WJEC GCSE Science Double Award: Plants and ecosystems (Unit 1, Biology 1) overview
An overview of the Plants and ecosystems module in WJEC GCSE Science Double Award (Unit 1, Biology 1), mapping photosynthesis and limiting factors, leaf structure and plant transport, transpiration, food chains and ecosystems, and the carbon and nitrogen cycles.
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The Plants and ecosystems module gathers the plant and ecology content of Biology 1 in WJEC GCSE Science Double Award. It explains how plants make and transport food, how they lose water, and how energy and nutrients move through ecosystems. This page maps the module and links to a focused answer page for each part.
The topics in this module
- Photosynthesis and limiting factors
- The process and equations, the three limiting factors, and the rate practical. See Photosynthesis and limiting factors.
- Leaf structure and plant transport
- How the leaf is adapted, and the xylem and phloem. See Leaf structure and plant transport.
- Transpiration
- Water loss from the leaves, the transpiration stream, and the factors affecting the rate. See Transpiration.
- Food chains and ecosystems
- Food chains, webs and trophic levels, pyramids of biomass, and energy loss. See Food chains and ecosystems.
- The carbon and nitrogen cycles
- The two nutrient cycles, decomposers and named bacteria, and human impact. See The carbon and nitrogen cycles.
How this module fits the exam
These topics sit in Unit 1 (Biology 1), a written paper of 1 hour 15 minutes worth 15%. Questions mix recall (equations, cycles), practical skills (photosynthesis, the potometer), calculation (energy transfer) and explanation (limiting factors, transpiration).
How to study this module
- Learn the photosynthesis equation and limiting factors. Practise explaining rate graphs.
- Link leaf and transport adaptations to function. Know the xylem and phloem clearly.
- Understand transpiration. The transpiration stream and the four factors that change the rate.
- Master energy flow. Food chains, the 10 percent rule and pyramids of biomass.
- Know the cycles. The carbon and nitrogen cycles, with the bacteria and decomposers.
Then test yourself with the module quiz.