Biology Flashcards
435 flashcards across 43 topics
Why flashcards work for A-Level Biology
Cambridge A-Level Biology 9700 is a content-dense two-year qualification examined across Papers 1 to 5. AS papers cover molecular biology, cells, transport, the immune system and disease. A2 builds in respiration, photosynthesis, homeostasis, control and coordination, inheritance, selection and evolution, and genetic technology.
A-Level Biology mark schemes reward precise definitional language and the named Cambridge terminology — "mass flow", "Casparian strip", "lock-and-key hypothesis", "primary immune response". A paraphrase that captures the idea but misses the term often loses the mark. Flashcards drill the exact wording so recall under exam pressure is automatic.
Top mark-loser this 9700 deck targets: mixing up similar terms across topics — "passive immunity" vs "active immunity", "apoplast" vs "symplast", "translation" vs "transcription", "auxin" vs "gibberellin". The mark schemes test discrimination between near-synonyms relentlessly.
How spaced repetition keeps this deck out of your blind spots
Every card uses an SM-2 spaced-repetition schedule (the same algorithm Anki uses). After flipping a card you rate your recall and the algorithm reschedules each card individually, so your study time concentrates on what you actually struggle with rather than what you already know. After about three successful Easy reviews and a 21-day-or-longer interval, a card is tagged mastered. Progress lives in your browser only — no account, no signup, no data sent anywhere.
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AS Level Year 12 / Grade 11 content
Unit 1: Cell structure
Cell structure covers microscopy techniques, including the calculation of magnification and actual specimen size, alongside the detailed ultrastructure and function of eukaryotic and prokaryotic organelles. This unit is heavily examined across AS components, forming approximately 15% of Paper 1 and Paper 2, while also providing the foundational skills for biological drawing and graticule calibration in Paper 3. Students frequently lose marks by failing to include the correct units in magnification calculations or by neglecting to draw cell walls with double lines as required by the mark scheme.
Unit 2: Biological molecules
Biological molecules focuses on the structure and properties of carbohydrates, lipids, proteins, and water, alongside the biochemical tests used to identify reducing sugars, starch, and peptide bonds. It is a core component of the AS Level, frequently appearing as structured questions on Paper 2 and practical observations in Paper 3 where semi-quantitative results are required. Examiners often note that candidates lose marks by omitting the requirement for heat in the Benedict’s test or by incorrectly identifying the specific glycosidic bonds between the ring forms of alpha-glucose and beta-glucose.
Unit 3: Enzymes
Enzymes explores the mode of action of biological catalysts, including the induced-fit hypothesis, and investigates the effects of temperature, pH, and competitive inhibitors on reaction rates using Vmax and Km values. This unit accounts for significant marks on Paper 2 and is a recurring theme for experimental design and data analysis in the Paper 3 practical assessment. Marks are often lost when students use vague terminology like 'enzymes are killed' instead of 'denatured' or when they fail to explain rate changes in terms of kinetic energy and the frequency of effective collisions.
Unit 4: Cell membranes and transport
Cell membranes and transport details the fluid mosaic model, including the roles of phospholipids and glycoproteins, and explains the mechanisms of diffusion, active transport, and water potential in osmosis. This unit contributes significantly to Paper 1 and Paper 2 theory, while also forming the basis for quantitative investigations involving Visking tubing or plant tissue on Paper 3. Students often lose marks by using 'concentration gradient' for water instead of 'water potential gradient' or by failing to explain how the hydrophobic and hydrophilic interactions stabilise the phospholipid bilayer.
Unit 5: The mitotic cell cycle
The mitotic cell cycle covers the replication of DNA and the subsequent stages of mitosis—prophase, metaphase, anaphase, and telophase—alongside the roles of stem cells and telomeres in tissue repair. These topics are tested through structured questions in Paper 2 and identification tasks in Paper 3, where candidates must interpret photomicrographs of cells in various stages of division. Examiners report that marks are frequently lost when candidates confuse sister chromatids with chromosomes or when they provide descriptions of meiosis when mitosis has been explicitly requested.
Unit 6: Nucleic acids and protein synthesis
Nucleic acids and protein synthesis addresses the molecular structure of DNA and RNA, the mechanism of semi-conservative replication, and the processes of transcription and translation that produce polypeptides. It is a high-yield topic for structured questions on Paper 2, often requiring detailed descriptions of how the universal genetic code determines amino acid sequences. Candidates typically lose marks by confusing the roles of RNA polymerase and DNA polymerase or by incorrectly identifying the base pairings found in mRNA codons versus tRNA anticodons.
Unit 7: Transport in plants
Transport in plants examines the anatomy of xylem vessel elements and phloem sieve tubes, focusing on the mechanisms of transpiration, the apoplast pathway, and the translocation of assimilates by mass flow. This unit is examined through plan diagrams on Paper 2 and Paper 3, as well as theory questions regarding the role of hydrogen bonding in the cohesion-tension theory. Marks are often lost due to poor drawing technique in transverse section sketches or by failing to mention the role of companion cells in actively loading sucrose into the sieve tubes.
Unit 8: Transport in mammals
Transport in mammals covers the mammalian circulatory system, the structure of the heart, the cardiac cycle, and the physiological transport of oxygen and carbon dioxide by haemoglobin. It carries substantial weight on Paper 2 structured questions and Paper 1 multiple choice, often requiring candidates to interpret pressure graphs or identify blood cells in micrographs. Students frequently lose marks by misnaming the major blood vessels or by failing to explain how the carbonic anhydrase reaction leads to the chloride shift during gas transport.
