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WalesCombined Science

Unit 4 Biology 2: Microorganisms and disease

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

How are microorganisms grown safely in the lab, and how is aseptic technique used?

Culturing microorganisms on agar, the use of aseptic technique to avoid contamination, and the related practical.
A focused answer to the WJEC GCSE Science Double Award Unit 4 topic on culturing microorganisms, covering how microorganisms are grown on agar, the use of aseptic technique to avoid contamination, and the practical investigating the effect of antiseptics or antibiotics.
9 min answer →

How does the body defend itself against pathogens?

The body's defences against pathogens, including physical and chemical barriers and the role of white blood cells.
A focused answer to the WJEC GCSE Science Double Award Unit 4 topic on body defences, covering the physical and chemical barriers that keep pathogens out and how white blood cells defend the body by engulfing pathogens and producing antibodies.
9 min answer →

What are pathogens, and how are communicable diseases spread and prevented?

Pathogens as disease-causing microorganisms, the types of pathogen, how communicable diseases spread, and how their spread is reduced.
A focused answer to the WJEC GCSE Science Double Award Unit 4 topic on disease, covering pathogens and the types (bacteria, viruses, fungi, protists), how communicable diseases are spread, and how their spread can be reduced.
9 min answer →

How do vaccines give immunity, and what do antibiotics treat?

How vaccination produces immunity, how antibiotics treat bacterial infections, and the problem of antibiotic resistance.
A focused answer to the WJEC GCSE Science Double Award Unit 4 topic on vaccines and antibiotics, covering how vaccination produces immunity, how antibiotics treat bacterial infections but not viruses, and the problem of antibiotic resistance.
9 min answer →