University of Cambridge Local Examinations Syndicate in collaboration

with Ministry of Education

GCE Ordinary Level Biology 5094 and 5100 Syllabuses

Overview of the Syllabus

What’s new and what’s the same.

Structure of the Examination and Scheme of Assessment

Candidates take all 3 papers

20% (25)96

401 h 30 min

School-based Practical Assessment

(5094) or Practical test (5100)

3

50% (50)801 h 45 minStructured and free-response questions

2

30% (25)401 hourMultiple Choice1

WeightingMarksTimeType of PaperPaper

Figures in red refer to the current 5093 syllabus

Assessment objectives

Assessment Objective A Knowledge with Understanding (45%) Assessment Objective B Handling Information and Solving problems (55%) There is no change to the weightings allocated to these.

The end of each syllabus section has the following sentence; ‘Use the knowledge gained in this section in new situations or to solve related problems’This emphasises the importance of Assessment objective B in the teaching and learning process.

Structure of the Papers

Paper 1 40 compulsory multiple choice items of the direct choice type.

Paper 2 Section A will carry 50 marks and consist of a variable number of compulsory structured questions. Section B will carry 30 marks and consist of 3 free response questions. The first two questions are compulsory questions, one of which will be a data-based question carrying 8 - 12 marks. The last question will be presented in an either/or form and will carry 10 marks.

Practical component SPA in 5094, Practical paper in 5100

Changes to the syllabus content

New materialIdentify the following membrane systems and organelles from diagrams and electronmicrographs: Endoplasmic reticulum, mitochondria,.Golgi body and ribosomes.

Material removed from syllabusExamine under the microscope an animal and a plant cell.Draw diagrams to represent observations of plant and animal cells.

1 Cell structure and Organisation

2 Movement of Substances

Assess the importance of water potential gradient in the uptake of water by plants.

3 Biological Molecules

State the roles of water in living organisms.Explain the mode of action of enzymes in terms of an active site, enzyme-substrate complex, lowering of activation energy and enzyme specificity.List the chemical elements of carbohydrates, fats and proteins.Describe and carry out tests for starch, reducing sugars, protein and fats.State that large molecules are synthesised from smaller basic units - glycogen from glucose, polypeptides and proteins from amino acids, lipids from fatty acids and glycerol (From Animal Nutrition).

Define enzymes as proteins which function as biological catalysts.

4 Animal Nutrition

Balanced diet.Sources and importance of carbohydrates, fats, proteins, vitamins, mineral salts, fibre and water.Relationship of diet to age, sex and activity.Effects of malnutrition in relation to constipation, obesity, starvation and heart disease.Why food must be digested.State the role of fats as a storage substance.

5 Plant nutrition

Discuss light intensity, carbon dioxide concentration and temperature as limiting factors on the rate of photosynthesis.

Understand that photosynthesis is the fundamental proces by which plants manufacture carbohydrates from raw materials.Explain why most forms of life are completely dependent on photosynthesis.Understand the effect of a lack of nitrate and magnesium ions on plant.

6 Transport in flowering plants

Explain the movement of water between plant cells, and between them and the environment in terms of water potential. (Calculations on water potential are not required)Define the term translocation as the transport of food in the phloem tissue and illustrate the process through translocation studies.

Investigate, using a suitable stain, the pathway of water in a cut stem.Explain the movement of water through the stem in terms of transpiration pull.Describe how water vapour loss is related to cell surfaces, air spaces and stomata.

7 Transport in humans

List the ABO blood groups and all possible combinations for the donor and recipient in blood transfusions.Outline the cardiac cycle in terms of what happens during systole and diastole.

Describe the circulatory system as a system of tubes with a pump and valves to ensure the one-way flow of blood.Describe the low pressure circulation to the lungs and high pressure circulation to the body tissues.Identify red and white blood cells under a microscope, in diagrams and photomicrographs.List the components of blood as red blood cells, white blood cells, platelets and plasma.

8 Respiration

Describe the removal of carbon dioxide from the lungs, including the role of the carbonic anhydrase enzyme. (From excretion)Describe the effect of tobacco smoke and its major toxic components, nicotine, tar and carbon monoxide on health. (From The use and abuse of drugs)

Define respiration as the release of energy from food substances in all living cells.Name and state the uses of energy in the body.Investigate and state the differences between inspired and expired air.Investigate and state the effect of physical activity on rate and depth of breathing.

9 Excretion

Outline the function of the kidney tubules with reference to ultra-filtration and selective reabsorption in the production of urine.Outline the role of anti-diuretic hormone (ADH) in the regulation of osmotic concentration.

Identify on diagrams and name: kidneys, ureters, bladder, urethra and state the function of each.

10 Homeostasis

Explain the basic principles of homeostasis in terms of a stimulus resulting from a change in the internal environment, a corrective mechanism and a negative feedback.

11 Co-ordination and response

State the relationship between receptors, the central nervous system and the effectors.Explain what is meant by an endocrine gland, with reference to the Islets of Langerhans in the pancreas.Explain how the blood glucose concentration is regulated by insulin and glucagon as a homeostatic mechanism.

The use and abuse of drugs

All sections removed

12 ReproductionDescribe one commercially important, application of asexual reproduction in plants.Describe the external features of wind and animal dispersed seeds.Investigate and describe the structure of a non-endospermic seed. Investigate and state the environmental conditions affecting germination.State that seed and fruit dispersal by wind and by animals provides a means of colonising new areas.

Reproduction (cont.)

Describe the uses of enzymes in seed germination.Compare male and female gametes.Describe methods of birth control.Describe the cause, transmission, signs, symptoms and treatment of syphilis.

13 Cell Division

State the importance of mitosis.Identify the main stages of mitosis.Explain the need for the production of genetically identical cells.Explain what is meant by homologous pairs ofchromosomes.Identify the main stages of meiosis.(names of sub-divisions of prophase are not required)Define the terms, haploid and diploid and explain the need for a reduction division prior to fertllisation.State how meiosis and fertilisation can lead to variation.

14 Molecular GeneticsOutline the relationship between DNA, genes and chromosomes.State the structure of DNA in terms of the bases, sugar and phosphate groups in each of their nucleotides.State the rule of complementary base pairing.State the DNA is used to carry the genetic code, which is used to synthesise specific polypeptides.State that each gene is a sequence of nucleotides, as part of a DNA molecule.

State that genes are carried on chromosomes.

Molecular Genetics (cont.)

Outline the process of large-scale production of insulin using fermenters.Explain that genes can be transferred between cells. (Reference should be made to transfer between organisms of the same or different species - transgenic plants or animals).Briefly explain how the gene controlling the production of human insulin can be inserted into bacterial DNA to produce human insulin. Discuss the social and ethical implications of genetic engineering, with reference to a named example. (From Inheritance)

15 Inheritance

Explain the terms dominant, recessive, co-dominant, homozygous, heterozygous, phenotype and genotype.Use genetic diagrams to solve problems involving monohybrid inheritance. (Autosomal linkage and epistasis are not required)Give examples of environmental factors that act as forces of natural selection.

Microorganisms and Biotechnology

All sections removed

16 Organisms and their Environment

Outline the roles of microbes in sewage disposal as an example of environmental biotechnology.

State that the sun is the principal source of energy input to biological systems.Describe the transmission and control of the malarial pathogen.Describe the effects of man on the ecosystem.Describe the effects of air pollution by SO2 and oxides of nitrogen.Discuss reasons for recycling.