Biology

bridging

booklet

Essential preparation for A level

Essential bridging work

The following are tasks to prepare you for your study next year. There

are some essential review tasks and questions and some optional tasks

to start extending your knowledge, skills and understanding. Additionally

some interesting reads for the summer and organisation/preparation for

September.

Essential tasks

Optional

Find out

the name

and

functions

five MORE

cell

organelles/parts and

then add them to your diagrams:

Biological molecules

Essential: At GCSE you have learned about some biological molecules.

Please complete the table below.

Name Components Examples of

Molecules and

where they are

found

Uses in the body

Proteins

Fats

Carbohydrates

DNA

TASK B Maths for Biologists

The following are maths skills that you should be confident with at the

start of year 12 Biology. To support you with this there are some

examples to complete for some of skills listed. The following booklet is a

useful resources for these tasks: https://www.ocr.org.uk/Images/294471-

biology-mathematical-skills-handbook.pdf

Maths skills

o Converting units e.g. mm to cm, or mm3 to cm3

o Use of standard form e.g. 5.0 x 10-3

o Calculating percentage, or percentage change

o Use of fractions and ratios

o State an answer to a number of significant figures

o State an answer to a number of decimal places

o Calculating mean

o Drawing a charts

o Know the meaning of all these Maths symbols: = < << >> > ∝ ~ -

o Re-arranging equations - Understand the formula for a linear

relationship y=mx+c

o Calculating rate from the straight line of a graph

o Using the slope of a tangent to a curve to measure rate of change

o Calculating circumference, surface area and volume of a

circle/sphere

o Calculating circumference, surface area and volume of a rectangular

prism

Standard Prefixes

Prefixes are used to modify units. Prefixes that are commonly used are

listed below - you are most likely to be asked to convert between the ones

highlighted:

Prefix Symbol Multiplier Example

mega M x106 (or x 1,000,000) Mb (megabyte)

kilo K x103 (or x 1,000) kJ (kiloJoule)

no prefix - x10° (or x 1) N (Newton)

deci d x10-1

(or x 0.1) dm3 (cubic

decimetre or litre)

centi c x10-2

(or x 0.01) cm (centimetre)

milli m x10-3

(or x 0.001) mg (milligram)

micro µ x10 -6

(or x 0.000001) µm (micrometre)

nano n x 10-9

(or x 0.000000001) nm (nanometre)

pico p x10-12

( or x 0.000000000001) pg (picogram)

For example:

1m= 1000mm 1mm = 1000μm 1 μm = 1000nm

Starter task

Read about unit conversions the complete the headings and

conversions in the table below:

Standard Form

Numbers with many zeros can be difficult to follow, so we express these

in standard form – it acts as a kind of numerical abbreviation.

Example:

The herpes virus has 156,000 bases in its DNA.

So how do we express the number 156,000 in standard form?

1. Find the decimal point: 156,000.0 2. Move the decimal point to give a number between 1 and 10: 1.56000 3. Multiply the number by 10 raised to the power x

4. x is the number of jumps that you made to the left

Answer = 1.56 ×10

5

Sometimes the decimal point may move the other way.

Example:

The blood protein IgE is connected with allergic reactions. Its

concentration in the blood is about 0.000012 grams per 100cm3:

1. Find the decimal point and move it to give a number between 1 and 10.

2. This time it goes to the right: 000001.2 3. Multiply the number by 10 raised the power x 4. x is the number of jumps you made

5. This time the index will be negative. In standard form, the concentration is 1.2 ×10

–5 grams per 100cm

3.

Standard Form Questions

1) Write down the following measures in standard form:

a) 2560

b) 30000

c) 450

d) 5678

e) 45310

f) 6789010

g) 2678991

h) 0.000569

i) 0.00018

j) 0.000000486

k) 0.21

l) 0.365

m) 0.0047

n) 0.1

o) 750 g

p) 500 ml

q) 0.275 J

r) 0.0095 N

s) 10,000 KJ

t) 0.0033 mm

Ratios, Fractions and Percentages

A ratio is a way of comparing the magnitudes of two (or more) quantities.

