Pearson Edexcel · International A-Level

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Handouts, exercise sheets and slides

Shared topic documents retain their source course and topic titles. Use your chosen board’s specification for coverage, tier and exam requirements.

Handouts · ⁨Material de apoyo⁩ · A-Level Biology · ⁨A-Level Biología⁩ (19)

Exercise sheets · ⁨Hojas de ejercicios⁩ · A-Level Biology · ⁨A-Level Biología⁩ (44)

Presentation slides · ⁨Diapositivas de presentación⁩ · A-Level Biology · ⁨A-Level Biología⁩ (19)

Course units and learning goals · ⁨Unidades del curso y objetivos de aprendizaje⁩

These lessons teach selected course objectives. Check the remaining coverage gaps; the material is not a complete preparation programme. · ⁨Estas lecciones enseñan objetivos del curso seleccionados. Revisa los vacíos de cobertura restantes; el material no es un programa completo de preparación.⁩

Lessons · ⁨Lecciones⁩ →Vocabulary practice · ⁨Práctica de vocabulario⁩ →

1 · Molecules, Diet, Transport and Health

Breakdown of large food molecules.
Absorption moves soluble products into blood or lymph. Thin exchange surfaces and a large surface area shorten diffusion paths and increase transfer. Enzyme activity and transport are different processes.
Use Benedict reagent with controlled heating for reducing sugars, iodine for starch, Biuret reagent for protein, and the ethanol emulsion test for lipids. Keep ethanol away from flames. Use positive and negative controls.
Net water movement through a partially permeable membrane.
Use percentage change to compare samples with different initial masses. A zero percentage change estimates a solution concentration with no net water movement. This is an estimate from a trend, not proof that water molecules stop moving.
Use equal-length cylinders from similar tissue, fixed solution volume, temperature and immersion time. Blot each cylinder in the same way before weighing. Repeat each concentration and plot mean percentage change against concentration.
Formation of RNA using a DNA template.
A codon comprises three bases. The genetic code is degenerate: more than one codon can specify the same amino acid. A substitution can therefore be silent, while insertions or deletions can shift the reading frame.
Keep DNA template, coding DNA and mRNA distinct. State the strand used and write sequences in the required direction. Use a codon table for mRNA, not an unexplained DNA triplet.

digestion: Breakdown of large food molecules
absorption: Movement of soluble products into the body
osmosis: Net water movement through a partially permeable membrane
control variable: A factor kept constant for a fair comparison
transcription: Formation of RNA using a DNA template
translation: Formation of a polypeptide using an mRNA sequence

2 · Cells, Development, Biodiversity and Conservation

Image length divided by actual length.
A scale bar provides a known real distance in the same image. Convert the image length and real length to the same unit before dividing. Magnification is a ratio and has no unit.
Focus a prepared slide at low power first. Move to a higher power and use fine focus. Make a clear line drawing, label structures with straight lines, and record the scale rather than shading the image.
A variant of a gene.
In a simple monohybrid cross Aa × Aa, gametes carry A or a. Combining independent gametes gives AA, Aa, Aa and aa. The predicted probabilities describe many possible fertilizations, not a fixed order of children.
Write parental genotypes and gametes before making the grid. State the inheritance model and phenotype key. Use a pedigree to check consistency with a model; do not infer certainty from a small family alone.
A defined area used for sampling.
Estimate total abundance by multiplying mean density by area, with consistent units. This assumes sampled areas represent the habitat. Patchiness and too few samples widen uncertainty.
Choose coordinates with random numbers before visiting the patches. Record quadrat area and counting rules. For a transect, use fixed distances and measure a relevant abiotic variable. Do not damage habitats or sample unsafe locations.

magnification: Image length divided by actual length
resolution: Ability to distinguish two close points
allele: A variant of a gene
genotype: The alleles an organism carries
quadrat: A defined area used for sampling
population: Organisms of one species in a defined area

3 · Practical Skills in Biology I

A biological catalyst.
Measure rate using product formed per unit time or a fixed endpoint. For an endpoint test, 1/time is a rate proxy if the same amount of product or substrate change defines the endpoint each time.
For starch digestion, equilibrate enzyme and starch in a water bath, control pH with buffer, mix measured volumes, and test samples with iodine at fixed intervals. Use a clean spot for each test. Do not put iodine into the reaction mixture.
A quantified limitation on a measured result.
For a product or quotient, adding fractional uncertainties is a common maximum-uncertainty approximation. For a difference, add absolute uncertainties. A nonzero intercept can reveal an offset or an incomplete model.
Show units on axes and choose a sensible scale. Plot uncertainty bars where justified, draw a best-fit line rather than joining every point, and estimate steepest and shallowest plausible gradients when the course method calls for them.

enzyme: A biological catalyst
denaturation: A structural change that disrupts function
uncertainty: A quantified limitation on a measured result
systematic error: A consistent measurement bias

