Biology (Single Science) - AQA

All living things are made of cells, which is why they’re called the building blocks of life.

Learn all about plant and animal organisation with Dr Alex Lathbridge.

Learn all about infection and response for your GCSE biology exam with Dr Alex Lathbridge.

Learn all about homeostasis for your GCSE Biology exam with Dr Alex Lathbridge.

Learn all about inheritance, variation and evolution for your GCSE Biology exam with Dr Alex Lathbridge.

Learn all about ecology for your GCSE Biology exam with Dr Alex Lathbridge.

Learn all about science exam techniques for your GCSE science exams with Dr Alex Lathbridge.

Organisms are made up of cells. Most organisms are multicellular and have cells that are specialised to do a particular job. Microscopes are needed to study cells in detail.

This interactive quiz is suitable for GCSE Biology students studying cells and their structures.

This interactive quiz is suitable for GCSE Biology (single science) students studying cells and the different cell types.

Chromosomes carry genetic information in a molecule called DNA. A type of cell division called mitosis ensures that when a cell divides each new cell produced has the same genetic information.

This interactive quiz is suitable for GCSE Biology students studying cell division and the process of mitosis.

Understand the steps of mitosis with this interactive activity from BBC Bitesize made to the GCSE AQA Biology specification.

For an organism to function, substances must move into and out of cells. Three processes contribute to this movement – diffusion, osmosis and active transport.

This interactive quiz is suitable for GCSE Biology (single science) students studying transport in and out of cells.

Understanding how to approach exam questions helps to boost exam performance. Question types will include multiple choice, structured, mathematical and practical questions.

Most animals and plants consist of different types of cells organised as tissues, organs and systems. The human respiratory system is a body system adapted for efficient gas exchange.

This interactive quiz is suitable for GCSE Biology (single science) students studying gaseous exchange systems in animals.

The major nutrients required for a healthy diet are carbohydrates, proteins and lipids. The digestive system breaks down large molecules of food, which are then absorbed into the bloodstream.

This interactive quiz is suitable for GCSE Biology (single science) students studying the digestion system and its processes.

Multicellular organisms require transport systems to supply their cells and remove waste products. In humans, one of the functions of the circulatory system is to transport substances.

This interactive quiz is suitable for GCSE Biology (single science) students studying transport systems in humans.

This interactive quiz is suitable for GCSE Biology (single science) students studying transport systems and ways of managing cardiovascular disease.

Plant cells, tissues and organs are adapted to their functions. The stem, root and leaves form an organ system that transports substances into, around and out of a plant.

This interactive quiz is suitable for GCSE Biology (single science) students studying plant structures, their functions and how substances are transported in and out of a plant.

This interactive quiz is suitable for GCSE Biology (single science) students studying plant organisation, exploring processes such as transpiration and osmosis.

Health is the state of physical and mental well-being. Factors work together and affect physical and mental health. A disease is a disorder that affects an organism's body, organs, tissues or cells.

This interactive quiz is suitable for GCSE Biology (single science) students studying non-communicable diseases such as Type 2 diabetes and tumours.

This interactive quiz is suitable for GCSE Biology (single science) students studying non-communicable diseases and the role data analysis plays in reporting statistics.

Understanding how to approach exam questions helps to boost exam performance. Question types will include multiple choice, structured, mathematical and practical questions.

Pathogens are disease-causing viruses, bacteria, fungi or protists, which can infect animals and plants. Humans have an immune system, which can defend them from pathogens.

This interactive quiz is suitable for GCSE Biology (single science) students studying communicable diseases, including the viruses, bacteria and protists that can cause them.

Some diseases can be treated with antibiotics. Vaccinations allow protection against specific diseases, but the level of protection depends on the amount of people vaccinated.

This interactive quiz is suitable for GCSE Biology (single science) students studying communicable diseases and how the body and medicine work to prevent them.

This interactive quiz is suitable for GCSE Biology (single science) students studying treating and preventing diseases - through the provision of vaccinations and antibiotics.

This interactive quiz is suitable for GCSE Biology (single science) students studying bacterial growth and how medicines have been developed to fight illness.

Monoclonal antibodies are identical copies of one type of antibody.

Pathogens are disease-causing viruses, bacteria, fungi or protists which attack plants as well as animals. Plants have physical and chemical defences against pathogens.

This interactive quiz is suitable for GCSE Biology (single science) students studying the physical and chemical defences plants have to combat diseases.

Understanding how to approach exam questions helps to boost exam performance. Question types will include multiple choice, structured, mathematical and practical questions.

Plants make their own food using photosynthesis. The food that plants produce is important, not only for the plants themselves, but for the other organisms that feed on the plants.

