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By Revision Genie
Key concepts in biology
Unit 1
Levels of organisation: cells to tissues, organs and systems
Eukaryotic vs prokaryotic cells
Animal cell structures and functions
Plant cell structures and functions
Bacterial cell structures and plasmids
Specialised cells and adaptations
Microscopy basics: magnification and resolution
Core Practical: Microscopy, magnification calculations and biological drawings
Calculating magnification and image size
Enzymes as biological catalysts
The lock-and-key idea and enzyme specificity
Denaturation and why temperature/pH affect enzymes
Core Practical: Effect of pH on enzyme activity
Calculating rates of enzyme activity from data
Diffusion in cells: what affects rate
Osmosis and water potential (GCSE level)
Active transport: why cells need energy
Core Practical: Osmosis in potatoes (percent mass change)
Interpreting osmosis results and evaluating method
Unit 2
Cells and control
The cell cycle: growth, DNA replication and division
Mitosis: what it is and why it matters
Using mitosis to explain growth and repair
Stem cells: what they are and where they come from
Stem cells in medicine: risks, benefits and ethics
Cell differentiation and development in animals
The nervous system: CNS and peripheral nervous system
Neurones: sensory, relay and motor
Synapses: what they do (GCSE-level overview)
Reflex arcs and reaction time
Factors affecting reaction time and reliability of results
The endocrine system: glands and hormones (overview)
Comparing nervous and hormonal control
Plant responses: tropisms and stimuli
Auxin and phototropism/geotropism (GCSE model)
Interpreting practical investigations on tropisms
Unit 3
Genetics
DNA, genes and chromosomes
Base pairing and the genetic code (GCSE level)
Mitosis vs meiosis: why meiosis makes gametes
Variation: inherited vs environmental causes
Mutations: what they are and their effects
Inheritance vocabulary: genotype, phenotype, dominant, recessive
Monohybrid inheritance using Punnett squares
Using probability to predict genetic outcomes
Sex determination and sex-linked basics (where required)
Genetic disorders: recessive conditions and family trees (GCSE level)
Using and interpreting pedigree diagrams
Continuous vs discontinuous variation
Measuring variation and presenting data (charts/graphs)
Unit 4
Natural selection and genetic modification
Darwin’s theory of evolution by natural selection
Selection pressures and survival advantage
Speciation: how new species can form (GCSE level)
Evidence for evolution: fossils and antibiotic resistance
Selective breeding: process and examples
Selective breeding: drawbacks and ethics
Genetic engineering: what it is (genes into organisms)
GM crops: potential benefits and risks
Bacterial production of useful proteins (e.g., insulin) (overview)
Cloning: what it means (plants/animals) (overview where required)
Interpreting “evaluate” questions on GM and selection
Unit 5
Health, disease and the development of medicines
Defining health and disease
Communicable vs non-communicable diseases
Pathogens: bacteria, viruses, fungi and protists
Transmission routes and prevention
Plant diseases: examples and impacts (overview)
Human immune system: barriers (skin, mucus, stomach acid)
White blood cells and basic immune responses
Antibodies and memory cells (secondary response)
Vaccination: how it works and herd immunity (GCSE level)
Antibiotics: what they treat and why resistance happens
Discovery and development of new drugs (overview)
Clinical trials: placebo, double blind, peer review (overview)
Lifestyle factors and disease risk (smoking, diet, alcohol, exercise)
Cardiovascular disease: risk factors and treatments (GCSE level)
Evaluating treatments using evidence/data
Unit 6
Plant structures and their functions
Photosynthetic organisms as producers and biomass
Leaf structure and gas exchange in plants
Photosynthesis: word equation and balanced symbol equation
Chloroplasts and chlorophyll (role in photosynthesis)
Limiting factors: light, CO₂, temperature
Investigating photosynthesis rates using data (graphs/tables)
Core Practical: Light intensity and photosynthesis rate
Plant mineral requirements: nitrate and magnesium
Transport in plants: xylem structure and function
Transpiration: what it is and why it happens
Factors affecting transpiration rate
Measuring/using rate calculations for transpiration
Phloem and translocation (overview)
Plant hormones and responses (link to tropisms)
Unit 7
