AQA AS Biology, memorised in year one.

Everything the AS examines and nothing from the second year. Drill the 4 topics the 7401 specification actually examines.

AS of 7402
4 topics
83 subtopics

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AQA AS-Level Biology 7402

Biological Molecules

Topic overview Monomers, polymers, condensation and hydrolysis Monosaccharides, disaccharides and glycosidic bonds Alpha and beta glucose, amylose and amylopectin How starch, glycogen and cellulose suit their functions Cellulose microfibrils and tests for sugars and starch Triglycerides, fatty acids and phospholipid structure Properties of lipids and the emulsion test The general structure of amino acids Peptide bonds, polypeptides and bonds in proteins Levels of protein structure, the biuret test and chromatography Activation energy, induced fit and enzyme specificity Enzyme and substrate concentration and inhibition pH, temperature, initial rates and measurement uncertainty DNA, RNA and the components of a nucleotide Base pairing in DNA and RNA Phosphodiester bonds and the DNA double helix Doubts about DNA, base ratios and RNA structure Semi-conservative replication, helicase and DNA polymerase Steps of replication and the Meselson-Stahl experiment ATP structure, hydrolysis and resynthesis Water as a metabolite, solvent and coolant Hydrogen, iron, sodium and phosphate ions

Cells

Topic overview Cell-surface membrane, nucleus and mitochondria Chloroplasts, Golgi apparatus and lysosomes Ribosomes, endoplasmic reticulum, cell walls and vacuoles Cell specialisation, levels of organisation and organelle roles Prokaryotic cell structure and virus particles Optical and transmission electron microscopes Scanning electron microscopes, magnification and graticules Cell fractionation, homogenisation and ultracentrifugation Order of sedimentation, artefacts and fractionation conditions The cell cycle, interphase and the stages of mitosis Spindle fibres, cytokinesis and uncontrolled cell division Binary fission, viral replication and root tip squashes Mitotic index, mitosis stages and size calculations The fluid-mosaic model and cholesterol Simple diffusion, facilitated diffusion and membrane proteins Osmosis, water potential and active transport Co-transport in the ileum and adaptations for rapid transport Transport rates, dilution series and membrane permeability Antigens, cell recognition and phagocytosis Antigen-presenting cells, T cells and clonal selection Antibody structure, agglutination and antigen-antibody complexes Memory cells, vaccination and active and passive immunity HIV structure and replication AIDS, monoclonal antibodies, ELISA and clinical trials

Organisms Exchange Substances with Their Environment

Topic overview Surface area to volume ratio, metabolic rate and calculations Gas exchange in single-celled organisms, insects and fish Leaf gas exchange, insect water loss and xerophytes Trachea, bronchi, alveoli and lung dissection Inspiration, expiration and pulmonary ventilation rate Lung disease, correlation, insect tracheae and Spearman's rank Digestion of carbohydrates and lipids Endopeptidases, exopeptidases and dipeptidases Co-transport of amino acids, micelles and chylomicrons Haemoglobin, red blood cells and the dissociation curve Cooperative binding, the Bohr effect and different haemoglobins Double circulation and the major blood vessels Heart chambers, the cardiac cycle and heart dissection Arteries, arterioles, veins and capillaries Tissue fluid, cardiovascular risk factors and semilunar valves Xylem structure and the cohesion-tension theory Phloem structure, companion cells and translocation Mass flow from source to sink, tracers and ringing Evaluating mass flow, potometers and transpiration rate

Genetic Information, Variation and Relationships Between Organisms

Topic overview Prokaryotic and eukaryotic DNA, chromosomes and histones DNA in mitochondria and chloroplasts, genes and loci Features of the genetic code, exons and introns Genome, proteome, mRNA and tRNA Transcription, RNA polymerase and splicing Translation at the ribosome and the role of tRNA Gene mutations, mutagens and chromosome non-disjunction Meiosis, independent segregation and crossing over Meiosis compared with mitosis and random fertilisation Genetic diversity and the spread of advantageous alleles Directional and stabilising selection Defining adaptations and how antibiotic resistance spreads Selection on birth weight, aseptic technique and antimicrobials Classifying anatomical, physiological and behavioural adaptations Defining a species, courtship and phylogenetic classification The taxonomic hierarchy, binomial names and molecular evidence Species richness, the index of diversity and farming Comparing genetic diversity, standard deviation and the t-test

What AQA AS Biology covers, and what it leaves out

AQA AS Biology is specification 7401, the standalone first-year qualification alongside the 7402 A level. This page holds only what the AS examines: 4 topics across 83 subtopics, 1,152 active recall questions, starting with Biological Molecules, Cells and Organisms Exchange Substances with Their Environment. The 4 topics kept back for the second year are not shown, so nothing here is content you have not been taught yet.

