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
Voice of the Genome
- 16 subtopics
- 48 things to know
- Papers 1, 2 and 3
What Voice of the Genome covers
Covers the cell as a unit: the ultrastructure of prokaryotes and eukaryotes, mitosis and meiosis, gametes and fertilisation, stem cells and how gene expression makes one cell different from another.
Where it is assessed
Papers 1, 2 and 3
Core content, examined on every paper.
Check the Pearson Edexcel specification ↗The 16 subtopics
Each one has its own page.
- Prokaryotic cellsRecall questions on the cell wall, capsule, plasmids, flagella, pili and mesosomes, and on how prokaryotic DNA and ribosomes differ from eukaryotic.Open →
- Eukaryotic organelles and their functionsRecall questions on the nucleus, ribosomes, endoplasmic reticulum, mitochondria, lysosomes, centrioles and the Golgi apparatus.Open →
- Identifying organelles in an electron micrographRecall questions on what each organelle looks like under the electron microscope.Open →
- Protein secretion, and levels of organisationRecall questions on the route a protein takes from ribosome to cell surface, and on cells, tissues, organs and systems.Open →
- Microscopy: the graticule, magnification and standard formRecall questions on using a graticule, the magnification formula and rearranging it, and on standard form.Open →
- The cell cycle and the stages of mitosisRecall questions on interphase and the mitotic phase, why mitosis matters, and what happens in prophase, metaphase, anaphase and telophase.Open →
- Core practical: the root tip squashRecall questions on preparing a root tip squash, the stains used, and why root tips are suitable.Open →
- Meiosis, linkage and sex linkageRecall questions on how meiosis generates variation through crossing over and independent assortment, and on loci, linked genes and sex linkage.Open →
- The structure of sperm and egg cellsRecall questions on the acrosome, the flagellum, mitochondria, the zona pellucida and the cortical granules.Open →
- Fertilisation: the acrosome and cortical reactionsRecall questions on what triggers each reaction, and on how polyspermy is prevented.Open →
- Totipotency, pluripotency and sources of stem cellsRecall questions on self-renewal, the potency of embryonic and adult stem cells, and where each is found.Open →
- The ethics and risks of stem cell therapyRecall questions on the arguments over using embryos, induced pluripotent stem cells, and the risks of rejection and tumour formation.Open →
- Differential gene expression and specialisationRecall questions on why cells with the same genome become different, and on the specialised cells produced.Open →
- The lac operonRecall questions on the structural genes, promoter, operator and regulatory gene, and on what happens when lactose is present and absent.Open →
- Epigenetics: DNA methylation and histone modificationRecall questions on how methylation and histone acetylation change gene expression, and on why the changes persist.Open →
- Polygenic inheritance, continuous variation and statisticsRecall questions on polygenic inheritance, multiple alleles and continuous variation, the mean, median, mode, range and standard deviation, the Student’s t-test and Spearman’s rank correlation coefficient, and choosing the right statistical test.Open →
What you need to know
Answer each one before you reveal it.
Your recallNot started
Process
What happens when a sperm reaches an egg?
Key term
What is the fundamental structural unit of all living organisms?
Key term
How do ribosomes appear in electron micrographs?
Key term
What is the key structural difference that distinguishes prokaryotic cells from eukaryotic cells?
Numbers
State the magnification formula.
Numbers
Rearrange the magnification formula to make the size of the real object the subject.
Process
Define the cell cycle.
Key term
What is the final step when preparing a root tip squash after applying the coverslip?
Key term
How many daughter cells are produced by meiosis, and what is their ploidy?
Key term
What is polyspermy?
Key term
Define self-renewal in the context of stem cells.
Process
How does the pluripotency of embryonic stem cells support their use in medical therapies?
Evaluation
Why might embryonic stem cell therapies cause immune rejection?
Process
How does differential gene expression lead to cell specialisation?
Key term
What is the state of the lac operon when lactose is absent?
Key term
What can RNA polymerase do once the repressor has released from the operator?
Process
How does phenotype differ from genotype?
Process
How does acetylation of histones affect DNA packaging and transcription?
Key term
What does the term 'multiple alleles' mean?
