Biology A (Salters-Nuffield) (9BN0)

9 sections available · 51 chapters available

Free Biology A (Salters-Nuffield) (9BN0) study notes for Pearson Edexcel A Level students. Each chapter below covers a key topic with worked examples and practice prompts you can take into the thinka app.

Topic 1: Lifestyle, Health and Risk

  • Heart, circulation and blood vessels

  • Cardiac cycle, atherosclerosis and blood clotting

  • Risk, correlation and study design

  • Carbohydrates and lipids

  • Diet, energy balance and CVD treatments

Topic 2: Genes and Health

  • Gas exchange surfaces and Fick's law

  • Membrane structure and transport

  • DNA, RNA and protein synthesis

  • Proteins and enzymes

  • DNA replication, mutation and cystic fibrosis

  • Monohybrid inheritance and genetic screening

Topic 3: Voice of the Genome

  • Eukaryotic and prokaryotic cell ultrastructure

  • Gametes and fertilisation

  • Mitosis, meiosis and the cell cycle

  • Stem cells and differential gene expression

  • Epigenetics, phenotype and continuous variation

Topic 4: Biodiversity and Natural Resources

  • Biodiversity, endemism and diversity indices

  • Niche, adaptation and natural selection

  • Hardy-Weinberg, speciation and classification

  • Plant cells, cellulose and plant fibres

  • Plant minerals, drug testing and sustainability

  • Conservation: zoos and seed banks

Topic 5: On the Wild Side

  • Ecosystems, niches and succession

  • Light-dependent reactions of photosynthesis

  • Calvin cycle and chloroplast structure

  • Productivity and energy transfer

  • Evidence and causes of climate change

  • Climate change, evolution and speciation

Topic 6: Immunity, Infection and Forensics

  • Forensics: time of death and decomposition

  • DNA profiling, PCR and electrophoresis

  • Bacteria, viruses, tuberculosis and HIV

  • Barriers and non-specific responses

  • Immune response, B and T cells, immunity

  • Antibiotics and hospital acquired infections

Topic 7: Run for your Life

  • Muscles and the sliding filament theory

  • Aerobic respiration and oxidative phosphorylation

  • Anaerobic respiration and lactate

  • Heart activity, ECGs and cardiac output

  • Homeostasis, feedback and thermoregulation

  • Exercise, health and medical technology

Topic 8: Grey Matter

  • Neurones and the action potential

  • Synapses and neurotransmitters

  • Vision and the retina

  • Plant responses: phytochrome and IAA

  • Brain structure, imaging and development

  • Brain chemicals, drugs and learning

  • Genome sequencing and genetically modified organisms

Practical and mathematical skills

  • Core practicals and experimental design

  • Data handling and statistical tests

  • Calculations, graphs and units

  • Synoptic questions and the pre-released article

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