornellnotes.html

Research,readingandnotemakingareessentialskillsforAlevelBiologystudy.Forthefollowingtaskyouaregoingtoproduce‘CornellNotes’tosummariseyourreading.


TheBigPictureisanexcellentpublicationfromtheWellcomeTrust.Alongwiththemagazine,thecompanyproducesposters,videosandotherresourcesaimedatstudentsstudyingforGCSEsandAlevel.Foreachofthefollowingtopics,youaregoingtousetheresourcestoproduceonepageofCornellstylenotes.UsethelinksorscantheQRcodetotakeyoutotheresources.

Topic1:TheCellAvailableat:http://bigpictureeducation.com/cellThecellisthebuildingblockoflife.Eachofusstartsfromasinglecell,azygote,andgrowsintoacomplexorganismmadeoftrillionsofcells.Inthisissue,weexplorewhatweknow–andwhatwedon’tyetknow–aboutthecellsthatarethebasisofusallandhowtheyreproduce,grow,move,communicateanddie.

Topic2:TheImmuneSystemAvailableat:http://bigpictureeducation.com/immuneTheimmunesystemiswhatkeepsushealthyinspiteofthemanyorganismsandsubstancesthatcandousharm.Inthisissue,weexplorehowourbodiesaredesignedtopreventpotentiallyharmfulobjectsfromgettinginsideandwhathappenswhenbacteria,viruses,fungiorotherforeignorganismsorsubstancesbreachthesebarriers.

Topic3:Exercise,EnergyandMovementAvailableat:http://bigpictureeducation.com/exercise-energy-and-movementAlllivingthingsmove.Whetherit’saplantgrowingtowardsthesun,bacteriaswimmingawayfromatoxinoryouwalkinghome,anythingalivemustmovetosurvive.Forhumansthough,movementismorethanjustsurvival–wemoveforfun,tocompeteandtobehealthy.Inthisissuewelookatthebiologicalsystemsthatkeepusmovingandconsidersomeofthepsychological,socialandethicalaspectsofexerciseandsport.


Topic4:PopulationsAvailableat:http://bigpictureeducation.com/populationsWhat’sthefirstthingthatpopsintoyourmindwhenyoureadthewordpopulation?Mostlikelyit’stheever-increasinghumanpopulationonearth.You’reamemberofthatpopulation,whichisthetermforallthemembersofasinglespecieslivingtogetherinthesamelocation.Thetermpopulationisn’tjustusedtodescribehumans;itincludesotheranimals,plantsandmicrobestoo.Inthisissue,welearnmoreabouthowpopulationsgrow,changeandmove,andwhyunderstandingthemissoimportant.

Topic4:HealthandClimateChangeAvailableat:http://bigpictureeducation.com/health-and-climate-changeTheEarth’sclimateischanging.Infact,ithasalwaysbeenchanging.Whatisdifferentnowisthespeedofchangeandthemaincauseofchange–humanactivities.Thisissueasks:Whatarethebiggestthreatstohumanhealth?Whowillsufferastheclimatechanges?Whatcanbedonetominimiseharm?Andhowdowecopewithuncertainty?


DNAandtheGeneticCodeInlivingorganismsnucleicacids(DNAandRNA)haveimportantrolesandfunctionsrelatedtotheirproperties.ThesequenceofbasesintheDNAmoleculedeterminesthestructureofproteins,includingenzymes.Thedoublehelixanditsfourbasesstoretheinformationthatispassedfromgenerationtogeneration.Thesequenceofthebasepairsadenine,thymine,cytosineandguaninetellribosomesinthecytoplasmhowtoconstructaminoacidsintopolypeptidesandproduceeverycharacteristicwesee.DNAcanmutateleadingtodiseasesincludingcancerandsometimesanomaliesinthegeneticcodearepassedfromparentstobabiesindiseasessuchascysticfibrosis,orcanbedevelopedinunbornfoetusessuchasDownsSyndrome.Readtheinformationonthesewebsites(youcouldmakemoreCornellnotesifyouwish):http://www.bbc.co.uk/education/guides/z36mmp3/revisionhttp://www.s-cool.co.uk/a-level/biology/dna-and-genetic-code

