Process
Edexcel A-Level Biology A 9BN0
Lifestyle, Health and Risk
Topic overviewWater and the carbohydratesCondensation, hydrolysis and glycosidic bondsLipids, food tests and unitsThe cardiac cycle and the structure of the heartArteries, veins and capillariesCore practical: caffeine and the heart rate of DaphniaThe blood clotting cascadeThrombus, embolus and their consequencesAtherosclerosis and the risk factors for CVDTreatments for CVD, and cholesterol transportBMI, waist-to-hip ratio and energy balanceCore practical 2: the vitamin C content of food and drinkCorrelation, causation and the design of health studiesRisk perception, and handling quantitative data
Genes and Health
Topic overviewGas exchange surfaces and Fick's LawThe fluid mosaic model of the cell membraneOsmosis, diffusion and active transportSurface area and volume calculationsThe structure of DNA and RNATranscriptionTranslation and the genetic codeAmino acids and the levels of protein structureGlobular and fibrous proteins: haemoglobin and collagenAlternative splicing and tissue-specific proteinsEnzyme specificity, the active site and activation energyRates of reaction, Vmax and Core Practical 4Semi-conservative replication and Meselson-StahlTypes of mutation and the CFTR geneAlleles, genotype and monohybrid inheritancePedigree diagrams and the inheritance of cystic fibrosisThe effects of cystic fibrosis, and the chi-squared testPrenatal genetic testing: PGD, amniocentesis and CVSThe ethics of genetic screening
Voice of the Genome
Topic overviewProkaryotic cellsEukaryotic organelles and their functionsIdentifying organelles in an electron micrographProtein secretion, and levels of organisationMicroscopy: the graticule, magnification and standard formThe cell cycle and the stages of mitosisCore practical: the root tip squashMeiosis, linkage and sex linkageThe structure of sperm and egg cellsFertilisation: the acrosome and cortical reactionsTotipotency, pluripotency and sources of stem cellsThe ethics and risks of stem cell therapyDifferential gene expression and specialisationThe lac operonEpigenetics: DNA methylation and histone modificationPolygenic inheritance, continuous variation and statistics
Biodiversity and Natural Resources
Topic overviewBiodiversity, species richness and the index of diversityNiches and the three kinds of adaptationNatural selection and evolutionThe Hardy-Weinberg equation and its assumptionsReproductive isolation and speciationClassificationThe plant cell wall, chloroplast and amyloplastThe vacuole, plasmodesmata, pits and middle lamellaPlant cells in the electron microscopeStarch and celluloseLignin, xylem vessels and sclerenchyma fibresIdentifying plant tissues under the microscopeThe structure of xylem, phloem and sclerenchymaWater and the mineral nutrition of plantsCore practical: investigating mineral deficiencyCore practical: the tensile strength of plant fibresDrug development from Withering to modern trialsGrowing bacteria and aseptic techniqueCore practical: the antimicrobial properties of plantsSustainability and Conservation
On the Wild Side
Topic overviewPhotosynthesis: the light-dependent reactionsPhotosynthesis: the Calvin cycleChloroplast structure and the products of photosynthesisProductivity: GPP, NPP and energy transferCore practicals on temperature and growthTemperature, enzymes and Q10Sampling: quadrats and transectsSuccessionBiotic and abiotic factors, niches and competitionEcosystem terms, evolution, speciation and validating evidenceEvidence for climate changeClimate models and their limitationsCorrelation, causation and scientific objectivityThe effects of climate change on organismsHuman activities that raise greenhouse gas levelsThe greenhouse effectEvolution and natural selectionSpeciationHow new scientific evidence is validatedThe carbon cycleReforestation, biofuels and sustainability
Immunity, Infection and Forensics
Topic overviewDecomposition, succession and forensic entomologyBody cooling and rigor mortisDNA profiling and the polymerase chain reactionGel electrophoresisThe structure of bacteria and virusesDecomposition, and how pathogens enter the bodyThe body's barriers, and modelling bacterial growthTuberculosis and HIVThe non-specific immune responseAntigens, antibodies and B cellsT cells and cell-mediated immunityActive and passive immunity, natural and artificialThe evolutionary race and pathogen evasionAntibiotics and testing their effectivenessHospital acquired infections and their control
Run for Your Life
Topic overviewMuscles and MovementThe myofibril and the sarcomereThe sliding filament theory, calcium and ATPSlow-twitch and fast-twitch muscle fibresGlycolysis and the link reactionThe Krebs cycle, oxidative phosphorylation and oxygen debtThe conduction system: SAN, AVN and Purkyne fibresThe sequence of cardiac excitationThe electrocardiogram, cardiac output and stroke volumeThe cardiovascular and ventilation control centresSpirometry and ventilation during exerciseHomeostasis, feedback and gene control by hormonesThermoregulation and the hypothalamusThe effects of too much and too little exerciseMedical technology and performance-enhancing substances
Grey Matter
Topic overviewThe structure of neurones and myelinationThe action potential and saltatory conductionThe structure of a synapse and calcium entryNeurotransmitter release and acetylcholineRod cells and the detection of lightEffectors, the neuromuscular junction and the pupil reflexPhytochrome and the response to lightIAA, phototropism and gravitropismNervous against hormonal coordinationThe regions of the brain and their functionsBrain imaging: MRI, fMRI, PET and CTCritical periods and the Hubel and Wiesel experimentsNature, nurture, habituation and research ethicsDopamine, serotonin and their imbalanceL-Dopa and MDMAGenome sequencing, personalised medicine and its ethicsGenetically modified organisms: benefits and risks
Run for Your Life
- 15 subtopics
- 45 things to know
- Papers 2 and 3
What Run for Your Life covers
Covers the body in action: how muscles contract, how respiration supplies the ATP, how the heart and breathing are controlled and measured, how core temperature is held steady, and the effects and ethics of exercise and its enhancement.