Unit 9: Gas exchange
Gas exchange focuses on the structure and function of the human gas exchange system, specifically the distribution of cartilage, ciliated epithelium, and goblet cells within the lungs and airways. This unit is commonly examined in Paper 2, where candidates must relate the thinness of the squamous epithelium of the alveoli to the efficiency of diffusion. Mark schemes often penalise students who fail to specify that smooth muscle contracts to constrict airways or who confuse the role of cilia with that of microvilli.
Unit 10: Infectious disease
Infectious disease details the transmission and control of cholera, malaria, tuberculosis, and HIV/AIDS, while also outlining the action of penicillin and the global impact of antibiotic resistance. These topics are primarily examined in Paper 2, where candidates are often asked to discuss the biological and social factors involved in disease prevention and control. Marks are frequently lost when candidates provide the vector as the pathogen—such as naming the mosquito instead of Plasmodium—or when they incorrectly suggest that antibiotics can treat viral infections.
Unit 11: Immunity
Immunity explores the primary and secondary immune responses, the mode of action of phagocytes, the production of antibodies, and the development of vaccines and monoclonal antibodies. This unit is a major feature of Paper 2, often requiring detailed descriptions of how memory cells provide long-term protection following an initial infection or vaccination. Candidates typically lose marks by failing to distinguish between active and passive immunity or by omitting the specific roles of T-helper and T-killer cells in the immune response.
A2 Level Year 13 / Grade 12 content
Unit 12: Energy and respiration
Energy and respiration covers the biochemical pathways of aerobic and anaerobic respiration, including glycolysis, the Krebs cycle, oxidative phosphorylation, and the role of ATP as the universal energy currency. This is a high-mark topic on Paper 4, where candidates must describe chemiosmosis and electron transport chains, and it frequently appears as experimental analysis on Paper 5. Students often lose marks by misplacing the specific locations of reactions within the mitochondria or by failing to explain how rice is adapted to respire in submerged, anaerobic conditions.
Unit 13: Photosynthesis
Photosynthesis examines the structure of chloroplasts and the biochemical processes of the light-dependent and light-independent stages, including the roles of pigments, photolysis, and limiting factors. It carries significant weight on Paper 4, often through detailed questions on the Calvin cycle, and is a staple of Paper 5 for investigations using redox indicators like DCPIP. Candidates frequently lose marks by confusing the roles of reduced NADP and ATP in the reduction of GP to TP or by incorrectly identifying the products of cyclic photophosphorylation.
Unit 14: Homeostasis
Homeostasis details how mammals maintain internal conditions through the endocrine and nervous systems, specifically focusing on blood glucose regulation, osmoregulation in the kidney, and stomatal control in plants. This unit is extensively tested on Paper 4, where candidates must explain the principles of negative feedback and the role of second messengers like cyclic AMP. Mark schemes are particularly strict regarding the precise steps of ultrafiltration and selective reabsorption, and students often lose marks by failing to mention the movement of aquaporins in response to ADH.
Unit 15: Control and coordination
Control and coordination addresses the mechanisms of communication in animals via neurones, synapses, and muscle contraction, alongside plant growth responses involving auxin and gibberellin. It is a major component of Paper 4, requiring candidates to describe action potentials, saltatory conduction, and the sliding filament model of striated muscle contraction. Students often lose marks by confusing the direction of ion movement during depolarisation and repolarisation or by failing to specify the role of calcium ions in both synaptic transmission and muscle stimulation.
Unit 16: Inheritance
Inheritance explores the passage of genetic information through meiosis, the determination of phenotype through various genetic crosses, and the molecular control of gene expression in prokaryotes and eukaryotes. This unit is a key feature of Paper 4, often involving complex dihybrid or epistatic ratios, and the chi-squared test is a recurring requirement for Paper 5. Candidates frequently lose marks by failing to use the correct notation for alleles in genetic diagrams or by incorrectly identifying the stages of meiosis where independent assortment and crossing over occur.
Unit 17: Selection and evolution
Selection and evolution addresses the genetic basis of variation, the mechanisms of natural and artificial selection, and the theoretical frameworks of the Hardy-Weinberg principle and speciation. This unit contributes significant marks to Paper 4, particularly concerning the effect of environmental factors on allele frequencies, and uses the t-test for data analysis on Paper 5. Students often lose marks by failing to specify that selection acts on the phenotype but changes the genotype, or by misidentifying whether a variation is continuous or discontinuous.
Unit 18: Classification, biodiversity and conservation
Classification, biodiversity and conservation examines the ordering of organisms into domains and kingdoms, the quantitative assessment of biodiversity using Simpson’s index, and the strategies used to conserve endangered species. These topics are tested on Paper 4 through theory questions and on Paper 5 where candidates must justify the use of sampling techniques like quadrats and transects. Marks are frequently lost when students fail to explain the importance of random sampling to avoid bias or when they provide generic rather than specific reasons for the extinction of species.
Unit 19: Genetic technology
Genetic technology covers the principles of genetic engineering, including the use of restriction endonucleases, PCR, and gel electrophoresis, alongside their applications in medicine and agriculture. This unit is a central theme of Paper 4, where candidates must describe the production of recombinant human proteins and the use of genetic screening. Examiners note that marks are often lost when candidates fail to explain why a promoter must be transferred with a gene or when they omit the specific social and ethical considerations required for gene therapy.
Pair flashcards with notes and papers
Flashcards are a recall tool, not a complete study system. Use them alongside these free resources for A-Level 9700.
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Other Cambridge A-Level flashcard decks
Browse flashcards for the other A-Level subjects we cover. Each deck is built to the same Cambridge syllabus structure.