Andtakealookatthesevideos:http://ed.ted.com/lessons/the-twisting-tale-of-dna-judith-hauckhttp://ed.ted.com/lessons/where-do-genes-come-from-carl-zimmer

Task:ProduceawalldisplaytoputupinyourclassroominSeptember.YoumightmakeaposterordothisusingPowerPointorsimilar.Yourdisplayshoulduseimages,keywordsandsimpleexplanationsto:• Definegene,chromosome,DNAandbasepair• DescribethestructureandfunctionofDNAandRNA• ExplainhowDNAiscopiedinthebody• OutlinesomeoftheproblemsthatoccurwithDNAreplicationandwhattheconsequencesofthismightbe.

EvolutionTransferofgeneticinformationfromonegenerationtothenextcanensurecontinuityofspeciesorleadtovariationwithinaspeciesandpossibleformationofnewspecies.Reproductiveisolationcanleadtoaccumulationofdifferentgeneticinformationinpopulationspotentiallyleadingtoformationofnewspecies(speciation).Sequencingprojectshavereadthegenomesoforganismsrangingfrommicrobesandplants,tohumans.Thisallowsthesequencesoftheproteinsthatderivefromthegeneticcodetobepredicted.Genetechnologiesallowstudyandalterationofgenefunctioninordertobetterunderstandorganismfunctionandtodesignnewindustrialandmedicalprocesses.Readtheinformationonthesewebsites(youcouldmakemoreCornellnotesifyouwish):http://www.bbc.co.uk/education/guides/z237hyc/revision/4http://www.s-cool.co.uk/a-level/biology/evolution

Andtakealookatthesevideos:http://ed.ted.com/lessons/how-to-sequence-the-human-genome-mark-j-kielhttp://ed.ted.com/lessons/the-race-to-sequence-the-human-genome-tien-nguyen

Task:ProduceaonepagerevisionguideforanASBiologystudentthatrecapsthekeywordsandconceptsinthistopic.Yourrevisionguideshould:• Describespeciation• Explainwhatagenomeis• Giveexamplesofhowthisinformationhasalreadybeenusedtodevelopnewtreatmentsandtechnologies.

AlevelBiologywilluseyourknowledgefromGCSEandbuildonthistohelpyouunderstandnewandmoredemandingideas.Completethefollowingtaskstomakesureyourknowledgeisuptodateandyouarereadytostartstudying:


BiodiversityThevarietyoflife,bothpastandpresent,isextensivebutthebiochemicalbasisoflifeissimilarforalllivingthings.Biodiversityreferstothevarietyandcomplexityoflifeandmaybeconsideredatdifferentlevels.Biodiversitycanbemeasured,forexample,withinahabitatoratthegeneticlevel.Classificationisameansoforganisingthevarietyoflifebasedonrelationshipsbetweenorganismsandisbuiltaroundtheconceptofspecies.Originallyclassificationsystemswerebasedonobservablefeaturesbutmorerecentapproachesdrawonawiderrangeofevidencetoclarifyrelationshipsbetweenorganisms.Adaptationsoforganismstotheirenvironmentscanbebehavioural,physiologicalandanatomical.Adaptationandselectionaremajorfactorsinevolutionandmakeasignificantcontributiontothediversityoflivingorganisms.

Readtheinformationonthesewebsites(youcouldmakemoreCornellnotesifyouwish):http://www.s-cool.co.uk/a-level/biology/ecological-conceptshttp://www.s-cool.co.uk/a-level/biology/classification

Andtakealookatthesevideos:http://ed.ted.com/lessons/why-is-biodiversity-so-important-kim-preshoffhttp://ed.ted.com/lessons/can-wildlife-adapt-to-climate-change-erin-eastwood

Task:WriteapersuasivelettertoanMP,organisationorpressuregrouppromotingconservationtomaintainbiodiversity.Yourlettershould:• Definewhatismeantbyspeciesandclassification• Describehowspeciesareclassified• Explainonewayscientistscancollectdataaboutahabitat,givinganexample• Explainadaptationandhowhabitatchangemayposeathreattonichespecies.

