Biology Revision
Cell biology, organisation, infection, bioenergetics, homeostasis, inheritance, ecology.
AQA GCSE Biology revision works best when you know precisely what the 8461 specification expects, and these lessons are written around it for both Foundation and Higher tier. The course runs across two exam papers and covers everything from cell biology and organisation to infection, bioenergetics, homeostasis, inheritance and ecology, including the required practicals examiners can question you on.
Each lesson explains a topic in clear, exam-ready sections, with the key definitions, processes and diagrams you need to recall under pressure. Turn any lesson into a quiz or a flashcard deck in one click to test yourself, and ask the built-in tutor to break down anything from active transport to the carbon cycle whenever it stops making sense.
Lessons
Cell biology
68 min
LessonCell Structure: Eukaryotes and Prokaryotes
4.1.1.1 Eukaryotes and prokaryotes; 4.1.1.2 Animal and plant cells; 4.1.1.3 Cell specialisation; 4.1.1.4 Cell differentiation
1 month ago
9 min
LessonMicroscopy and Magnification
4.1.1.2 Animal and plant cells (Required practical 1); 4.1.1.5 Microscopy; 4.1.1.1 Eukaryotes and prokaryotes (orders of magnitude and standard form)
1 month ago
7 min
LessonCulturing Microorganisms
4.1.1.6 Culturing microorganisms (Biology only; Required practical 2)
1 month ago
8 min
10 min
12 min
LessonDiffusion, Osmosis and Active Transport
4.1.3.1 Diffusion; 4.1.3.2 Osmosis (Required practical 3); 4.1.3.3 Active transport
1 month ago
Organisation
810 min
LessonEnzymes and the Lock-and-Key Model
4.2.1 Principles of organisation; 4.2.2.1 The human digestive system (enzyme action; Required practical 5)
1 month ago
9 min
LessonThe Digestive System and Food Tests
4.2.2.1 The human digestive system (Required practical 4)
1 month ago
9 min
10 min
13 min
8 min
LessonNon-Communicable Diseases and Risk Factors
4.2.2.5 Health issues; 4.2.2.6 The effect of lifestyle on some non-communicable diseases
1 month ago
9 min
11 min
Infection and response
79 min
11 min
LessonViral, Bacterial, Fungal and Protist Diseases
4.3.1.2 Viral diseases; 4.3.1.3 Bacterial diseases; 4.3.1.4 Fungal diseases; 4.3.1.5 Protist diseases
1 month ago
10 min
LessonHuman Defence Systems and the Immune System
4.3.1.6 Human defence systems against pathogens
1 month ago
10 min
12 min
LessonAntibiotics, Painkillers and Drug Development
4.3.1.8 Antibiotics and painkillers; 4.3.1.9 Discovery and development of drugs
1 month ago
11 min
LessonMonoclonal Antibodies
4.3.2.1 Producing monoclonal antibodies; 4.3.2.2 Uses of monoclonal antibodies (Higher Tier only)
1 month ago
10 min
LessonPlant Diseases and Defences
4.3.3.1 Detection and identification of plant diseases; 4.3.3.2 Plant defence responses (Biology only)
1 month ago
Bioenergetics
48 min
LessonPhotosynthesis and Uses of Glucose
4.4.1.1 Photosynthetic reaction; 4.4.1.3 Uses of glucose from photosynthesis
1 month ago
11 min
LessonRate of Photosynthesis and Limiting Factors
4.4.1.2 Rate of photosynthesis (Required practical 6)
1 month ago
9 min
9 min
LessonResponse to Exercise and Metabolism
4.4.2.2 Response to exercise; 4.4.2.3 Metabolism
1 month ago
Homeostasis and response
1010 min
LessonThe Nervous System and Reflexes
4.5.1 Homeostasis; 4.5.2.1 The human nervous system (Required practical 7)
1 month ago
10 min
12 min
8 min
11 min
