Designed for the AQA A Level Biology specification but can be easily adapated for any exam board. Full SOW for both topics with relevant required practicals and tons of exam questions throughtout. WHAT IS COVERED Photosynthesis The light-dependent reaction in such detail as to show that: • chlorophyll absorbs light, leading to photoionisation of chlorophyll • some of the energy from electrons released during photoionisation is conserved in the production of ATP and reduced NADP • the production of ATP involves electron transfer associated with the transfer of electrons down the electron transfer chain and passage of protons across chloroplast membranes and is catalysed by ATP synthase embedded in these membranes (chemiosomotic theory) • photolysis of water produces protons, electrons and oxygen. The light-independent reaction uses reduced NADP from the lightdependent reaction to form a simple sugar. The hydrolysis of ATP, also from the light-dependent reaction, provides the additional energy for this reaction. The light-independent reaction in such detail as to show that: • carbon dioxide reacts with ribulose bisphosphate (RuBP) to form two molecules of glycerate 3-phosphate (GP). This reaction is catalysed by the enzyme rubisco • ATP and reduced NADP from the light-dependent reaction are used to reduce GP to triose phosphate • some of the triose phosphate is used to regenerate RuBP in the Calvin cycle • some of the triose phosphate is converted to useful organic substances. Students should be able to: • identify environmental factors that limit the rate of photosynthesis • evaluate data relating to common agricultural practices Required practical 7: Use of chromatography to investigate the pigments isolated from leaves of different plants, eg, leaves from shade-tolerant and shade-intolerant plants or leaves of different colours. Required practical 8: Investigation into the effect of a named factor on the rate of dehydrogenase activity in extracts of chloroplasts. Respiration Respiration produces ATP. Glycolysis is the first stage of anaerobic and aerobic respiration. It occurs in the cytoplasm and is an anaerobic process. Glycolysis involves the following stages: • phosphorylation of glucose to glucose phosphate, using ATP • production of triose phosphate • oxidation of triose phosphate to pyruvate with a net gain of ATP and reduced NAD. If respiration is only anaerobic, pyruvate can be converted to ethanol or lactate using reduced NAD. The oxidised NAD produced in this way can be used in further glycolysis. If respiration is aerobic, pyruvate from glycolysis enters the mitochondrial matrix by active transport. Aerobic respiration in such detail as to show that: • pyruvate is oxidised to acetate, producing reduced NAD in the process • acetate combines with coenzyme A in the link reaction to produce acetylcoenzyme A • acetylcoenzyme A reacts with a four-carbon molecule, releasing coenzyme A and producing a six-carbon molecule that enters the Krebs cycle • in a series of oxidation-reduction reactions, the Krebs cycle generates reduced coenzymes and ATP by substrate-level phosphorylation, and carbon dioxide is lost • synthesis of ATP by oxidative phosphorylation is associated with the transfer of electrons down the electron transfer chain and passage of protons across inner mitochondrial membranes and is catalysed by ATP synthase embedded in these membranes (chemiosomotic theory) • other respiratory substrates include the breakdown products of lipids and amino acids, which enter the Krebs cycle. Required practical 9: Investigation into the effect of a named variable on the rate of respiration of cultures of single-celled organisms.