ExchangeandTransportOrganismsneedtoexchangesubstancesselectivelywiththeirenvironmentandthistakesplaceatexchangesurfaces.Factorssuchassizeormetabolicrateaffecttherequirementsoforganismsandthisgivesrisetoadaptationssuchasspecialisedexchangesurfacesandmasstransportsystems.Substancesareexchangedbypassiveoractivetransportacrossexchangesurfaces.Thestructureoftheplasmamembraneenablescontrolofthepassageofsubstancesintoandoutofcells.

Readtheinformationonthesewebsites(youcouldmakemoreCornellnotesifyouwish):http://www.s-cool.co.uk/a-level/biology/gas-exchangehttp://www.s-cool.co.uk/a-level/biology/nutrition-and-digestion/revise-it/human-digestive-system

Andtakealookatthesevideos:http://ed.ted.com/lessons/insights-into-cell-membranes-via-dish-detergent-ethan-perlsteinhttp://ed.ted.com/lessons/what-do-the-lungs-do-emma-bryce

Task:CreateaposterordisplaytogoinyourclassroominSeptember.Yourpostershouldeither:compareexchangesurfacesinmammalsandfish,orcompareexchangesurfacesinthelungsandtheintestines.YoucoulduseaVenndiagramtodothis.Yourpostershould:• Describediffusion,osmosisandactivetransport• Explainwhyoxygenandglucoseneedtobeabsorbedandwasteproductsremoved• Compareandcontrastyourchosenfocus.


BiologicalMoleculesBiologicalmoleculesareoftenpolymersandarebasedonasmallnumberofchemicalelements.Inlivingorganismscarbohydrates,proteins,lipids,inorganicionsandwaterallhaveimportantrolesandfunctionsrelatedtotheirproperties.DNAdeterminesthestructureofproteins,includingenzymes.Enzymescatalysethereactionsthatdeterminestructuresandfunctionsfromcellulartowhole-organismlevel.Enzymesareproteinswithamechanismofactionandotherpropertiesdeterminedbytheirtertiarystructure.ATPprovidestheimmediatesourceofenergyforbiologicalprocesses.

Readtheinformationonthesewebsites(youcouldmakemoreCornellnotesifyouwish):http://www.s-cool.co.uk/a-level/biology/biological-molecules-and-enzymeshttp://www.bbc.co.uk/education/guides/zb739j6/revision

Andtakealookatthesevideos:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H8WJ2KENlK0http://ed.ted.com/lessons/activation-energy-kickstarting-chemical-reactions-vance-kite

Task:Krabbediseaseoccurswhenapersondoesn’thaveacertainenzymeintheirbody.Thediseaseeffectsthenervoussystem.WritealettertoaGPorasufferertoexplainwhatanenzymeis.Yourpostershould:• Describethestructureofanenzyme• Explainwhatenzymesdoinsidethebody

CellsThecellisaunifyingconceptinbiology,youwillcomeacrossitmanytimesduringyourtwoyearsofAlevelstudy.Prokaryoticandeukaryoticcellscanbedistinguishedonthebasisoftheirstructureandultrastructure.Incomplexmulticellularorganisms,cellsareorganisedintotissues,tissuesintoorgansandorgansintosystems.Duringthecellcyclegeneticinformationiscopiedandpassedtodaughtercells.Daughtercellsformedduringmitosishaveidenticalcopiesofgeneswhilecellsformedduringmeiosisarenotgeneticallyidentical.