Animal coordination, control and homeostasis
Homeostasis: keeping conditions stable
The nervous system in maintaining homeostasis (overview)
The endocrine system and negative feedback (overview)
Thermoregulation: sweating and shivering
Blood glucose control: insulin and glucagon (GCSE level)
Diabetes: Type 1 vs Type 2 (overview and lifestyle links)
Water balance and kidneys (overview where required)
Hormones in the menstrual cycle (overview where required)
Maintaining heart rate and breathing rate during exercise (overview)
Interpreting control/coordination practical data and evaluating methods
Unit 8
Exchange and transport in animals
Why multicellular organisms need exchange surfaces
Gas exchange surfaces: features that increase diffusion
Human lungs: structure (trachea, bronchi, alveoli)
Diffusion in the lungs and factors affecting rate
Breathing: inhalation and exhalation mechanics
Effects of smoking and disease on gas exchange
Circulatory system: heart, blood vessels and blood
Double circulation and why it’s efficient
Blood components and their functions
Coronary heart disease: causes and risk
Aerobic respiration vs anaerobic respiration (comparison)
Core Practical: Rate of respiration in living organisms
Heart rate, stroke volume and cardiac output calculations
Interpreting exercise data: breathing rate and heart rate changes
Unit 9
Ecosystems and material cycles
What an ecosystem is: biotic and abiotic factors
Population, community and habitat definitions
Food chains, food webs and trophic levels
Biomass transfer and pyramids of biomass (GCSE level)
Sampling organisms: random sampling and avoiding bias
Core Practical: Quadrat and transect fieldwork
Estimating population size from sample data
Relationships between organisms: predation, competition
Parasitism and mutualism
Decomposers and the role of microorganisms
The carbon cycle (processes and keywords)
The water cycle (processes and keywords)
Human impacts: land use, pollution, biodiversity loss (overview)
Interpreting ecological data sets and evaluating conclusions
Unit 10
Chemistry
Formulae, equations and hazards
Key concepts in chemistry
States of matter and mixtures
Chemical changes
Extracting metals and equilibria
Groups in the periodic table
Rates of reaction and energy changes
Fuels and Earth science
Unit 11
Naming and writing formulae for elements and simple compounds
Writing ionic formulae using charges
Writing word equations from descriptions
Balancing symbol equations (including state symbols)
Conservation of mass in reactions
Writing simple ionic equations (where required)
Hazard symbols and lab safety basics
Identifying variables and control in chemistry practicals
Unit 12
Dalton model to modern atomic model (overview)
Subatomic particles: relative charge and mass
Atomic number and mass number
Isotopes and why they differ
Electronic structure and shells (GCSE model)
The periodic table as a list of elements and patterns
Metals vs non-metals: general properties
Ionic bonding: formation and dot-and-cross diagrams
Covalent bonding: molecules and dot-and-cross diagrams
Metallic bonding and metal properties (GCSE model)
Simple molecular vs giant covalent structures (overview)
Relative formula mass (Mr) and calculations
The mole: using Avogadro concept (GCSE level)
Using moles to find masses and amounts
Concentration calculations (g/dm³ and mol/dm³ where required)
Empirical formula from masses/percentages
Interpreting percentage yield and atom economy (overview if required)
Unit 13
Particle model: solids, liquids and gases
Changes of state and energy transfer
Melting/boiling points and purity (overview)
Diffusion in liquids and gases (chemistry context)
Mixtures vs pure substances
Filtration, crystallisation and evaporation
Simple distillation and fractional distillation (basic differences)
Chromatography: separation and interpretation
Core Practical: Distillation + paper chromatography of inks
Calculating and using Rf values
Testing for gases: hydrogen, oxygen, carbon dioxide, chlorine (overview)
Making water potable: sedimentation, filtration, chlorination
Distilling sea water and energy considerations (overview)
Unit 14
Acids and alkalis: pH and indicators
Strong vs weak acids (degree of ionisation)
Neutralisation: making salts and water
Making soluble salts by reacting acid + metal/carbonate/alkali
Preparing insoluble salts by precipitation (overview)
Core Practical: pH change during neutralisation (calcium hydroxide/oxide + HCl)
Acid-alkali titration technique and calculations (overview)
