AQA GCSE Biology
Explore your course, one topic at a time.
Course 8461Official specification (opens in a new tab)
Course version · 8461Version from Sept 2018Change version
Choose the version your school teaches. Your teacher can confirm which one, including for resits.
Explore your topics
7 topics · 96 subtopics
Cell biology to bioenergetics4 topics · 40 subtopics
Cell biology
Eukaryotes and prokaryotes18 objectives- Animal and plant cells24 objectives
- Cell specialisation6 objectives
- Cell differentiation18 objectives
- Microscopy12 objectives
- Culturing microorganisms (biology only)33 objectives
- Chromosomes9 objectives
- Mitosis and the cell cycle27 objectives
- Stem cells33 objectives
- Diffusion33 objectives
- Osmosis18 objectives
- Active transport18 objectives
12 of 40 shown
Homeostasis to ecology3 topics · 56 subtopics
Homeostasis and response
Homeostasis15 objectives- Structure and function39 objectives
- The brain (biology only)15 objectives
- The eye (biology only)30 objectives
- Control of body temperature (biology only)21 objectives
- Human endocrine system21 objectives
- Control of blood glucose concentration39 objectives
- Maintaining water and nitrogen balance in the body (biology only)51 objectives
- Hormones in human reproduction30 objectives
- Contraception9 objectives
- The use of hormones to treat infertility (HT only)21 objectives
- Negative feedback (HT only)15 objectives
12 of 56 shown
Assessment and exam guidance
Assessment Objectives
AO1
40%Demonstrate knowledge and understanding of scientific ideas and scientific techniques and procedures
AO2
40%Apply knowledge and understanding of scientific ideas and scientific enquiry, techniques and procedures
AO3
20%Analyse information and ideas to interpret and evaluate, make judgements and draw conclusions, and develop and improve experimental procedures
Exam Structure
AQA GCSE (8461)
Paper 1: topics 1–4 (Foundation)
1h 45m
Duration
100
Marks
50%
Weighting
Paper 1: topics 1–4 (Higher)
1h 45m
Duration
100
Marks
50%
Weighting
Paper 2: topics 5–7 (Foundation)
1h 45m
Duration
100
Marks
50%
Weighting
Paper 2: topics 5–7 (Higher)
1h 45m
Duration
100
Marks
50%
Weighting
Tips and common mistakes
Common Exam Mistakes
Pitfalls to avoid in your exams
- •Saying the cell wall controls what enters the cell; correct this by naming the cell membrane as the controlling boundary and the wall as support.
- •Describing the nucleus as the site of chemical reactions; correct this by placing reactions in the cytoplasm and giving the nucleus the role of holding genetic material.
- •Treating chloroplasts or a vacuole as features of all eukaryotic cells; correct this by restricting those structures to plant cells.
- •Comparing a measurement in millimetres with one in micrometres without converting; correct this by converting both to the same unit first.
- •Writing that bacteria are smaller because they lack a nucleus; correct this by treating size and nucleus as separate differences.
- •Giving a single vague word such as tiny; correct this by quoting approximate measurements or a ratio.
- •Saying the cell wall is partially permeable and controls entry; correct this by giving that role to the cell membrane and describing the wall as supportive.
- •Placing the cell wall inside the cell membrane; correct this by drawing the wall as the outermost layer of the two.
Top Examiner Tips
Expert advice for exam success
- •Label a diagram with straight lines that touch the structure, and spell membrane and cytoplasm correctly.
- •When asked for differences, compare plant and animal cells feature by feature rather than listing one cell type alone.
- •Use the word eukaryotic only after you have named the nucleus, so the term is clearly earned.
- •Convert all lengths to micrometres before you compare, and show the conversion in your working.
- •Quote a numerical ratio such as 20:1 rather than saying much smaller.
- •If a scale bar is given, measure the cell in the image and use the scale bar to convert to real size.
- •On a diagram, draw the wall as a line outside the membrane and label each layer separately.
- •When asked for a function, match each structure to one clear job rather than repeating the same job twice.
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