Readtheinformationonthesewebsites(youcouldmakemoreCornellnotesifyouwish):http://www.s-cool.co.uk/a-level/biology/cells-and-organelleshttp://www.bbc.co.uk/education/guides/zvjycdm/revision

Andtakealookatthesevideos:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gcTuQpuJyD8https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L0k-enzoeOMhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qCLmR9-YY7o

Task:ProduceaonepagerevisionguidetosharewithyourclassinSeptembersummarisingoneofthefollowingtopics:CellsandCellUltrastructure,ProkaryotesandEukaryotes,orMitosisandMeiosis.Whichevertopicyouchoose,yourrevisionguideshouldinclude:• Keywordsanddefinitions• Clearlylabelleddiagrams• Shortexplanationsofkeyideasorprocesses.


EcosystemsEcosystemsrangeinsizefromtheverylargetotheverysmall.Biomasstransfersthroughecosystemsandtheefficiencyoftransferthroughdifferenttrophiclevelscanbemeasured.Microorganismsplayakeyroleinrecyclingchemicalelements.Ecosystemsaredynamicsystems,usuallymovingfromcolonisationtoclimaxcommunitiesinaprocessknownassuccession.Thedynamicequilibriumofpopulationsisaffectedbyarangeoffactors.Humansarepartoftheecologicalbalanceandtheiractivitiesaffectitbothdirectlyandindirectly.Effectivemanagementoftheconflictbetweenhumanneedsandconservationhelptomaintainsustainabilityofresources.

Readtheinformationonthesewebsites(youcouldmakemoreCornellnotesifyouwish):http://www.bbc.co.uk/education/guides/z7vqtfr/revisionhttp://www.s-cool.co.uk/a-level/biology/ecological-concepts

Andtakealookatthesevideos:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jZKIHe2LDP8https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E8dkWQVFAoA

Task:Produceanewspaperormagazinearticleaboutoneecosystem(e.g.thearctic,theSahara,therainforest,orsomethingclosertohomelikeyourlocalwoodland,naturereserveorshoreline).Yourarticleshouldinclude:• Keywordsanddefinitions• Picturesordiagramsofyourchosenecosystem.• Adescriptionofthechangesthathaveoccurredinthisecosystem• Anexplanationofthethreatsandfuturechangesthatmayfurtheralterthisecosystem.

ControlSystemsHomeostasisisthemaintenanceofaconstantinternalenvironment.Negativefeedbackhelpsmaintainanoptimalinternalstateinthecontextofadynamicequilibrium.Positivefeedbackalsooccurs.Stimuli,bothinternalandexternal,aredetectedleadingtoresponses.Thegenomeisregulatedbyanumberoffactors.Coordinationmaybechemicalorelectricalinnature

Readtheinformationonthesewebsites(youcouldmakemoreCornellnotesifyouwish):http://www.s-cool.co.uk/a-level/biology/homeostasishttp://www.bbc.co.uk/education/topics/z8kxpv4

Andtakealookatthesevideos:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x4PPZCLnVkAhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x4PPZCLnVkA

Task:ProduceapostertodisplayinyourclassroominSeptembersummarisingoneofthefollowingtopics:TemperatureControl,WaterandtheKidneys,Glucose,orTheLiver.Whichevertopicyouchoose,yourposterordisplayshouldinclude:KeywordsanddefinitionsClearlylabelleddiagramsShortexplanationsofkeyideasorprocesses.


ScientificandInvestigativeSkillsAspartofyourAlevelyouwillcompleteapracticalassessment.Thiswillrequireyoutocarryoutaseriesofpracticalactivitiesaswellasplanninghowtodothem,analysingtheresultsandevaluatingthemethods.Thiswillrequireyouto:useappropriateapparatustorecordarangeofquantitativemeasurements(toincludemass,time,volume,temperature,lengthandpH),useappropriateinstrumentationtorecordquantitativemeasurements,suchasacolorimeterorphotometer,uselaboratoryglasswareapparatusforavarietyofexperimentaltechniquestoincludeserialdilutions,useoflightmicroscopeathighpowerandlowpower,includinguseofagraticule,producescientificdrawingfromobservationwithannotations,usequalitativereagentstoidentifybiologicalmolecules,separatebiologicalcompoundsusingthinlayer/paperchromatographyorelectrophoresis,safelyandethicallyuseorganisms,usemicrobiologicalaseptictechniques,includingtheuseofagarplatesandbroth,safelyuseinstrumentsfordissectionofananimalorgan,orplantorgan,usesamplingtechniquesinfieldwork.

