Biology

Course summary

Are you fascinated by the lives of living organisms and how your body works? Are you interested in the developments of ‘new’ Biology topics, such as genetic engineering? Are you considering a career in a healthrelated profession, biotechnology or ecology and the environment? Or do you want to use Biology to support other qualifications such as Geography, Sport or other sciences? Almost on a daily basis, the media presents items that relate to biological phenomena. For example, the ethical issues involved in stem cell technology; that genetic engineering will solve our food problems and cure disease and that climate change is due to human impact. As a consequence, it has never been more important that we develop an awareness of basic biological principles so that we can make sense of new developments presented by the media and understand how scientists interact with each other, and with society at large, in making use of new discoveries. Topic 1 Y12 Biological molecules Topic 2 Y12 Cells Topic 3 Y12 Organisms exchange substances with their environment Topic 4 Y12 Genetic information, variation and relationships between organisms Topic 5 Y13 Energy transfers in and between organisms Topic 6 Y13 Organisms respond to changes in their internal and external environments Topic 7 Y13 Genetics, populations, evolution and ecosystems Topic 8 Y13 The control of gene expression