Key term
Edexcel A-Level Biology B 9BI0
Biological Molecules
Topic overviewMonosaccharides, disaccharides and polysaccharidesGlycosidic bonds and condensation reactionsStarch, glycogen and cellulose structureTriglycerides and phospholipidsSaturated and unsaturated fats and lipid propertiesAmino acid structure and the peptide bondPrimary, secondary, tertiary and quaternary structureFibrous and globular proteinsThe structure of DNADNA replication and gene mutationsThe structure of RNATranscription and translationEnzymes as globular proteinsFactors affecting enzyme activityMeasuring the rate of enzyme activityUnits, uncertainty and experimental errorEnzyme inhibitionInorganic ionsThe properties of water
Cells, Viruses and Reproduction of Living Things
Topic overviewCell theory and eukaryotic cell structureProkaryotic cells and Gram stainingMicroscopy, magnification and resolutionSignificant figures, estimates and mathematical symbolsVirus structure and classificationThe lytic cycle and latencyTreating viral disease and the ethics of untested drugsThe cell cycle and its regulationMitosis and the behaviour of chromosomesMitosis in growth, repair and root tip squashesMeiosis, genetic variation and chromosome mutationsGametogenesis in mammalsFertilisation and early embryo developmentPollen and embryo sac formationDouble fertilisation in flowering plantsInvestigating pollen tube growth
Classification and Biodiversity
Exchange and Transport
Topic overviewSurface area to volume ratioThe fluid mosaic modelDiffusion, osmosis and facilitated diffusionActive transport, endocytosis and exocytosisGas exchange in insects, fish and mammalsDissecting the insect gas exchange systemGas exchange in flowering plantsThe structure of the heart and blood vesselsThe double circulatory systemThe cardiac cycleMyogenic stimulation and ECG tracesThe composition of bloodThe functions of blood and clottingAtherosclerosis and its risk factorsHaemoglobin and the Bohr effectOxygen dissociation curvesFormation of tissue fluidThe lymphatic systemXylem and phloem structureApoplastic and symplastic pathwaysThe cohesion-tension theoryMeasuring transpiration with a potometerTranslocation and the mass flow hypothesis
Energy for Biological Processes
Topic overviewAn overview of aerobic respirationGlycolysisThe link reaction and the Krebs cycleThe electron transport chainChemiosmosis and ATP yieldAnaerobic respiration and ATP yieldMeasuring respiration with a respirometerAbsorption and action spectraPhotosynthetic pigments and chromatographyChloroplast structure and the light-dependent stageThe Calvin cycleLimiting factors in photosynthesis
Microbiology and Pathogens
Topic overviewCulturing microorganisms and aseptic techniqueMeasuring bacterial growthThe bacterial growth curveBacteria as pathogensThe action of antibioticsAntibiotic resistanceOther pathogenic agentsControlling endemic diseasePhagocytosis and the humoral responseThe cell-mediated immune responseMemory cells and the secondary responseNatural and artificial immunityVaccination and herd immunity
Modern Genetics
Origins of Genetic Variation
Topic overviewMutation, meiosis and random fertilisationGenotype, phenotype and monohybrid inheritanceDihybrid crosses and pedigree diagramsAutosomal linkage and sex linkageThe chi-squared test in geneticsSelection pressures and allele frequencyGenetic drift and the founder effectThe Hardy-Weinberg equation
Control Systems
Topic overviewHomeostasis and negative feedbackChemical control in mammalsPlant growth substancesAuxins, cytokinins and apical dominancePhytochrome and photomorphogenesisThe organisation of the nervous systemBrain regions and divisions of the peripheral nervous systemThe autonomic nervous systemResting potential and the action potentialPropagation and saltatory conductionSynaptic transmissionEffects of drugs on the nervous systemThe structure of the retina and rhodopsinRods, cones and visual acuityControl of heart rateKidney structure and ultrafiltrationSelective reabsorption and the loop of HenleADH and osmoregulationThermoregulation in endotherms
Ecosystems
Topic overviewEcosystems, habitats and nichesPyramids of numbers, biomass and energyEcological techniques for measuring distributionChoosing the right ecological techniquePresenting data in tables and graphsStatistical tests in ecologyProductivity and energy transfer efficiencyDecomposers and nutrient cyclingSuccessionBiotic and abiotic factors in population changeHuman influences on ecosystemsSustainability, resource management and peer review
Cells, Viruses and Reproduction of Living Things
- 16 subtopics
- 45 things to know
- Papers 1, 2 and 3
What Cells, Viruses and Reproduction of Living Things covers
Cell structure in eukaryotes and prokaryotes, how microscopes reveal it, the nature of viruses and whether they count as alive, the cell cycle and the difference between mitosis and meiosis, and sexual reproduction in mammals and flowering plants.
