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WalesBiology

Unit 2: Micro-organisms and disease

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

What are micro-organisms, how are they grown safely, and how do we use them to make food, drink and medicines?

The main groups of micro-organisms and the structure of bacteria, binary fission and growth conditions, aseptic technique for culturing micro-organisms, and the use of micro-organisms in food, fermentation, antibiotics and biotechnology.
A focused answer to the WJEC GCSE Biology section 2.7 topic on micro-organisms, covering the groups of micro-organisms and bacterial structure, binary fission and growth conditions, aseptic technique for culturing on agar, and the use of micro-organisms in food, fermentation, antibiotics and biotechnology.
11 min answer →

How does the body keep pathogens out, and how do white blood cells destroy those that get in?

The body's non-specific defence mechanisms, the roles of phagocytes and lymphocytes, antibodies and antigens, antitoxins, and the difference between active and passive immunity.
A focused answer to the WJEC GCSE Biology section 2.8 topic on defence, covering the body's non-specific defences, the roles of phagocytes and lymphocytes, antibodies, antigens and antitoxins, how antibodies destroy pathogens, and the difference between active and passive immunity.
11 min answer →

What causes disease, which pathogens are responsible, and how can the spread of infection be reduced?

The causes of disease, the types of pathogen and example diseases, how pathogens are spread, and the ways the spread of infectious disease can be reduced, including non-communicable diseases and their risk factors.
A focused answer to the WJEC GCSE Biology section 2.8 topic on disease, covering the causes of disease, the four types of pathogen with example diseases, how pathogens are spread, ways to reduce the spread of infection, and non-communicable diseases and their risk factors.
11 min answer →

How do vaccines protect us, why is antibiotic resistance a problem, and how are monoclonal antibodies and new drugs developed?

How vaccination produces immunity and memory cells, the use and limits of antibiotics and the rise of antibiotic resistance, the production and uses of monoclonal antibodies, and the discovery and testing of new medicines.
A focused answer to the WJEC GCSE Biology section 2.8 topic on treatment, covering vaccination and memory cells, the use and limits of antibiotics, antibiotic resistance and MRSA, the production and uses of monoclonal antibodies, and the discovery and testing of new medicines through preclinical and clinical trials.
12 min answer →