Where it is assessed
Papers 2 and 3
Energy, Exercise and Co-ordination, then the synoptic paper.
Check the Pearson Edexcel specification ↗The 15 subtopics
Each one has its own page.
- Muscles and MovementRecall questions on antagonistic muscle pairs, tendons and ligaments, and how the skeleton and muscles produce movement.Open →
- The myofibril and the sarcomereRecall questions on actin and myosin, the sarcomere and Z lines, and the A band, I band and H zone.Open →
- The sliding filament theory, calcium and ATPRecall questions on calcium release from the sarcoplasmic reticulum, troponin and tropomyosin, cross-bridge formation and the power stroke, the roles of ATP and ATPase, and how the muscle relaxes.Open →
- Slow-twitch and fast-twitch muscle fibresRecall questions on the structure, respiration and fatigue resistance of each fibre type and the activities each suits.Open →
- Glycolysis and the link reactionRecall questions on why aerobic respiration releases so much energy over many steps, the substrates and products of glycolysis and the link reaction, lactate in anaerobic conditions, and setting up a respirometer and calculating its results.Open →
- The Krebs cycle, oxidative phosphorylation and oxygen debtRecall questions on the products of the Krebs cycle, chemiosmosis and ATP synthase, and on oxygen debt after exercise.Open →
- The conduction system: SAN, AVN and Purkyne fibresRecall questions on myogenic contraction, and on the position and role of the sinoatrial node, atrioventricular node, bundle of His and Purkyne fibres.Open →
- The sequence of cardiac excitationRecall questions on the order in which the impulse spreads, why the delay at the AVN matters, and why the ventricles contract from the apex upward.Open →
- The electrocardiogram, cardiac output and stroke volumeRecall questions on the P wave, QRS complex and T wave, arrhythmia and fibrillation, and calculating cardiac output.Open →
- The cardiovascular and ventilation control centresRecall questions on where each centre sits, the receptors that feed it, and how heart rate and breathing are adjusted.Open →
- Spirometry and ventilation during exerciseRecall questions on tidal volume, breathing rate and minute ventilation, reading a spirometer trace, and how each changes with exercise.Open →
- Homeostasis, feedback and gene control by hormonesRecall questions on negative and positive feedback and dynamic equilibrium, and on how transcription factors and steroid hormones switch genes on and off.Open →
- Thermoregulation and the hypothalamusRecall questions on how core temperature is detected, and on vasodilation, vasoconstriction, sweating, shivering and the erector pili muscles.Open →
- The effects of too much and too little exerciseRecall questions on joint damage and suppressed immunity from excessive exercise, and on the cardiovascular and metabolic effects of too little.Open →
- Medical technology and performance-enhancing substancesRecall questions on keyhole surgery and prostheses, the categories of performance-enhancing substance, and the ethical arguments on both sides.Open →
What you need to know
Answer each one before you reveal it.
Your recallNot started
Process
How does an electrical impulse travel through the heart?
Key term
Describe the properties of tendons that make them suited to their function.
Key term
What is an antagonistic muscle pair?
Process
According to the sliding filament theory, how does a sarcomere shorten?
Key term
Which form of respiration do fast-twitch fibres mainly rely on?
Process
How does the capillary (blood) supply differ between the two fibre types?
Key term
Explain why aerobic respiration releases a large amount of energy.
Key term
What are the products of the link reaction?
Key term
Define chemiosmosis in the context of mitochondrial ATP production.
Key term
How can ECGs be used in diagnosing heart conditions?
Key term
Define cardiac output and state its typical units.
Key term
Which nerve decreases heart rate and what neurotransmitter does it release?