Where it is assessed
Papers 1, 2 and 3
Examined on every paper.
Check the Pearson Edexcel specification ↗The 16 subtopics
Each one has its own page.
- Cell theory and eukaryotic cell structureRecall questions on cell theory and the levels of organisation from cells to organ systems, and on the structure and function of the nucleus, ribosomes, mitochondria, chloroplasts, endoplasmic reticulum, Golgi apparatus, lysosomes, centrioles, cell wall, vacuole and tonoplast.Open →
- Prokaryotic cells and Gram stainingRecall questions on how prokaryotic cells differ from eukaryotic, the bacterial cell wall, and what Gram staining distinguishes.Open →
- Microscopy, magnification and resolutionRecall questions on magnification and resolution, light, scanning and transmission electron microscopes, staining, calibrating an eyepiece graticule with a stage micrometer, using and rearranging the magnification formula, and the conventions of biological drawing.Open →
- Significant figures, estimates and mathematical symbolsRecall questions on giving biological calculations to an appropriate number of significant figures, standard form, estimating a result to check a calculation, spotting an implausible cell size, and the symbols <, <<, >> and ~.Open →
- Virus structure and classificationRecall questions on classifying viruses by structure and nucleic acid, lambda phage as a DNA virus, tobacco mosaic virus and Ebola as RNA viruses, and HIV as a retrovirus that uses reverse transcriptase to integrate into the host genome.Open →
- The lytic cycle and latencyRecall questions on the attachment, penetration, replication, assembly and lysis stages of the lytic cycle, and on latency, when viral DNA integrates into the host genome and is replicated with it.Open →
- Treating viral disease and the ethics of untested drugsRecall questions on why viruses are not living cells and are hard to treat, prevention during the 2014 Ebola outbreak, and the ethical arguments for and against using untested drugs in an epidemic, from mortality and lack of alternatives to consent, equity and exploitation.Open →
- The cell cycle and its regulationRecall questions on the cell cycle, interphase and its G1, S and G2 phases, the replication of chromosomes into sister chromatids, mitosis producing two genetically identical diploid cells, and cytokinesis.Open →
- Mitosis and the behaviour of chromosomesRecall questions on the order of prophase, metaphase, anaphase and telophase, and on what happens to the chromosomes, spindle fibres and nuclear envelope in each stage.Open →
- Mitosis in growth, repair and root tip squashesRecall questions on mitosis in growth, repair and asexual reproduction, preparing a root tip squash by fixing, hydrolysing, staining and squashing, identifying the stages of mitosis, and calculating the mitotic index.Open →
- Meiosis, genetic variation and chromosome mutationsRecall questions on meiosis I as the reduction division and meiosis II, what separates in each, crossing over and independent assortment as sources of variation, and chromosome mutations such as translocation and non-disjunction in Down's and Turner's syndromes.Open →
- Gametogenesis in mammalsRecall questions on spermatogenesis from spermatogonia to spermatozoa, oogenesis from oogonia, arrest at prophase I and metaphase II, polar bodies and unequal division of the cytoplasm, and how the timing of the two processes differs.Open →
- Fertilisation and early embryo developmentRecall questions on the sperm binding the zona pellucida, the acrosome reaction, the cortical reaction that blocks polyspermy, pronuclear fusion to form the zygote, and cleavage to a morula and a blastocyst with its trophoblast and inner cell mass.Open →
- Pollen and embryo sac formationRecall questions on the anther and ovule, meiosis in each, and the structure of a mature pollen grain and embryo sac.Open →
- Double fertilisation in flowering plantsRecall questions on the pollen tube, the two male nuclei, and the formation of the zygote and the triploid endosperm.Open →
- Investigating pollen tube growthRecall questions on investigating how sucrose concentration affects pollen tube growth: preparing the solutions and medium, why too little or too much sucrose stops germination, the variables to control, and measuring tube length or germination percentage.Open →
What you need to know
Answer each one before you reveal it.
Your recallNot started
Numbers
How would you rearrange the magnification formula to find the image size?
Key term
Define the lytic cycle.
Key term
Define latency in viral infection, and state what may happen to viral genetic material during latency.
Key term
Why should the focus of viral disease control be on prevention rather than treatment?
Process
What happens to the chromosome number during meiosis I?
Key term
If a woman's primary oocytes failed to arrest at prophase I, what immediate consequence would this have?
Evaluation
Why does the ovum retain most of the cytoplasm during oogenesis, and what becomes of the polar bodies?
Process
What is the cortical reaction and when is it triggered?
Process
Describe the path taken by the pollen tube after germination, and state what controls its growth.
Key term
What is the basic structural and functional unit that makes up all living organisms?
Key term
Why do Gram positive bacteria appear purple after Gram staining?
Process
Why is staining specimens necessary in microscopy?
Key term
What two main features are used to classify viruses?