Key term
What type of distribution do phenotypes showing continuous variation typically produce in a population?
Key term
State four features that are common to all cells, whether prokaryotic or eukaryotic.
Key term
What is the nucleus in a eukaryotic cell?
Key term
State the size and function of eukaryotic ribosomes.
Key term
Describe how the nucleus appears in an electron micrograph.
Process
How are proteins released from the cell after processing by the Golgi apparatus?
Key term
When preparing a root tip squash, how much of the root tip should be cut?
Key term
Why is meiosis essential for generating genetic variation in sexually reproducing organisms?
Key term
What is the acrosome and what does it contain?
Key term
What structure enables sperm cells to swim towards the egg?
Key term
What risk is associated with embryonic stem cells dividing in an uncontrolled manner?
Key term
Do all body cells contain the same genome?
Key term
What structural component surrounds the plasma membrane in prokaryotic cells?
Key term
What distinguishes rough endoplasmic reticulum from smooth ER, and what is its function?
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How would you identify mitochondria in an electron micrograph?
Key term
Define a tissue.
Key term
State two features that should be included when producing a scientific drawing from microscope observation.
Key term
What occurs during the G1 phase of the cell cycle?
Key term
What is added to the root tip on the slide to visualise chromosomes?
Key term
Explain how independent assortment leads to genetic variation.
Key term
What type of nucleus does a sperm cell have and what does it contain?
Key term
What triggers the acrosome reaction?
Key term
What does it mean for a stem cell to be undifferentiated?
Key term
What are induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs)?
Process
What process produces mRNA from specific genes during differential gene expression?
Key term
What protein does the lacY gene encode and what is its function?
Key term
What is phenotype?
Key term
What is polygenic inheritance?
Take Voice of the Genome further
The same content, four other ways.
Commonly confused
Pairs that lose marks when they are blurred together.
Totipotent cell vs Pluripotent cell
Totipotent cell: unspecialised cell able to form every embryonic and extra-embryonic type. Pluripotent cell: unspecialised cell able to form every body-cell type.
Mitosis vs Meiosis
Mitosis: division producing genetically identical daughter nuclei. Meiosis: division producing genetically varied haploid nuclei.
Genotype vs Phenotype
Genotype: genetic constitution of an organism. Phenotype: observable characteristics produced by genes and environment.
Questions from this topic
Each one with the model answer underneath.
- 1
What is the fundamental structural unit of all living organisms?
Model answer
The cell: every living thing is built from one or more of them.
- 2
State four features that are common to all cells, whether prokaryotic or eukaryotic.
Model answer
All cells possess a plasma membrane, cytoplasm, ribosomes, and genetic material (DNA).
- 3
What structural component surrounds the plasma membrane in prokaryotic cells?
Model answer
A cell wall.
- 4
What is the function of the capsule found in some prokaryotic cells?
Model answer
It acts as a protective layer outside the cell wall.
- 5
What are plasmids?
Model answer
Small circular DNA molecules found in prokaryotic cells, separate from the main chromosome.
- 6
Name the structure that enables locomotion in some prokaryotic cells.
Model answer
Flagellum.
What is inside Levo
Six ways to work the same material.
Voice of the Genome revision questions
- What does Voice of the Genome cover in Edexcel A-Level Biology A?
- 16 subtopics: prokaryotic cells, eukaryotic organelles and their functions, identifying organelles in an electron micrograph, protein secretion, and levels of organisation, microscopy: the graticule, magnification and standard form, the cell cycle and the stages of mitosis, core practical: the root tip squash, meiosis, linkage and sex linkage, the structure of sperm and egg cells, fertilisation: the acrosome and cortical reactions, totipotency, pluripotency and sources of stem cells, the ethics and risks of stem cell therapy, differential gene expression and specialisation, the lac operon, epigenetics: dna methylation and histone modification and polygenic inheritance, continuous variation and statistics. Each one has its own page with questions and model answers.
- How is Voice of the Genome organised?
- By the Edexcel 9BN0 specification, subtopic by subtopic, so it matches the order you are taught it in.
Every question in Voice of the Genome, 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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