LessonThe Endocrine System and Negative Feedback
4.5.3.1 Human endocrine system; 4.5.3.7 Negative feedback (Higher Tier)
1 month ago
9 min
LessonControl of Blood Glucose and Diabetes
4.5.3.2 Control of blood glucose concentration
1 month ago
10 min
LessonThe Kidneys: Water and Nitrogen Balance
4.5.3.3 Maintaining water and nitrogen balance in the body (Biology only)
1 month ago
8 min
10 min
LessonContraception and Fertility Treatments
4.5.3.5 Contraception; 4.5.3.6 The use of hormones to treat infertility (Higher Tier)
1 month ago
9 min
LessonPlant Hormones and Tropisms
4.5.4.1 Control and coordination (Required practical 8); 4.5.4.2 Use of plant hormones (Biology only, Higher Tier)
1 month ago
Inheritance, variation and evolution
1210 min
LessonSexual and Asexual Reproduction and Meiosis
4.6.1.1 Sexual and asexual reproduction; 4.6.1.2 Meiosis; 4.6.1.3 Advantages and disadvantages (Biology only)
1 month ago
11 min
LessonDNA, the Genome and Protein Synthesis
4.6.1.4 DNA and the genome; 4.6.1.5 DNA structure (Biology only)
1 month ago
8 min
9 min
LessonInherited Disorders and Sex Determination
4.6.1.7 Inherited disorders; 4.6.1.8 Sex determination
1 month ago
10 min
9 min
11 min
9 min
11 min
LessonDarwin, Wallace and the Development of Evolution
4.6.3.1 Theory of evolution; 4.6.3.2 Speciation; 4.6.3.3 The understanding of genetics (Biology only)
1 month ago
9 min
LessonEvidence for Evolution: Fossils and Extinction
4.6.3.4 Evidence for evolution; 4.6.3.5 Fossils; 4.6.3.6 Extinction
1 month ago
10 min
9 min
Ecology
910 min
LessonEcosystems and Interdependence
4.7.1.1 Communities; 4.7.1.2 Abiotic factors; 4.7.1.3 Biotic factors
1 month ago
9 min
9 min
LessonSampling Techniques: Quadrats and Transects
4.7.2.1 Levels of organisation (Required practical 9)
1 month ago
9 min
9 min
LessonDecomposition and the Rate of Decay
4.7.2.3 Decomposition (Biology only; Required practical 10)
1 month ago
12 min
LessonBiodiversity and Human Impact on Ecosystems
4.7.2.4 Impact of environmental change (HT); 4.7.3.1 Biodiversity; 4.7.3.2 Waste management; 4.7.3.3 Land use; 4.7.3.6 Maintaining biodiversity
1 month ago
10 min
9 min
LessonTrophic Levels and Biomass Transfer
4.7.4.1 Trophic levels; 4.7.4.2 Pyramids of biomass; 4.7.4.3 Transfer of biomass (Biology only)
1 month ago
9 min
LessonFood Security and Sustainable Food Production
4.7.5.1 Food security; 4.7.5.2 Farming techniques; 4.7.5.3 Sustainable fisheries; 4.7.5.4 Role of biotechnology (Biology only)
1 month ago
Frequently asked questions
It is assessed by two written papers, each 1 hour 45 minutes and worth 100 marks, making up 50% of the GCSE each. There is no coursework, but exam questions can test the required practicals.
Paper 1 covers cell biology, organisation, infection and response, and bioenergetics. Paper 2 covers homeostasis and response, inheritance, variation and evolution, and ecology.
Foundation tier targets grades 1 to 5 and Higher tier targets grades 4 to 9. The science is the same, but Higher includes more demanding questions and some additional content, so revise to the tier you are entered for.
Focus on the method, the variables, the expected results and why each step is done, because questions often test your understanding of the experiment rather than just the result. The lessons here cover the practicals alongside the theory they support.
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