4 · Energy, Environment, Microbiology and Immunity

A factor whose shortage restricts rate.
Change only one factor when testing a limiting factor. At low light, extra light may increase rate. At a plateau, the changed factor is no longer the main limit in that range; the graph alone does not identify which other factor is limiting.
Measure collected gas volume over a fixed time instead of assuming all bubbles have the same volume. Control temperature, plant size and carbon dioxide supply. Allow the plant to adjust before each reading and repeat.
A defined area used for sampling.
Estimate total abundance by multiplying mean density by area, with consistent units. This assumes sampled areas represent the habitat. Patchiness and too few samples widen uncertainty.
Choose coordinates with random numbers before visiting the patches. Record quadrat area and counting rules. For a transect, use fixed distances and measure a relevant abiotic variable. Do not damage habitats or sample unsafe locations.
An agent that causes disease.
After vaccination, memory cells can support a faster secondary response. Antibiotic resistance arises through heritable variation and selection; an individual bacterium does not choose to become resistant because it needs to survive.
Use published infection data to compare rates per equal population size. Distinguish prevalence at a time from new cases over a period. In school, use safe simulations or approved cultures rather than collecting unknown pathogens.

limiting factor: A factor whose shortage restricts rate
photosynthesis: Light-driven formation of carbohydrate
quadrat: A defined area used for sampling
population: Organisms of one species in a defined area
pathogen: An agent that causes disease
antigen: A structure recognized by a specific immune response

5 · Respiration, Internal Environment, Coordination and Gene Technology

Cell reactions that transfer energy from substrates.
Anaerobic processes allow ATP production when oxygen supply cannot support the required aerobic rate, but give less ATP per glucose. In humans lactate can accumulate; yeast can produce ethanol and carbon dioxide.
A respirometer can measure oxygen uptake when carbon dioxide is absorbed. Control temperature with a water bath and use a comparison containing inert material. Keep absorbent separated from organisms and follow the school risk assessment.
Maintenance of suitable internal conditions.
When blood glucose is high, insulin helps increase glucose uptake and storage as glycogen. When it is low, glucagon supports release of glucose from stores. These responses are coordinated, not identical effects of two hormones.
Interpret a time graph by identifying the initial disturbance, the response and the return toward the normal range. Mark the delay before a response. Do not assume a graph shows an instantaneous correction.
Formation of RNA using a DNA template.
A codon comprises three bases. The genetic code is degenerate: more than one codon can specify the same amino acid. A substitution can therefore be silent, while insertions or deletions can shift the reading frame.
Keep DNA template, coding DNA and mRNA distinct. State the strand used and write sequences in the required direction. Use a codon table for mRNA, not an unexplained DNA triplet.

respiration: Cell reactions that transfer energy from substrates
ATP: A molecule that couples energy transfers in cells
homeostasis: Maintenance of suitable internal conditions
negative feedback: A response opposing the original change
transcription: Formation of RNA using a DNA template
translation: Formation of a polypeptide using an mRNA sequence

6 · Practical Skills in Biology II

A defined area used for sampling.
Estimate total abundance by multiplying mean density by area, with consistent units. This assumes sampled areas represent the habitat. Patchiness and too few samples widen uncertainty.
Choose coordinates with random numbers before visiting the patches. Record quadrat area and counting rules. For a transect, use fixed distances and measure a relevant abiotic variable. Do not damage habitats or sample unsafe locations.
A quantified limitation on a measured result.
For a product or quotient, adding fractional uncertainties is a common maximum-uncertainty approximation. For a difference, add absolute uncertainties. A nonzero intercept can reveal an offset or an incomplete model.
Show units on axes and choose a sensible scale. Plot uncertainty bars where justified, draw a best-fit line rather than joining every point, and estimate steepest and shallowest plausible gradients when the course method calls for them.

quadrat: A defined area used for sampling
population: Organisms of one species in a defined area
uncertainty: A quantified limitation on a measured result
systematic error: A consistent measurement bias

Preparing for this qualification · ⁨Preparación para esta cualificación⁩

Six separately assessed units; IAS uses Units 1–3, IAL uses Units 1–6.
Units 3 and 6 are written practical-skills examinations based on experimental experience; they are not a Cambridge hands-on practical paper.
Retain core-practical numbering from the acquired specification. Unit weights, marks and times are in the assessment evidence manifest.

Teaching coverage still needed · ⁨Cobertura docente aún necesaria⁩

Complete cardiovascular, diet-risk, membrane, protein and gene-expression statements remain.
Complete reproduction/development, plant structure, biodiversity and conservation statements remain.
All specified AS core practicals and written design/analysis objectives need full mapping.
Complete energy flow, environmental data, immunity and forensics statements remain.
Full muscle/renal/neural/gene technology statements and the session-specific scientific article remain.
Full A2 practical planning/statistics/evaluation objective coverage remains.

Specifications and sample documents · ⁨Especificaciones y documentos de muestra⁩

Course materials · ⁨Materiales del curso⁩

Course preparation · ⁨Preparación del curso⁩

Documents are available. Board-specific notes, assessments and interactive past-paper practice are not yet available for every course. · ⁨Los documentos están disponibles. Las notas específicas de la entidad evaluadora, las evaluaciones y la práctica interactiva deantiguos exámenes no están disponibles aún para todos los cursos.⁩

Lessons · ⁨Lecciones⁩ →