Evaluation
State one ethical argument in favour of using untested drugs during epidemics when mortality is high.
Key term
What occurs during telophase I?
Numbers
State the formula for calculating the mitotic index.
Key term
What happens during G₂ phase of interphase?
Key term
What type of preparation can be made from a root tip to observe mitosis?
Key term
How can you distinguish prophase from metaphase when viewing a root tip squash?
Process
Describe three events that occur during prophase.
Key term
What are chromosome mutations?
Key term
Where in the testes does spermatogenesis begin, and what is the ploidy of the starting cells?
Key term
How many functional megaspores remain after degeneration in the ovule?
Key term
Why is pH a controlled variable in the pollen germination investigation?
Key term
Name the two nuclei found in a mature pollen grain.
Key term
What structure is formed when similar cells group together to perform a common function?
Key term
Name a bacteriophage that is classified as a DNA virus.
Key term
What is formed when different tissues combine to work together?
Key term
How does the outer membrane of Gram negative bacteria affect their antibiotic susceptibility?
Key term
Define magnification in microscopy.
Process
Why should a calculated cell size not be given to more significant figures than the raw data?
Process
How can estimating a result help when carrying out a biological calculation?
Process
A student calculates the diameter of a human red blood cell from a micrograph as 750 µm. Why should the answer be recognised as wrong?
Key term
Give an example of a plant virus that contains RNA as its genetic material.
Process
What occurs during the attachment stage of the lytic cycle?
Key term
Name four measures used to prevent viral spread during the 2014 Ebola outbreak in West Africa.
Key term
Define the cell cycle.
Key term
What is interphase in the context of the cell cycle?
Key term
How does mitosis contribute to growth in organisms?
Key term
What happens during prophase I of meiosis?
Key term
What division do primary spermatocytes undergo, and what cells result?
Key term
By what type of cell division do spermatogonia produce primary spermatocytes?
Key term
How many haploid microspores are produced from each pollen mother cell after meiosis?
Key term
How many mitotic divisions does the surviving megaspore undergo to form the embryo sac?
Take Cells, Viruses and Reproduction of Living Things further
The same content, four other ways.
Commonly confused
Pairs that lose marks when they are blurred together.
Prokaryotic cell vs Eukaryotic cell
Prokaryotic cell: cell lacking a membrane-bound nucleus. Eukaryotic cell: cell containing a membrane-bound nucleus.
Mitosis vs Meiosis
Mitosis: nuclear division producing genetically identical nuclei. Meiosis: nuclear division producing genetically varied haploid nuclei.
Plasmid vs Capsid
Plasmid: small circular DNA molecule separate from the main chromosome. Capsid: protein coat surrounding viral genetic material.
Questions from this topic
Each one with the model answer underneath.
- 1
What does cell theory state about the role of cells in living organisms?
Model answer
That every living organism is built from cells, that the cell is the smallest unit capable of carrying out life processes, and that all cells arise from existing cells.
- 2
What is the basic structural and functional unit that makes up all living organisms?
Model answer
Cells are the basic structural and functional unit that makes up all living organisms.
- 3
What structure is formed when similar cells group together to perform a common function?
Model answer
Tissues are formed when similar cells group together to perform a common function.
- 4
What is formed when different tissues combine to work together?
Model answer
Organs are formed when different tissues combine to work together.
- 5
What level of organisation is formed when multiple organs work together to carry out a major body function?
Model answer
Organ systems are formed when multiple organs work together to carry out a major body function.
- 6
What is the nucleus and what is its function in eukaryotic cells?
Model answer
The nucleus is a membrane-bound organelle containing the cell's genetic material (DNA) organised into chromosomes, and it controls cell activities.
What is inside Levo
Six ways to work the same material.
Cells, Viruses and Reproduction of Living Things revision questions
- What does Cells, Viruses and Reproduction of Living Things cover in Edexcel A-Level Biology B?
- 16 subtopics: cell theory and eukaryotic cell structure, prokaryotic cells and gram staining, microscopy, magnification and resolution, significant figures, estimates and mathematical symbols, virus structure and classification, the lytic cycle and latency, treating viral disease and the ethics of untested drugs, the cell cycle and its regulation, mitosis and the behaviour of chromosomes, mitosis in growth, repair and root tip squashes, meiosis, genetic variation and chromosome mutations, gametogenesis in mammals, fertilisation and early embryo development, pollen and embryo sac formation, double fertilisation in flowering plants and investigating pollen tube growth. Each one has its own page with questions and model answers.
- How is Cells, Viruses and Reproduction of Living Things organised?
- By the Edexcel 9BI0 specification, subtopic by subtopic, so it matches the order you are taught it in.
Every question in Cells, Viruses and Reproduction of Living Things, 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.
Or £46 a year, about £3.83 a month. Cancel anytime.