Task:Produceaglossaryforthefollowingkeywords:accuracy,anomaly,calibration,causallink,chance,confoundingvariable,controlexperiment,controlgroup,controlvariable,correlation,dependentvariable,errors,evidence,fairtest,hypothesis,independent,nullhypothesis,precision,probability,protocol,randomdistribution,randomerror,rawdata,reliability,systematicerror,truevalue,validity,zeroerror,

EnergyforBiologicalProcessesIncellularrespiration,glycolysistakesplaceinthecytoplasmandtheremainingstepsinthemitochondria.ATPsynthesisisassociatedwiththeelectrontransferchaininthemembranesofmitochondriaandchloroplastsinphotosynthesisenergyistransferredtoATPinthelight-dependentstageandtheATPisutilisedduringsynthesisinthelight-independentstage.

Readtheinformationonthesewebsites(youcouldmakemoreCornellnotesifyouwish):http://www.bbc.co.uk/education/guides/zcxrd2p/revisionhttp://www.s-cool.co.uk/a-level/biology/respiration

Andtakealookatthesevideos:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=00jbG_cfGuQhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2f7YwCtHcgk

Task:ProduceanA3annotatedinformationposterthatillustratestheprocessofcellularrespirationandsummarisesthekeypoints.Yourpostershouldinclude:• Bothtextandimages• Bevisuallystimulating• Keywordsanddefinitions• Clearlylabelleddiagrams• Shortexplanationsofkeyideasorprocesses.


GlasgowScienceCentre-Glasgow

TheLakelandWildlifeOasis-Milnthorpe

DundeeScienceCentre-Dundee

ScottishSeabirdcentre–NorthBerwick

W5-Belfast

Life–Newcastle-upon-Tyne

AngleseySeaZoo-Anglesey

CambridgeScienceCentre-Cambridge

Think-tank-BirminghamNationalMuseum-Cardiff

HerrimanMuseumandGardens-London

TheEdenProject-CornwallBristolScienceCentre-Bristol

TheLivingRainforest-Newbury

CentreoftheCell-London

RoyalBotanicGardens–Kew-Edinburgh

OxfordUniversityMuseumofNaturalHistory-Oxford

NationalMarineAquarium-Plymouth

IfyouareonholidayintheUK,oronastaycationathome,whynotplanadaytriptooneofthese:


IfyouareonholidayintheUK,oronastaycationathome,whynotplanadaytriptooneofthese:

Remembertherearealsolotsofzoos,wildlifeandsafariparksacrossthecountry,herearesomeyoumaynothaveheardoforconsidered:ColchesterZoo,CotswoldWildlifePark,BanhamZoo(Norfolk),TropicalBirdland(Leicestershire),YorkshireWildlifePark,PeakWildlifePark,InternationalCentreforBirdsofPrey(York),BlackpoolZoo,BealePark(Reading)

Therearealsohundredsofnaturereserves(someofwhicharefree)locatedalloverthecountryincluding:RSPBsitesatLochwinnoch,Saltholme,FairburnIngs,OldMoor,Conwy,Minsmere,RainhamMarshes,PulboroughBrooks,RadipoleLake,NewportWetlands.WildlifeTrustReservesandothersatRutlandWater,Pensthorpe,InshMarshes,AttenboroughCentre,Inversnaid,Skomer,LochGarten,DonnaNook,ChapmansWell,WoodwaltonFen,LondonWetlandCentre,MartinDownandWoolstonEyesReserve.

