IB Biology C1.3: Photosynthesis (first exams in 2025)

This lesson can be purchased as part of the IB Complete course bundle (first exams 2025) at a heavily discounted price, formed of 40 fully resourced lessons, end of topic exams and student checklists. It can be found here

This PowerPoint contains everything you need to teach the Theme/Unit C1.3 Photosynthesis in the new IB Biology specification.

**YouTube video is a preview of the full resource (does not include all slides)
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This Powerpoint consists of over 50 slides and contains the followings:

All the information the IB have included in the new spec.

Exam tips
Clear diagrams
Student research tasks
Clearly identified HL and SL content
Student checklist
Summary

The following content is included:

C1.3.1: Explain how the energy transformation of light energy to chemical energy is needed for most life processes in ecosystems.
C1.3.2: Describe photosynthesis as the conversion of carbon dioxide to glucose.
C1.3.3: Describe the production of oxygen as a by-product of photosynthesis.
C1.3.4: Describe the process of chromatography for separating pigments and the use of Rf values to identify pigments.
C1.3.5: Describe and explain the absorption of different wavelengths of light by photosynthetic pigments.
C1.3.6: Compare absorption and action spectra
C1.3.7: Determine through investigation the effects of limiting factors on the rate of photosynthesis.
C1.3.8: Describe carbon dioxide enrichment experiments as a means of predicting future rates of photosynthesis and plant growth.
C1.3.9: Describe photosystems as arrays of pigments within membranes of photosynthetic organisms that generate and emit excited electrons.
C1.3.10: Explain the advantage that an array of pigments in a photosystem has over individual pigment molecules.
C1.3.11: Describe the photolysis of water in terms of a means of replacing lost electrons in photosystem II and the production of oxygen as a waste product.
C1.3.12: Describe the production of ATP by chemiosmosis through both cyclic and non-cyclic photophosphorylation.
C1.3.13: Describe the reduction of NADP by photosystem I.
C1.3.14: Explain the importance of the thylakoids as the site of photolysis, chemiosmosis and reduction of NADP.
C1.3.15: Describe  carbon fixation by Rubisco and the significance  of Rubisco as an enzyme.
C1.3.16: Describe the process of generating triose phosphate using ATP and reduced NADP.
C1.3.17: Describe the regeneration of RuBP and the completion of the Calvin Cycle using ATP.
C1.3.18: Describe the production of a variety of carbon compounds from photosynthesis.
C1.3.19: Explain the link between the light-dependent and light-independent reactions and how the light-independent reactions cannot continue in the absence of light.