Core Practical: Making hydrated copper sulfate crystals (from copper oxide)
Electrolysis basics: ions, electrodes and charge flow
Electrolysis of molten ionic compounds (overview)
Electrolysis of aqueous solutions (rules of discharge overview)
Core Practical: Electrolysis of copper sulfate (inert vs copper electrodes)
Oxidation and reduction in terms of electrons (redox)
Identifying oxidation/reduction in electrolysis reactions
Unit 15
The reactivity series and what it predicts
Oxidation and reduction in metal extraction
Extracting metals using carbon reduction (iron as example)
Why some metals need electrolysis (aluminium as example)
Chemical cells and corrosion (overview where required)
Rusting: conditions needed and prevention (overview)
Recycling metals: economic and environmental reasons (overview)
Reversible reactions and dynamic equilibrium
Le Chatelier’s principle: temperature changes
Le Chatelier’s principle: pressure changes (gases)
Le Chatelier’s principle: concentration changes
Evaluating equilibrium shifts using particle ideas and equations
Unit 16
How the modern periodic table is arranged
Group 1: properties and trends
Group 1 reactions with water (pattern and products)
Group 7: halogens and trends
Halogen displacement reactions (predicting outcomes)
Group 0: noble gases and why they’re unreactive
Using electron structure to explain group properties
Comparing metals and non-metals in groups
Writing equations for group reactions (GCSE level)
Unit 17
What “rate of reaction” means
Collision theory and activation energy
Factors affecting rate: temperature
Factors affecting rate: concentration/pressure
Factors affecting rate: surface area
Catalysts and enzymes (chemistry link)
Measuring rate: gas volume, mass loss, colour change
Core Practical: Rates (marble chips gas method + thiosulfate disappearing cross)
Drawing and interpreting rate graphs
Comparing rate data and evaluating conclusions
Exothermic vs endothermic reactions
Reaction profiles and energy level diagrams
Bond breaking and bond making (energy idea)
Calculating energy changes using bond energies (overview where required)
Unit 18
Crude oil as a mixture of hydrocarbons
Fractional distillation of crude oil (fractions and uses)
Alkanes: general formula and combustion
Alkenes: double bonds and polymerisation (overview)
Complete vs incomplete combustion
Pollutants from combustion (CO, SO₂, NOx, particulates)
Climate change basics: CO₂ and greenhouse effect (GCSE level)
Reducing emissions: catalytic converters and cleaner fuels (overview)
Earth’s structure: crust, mantle, core (overview)
Earth’s atmosphere: composition and how it changed (overview)
Water resources and sustainability (overview where required)
Evaluating fuel choices using data (cost, pollution, energy output)
Unit 19
Physics
Key concepts of physics
Motion and forces
Conservation of energy
Waves
Light and the electromagnetic spectrum
Radioactivity
Energy – forces doing work
Forces and their effects
Electricity and circuits
Magnetism and the motor effect
Electromagnetic induction
Particle model
Forces and matter
Unit 20
Using SI base units and standard prefixes
Converting between units (including km/h to m/s)
Measuring length, mass, time and temperature accurately
Density as mass/volume and rearranging the equation
Investigating density using practical measurements (overview)
Pressure as force/area (intro for later topics)
Representing data: tables, graphs and gradients
Uncertainty and selecting appropriate apparatus (GCSE level)
Significant figures and standard form in physics calculations (where required)
Unit 21
Scalars vs vectors
Distance vs displacement (intro)
Speed calculations and interpreting graphs
Velocity and direction (intro)
Acceleration and units
Distance–time graphs: describing motion
Velocity–time graphs: acceleration and deceleration
Calculating distance from area under a velocity–time graph
Resultant force and Newton’s first law (conceptual)
Newton’s second law: F = m a
Core Practical: Force, mass and acceleration with trolleys
Newton’s third law pairs (action–reaction)
Stopping distance: thinking distance vs braking distance (overview)
Factors affecting stopping distance (speed, friction, driver)
Circular motion: changing velocity at constant speed (qualitative)
Unit 22
Energy stores and pathways (transfer mechanisms)
Work done and energy transfer
Power as energy per second
Efficiency calculations and Sankey diagrams (overview)
Renewable vs non-renewable energy resources (overview)
National and global energy use (overview)
