Year 12 biology
Every topic for the year is below, arranged by the term it is taught. Choose a term to show only that term: each topic has a lesson video, worked questions and practice at three levels.
Autumn term
- BiologyCarbohydrates and lipidsMonomers and polymers, condensation and hydrolysis, monosaccharides, disaccharides and polysaccharides, the structure and roles of starch, glycogen and cellulose, the tests for sugars and starch, and the structure and properties of triglycerides and phospholipids and the emulsion test.100 questionsLesson video
- BiologyProteins and enzymesThe structure of amino acids, peptide bonds and the four levels of protein structure, the biuret test, how enzymes lower activation energy, the induced-fit model, and the effects of temperature, pH, concentration and inhibitors on enzyme-controlled reactions.100 questionsLesson video
- BiologyNucleic acids, ATP, water and ionsThe structure of DNA and RNA, DNA replication and the evidence for the semi-conservative model, the structure and role of ATP, the properties of water, and the roles of inorganic ions in biological systems.100 questionsLesson video
Spring term
- BiologyCell structureEukaryotic and prokaryotic cells and their organelles, the differences between cells, the principles of optical and electron microscopy, magnification calculations, cell fractionation and ultracentrifugation, and viruses as acellular particles.100 questionsLesson video
- BiologyThe cell cycle and cell divisionThe cell cycle, mitosis and the stages of cell division, binary fission in prokaryotes, how viruses replicate, and how uncontrolled cell division leads to cancer and how treatments target it.100 questionsLesson video
- BiologyTransport across cell membranesThe fluid mosaic structure of cell membranes, diffusion and facilitated diffusion, osmosis and water potential, active transport and co-transport, and the factors that affect the rate of movement across membranes.100 questionsLesson video
- BiologyDNA, genes and protein synthesisDNA in prokaryotes and eukaryotes, genes and the genetic code, chromosomes, the structure of mRNA and tRNA, transcription and translation, and how the base sequence determines the order of amino acids.100 questionsLesson video
Summer term
- BiologyCell recognition and the immune systemAntigens and how cells recognise self and non-self, phagocytosis, the roles of T cells and B cells, antibodies, vaccination and herd immunity, HIV and the use of monoclonal antibodies and ELISA.100 questionsLesson video
- BiologySurface area to volume ratio and gas exchangeHow surface area to volume ratio affects exchange, and gas exchange in single-celled organisms, insects, fish, the human lungs and plant leaves, including adaptations for reducing water loss.100 questionsLesson video
- BiologyDigestion and absorptionThe digestion of carbohydrates, lipids and proteins by enzymes, the roles of bile salts and micelles, and how the products of digestion are absorbed across the ileum by diffusion and co-transport.100 questionsLesson video
- BiologyMass transport in animals and plantsHaemoglobin and the oxygen dissociation curve, the structure and function of the heart and blood vessels, tissue fluid, and the transport of water and organic substances in plants by the xylem and phloem.100 questionsLesson video
- BiologyMutation, meiosis and genetic diversityGene mutations and their effects, meiosis and how it produces genetic variation, the link between genetic diversity and natural selection, and how adaptations arise and are selected for.100 questionsLesson video
- BiologySpecies, taxonomy and biodiversityDefining a species and the classification system, phylogenetic relationships from DNA and protein evidence, measuring biodiversity and the index of diversity.100 questionsLesson video