Key term
Define tidal volume.
Numbers
State the formula for calculating respiratory minute ventilation.
Process
What are transcription factors?
Key term
What is the relationship between hormones and transcription factors?
Process
How does the hypothalamus detect core body temperature?
Process
Explain how vasoconstriction helps conserve body heat.
Evaluation
Why does insufficient exercise increase the risk of atherosclerosis?
Key term
Define correlation in the context of statistical analysis.
Process
Why does keyhole surgery enable faster recovery compared to open surgery?
Evaluation
What health risks are associated with anabolic steroid use?
Key term
What are the two types of protein filament that make up a myofibril?
Key term
Which ion triggers muscle contraction?
Key term
Explain why the link reaction and Krebs cycle occur inside the mitochondria.
Key term
What does it mean that cardiac muscle is myogenic?
Key term
Where does the electrical impulse that initiates each heartbeat originate?
Key term
After the SAN generates an impulse, how does it reach both atria?
Key term
What types of receptors provide input to the cardiovascular control centre?
Key term
What is the function of ligaments?
Key term
What structures mark the two ends (boundaries) of a sarcomere?
Key term
From which organelle are calcium ions released to start contraction?
Key term
How does the number of mitochondria compare in slow- and fast-twitch fibres?
Process
Why is respiration described as a many-stepped process rather than a single reaction?
Process
By what process is most ATP synthesised during aerobic respiration, and where does it occur?
Key term
Which structure generates the initial electrical impulse in the cardiac conduction sequence?
Key term
What happens to the electrical impulse at the atrioventricular node?
Key term
What is an electrocardiogram (ECG)?
Key term
How does the ventilation centre respond to changes in blood carbon dioxide concentration?
Key term
What is breathing rate?
Key term
How does negative feedback differ from positive feedback in terms of maintaining stability?
Key term
Which part of the brain acts as the thermoregulatory centre?
Key term
How does repetitive stress from excessive exercise affect joint cartilage?
Key term
How do the small incisions used in keyhole surgery benefit athletes?
Take Run for Your Life further
The same content, four other ways.
Commonly confused
Pairs that lose marks when they are blurred together.
Aerobic respiration vs Anaerobic respiration
Aerobic respiration: energy release using oxygen as final electron acceptor. Anaerobic respiration: energy release without oxygen through glycolysis and fermentation.
Fast-twitch fibre vs Slow-twitch fibre
Fast-twitch fibre: muscle cell adapted for rapid powerful contractions. Slow-twitch fibre: muscle cell adapted for sustained aerobic activity.
Myogenic vs Neurogenic
Myogenic: activity initiated within cardiac muscle. Neurogenic: activity initiated by nervous stimulation.
Questions from this topic
Each one with the model answer underneath.
- 1
What type of connective tissue attaches muscles to bones?
Model answer
Tendons
- 2
Describe the properties of tendons that make them suited to their function.
Model answer
Tendons are strong and inelastic, allowing them to transmit the force generated by muscle contraction directly to the skeleton without stretching
- 3
What is the function of ligaments?
Model answer
Ligaments connect bones to other bones at joints, providing stability and limiting the range of movement
- 4
What role does the skeleton play in movement?
Model answer
The skeleton provides a rigid framework of levers that muscles pull against to produce movement
- 5
Why do muscles need to work in pairs to produce movement at a joint?
Model answer
Because muscles can only generate force by contracting (pulling) and cannot push, so a second muscle is needed to produce movement in the opposite direction
- 6
What is an antagonistic muscle pair?
Model answer
Two muscles that work in opposition to produce movement at a joint, with one contracting while the other relaxes
What is inside Levo
Six ways to work the same material.
Run for Your Life revision questions
- What does Run for Your Life cover in Edexcel A-Level Biology A?
- 15 subtopics: muscles and movement, the myofibril and the sarcomere, the sliding filament theory, calcium and atp, slow-twitch and fast-twitch muscle fibres, glycolysis and the link reaction, the krebs cycle, oxidative phosphorylation and oxygen debt, the conduction system: san, avn and purkyne fibres, the sequence of cardiac excitation, the electrocardiogram, cardiac output and stroke volume, the cardiovascular and ventilation control centres, spirometry and ventilation during exercise, homeostasis, feedback and gene control by hormones, thermoregulation and the hypothalamus, the effects of too much and too little exercise and medical technology and performance-enhancing substances. Each one has its own page with questions and model answers.
- How is Run for Your Life organised?
- By the Edexcel 9BN0 specification, subtopic by subtopic, so it matches the order you are taught it in.
Every question in Run for Your Life, on a schedule.
Attempt a question from memory, write the correct version, then attempt it again. Levo records the jump between your first attempt and your last, and brings each question back on the day you are due to forget it.
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