Changes to the AQA GCSE Biology specification for 2011*

Science - Biology 1 / Additional Science – Biology 2 / Extension Science – Biology 3
2011 / Removed / 2011 / Removed / 2011 / Removed
Life processes and cells /
  • Keeping our bodies healthy
  • How the human body responds to internal fluctuations and to changes in the external environment
  • Microorganism cultures and the action of disinfectants and antibiotics (was B3.)
/
  • Cells (plant and animal).
  • Structure of algal, bacterial and yeast cells(new).
  • Animals and plant tissues, organs and systems.
/
  • Cell membranes.
  • Diffusion.
  • Osmosis (was B2).
  • More detail about how dissolved materials get in and out of animals and plants.
  • Antigens(new).

Humans as organisms /
  • Response to changes in the environment.
  • Keeping healthy
  • The use and abuse of medical and recreational drugs.
  • Cannabis and performance enhancing drugs.
  • Diseases and defence systems.
  • Clinical trials.
/
  • Diseases and health problems linked to excess weight and malnutrition.
  • Specific detail about cholest-erol.
  • Smoking and alcohol.
/
  • Transport of dissolved substances in:
--cells
--enzymes
--respiration
--homeostasis
  • Physiological changes during exercise (was B3).
  • Anaerobic respiration (was B3).
  • Glucose/glycogen conversion (was B3).
/
  • Gas exchange.
  • Transport – blood.
  • Artificial blood products, artificial hearts and stents (new).
  • Exercise and its effects on the body.
  • Aerobic and anaerobic respiration.
  • The kidney function and dialysis.
  • How materials are transported around an organism.
  • How our bodies keep internal conditions as constant as possible.
  • Homeostasis (was B2).
  • Sports drinks (was B1).
  • Transport systems n plants (xylem and phloem)(new)

Green plants as organisms /
  • Plant sensitivity, hormones, phototropism and geotropism(new).
  • Interdependence between plants and animals and how they are adapted to their environments.
  • How energy andbiomass change at different stages in a food chain.
  • The waste materials that plants and animals produce.
/
  • Photosynthesis.
  • Additional uses of glucose in plants and algae.
/
  • Mineral deficien-cies in plants.
/
  • Water

Variation, inheritance and evolution /
  • Variation.
  • Why individuals of the same species are different from each other.
  • Selective breeding.
  • Evolution.
  • Extremeophiles(new).
/
  • Simple inheritance in plants and animals.
  • How organisms have changed over time.
  • Homozygous, heterozygous, phenotype and genotype.
  • Polydactyl as an example of an inherited disorder (new).
  • Speciation (new).
  • Extinction(was B1).
  • Origins of life on Earth (was B1).
  • Fossil formation.
  • Fossils as evidence of evolution (was B1).
/
  • Hunting-ton’s disease and an example of an inherited disorder.

Living things and their environ-ment /
  • Effects of environmental change on organisms.
  • Habitats.
  • New methods for producing plants and animals with preferred characteristics.
  • Non-living indicators of environmental change.
  • GM crops.
  • Material and energy in biomass (was B2).
  • Decay processes and the carbon cycle (was B2).
/
  • Food chains.
  • The relationships within and between communities of organisms, and their interaction with the environment.
  • Proteins and what they do.
  • How organisms make use of the energy from respiration.
/
  • Human effects on the environment, including increasing human population, land use and deforestation, waste production and global warming (was B1).
  • Efficiency of food production (was B2)
  • Sustainable fishing(new).

Applica-tions of biology: bio-technology /
  • Using microorganisms to make food and drink.
  • Working safely with microorganisms.
/
  • Use of micro-organisms to make yoghurt, cheese, bread alcohol and antibiotics.

*Subject to Ofqual accreditation.