Starting the second year? The full AQA A-Level Biology page adds the A2 topics on top of everything here.

AQA AS and A-level Biology, specification code 7402. Read the AQA specification ↗

The full specification

4 topics, 83 subtopics. Open any topic to see what is inside it.

01Biological Molecules22 subtopicsOpen topic

02Cells24 subtopicsOpen topic

03Organisms Exchange Substances with Their Environment19 subtopicsOpen topic

04Genetic Information, Variation and Relationships Between Organisms18 subtopicsOpen topic

How you work through it

Pick the mode that fits the time you have.

Try three questions

No account needed. Answer from memory first.

Your recallNot started

Key term

What are the four levels of protein structure?

Process

What is a triglyceride made from, and what bond joins the parts?

Key term

What are monomers and polymers, and how are they joined?

Spaced Repetition Schedule

How reviews are timed

Levo will automatically distribute all of your progress into a spaced repetition calendar. Once you’ve answered, it’s scheduled for you on the next day in the spaced repetition schedule. Over time, the gaps between your recall get bigger, from a day to three years, reinforcing memorisation over a long period of time.

Interval sequence

1 day
3 days
7 days
14 days
30 days
60 days
4 months
8 months
1 year
2 years
3 years

What is inside Levo

Six ways to work the same material

1Closed book

2Open book

3Closed book

The 3-step method, run for you

Answer cold, learn it, then prove it stuck. Levo tracks the jump between your first attempt and your last.

Biological Molecules

Cells

Organisms Exchange Substances with Their Environment

Genetic Information, Variation and Relationships Between Organisms

Cram a whole paper in one sitting

Sort every topic into what you know and what you do not, then drill only the weak ones.

A bond.

phosphodiesterglycosidicpeptide

Blank Blitz makes facts automatic

Rapid timed gap-fills on the terms and numbers you need to recall without thinking.

AOne glycerol molecule.

BThree fatty acid molecules.

CAn ester bond.

Build It gets the exam shape right

Assemble a full-mark answer from its marking points, in the order an examiner wants them.

Genotype means the genetic constitution of an organism.

TrueFalse

Test It catches misconceptions

Spot the fault in a statement. The traps are the mistakes students actually make.

721941163128510

Brain Breaks between sessions

Short focus games to reset attention, so the next set lands better than the last.

Biology revision questions

Common questions about revising AQA AS-Level Biology. Tap any to open it.

What is on AQA AS Biology?

4 topics across 83 subtopics, examined as its own qualification, specification 7401. They are all listed on this page, and each one opens to the subtopics inside it. The full topic list is Biological Molecules, Cells, Organisms Exchange Substances with Their Environment, Genetic Information, Variation and Relationships Between Organisms.

Does AS Biology count towards the full A level?

No. AS was decoupled in England in 2015, so AQA AS Biology (7401) is a separate qualification and none of its marks carry into the 7402 A level. It is still the same content though, which is why revising it well sets up the second year.

What is the difference between AS and A level Biology?

AS is the first-year units only. The A level adds 4 further topics, among them Energy Transfers in and Between Organisms, Organisms Respond to Changes in Their Internal and External Environments, Genetics, Populations, Evolution and Ecosystems, and expects you to connect them back to the AS material. Work the AS content here, then move up to the full A level page when you start the second year.

When do you sit AQA AS Biology?

Normally at the end of Year 12, in the summer series. That gives you one year to memorise 1,152 questions' worth of material, which is roughly 6 questions a day across an academic year if you start in September.

How should you revise for AS Biology?

By retrieval, not rereading. Cover the answer, pull it from memory, then check. Levo runs that loop across all 4 AS topics and brings each question back on a spaced schedule, so what you learn in September is still there in June.

Is it worth revising AS content again for the A level?

Yes, and it is the mistake most students make. The A-level papers examine this content again from scratch, and because the AS marks do not carry over, the only thing your first year leaves you with is what you still remember. Keeping it on a spaced schedule through Year 13 costs far less than relearning it.

How many questions are there for AQA AS Biology?

1,152, written from the 7402 subject content and grouped into 83 subtopics so you can work one small area at a time rather than a whole topic at once.

Can you use Levo for just the AS year?

Yes. Pick your subject, choose the AS topics on the topic screen, and every mode — the 3-step method, Cram, Blank Blitz, Build It and Test It — works only that material. Add the second-year topics when you get to them.

Every question in Biology, 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.

Start revising, £5 a month See how the method works

Or £46 a year, about £3.83 a month. Cancel anytime.