Manyorganisationsalsohaveopportunitiesforpeopletovolunteeroverthesummermonths,thismightincludeworkinginashop/café/visitorcentre,helpingwithsitemaintenanceortakingpartinbiologicalsurveys.Notonlyisthisgreatexperience,itlooksgreatonajoborUCASapplication.

Foropportunitieskeepaneyeoutinyourlocalpress,onsocialmedia,orlookatthewebsitesoforganisationsliketheRSPB,WildlifeTrust,NationalTrustorWildlife&WetlandTrust.

Therearealsoprobablylotsofsmallerorganisationsnearyouwhowouldalsoappreciateanysupportyoucangive!


ScienceonSocialMedia

FindonFacebook:Nature-theprofilepagefornature.comfornews,features,researchandeventsfromNaturePublishingGroup

MarineConservationInstitute–publishesthelatestsciencetoidentifyimportantmarineecosystemsaroundtheworld.

NationalGeographic-since1888,NationalGeographichastravelledtheEarth,sharingitsamazingstoriesinpicturesandwords.

ScienceNewsMagazine-Sciencecoversimportantandemergingresearchinallfieldsofscience.

BBCScienceNews-ThelatestBBCScienceandEnvironmentNews:breakingnews,analysisanddebateonscienceandnaturearoundtheworld.

Science communication is essential in the modern world and all the big scientific companies,researchersandinstitutionshavetheirownsocialmediaaccounts.Herearesomeofourtoptipstokeepuptodatewithdevelopingnewsorinterestingstories:

FollowonTwitter:AlevelBiology–AhubforGCSEandAlevelbiologystudents@flagellum_bio

ALevelBiology–alevelbiology.co.ukprovidesresourcesforAQA,OCRandEdexcelA-LevelBiology.@alevelbiologyuk

DavidChalk–dailyrevisiontipsforASandA2Biology@teacherchalky1

UnderstandBiology–newsstoriesrelatingtoAlevelknowledgeandunderstanding@a_level_biology

SciCurious–feedfromwriterandBethanyBrookshiretweetingaboutgood,badandweirdneuroscience@scicurious

CarlZimmer–SciencewriterCarlblogsaboutthelifesciences@carlzimmer

VirginiaHughes–sciencejournalistandbloggerforNationalGeographic,keepuptodatewithneuroscience,geneticsandbehaviour@virginiahughes

MarynMcKenna–sciencejournalistwhowritesaboutantibioticresistance@marynmck

MolecularBiology-latestnews,research,booksandjournalsinmolecularbiology,cellbiology,genetics,stemcells,cancerandbiotechnology@molecular


ScienceWebsites

Probablythebestwebsiteonbiology….‘LearnGenetics’fromUtahUniversityhassomuchthatispitchedatanappropriatelevelforyouandhaslotsofinteractiveresourcestoexplore,everythingfromwhysomepeoplecantastebitterberriestohowweclonemiceormakeglowinthedarkjellyfish.http://learn.genetics.utah.edu/

‘DNAfromtheBeginning’isfullofinteractiveanimationsthattellthestoryofDNAfromitsdiscoverythroughtoadvancedyear13concepts.Onetobookmark!http://www.dnaftb.org/

Inthesummeryouwillmostlikelystarttolearnaboutbiodiversityandevolution.ManyZooshavegreatwebsites,especiallyLondonZoo.Readaboutsomeofthecasestudiesonconservation,suchastheGiantPangolin,theonlymammalwithscales.https://www.zsl.org/conservation

AtGCSEyoulearnthowgeneticdiseasesareinherited.Inthisvirtualflylabyougettobreedfruitfliestoinvestigatehowdifferentfeaturesarepassedon.http://sciencecourseware.org/vcise/drosophila/

Ok,sonotawebsite,butavideoyoudefinitelywanttowatch.Oneofthefirsttopicsyouwilllearnaboutistheamazingstructureofthecell.ThisBBCfilmshowsthefascinatingworkingsofacell…atouchmoredetailedthanthe“friedegg”modelyoumighthaveseen.http://www.dailymotion.com/video/xzh0kb_the-hidden-life-of-the-cell_shortfilmsIfthislinkexpires–google“BBChiddenlifeofthecell”

Thesewebsitesallofferanamazingcollectionofresourcesthatyoushoulduseagainandagainthroughoutyourcourse.