You can only give a ratio when the units of each quantity are the same,

so when working with a ratio involving different units, always change them

to the same unit. The ratio itself does not have any units. For example,

the ratio of 125 g to 2 kg must be changed to 2000 g, so that it can be

given as 125:2000.

Divide both sides by 125, giving 1:16, the simplest form of the ratio.

Ratios can be used to calculate other quantities,

You can take a ratio in its simplest form and express the amount of each

part of the ratio as a fraction. Each will have the same common

denominator.

Example:

A field is sown with two different types of seed in the ratio 3:2. Seed x

makes up 3/5 of the contents of the field, and seed y makes up 2/5 of the

contents of the field. The common denominator (5) comes from adding

the numbers in the ratio (3+2)

Ratios can also be expressed as percentages. In the above example,

seed x takes up 60% (3/5×100) of the field, and seed y 40%.

Percentage Change

Method

% change = final value - original value x 100

original value

Percentage Change Questions:

2) A piece of potato, weighing 3g increases in mass to 7g when placed in

a sucrose solution. What is its percentage change?

3) Another piece of potato increases from 4g to 5g - what is its

percentage increase?

4) Another piece of potato loses mass as it changes from 6 g to 5.5g,

what is its percentage change?

Magnification

REMEMBER:

Actual Size = Image size

Magnification

so Magnification = Image size

Actual size

(AND Image size = Actual size x Magnification)

The triangle below can be useful – cover up the required value

I

A M

E.g.

To calculate I = M x A

To calculate M = I/A

To calculate A = I/M

All measurements must be in the same units i.e. 22mm and 0.002mm

To convert mm to μm x1000

To convert μm to mm divide by 1000

Microscope Questions

5) An image with a magnification of x50 shows an ant’s head to be

40mm long. Calculate the actual length in μm.

6) A photograph shows the width of a human egg to be 700mm. Its

actual size is 0.1 mm. What is the magnification?

7) A cell measures 20mm - what is the image's magnification if the

cell is actually 500μm in length?

Mean Averages

In biology practical work, we often quote an ‘average value’. The correct

term for this type of average value is the mean. The arithmetic mean is

given by the equation:

x = Σx

n

Σx means the sum of all the x values.

The mean of 8, 5, 3, 8, 7, 5, 7 = 8 + 5 + 3 + 8 + 7 + 5 + 7 = 7

7

Question

8) Four students weigh 70kg, 65kg, 80kg and 55kg - what is their mean

body mass?

Surface area to volume ratio

Look up how to calculate the surface area and volume of a sphere then

compere question 9 below:

Experimental key terms

Biological drawing

Read the guide to biological drawing in the folder. Then have a go at

drawing a labelling the following image of the transverse section of a leaf

below. Review your work on leaf structure from GCSE as this will help

you. Please include labels.

Exam style questions

Bridging questions (some A level content!)

Additional materials, optional bridging tasks and information

Optional- Revision topics

The entry requirements of the course are grade 6 in Science Trilogy or

Separate science biology GCSE. There are topics covered by the

separate sciences course which are useful but not essential for study at

A level. However, if you have some time then familiarising yourself with

the material would be useful. The sections in bold should be prioritised.