All organisms respire in order to release energy to fuel their living processes. The respiration can be aerobic, which uses glucose and oxygen, or anaerobic which uses only glucose.

Understanding how to approach exam questions helps to boost exam performance. Question types will include multiple choice, structured, mathematical and practical questions.

The nervous system enables humans to react to their surroundings and to coordinate their behaviour. It comprises millions of neurones and uses electrical impulses to communicate very quickly.

This interactive quiz is suitable for GCSE Biology (single science) students studying the nervous system and how it enables humans to coordinate movement.

The endocrine system secretes hormones into the bloodstream from glands throughout the body. Hormones produce an effect on specific target organs in the body.

This interactive quiz is suitable for GCSE Biology (single science) students studying the human endocrine system and the role hormones play.

Hormones are secreted by glands in the endocrine system. During puberty, hormones create changes in physical and emotional characteristics.

This interactive quiz is suitable for GCSE Biology (single science) students studying the role hormones play in human reproduction.

This interactive quiz is suitable for GCSE Biology (single science) students studying sexual and asexual reproduction in humans, animals and plants.

Homeostasis is the regulation of internal conditions inside cells or organisms, to create the optimum conditions for biological function.

This interactive quiz is suitable for GCSE Biology (single science) students studying homeostasis and how important it is to regulation of the body.

Hormones promote growth within plants. Plant hormones are unequally distributed throughout the stems and roots, which results in parts of the plant growing in a particular direction.

This interactive quiz is suitable for GCSE Biology (single science) students studying hormones and how they promote growth in plants.

Understanding how to approach exam questions helps to boost exam performance. Question types will include multiple choice, structured, mathematical and practical questions.

Reproduction occurs in all organisms. DNA is important, as it allows new proteins to be synthesised. Mutations in the DNA can have serious implications.

This interactive quiz is suitable for GCSE Biology (single science) students studying the genome, genes and DNA.

Our genes are inherited from our parents, and the different combinations of these genes make us unique. Genetic inheritance controls the characteristics of all living things.

This interactive quiz is suitable for GCSE Biology (single science) students studying genes and inheritance and how the latter controls the characteristics of living things.

This interactive quiz is suitable for GCSE Biology (single science) students studying inherited diseases and genetic testing.

Variation in species can be generated by genetics. Mutations arise spontaneously and can sometimes lead to genetic disorders or death. Genes can be inserted into a genome through genetic engineering.

This interactive quiz is suitable for GCSE Biology (single science) students studying variation and selective breeding n different species.

Evolution is the change of inherited characteristics within a population over time through natural selection, which may result in the formation of a new species.

This interactive quiz is suitable for GCSE Biology (single science) students studying evolution and the concept of survival of the fittest.

Living things are classified using a system developed by Carl Linnaeus. Organisms are commonly named by the binomial system of genus and species.

This interactive quiz is suitable for GCSE Biology (single science) students studying how organisms have been classified into systems.

Understanding how to approach exam questions helps to boost exam performance. Question types will include multiple choice, structured, mathematical and practical questions.

The abundance and distribution of organisms in an ecosystem is determined by biotic and abiotic factors. Animals and plants have adaptations to allow them to compete for resources.

This interactive quiz is suitable for GCSE Biology (single science) students studying adaptations in animals and plants and their ecosystems.

The feeding relationships between organisms in an ecosystem can be seen in food chains. Sampling allows us to measure the abundance and distribution of these species.

This interactive quiz is suitable for GCSE Biology (single science) students studying ecosystems and their relationship with food chains.

Decomposition, or decay, is the breakdown of dead matter. The rate at which this happens depends upon the number of decomposing microorganisms, the temperature, and water and oxygen availability.

This interactive quiz is suitable for GCSE Biology (single science) students studying decomposition and the rate of decay under various circumstances.

Biodiversity is a measure of how many different species live in an ecosystem. Human activities like changing land use, deforestation and peat bog destruction reduce this.

This interactive quiz is suitable for GCSE Biology (single science) students studying biodiversity and the impact human activity has on it.

Feeding relationships are shown in food chains. Each stage is a trophic level. Biomass is a measure of the total mass of living material in each trophic level.

This interactive quiz is suitable for GCSE Biology (single science) students studying trophic levels in ecosystems and biomass.

Factors such as the increase in human population, new pests and pathogens, overhunting and armed conflict, can result in food scarcity in some countries.

This interactive quiz is suitable for GCSE Biology (single science) students studying food production and how various factors affect productivity.

Understanding how to approach exam questions helps to boost exam performance. Question types will include multiple choice, structured, mathematical and practical questions.

Scientific investigations have several stages - planning, collecting data, analysing data and evaluation. It is important to understand how to carry out each stage of the investigation.

Get ready for the GCSE biology exams with these interactive resources from BBC Bitesize.