Over thirty lessons dedicated to teaching topics exploring the responses to external and internal changes in organisms. Designed for AQA but can be easily be adapted for other exam boards. Lessons are detailed with relevant notes, required practicals and challenging exam questions. WHAT IS COVERED Stimuli and Response: Organisms increase their chance of survival by responding to changes in their environment. In flowering plants, specific growth factors move from growing regions to other tissues, where they regulate growth in response to directional stimuli. The effect of different concentrations of indoleacetic acid (IAA) on cell elongation in the roots and shoots of flowering plants as an explanation of gravitropism and phototropism in flowering plants. Taxes and kineses as simple responses that can maintain a mobile organism in a favourable environment. The protective effect of a simple reflex, exemplified by a threeneurone simple reflex. Details of spinal cord and dorsal and ventral roots are not required. Required practical 10: Investigation into the effect of an environmental variable on the movement of an animal using either a choice chamber or a maze. The Pacinian corpuscle should be used as an example of a receptor to illustrate that: • receptors respond only to specific stimuli • stimulation of a receptor leads to the establishment of a generator potential. The basic structure of a Pacinian corpuscle. Deformation of stretch-mediated sodium ion channels in a Pacinian corpuscle leads to the establishment of a generator potential. The human retina in sufficient detail to show how differences in sensitivity to light, sensitivity to colour and visual acuity are explained by differences in the optical pigments of rods and cones and the connections rods and cones make in the optic nerve. Myogenic stimulation of the heart and transmission of a subsequent wave of electrical activity. The roles of the sinoatrial node (SAN), atrioventricular node (AVN) and Purkyne tissue in the bundle of His. The roles and locations of chemoreceptors and pressure receptors and the roles of the autonomic nervous system and effectors in controlling heart rate. Nervous Coordination The structure of a myelinated motor neurone. The establishment of a resting potential in terms of differential membrane permeability, electrochemical gradients and the movement of sodium ions and potassium ions. Changes in membrane permeability lead to depolarisation and the generation of an action potential. The all-or-nothing principle. The passage of an action potential along non-myelinated and myelinated axons, resulting in nerve impulses. The nature and importance of the refractory period in producing discrete impulses and in limiting the frequency of impulse transmission. Factors affecting the speed of conductance: myelination and saltatory conduction; axon diameter; temperature The detailed structure of a synapse and of a neuromuscular junction. The sequence of events involved in transmission across a cholinergic synapse in sufficient detail to explain: • unidirectionality • temporal and spatial summation • inhibition by inhibitory synapses. A comparison of transmission across a cholinergic synapse and across a neuromuscular junction. Students should be able to use information provided to predict and explain the effects of specific drugs on a synapse. Muscles act in antagonistic pairs against an incompressible skeleton. Gross and microscopic structure of skeletal muscle. The ultrastructure of a myofibril. The roles of actin, myosin, calcium ions and ATP in myofibril contraction. The roles of calcium ions and tropomyosin in the cycle of actinomyosin bridge formation. (The role of troponin is not required.) The roles of ATP and phosphocreatine in muscle contraction. The structure, location and general properties of slow and fast skeletal muscle fibres. Homeostasis Homeostasis in mammals involves physiological control systems that maintain the internal environment within restricted limits. The importance of maintaining a stable core temperature and stable blood pH in relation to enzyme activity. The importance of maintaining a stable blood glucose concentration in terms of availability of respiratory substrate and of the water potential of blood. Negative feedback restores systems to their original level. The possession of separate mechanisms involving negative feedback controls departures in different directions from the original state, giving a greater degree of control. Students should be able to interpret information relating to examples of negative and positive feedback. The factors that influence blood glucose concentration. The role of the liver in glycogenesis, glycogenolysis and gluconeogenesis. The action of insulin by: • attaching to receptors on the surfaces of target cells • controlling the uptake of glucose by regulating the inclusion of channel proteins in the surface membranes of target cells • activating enzymes involved in the conversion of glucose to glycogen. The action of glucagon by: • attaching to receptors on the surfaces of target cells • activating enzymes involved in the conversion of glycogen to glucose • activating enzymes involved in the conversion of glycerol and amino acids into glucose. The role of adrenaline by: • attaching to receptors on the surfaces of target cells • activating enzymes involved in the conversion of glycogen to glucose. The second messenger model of adrenaline and glucagon action, involving adenylate cyclase, cyclic AMP (cAMP) and protein kinase. The causes of types I and II diabetes and their control by insulin and/ or manipulation of the diet. Students should be able to evaluate the positions of health advisers and the food industry in relation to the increased incidence of type II diabetes. Required practical 11: Production of a dilution series of a glucose solution and use of colorimetric techniques to produce a calibration curve with which to identify the concentration of glucose in an unknown ‘urine’ sample. Osmoregulation as control of the water potential of the blood. The roles of the hypothalamus, posterior pituitary and antidiuretic hormone (ADH) in osmoregulation. The structure of the nephron and its role in: • the formation of glomerular filtrate • reabsorption of glucose and water by the proximal convoluted tubule • maintaining a gradient of sodium ions in the medulla by the loop of Henle • reabsorption of water by the distal convoluted tubule and collecting ducts.

Bundle of both the Teaching and Learning AS Required Practical booklet which contains detailed methods, exam questions, note pages and a CPAC tracker and also the AS AND A LEVEL Required Practical Summary Booklet for students which contains detailed and concise notes on each of the practicals, from methods to common answers to exam questions, as well as an exploration on uncertainty.