Science:Thingstodo!

WanttostandabovetherestwhenitcomestoUCAS?Nowisthetimetoact.MOOCsareonlinecoursesrunbynearlyalluniversities.TheyareshortFREEcoursesthatyoutakepartin.Theyareusuallyquitespecialist,butaimedatthepublic,notthegenius!Therearelotsofwebsitesthathelpyoufindacourse,suchasedXandFuturelearn.Youcantakepartinanycourse,butthereareusuallystartandfinishdates.Theymostlyinvolvetakingpartinwebchats,watchingvideosandinteractives.

Day4oftheholidaysandboredomhassetin?Thereareloadsofcitizenscienceprojectsyoucantakepart in either from the comfort of your bedroom, outand about, or when on holiday. Wikipedia does acomprehensive list of all the current projects takingplace.Google‘citizenscienceproject’

CompletingaMOOCwilllookgreatonyourpersonalstatementandtheyaredeadeasytotakepartin!



Thefollowing40minutetestisdesignedtotestyourrecall,analysisandevaluativeskillsandknowledge.Remembertouseyourexamtechnique:lookatthecommandwordsandthenumberofmarkseachquestionisworth.Asuggestedmarkschemeisprovidedforyoutocheckyouranswers.

1. a)WhatarethefourbasepairsfoundinDNA?

……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….(2)

b) WhatdoesDNAcodefor?

……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….

(1)

c) Whichorganelleinacellcarriesoutthisfunction?

……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….(1)

2. a)WhattheorydidCharlesDarwinpropose?

……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….

(1)

b) WhydidmanypeoplenotbelieveDarwinatthetime?

……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….(1)

c) Describehowfossilsareformed.

……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….

……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….

……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….

(3)

d) Thefossilrecordshowsusthattherehavebeensomespeciesthathaveformedandsomethathavebecomeextinct.i) Whatismeantbytheterm‘species’?

……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….

(2)

ii) Describehowanewspeciesmayarise:

……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….

……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….

…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………(3)


3. Ecologistsregularlystudyhabitatstomeasurethespeciespresentandtheeffectofanychanges.Oneteamofecologistsinvestigatedthehabitatshowninthepicturebelow:

Imagetakenfromhttp://www.macaulay.ac.uk/soilquality/Dune%20Succession.pdf

a) Definethefollowingkeywords:i) Population

…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

ii) Community

…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

(2)

b) Giveanexampleofonebioticfactorandoneabioticfactorthatwouldbepresentinthishabitat.

Biotic:………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

Abiotic:………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………(2)

c) Describehowtheecologistswouldgoaboutmeasuringthespeciespresentbetweenthecoastandtheinland.

…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

(6)


4. Everylivingorganismismadeofcells.

Imagetakenfromhttp://prestigebux.com/worksheet/label-an-animal-cell-worksheet

a) Labelthefollowingpartsoftheanimalcell:

2……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

5……..……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

8…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..(3)

b) Describehowthestructureofthecellmembraneisrelatedtoitsfunction?

…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………(3)

5. Amedicalresearchteaminvestigatedhowquicklythebodydealswithglucoseafterameal.Theystudiedthebloodglucoseconcentrationofpeoplewhoexercisedversusthosewhodidnot.Herearetheirresults:

Hoursaftereating

Imagetakenfromhttps://memoirsofanamnesic.wordpress.com/category/blood-glucose/

a) Whatorganinthebodyregulatesbloodglucoseconcentration?

…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………(1)


b) Explainthestagesthatwouldbringaboutareturntonormalbloodglucoseconcentrations.

…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………(4)

c) Nameonevariabletheresearcherswillhavecontrolled.