Topic Lesson Oak lesson links

Unit 1 Culturing microorganisms

https://classroom.thenational.academy/lessons/aseptic-

techniques-c9jkjd

Effectiveness of

disinfectants

https://classroom.thenational.acad

emy/lessons/effectiveness-of-disinfectants-c4r34c

Unit 3 infection and organisation

Monoclonal antibodies https://classroom.thenational.academy/lessons/monoclonal-antibodies-6djp2t

Plant diseases https://classroom.thenational.academy/lessons/plant-diseases-and-deficiencies-part-1-61jpcd

https://classroom.thenational.academy/lessons/plant-diseases-and-

deficiencies-part-2-cnjp6r

Review https://classroom.thenational.acad

emy/lessons/review-bio-only-6ngpae

Unit 5

Homeostasis and response

The brain https://classroom.thenational.acad

emy/lessons/the-brain-64rk4c

The eye https://classroom.thenational.acad

emy/lessons/the-eye-61h64e https://classroom.thenational.acad

emy/lessons/correcting-vision-68w3at

Control of body temperature

https://classroom.thenational.academy/lessons/regulating-body-temperature-68v38e

Maintaining water and nitrogen balance in the body, kidney failure

and review

https://classroom.thenational.academy/lessons/the-kidney-6ww3ct

https://classroom.thenational.academy/lessons/kidney-failure-69gpct

https://classroom.thenational.academy/lessons/water-balance-6cu3ec

https://classroom.thenational.academy/lessons/osmoregulation-

review-6mt36t

Plant hormones https://classroom.thenational.acad

emy/lessons/required-practical-plant-hormones-part-1-cgrkje

https://classroom.thenational.academy/lessons/required-practical-plant-hormones-part-2-6mu3ct

Unit 6 Inheritance, variation

and evolution

Advantages and disadvantages of sexual and asexual

reproduction

https://classroom.thenational.academy/lessons/advantages-and-disadvantages-of-sexual-

and-asexual-reproduction-60w6ce

Protein synthesis https://classroom.thenational.academy/lessons/protein-synthesis-68w62c

Cloning https://classroom.thenational.academy/lessons/cloning-crrked

Speciation https://classroom.thenational.academy/lessons/speciation-6rtkad

Understanding of genetics- Mendel

https://classroom.thenational.academy/lessons/mendel-cnhpar

Review https://classroom.thenational.academy/lessons/end-of-topic-review-part-2-6mt38c

Unit 7 Ecology

Decomposition https://classroom.thenational.academy/lessons/decay-6crkjd

https://classroom.thenational.academy/lessons/decay-required-practical-cdj30c

Impact of environmental change

review

https://classroom.thenational.academy/lessons/review-part-3-cnj36d

Trophic levels in an

ecosystem

https://classroom.thenational.acad

emy/lessons/biomass-64rpcc

Food production https://classroom.thenational.academy/lessons/food-security-and-

farming-6mw3gr

Optional- If you feel you would benefit from some more specific

preparation:

‘Head Start’ to AS Biology. This covers the content that

we will be studying in the Lower Sixth.

Available at: https://www.cgpbooks.co.uk/

ISBN 978 -1847621177

£4.95

It recaps topics from GCSE that the AS will build on, no

matter what GCSE option you have followed. It will also

be useful for reference throughout the course.

Optional A level research task- Enzymes

At A level we will build on your knowledge of enzymes from GCSE. For

each task below write a definition and draw a short series of diagrams to

explain each one. Use books or websites to determine the following:

1. What a competitive inhibitor is

2. What the induced fit model for enzyme action is and how it is

different to the lock and key mechanism learned at GCSE

Optional A level style questions

Note taking

Producing ‘Cornell Notes’ is a very effective way to summarise your notes

and any reading that you might do.

How to produce Cornell Notes:

1. Divide your page into three sections like this

2. Write the teacher initials in the margin and the

specification reference, then the title and date at the top

of the page

3. Use the large box to make notes. Leave a space

between separate ideas. Abbreviate where possible.

We will help you with this.

4. Review and identify the key points in the left hand box

if these have not been provided to you and make a list of

any new terminology.

After the lesson:

5. Write a five line summary of the main ideas in the

bottom space

Optional task: Use the links below from ‘The Big Picture’ to take you to

further resources to broaden your knowledge. Then, produce Cornell

Notes for one or two of the topics.

