CCEA GCSE Single Award Science: Unit 1 Biology overview
An overview of Unit 1 Biology of CCEA GCSE Science: Single Award, mapping cells and organisation, photosynthesis and plants, nutrition and enzymes, respiration and breathing, coordination and control, ecology and food chains, and genetics and inheritance, and how they are examined.
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Unit 1 of CCEA GCSE Science: Single Award is the Biology unit. It is a carefully selected subset of the full CCEA GCSE Biology course, covering the most important ideas so that one science GCSE can include biology, chemistry and physics. This page maps the seven study topics and links to a focused answer page for each one.
What this unit covers
- Cells and organisation
- The parts of animal and plant cells and their functions, specialised cells, the levels of organisation, and using a light microscope with the magnification calculation. Start with Cells and organisation.
- Photosynthesis and plants
- The word equation, chlorophyll and chloroplasts, the limiting factors, leaf adaptations, and investigating the rate. See Photosynthesis and plants.
- Nutrition and enzymes
- A balanced diet, the food tests, enzymes as catalysts affected by temperature and pH, the digestive enzymes, bile, and absorption. See Nutrition and enzymes.
- Respiration and breathing
- The respiratory system, the mechanism of breathing, gas exchange, and aerobic and anaerobic respiration. See Respiration and breathing.
- Coordination and control
- The nervous system, the reflex arc, hormones, how insulin controls blood glucose, diabetes, and homeostasis. See Coordination and control.
- Ecology and food chains
- Food chains and webs, energy flow and trophic levels, pyramids, decomposers, and the carbon cycle. See Ecology and food chains.
- Genetics and inheritance
- DNA, genes and chromosomes, monohybrid crosses with Punnett squares, and variation including mutation. See Genetics and inheritance.
How it is examined
Unit 1 is a written paper sat at either Foundation or Higher tier, worth a quarter of the Single Award GCSE. Expect structured short-answer questions, data and calculation questions, and longer answers. Magnification, energy-transfer and genetics calculations come up often, and a calculator is allowed.
How to study it
Learn the cell structures first, then carry the structure-fits-function idea through every topic. Memorise the photosynthesis and respiration equations, the food-test colours, the three digestive enzymes, the reflex arc order and the insulin story. Drill the magnification and genetics calculations, then practise CCEA past papers and finish with the module quiz.
Sources & how we know this
- CCEA GCSE Science: Single Award specification — CCEA (2017)