Biology (Single Science) - Edexcel

Edexcel GCSE foundation and higher triple science exam practice with Bitesize interactive quizzes covering feedback and common errors in cells, organisation and more.

Foundation and higher exam quiz based on Edexcel GCSE biology past papers to boost your revision in photosynthesis, respiration, plant disease and more.

All living things are made of cells, which is why they’re called the building blocks of life.

Learn all about plant and animal organisation with Dr Alex Lathbridge.

Learn all about infection and response for your GCSE biology exam with Dr Alex Lathbridge.

Learn all about homeostasis for your GCSE Biology exam with Dr Alex Lathbridge.

Learn all about inheritance, variation and evolution for your GCSE Biology exam with Dr Alex Lathbridge.

Learn all about ecology for your GCSE Biology exam with Dr Alex Lathbridge.

Learn all about science exam techniques for your GCSE science exams with Dr Alex Lathbridge.

Light and electron microscopes allow us to see inside cells. Plant, animal and bacterial cells have smaller components each with a specific function.

This interactive quiz is suitable for GCSE Biology students studying cells and their structures.

This interactive quiz is suitable for GCSE Biology (single science) students studying cells and the different cell types.

Enzymes are biological catalysts which speed up reactions. They are specific for their substrate. The lock and key hypothesis models this. Enzymes are denatured at extremes of temperature and pH.

Diffusion is the movement of particles from a high to lower concentration. Osmosis is the diffusion of water across a membrane. Active transport moves particles from low to higher concentration.

This interactive quiz is suitable for GCSE Biology (single science) students studying transport in and out of cells.

Understanding how to approach exam questions helps to boost exam performance. Question types will include multiple choice, structured, mathematical and practical questions.

Mitosis is a type of cell division which produces two identical diploid daughter cells. Cancerous tumours are either malignant or benign. Specialised cells are formed when stem cells differentiate.

This interactive quiz is suitable for GCSE Biology students studying cell division and the process of mitosis.

The nervous system enables humans to react to their surroundings and to coordinate their behaviour. It comprises billions of neurones, and it uses electrical impulses to communicate very quickly.

This interactive quiz is suitable for GCSE Biology (single science) students studying the nervous system and how it enables humans to coordinate movement.

Understanding how to approach exam questions helps to boost exam performance. Question types will include multiple choice, structured, mathematical and practical questions.

The differences between sexual and asexual reproduction, the structure of DNA and its role in making proteins, mutations and their effects and how characteristics are inherited.

Mutations can cause a permanent change in the DNA of an organism. In the 19th century, Gregor Mendel determined rules to explain genetic inheritance using pea plants. Genetic crosses using Punnett squares show how likely offspring are to inherit characteristics from their parents.

We inherit our sex (male or female) and blood group from our parents. Genetic disorders can also be inherited. Selective breeding occurs when humans breed plants and animals for specific characteristics. Cloning (often in plants and not in humans) makes genetically identical copies of the one parent organism.

Understanding how to approach exam questions helps to boost exam performance. Question types will include multiple choice, structured, mathematical and practical questions.

Charles Darwin developed the theory of evolution by natural selection. All living species are classified using the system developed by Linnaeus.

Genetic modification are techniques used to remove a gene or genes from one species and place into another. There are benefits and risks to this process.

Understanding how to approach exam questions helps to boost exam performance. Question types will include multiple choice, structured, mathematical and practical questions.

Disease-causing viruses, bacteria, fungi or protists are called pathogens. Sterilising water, preparing food hygienically, washing, vaccination and barrier contraception can reduce the spread of pathogens.

This interactive quiz is suitable for GCSE Biology (single science) students studying communicable diseases, including the viruses, bacteria and protists that can cause them.

This interactive quiz is suitable for GCSE Biology (single science) students studying communicable diseases and how the body and medicine work to prevent them.

Pathogens are disease-causing viruses, bacteria, fungi or protists. Some pathogens infect plants and others infect animals. Plants have physical and chemical defences against pathogens.

The immune system defends humans from pathogens. Physical and chemical barriers prevent infection. White blood cells attack pathogens. Immunisations usually involve injecting inactive pathogens.

This interactive quiz is suitable for GCSE Biology (single science) students studying treating and preventing diseases - through the provision of vaccinations and antibiotics.

This interactive quiz is suitable for GCSE Biology (single science) students studying bacterial growth and how medicines have been developed to fight illness.

The development of drugs is a long, complicated and expensive process. Monoclonal antibodies are identical copies of an antibody. They are used in pregnancy tests and in cancer treatment.

Non-communicable diseases are not transferred between people, eg cancer, diabetes, genetic and neurological disorders and heart disease. Risk factors increase the chances of developing these diseases.

Understanding how to approach exam questions helps to boost exam performance. Question types will include multiple choice, structured, mathematical and practical questions.

Green plants and algae use light energy to make glucose and oxygen from carbon dioxide and water. Temperature, carbon dioxide concentration and light intensity can affect the rate of photosynthesis.

Plant leaves are adapted for photosynthesis and gas exchange. Roots absorb water and mineral ions through root hair cells and are transported up the plant by the xylem.

Hormones promote growth within plants. Plant hormones are unequally distributed throughout the stems and roots, which results in parts of the plant growing in a particular direction.

This interactive quiz is suitable for GCSE Biology (single science) students studying hormones and how they promote growth in plants.

Understanding how to approach exam questions helps to boost exam performance. Question types will include multiple choice, structured, mathematical and practical questions.

The endocrine system secretes hormones into the bloodstream from glands throughout the body. Hormones travel in the blood stream to specific target organs, where they have an effect.

This interactive quiz is suitable for GCSE Biology (single science) students studying the human endocrine system and the role hormones play.

Hormones regulate the menstrual cycle. This involves the monthly release of an egg from the ovary and the build-up and breakdown of the lining of the uterus.

This interactive quiz is suitable for GCSE Biology (single science) students studying the role hormones play in human reproduction.

Homeostasis is the regulation of internal conditions inside cells or organisms, to create the optimum conditions for cell function.

This interactive quiz is suitable for GCSE Biology (single science) students studying homeostasis and how important it is to regulation of the body.

Understanding how to approach exam questions helps to boost exam performance. Question types will include multiple choice, structured, mathematical and practical questions.

For an organism to function, substances must move into and out of cells. Three processes contribute to this movement – diffusion, osmosis and active transport.

The circulatory system transports substances between the exchange surface and cells. It delivers oxygen and glucose to the tissues for respiration, which is the release of energy to cells.

Understanding how to approach exam questions helps to boost exam performance. Question types will include multiple choice, structured, mathematical and practical questions.

Organisms depend on each other for survival. This is called interdependence. Both living and non-living factors will affect the abundance and distribution of organisms in a habitat.

The feeding relationships between organisms in an ecosystem can be seen in food chains. Sampling allows us to measure the abundance and distribution of these species.

Biodiversity is a measure of how many different species live in an ecosystem. Human activities like changing land use, deforestation and peat bog destruction reduce this.

Factors such as the increase in human population, new pests and pathogens and armed conflict, can result in food scarcity. Improved farming techniques and sustainable fisheries can help increase supply.

Materials such as carbon, nitrogen and water are recycled in the ecosystem. When organisms die, decomposition will recycle minerals and nutrients back to the environment.

Understanding how to approach exam questions helps to boost exam performance. Question types will include multiple choice, structured, mathematical and practical questions.

Scientific investigations have several stages - planning, collecting data, analysing data and evaluation. It is important to understand how to carry out each stage of the investigation.