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EnglandBiology

Topic 1: Molecules, diet, transport and health

4 dot points across 4 inquiry questions. Click any dot point for a focused answer with worked past exam questions where available.

How are the carbohydrates, lipids and proteins in our diet built, and how does their structure suit their function?

The structure of monosaccharides, disaccharides and polysaccharides, the formation of triglycerides and phospholipids, and the levels of protein structure, linking each molecule's structure to its function.
An Edexcel A-Level Biology B (Salters-Nuffield) answer on biological molecules, covering monosaccharides, disaccharides and polysaccharides, condensation and hydrolysis, triglycerides and phospholipids, and the primary, secondary, tertiary and quaternary structure of proteins.
10 min answer →

How do diet and lifestyle affect the risk of cardiovascular disease?

The development of atherosclerosis and cardiovascular disease, the roles of cholesterol, lipoproteins and blood pressure as risk factors, and how diet, lifestyle and treatments reduce risk.
An Edexcel A-Level Biology B (Salters-Nuffield) answer on cardiovascular disease, covering atherosclerosis, the roles of HDL and LDL cholesterol, blood pressure and other risk factors, and how diet, lifestyle and treatments reduce the risk of CVD.
10 min answer →

How do substances move into and out of cells and across exchange surfaces?

The fluid mosaic model of the cell membrane, diffusion, osmosis and active transport, the role of water as a solvent and its properties, and the features of efficient exchange surfaces.
An Edexcel A-Level Biology B (Salters-Nuffield) answer on cell transport, covering the fluid mosaic membrane model, diffusion, facilitated diffusion, osmosis and active transport, the properties of water, and the features of efficient gas-exchange surfaces.
10 min answer →

How does the structure of the heart and blood vessels move blood around the body?

The structure of the mammalian heart and the cardiac cycle, the structure of arteries, veins and capillaries, and the role of the circulatory system in transporting substances around the body.
An Edexcel A-Level Biology B (Salters-Nuffield) answer on the heart and circulation, covering heart structure, the cardiac cycle and pressure changes, the structure of arteries, veins and capillaries, and the mammalian double circulatory system.
10 min answer →