…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

(1)

d) Theresearchersmadethefollowingconclusion:“Bloodglucosereturnstonormalvaluesforallpeopleafter4hours”

Towhatextentdoyouagreewiththisconclusion.

…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………(3)

6. Scientistsneedtobeabletointerpretdataingraphstodecideiftherearetrendsintheresults.

Foreachgraphbelow,describethetrend.

…………………………………………………………… ……………………………………………………………

…………………………………………………………… ……………………………………………………………(4)Imagestakenfrom:http://www.everythingmaths.co.za/science/lifesciences/grade-10/05-support-and-transport-systems-in-

plants/images/56aff2f9b6c5b041688f745ca928990c.pnghttp://www.bbc.co.uk/staticarchive/afa3f2b16b4d58d077943c96929c9a4020fea83a.gifhttp://www.rpi.edu/dept/chem-eng/Biotech-Environ/Projects00/temph/enzyme.html

http://www.myearthwatchexperience.com/Essential%20Ecology.htm


SuggestedMarkScheme:

Question Answer Marks

1 a Adenine-ThymineCytosine-Guanine

11

b Protein/enzymes 1

c Ribosomes 1

2 a Evolution(bynaturalselection) 1

b Notenoughevidence 1

c (Plant/animaldies)andisquicklyburiedinsedimentNotallconditionsfordecayarepresentHardpartsofthebodyarereplacedbyminerals

111

d i Organismsthatcanreproducetoproduceviableoffspring/offspringthatcanalsoreproduce(fertile)

1

ii 3fromGeographicalisolation/namedexampleMutationofgenesNaturalSelection/selectiveadvantageSpeciescannolongerinterbreed(notproducefertileoffspring)

1111

3 a i Agroupoforganisms,allofthesamespecies,andallofwhomlivetogetherinaparticularhabitat.

1

ii Thetotalofallpopulationslivingtogetherinaparticularhabitat. 1

b Biotic–onefrom:Predators,prey,plant,microbesAbiotic–onefrom:Availabilityofwater,temperature,mineralconcentration,referencetoclimate/weather

1

1

c MeasureoutatransectUsingatapemeasureUseaquadratAtregular(named)intervalsIdentifyspeciespresentUsingakey/guide

111111

4 A 2Nucleolus5SmoothEndoplasmicReticulum8Golgibody

111


Question Answer Marks

4 b Any3fromthefollowingstructureandfunctionmustbegiven.

Lipidbilayer-hasahydrophobicinsideandhydrophilicoutside, 1 allowingforselectivepermeability

Proteins-allowforspecificsubstancestocomeorsomemoleculesto 1 passthrough

Cholesterol-allowsforfluidityofthemembrane 1 Glycoproteins-forcellidentificationtheyserveasmarkers 1

5 a Pancreas 1

b 3from Pancreasdetectschange 1 Insulinsecreted 1 Byalphacells 1 Respirationincreased 1 Uptakeofglucoseincreased 1 Liverincreasesstorageofglucoseasglycogen 1

c Anyonefrom:Amountofchocolate,timetakentoeat,otherfood/drinkconsumed,age,gender,weight,fitnesslevel/metabolicrate,health/preexistingconditions,useofmedicines/drugs

1

d Anythreefrom

Datasuggeststhatbloodglucosereturnstonormal 1 Doesn’tshowhowmuchexercisehasbeendone 1 Doesn’tsayage/gender/othernamedvariable 1 Mayonlybetrueforchocolate/onlyonetypeoffoodinvestigated 1

6 Topleft:transpirationincreaseswhenwindspeedincreases/thereisa 1 positivecorrelation

Topright:rateincreaseswithpHuntiltheoptimumisreached,after 1 theoptimum,ratedecreases

Bottomleft:Increasinglightinitiallyincreasestherateof 1 photosynthesis,butafterawhileremainsconstant

Bottomright:Populationincreasesslowlyatfirstandthenincreasesat 1 agreaterrate/increasesexponentially

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