IGCSE Bio syllabus
1. Characteristics of living organisms:
Movement, Respiration, Sensitivity, Growth, Reproduction, Excretion, Nutrition
2. Cells
2.1. Cell structure
- Plant cell
- Animal cell
- Bacteria cell
- Specialised cell= specific function: ciliated cells, root hair cell, palisade mesophyll
cells, neurones, red blood cell, gamete
- cell < tissue < organ < organ system < organism
2.2. Size of specimen
Magnification = image size/ actual size
3. Movement into and out of cells
3.1 Diffusion
- Definition
- Diffuion through menbrane
- Factors influence diffusion: Surface area, tem, concentration gradient, distance
3.2 Osmosis
- Definition
- Diffuion through menbrane
- Immerse plant tissues in solutions of different concentrations
- Water potential in osmosis
- Turgid, turgor pressure, plasmolysis, flaccid
3.3 Active transport
- Definition
- movement of molecules or ions across membranes
4. Biological molecules
- carbohydrates, fats and proteins
- iodine solution test for starch
- Benedict’s solution test for reducing sugars
- biuret test for proteins
- ethanol emulsion test for fats and oils
5. Enzymes
- biological catalysts
- active site, enzyme–substrate complex, substrate and product
- complementary shape and fit of the active site
- Factors (tem, pH) by : kinetiec energy, shape and fit, collosions, denaturation
6. Plant nutrition
6.1. Photosynthesis
6CO2 + 6H2O → C6H12O6 + 6O2
- Chlorophyll: green pigment in chloroplast
- Use of carbohydrate: starch, cellulose, glucose, sucrose, nestar
- Nitrate ions, magnesium
- Rate of photosynthesis: light, CO2, temperature
- Light and dark condition on gas exchange in an aquatic plant
6.2 Leaf structure
- Dicotyledonous leaf: chloroplasts, cuticle, guard cells, stomata, upper and lower
epidermis, palisade mesophyll, spongy mesophyll, air spaces, vascular bundles,
xylem and phloem
7. Human nutrition
7.1 Diet
- Balanced diet
- principal dietary sources
- scurvy and rickets
7.2 Digestive system
- Organs and functions
- mouth, oesophagus, stomach, small intestine (duodenum and ileum) and large
intestine (colon, rectum and anus)
- salivary glands, pancreas, liver and gall bladder
- Enzymes and functions: amylase, protease, lipase
- hydrochloric acid in gastric juice
- bile: emulsify fat
8. Transport in plants
8.1 Xylem and phloem
- Images and functions
8.2 water uptake
- root hair cell
- pathway taken by water
8.3 transpiration
- loss of water vapour
- stomata
- affects of temperature, wind speed, humidity
- how wilting occur
8.4 Translocation
- sucrose and amino acids in phloem
- sources to sinks
9. Transport in animals
9.1. Circulatory systems
- blood vessels with a pump and valves
- single circulation of a fish
- double circulation of a mammal
9.2 Heart
- muscular wall, septum, left and right ventricles, left and right atria, one-way
valves and coronary arteries
- contraction of muscles
- ECG (electrocardiogram)
- coronary heart disease
- roles of diet and exercise
9.3 Blood vessels
- structure and function of arteries, veins and capillaries
- vena cava, aorta, pulmonary artery and pulmonary vein
- pulmonary artery and pulmonary vein
9.4 Blood
- red blood cells, white blood cells, platelets and plasma
- lymphocytes and phagocytes
- blood clotting
10. Diseases and immunity
- Pathogen - viruses
- Transmissible diease, direct and indirect transmission
- Body defence: skin, hairs in the nose, mucus, stomach acid and white blood cells
- controlling the spread of disease:
- Antigene ( specific shape)
- Antibody production, complementary shapes
- immunity is gained by vaccine
11. Gas exchange in humans
- lungs, diaphragm, ribs, intercostal muscles, larynx, trachea, bronchi, bronchioles,
alveoli and associated capillaries
- inspired and expired air
- physical activity and the rate and depth of breathing
12. Respiration
- aerobic respiration
C6H12O6 + 6O2 → 6CO2 + 6H2
- anaerobic respiration
glucose → lactic acid
- how the oxygen debt is removed
13. Coordination and response
13.1 Coordination and response
- electrical impulses
- mammalian nervous system
- sensory, relay and motor neurones
- simple reflex arc
- Reflect action
- stimuli: light, sound, touch, temperature and chemicals
13.2 Hormones
- Definition and function
- endocrine glands:
(a) adrenal glands and adrenaline
(b) pancreas and insulin
(c) testes and testosterone
(d) ovaries and oestrogen
- Adrenaline: breathing rate, heart rate, pupil diameter
- Glucagon
13.3 Homeostasis
- definition
- Negative feedback
- blood glucose concentration
- Skin : hairs, hair erector muscles, sweat glands, receptors, sensory neurones, blood
vessels and fatty tissue
- Maintain body temoperature
14. Drugs
- definition
- antibiotics
- MRSA
15. Reproduction
15.1. Asexual reproduction
15.2 Sexual production
- nuclei of gametes, zygote
- Species
15.3 sexual reproduction in plant
- organ: sepals, petals, stamens, filaments, anthers, carpels, style, stigma, ovary and
ovules
- Pollination
- insect-pollinated and wind-pollinated flowers
- conditions that affect germination of seeds
15.4. Sexual reproduction in humans
- estes, scrotum, sperm ducts, prostate gland, urethra and penis
- ovaries, oviducts, uterus, cervix and vagina
- flagellum, mitochondria and enzymes in the acrosome of sperm
- adaptive features of egg cells
- testosterone and oestrogen
- menstrual cycle
15.5 Sexually transmitted infections
- HIV
- -AIDS
- control of STI
16. Inheritance
16.1 Chromosomes and genes
- Chromosome
- Gene
- allele
- sex chromosome
- haploid, diploid cell
16.2 Cell division
- mitosis
- meiosis
16.3. Monohybrid inheritance
- inheritance
- genotype
- homozygous and heterozygous
- dominant and recessive allele
- pedigree diagrams and Punnett squares
17. Variation and selection
17.1 Variation
- definition
- continuous and discontinous variation
- mutation
17.2 Selection
- natural selection
- development of strains of antibiotic-resistant bacteria
- selective breeding
18. Organisms and their environment
18.1 Energy flow
light energy=> chemical energy in organisms => transfer to the environment
18.2 Food chains and food webs
- food chain, food web
- consumer, producer
- Herbivore, carnivore
- Decomposer
- Im pact of human: overharvesting
- Tropic level
- energy loss
18.3 Carbon cycle
photosynthesis, respiration, feeding, decomposition, formation of fossil fuels and combustion
19. Human influences on ecosystems
19.1 Habitat destruction
- ecosystem
- biodiversity
- reasons for habitat destruction
- effects and undesirable effects of deforestation
19.2 Conservation
- endangered or extinct
- Conservation