Energy in heating and temperature rise (link to SHC practical)
Selecting the best energy resource for a scenario (evaluation)
Unit 23
What waves transfer (energy, not matter)
Transverse vs longitudinal waves
Amplitude, wavelength, frequency and period
Wave speed equation v = f λ
Measuring wave properties in water, sound and solids (overview)
Reflection and absorption of waves
Refraction: change in speed and direction at a boundary
Sound waves: pitch and loudness (frequency and amplitude)
Measuring sound speed (overview)
Core Practical: Suitability of equipment for wave speed/frequency/wavelength
Unit 24
Light as a transverse wave (intro)
Reflection: angle of incidence = angle of reflection
Refraction and the normal line
Lenses: converging vs diverging (basic ray ideas)
Core Practical: Refraction in a rectangular glass block
The electromagnetic spectrum in order
EM waves as a continuous spectrum
Comparing wavelength, frequency and energy across the spectrum
Uses of radio/microwaves/IR/visible/UV/X-ray/gamma (overview)
Dangers of ionising vs non-ionising radiation (overview)
Unit 25
Atoms, nuclei and isotopes (recap link)
Types of radiation: alpha, beta, gamma
Properties and penetration of each type
Background radiation: sources and variation
Irradiation vs contamination
Half-life and what it means
Using half-life graphs and decay curves
Calculating remaining activity after multiple half-lives
Safety precautions and risk (evaluation style questions)
Unit 26
Work done as force × distance moved
Energy transfers when forces do work
Power in mechanical situations (e.g., climbing stairs)
Gravitational potential energy changes
Kinetic energy and speed dependence
Conservation of energy in lifting and falling objects
Efficiency in devices that do mechanical work
Investigating power practically (stairs/lifting) (overview)
Unit 27
Contact and non-contact forces
Weight vs mass and gravitational field strength
Force as a vector: direction matters
Drawing and using free-body diagrams
Balanced vs unbalanced forces and motion
Hooke’s law: force and extension
Spring constant and rearranging F = kx
Elastic limit and force–extension graphs
Work done stretching a spring (energy stored)
Core Practical: Spring extension and work done
Moments: turning effect of a force (intro where required)
Stability and centre of mass (intro where required)
Unit 28
Charge and current (what current means)
Potential difference as energy transferred per charge (concept)
Resistance and how it affects current
Series circuits: current, voltage and resistance rules
Parallel circuits: current paths and voltage rules
Using circuit symbols and drawing diagrams
Measuring current and voltage correctly (ammeter/voltmeter)
I–V characteristics of a resistor (ohmic behaviour)
I–V characteristics of a filament lamp (non-ohmic)
Core Practical: Circuits and I–V (resistor + filament lamp; series vs parallel)
Calculating resistance using V = I R
Mains electricity safety (fuse, earth, double insulation) (overview)
Unit 29
Permanent magnets and magnetic fields
Magnetic field lines and what they show
Electromagnets: current creates a magnetic field
Solenoids and factors affecting field strength
The motor effect: force on a current in a magnetic field
Fleming’s left-hand rule (direction of force)
Using F = B I l (where required)
DC motor: parts and how it works (overview)
Unit 30
Induced potential difference from changing magnetic fields
Factors affecting induced voltage (rate of change, turns, field strength)
Generators: AC generation (overview)
The national grid: why high voltage is used (overview)
Transformers: step-up and step-down (overview)
Using transformers safely and efficiently (evaluation)
Unit 31
States of matter and internal energy (link to chemistry)
Temperature vs thermal energy
Heating curves and changes of state
Specific heat capacity and energy calculations
Core Practical: Specific heat capacity of water + melting ice temperature–time graph
Latent heat idea (overview where required)
Gas pressure in terms of particles (qualitative)
Unit 32
Pressure in fluids: force per area
Pressure in liquids: depth and density (qualitative/GCSE equations where required)
Upthrust and floating (overview)
Moments in structures (overview where required)
Stress, strain and material behaviour (overview)
Extension and elastic/plastic deformation (link to Hooke’s law)
Engineering choices: strength, stiffness and density (evaluation style)
Combined Science
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