Topic 1: The Cell Available at: http://bigpictureeducation.com/cell The cell

is the building block of life. Each of us starts from a single cell, a zygote,

and grows into a complex organism made of trillions of cells. In this issue,

we explore what we know – and what we don’t yet know – about the cells

that are the basis of us all and how they reproduce, grow, move,

communicate and die.

Topic 2: The Immune System Available at:

http://bigpictureeducation.com/immune The immune system is what

keeps us healthy in spite of the many organisms and substances that can

do us harm. In this issue, explore how our bodies are designed to prevent

potentially harmful objects from getting inside, and what happens when

bacteria, viruses, fungi or other foreign organisms or substances breach

these barriers.

Topic 3: Exercise, Energy and Movement Available at:

http://bigpictureeducation.com/exercise-energy-and-movement All living

things move. Whether it’s a plant growing towards the sun, bacteria

swimming away from a toxin or you walking home, anything alive must

move to survive. For humans though, movement is more than just

survival – we move for fun, to compete and to be healthy. In this issue we

look at the biological systems that keep us moving and consider some of

the psychological, social and ethical aspects of exercise and sport.

Topic 4: Populations Available at:

http://bigpictureeducation.com/populations What’s the first thing that pops

into your mind when you read the word population? Most likely it ’s the

everincreasing human population on earth. You’re a member of that

population, which is the term for all the members of a single species living

together in the same location. The term population isn ’t just used to

describe humans; it includes other animals, plants and microbes too. In

this issue, we learn more about how populations grow, change and move,

and why understanding them is so important.

Topic 5: Climate change and human activities Available at:

http://bigpictureeducation.com/health-and-climate-change The Earth’s

climate is changing. In fact, it has always been changing. What is different

now is the speed of change and the main cause of change – human

activities. This issue asks: What are the biggest threats to human health?

Who will suffer as the climate changes? What can be done to minimise

harm? And how do we cope with uncertainty

Optional reading

If you would like to explore biology a little more then the following might

be interesting reads for over the summer. Remember that libraries are

open for loan requests so there is no need to buy these and many are

available online:

Journals:

Biological sciences

Books:

Emily Anthes: Frankensteins’s cat

Bill Bryson: A Short History of Nearly Everything

Nessa Carey: Junk DNA

Charles Darwin: The origin of species

Alice Roberts: The Incredible Unlikeliness of Being: Evolution and the

Making of Us’,

Matt Ridley: The Red Queen: Sex and the Evolution of Human Nature.

Short films/series:

Any of the BBC David Attenborough documentaries including Blue planet

PiXL recommendations:

Essential- Organisation tasks

Organisation is an essential part to your success at A level. You will

have two teachers teaching different topics at the same time. Having the

correct equipment and filing work immediately/working out of the correct

areas of your file will allow to stay on top of the new content each lesson.

1. Obtain a ring binder for Biology and a divider for each of the following

topics. These comprise the FIRST year of study:

Module 2.1:

2.1.1 - Cell Biology

2.1.2 - Biological Molecules

2.1.3 - Nucleotides & Nucleic

Acids

2.1.4 - Biological Membranes

2.1.5 - Enzymes

2.1.6 - Cell Division

Module 3.1:

3.1.1 - Exchange surfaces

3.1.2 - Animal Transport

3.1.4 - Plant Transport

Module 4.1:

4.1.1 - Communicable disease

4.2.1 - Biodiversity

4.2.2 - Classification and

Evolution

2. Equipment to bring to each lesson

a. Folder (as mentioned)

b. Scientific calculator

c. Black/blue pen (you will

need black for

examinations)

d. Pencil (sharp)

e. A4 lined paper

f. 30cm ruler

g. Whiteboard pen

Useful equipment:

h. Sharpener and rubber

i. Highlighters or coloured

pens

j. Pencil crayons

k. Hole punch (pound shops

sometime have plastic

single sheet punches that

fit in the folder)