Each person has their own way of working, but the following tips

might help you to get the most from this book:

• Use the contents page — this will provide information on large
topics, such as reflexes or water pollution.
• Use the index — this will allow you to use a single word such as
‘neurone’ or ‘eutrophication’ to direct you to pages where you can
find out more about that word.
• Use the questions — this is the best way of checking whether
you have learned and understood the material on each spread.
Questions are to be found on most units and within or at the end
of each section. Harder questions are identified by the icon
Q
S There are more exam-style questions, and revision ‘tips’, in
the IGCSE Biology Exam Success Guide.

Syllabus matching grid

Page number Unit title IGCSE Syllabus section

2 Biology is the study of life and living organisms 1.1
4 The variety of life 1.2/1.3
6 More on Variety of life/ Fungi 1.3
8 The Plant Kingdom 1.3
10 Invertebrate animals 1.3/1.4
12 Vertebrate animals: five classes 1.3/1.4
14 Protoctists/ Bacteria 1.3
16 Viruses / questions / Questions on keys 1.3/1.4
18 Questions on classification 1.4
20 Organisms are made of cells 2.1
22 Structures within the cytoplasm / Cell structure 2.1/2.3
24 The organisation of living organisms 2.2
26 Questions on cells and organisation 2.1/2.2/2.3
28 Movement in and out of cells: diffusion 3.1
30 Movement in and out of cells: osmosis 3.2
32 Active transport / Movement in and out of cells 3.3
34 All living things are made up of organic molecules 4.1
36 Testing for biochemicals 4.1
38 Enzymes control biochemical reactions 5.1
40 Questions on enzymes/molecules 5.1
42 Photosynthesis and plant nutrition 6.1
44 The rate of photosynthesis 6.1
46 Leaf structure and photosynthesis 6.2
48 The control of photosynthesis 6.1
50 Control by humans: greenhouses 6.1
52 Photosynthesis and the environment 6.1
54 Plants and minerals 6.3

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 Page number Unit title IGCSE Syllabus section
56 Questions on photosynthesis 6.1/6.2/6.3
58 Food and the ideal diet: carbohydrates, lipids and proteins 7.1
60 Food and the ideal diet: minerals, water and fibre 7.1
62 Food is the fuel that drives the processes of life 7.1/12.1
64 Problems causing malnutrition 7.1
66 More about malnutrition 7.1
68 Animal nutrition converts food molecules into a useable 7.2
form
70 Ingestion provides food for the gut to work on 7.3
72 Digestion provides useful food molecules for digestion 7.4
74 … more digestion… 7.4
76 Absorption and assimilation make food available 7.5
78 Questions on nutrition and health
80 Uptake of water and minerals by roots 8.2
82 Transport systems in plants 8.1/8.3/8.4
84 Transpiration: water movement through the plant 8.3
86 The leaf and water loss 8.3/18.2
88 Questions on plants and water
90 Transport systems in animals use blood as the transport 9.1
medium
92 ….functions of the blood 9.4
94 The circulatory system 9.3
96 Capillaries 9.3
98 The heart is the pump for the circulatory system 9.2
100 Coronary heart disease 9.2
102 Questions on animal transport
104 Health and disease 10.1
106 Pathogens are organisms that cause disease / Preventing 10.1
disease: safe food
108 Individuals and the community can fight disease together 10.1
110 Combating infection: blood and defence against disease 10.1
112 Antibodies and the immune response 10.1
114 Applications of immunology / Defence against disease 10.1
116 Respiration provides the energy for life 12.1/12.2
118 Contraction of muscles requires energy from respiration 12.3
120 The measurement of respiration 12.1/12.2
122 Gas exchange supplies oxygen for respiration 11.1
124 Breathing ventilates the lungs 11.1
126 Exercise and breathing / Gas exchange 11.1
128 Smoking and disease 15.3
130 How do we know that smoking causes disease 15.3
132 Questions on respiration
134 Excretion 13.1
136 Dialysis and the treatment of kidney disease 13.1
138 Homeostasis 14.4
140 Control of body temperature 14.4
142 Control of blood glucose concentration 14.4
144 Questions on excretion and homeostasis
146 Coordination: the nervous system 14.1

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Page number Unit title IGCSE Syllabus section
148 Neurones and the reflex arc 14.1
150 Integration by the CNS 14.1
152 Receptors and senses 14.2
154 ….rods and cones… 14.2
156 Questions on sense organs
158 The endocrine system 14.3
160 …adrenaline…/ Drugs/questions on hormones 14.3
162 Sensitivity and movement in plants 14.5
164 ...gravitropism… 14.5
166 Drugs and disorders of the nervous system 15.1/15.2/15.3
168 …alcohol… 15.1/15.2/15.3
170 Reproduction is an important characteristic…… 16.1/16.2
172 Reproduction in flowering plants - flowers 16.3
174 Pollination 16.3
176 Fertilisation… 16.3
178 Germination of seeds 16.3
180 Questions on plant reproduction
182 Reproduction in humans 16.4/16.5
184 More – gametes 16.4
186 The menstrual cycle 16.5
188 Copulation and conception 16.4
190 Contraception 16.6
192 Pregnancy: the role of the placenta 16.4
194 Pregnancy : antenatal care 16.4
196 Birth and the newborn baby 16.4
198 Twins / Sexually transmitted infections 16.4/16.7
200 Questions on human reproduction
202 Variation and inheritance 17.1/18.1
204 DNA, proteins and characteristics 17.2
206 How the code is carried 17.2
208 Cell division 17.3/17.4
210 Stem cells / Questions on cell division 17.3
212 Inheritance 17.5
214 Studying patterns of inheritance 17.5
216 Inherited medical conditions and co-dominance 17.5
218 Sex is determined by X and Y chromosomes 17.5
220 Questions on inheritance
222 Variation 18.1
224 Causes of variation 18.1
226 Variation and natural selection 18.3
228 Natural selection 18.3
230 Artificial selection 18.3
232 Questions on variation
234 Ecology and ecosystems 19.1/19.2
236 Flow of energy 19.1/19.2
238 Humans and food webs 19.2
240 Feeding relationships: Pyramids… 19.2
242 Ecological counting/sampling 19.2/19.4
244 Decay is a natural process 19.3

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 Page number Unit title IGCSE Syllabus section
246 The carbon cycle 19.3
248 The nitrogen cycle 19.3
250 Water is recycled too! 19.3
252 Questions on ecosystems, decay and cycles
254 Factors affecting population size 19.4
256 Human population growth 19.4
258 Bacteria are useful…… 20.1
260 Humans use enzymes from ….. 20.2
262 Investigations on enzymes useful to humans 20.2
264 Using fungi to produce antibiotics 20.2
266 Baking and brewing / Questions on biotechnology 20.2
268 Genetic engineering 20.3
270 Gene transfer in higher organisms 20.3
272 More genes/questions
274 Food supply: humans and agriculture / Intensive farming 21.1
276 Land use for agriculture 21.1/21.2
278 Malnutrition and famine 21.1
280 Human impacts: pollution 21.3
282 Radioactive pollution 21.3
284 Pollution of water 21.3
286 Conservation of species 21.4
288 Managing fish stocks 21.4
290 Conservation efforts worldwide 21.4
292 Recycling water: sewage treatment 21.4
294 Saving fossil fuels 21.4
296 Recycling solid waste 21.4
297 Questions on human impacts on the environment
300 Practical assessment Appendix
302 Laboratory equipment Appendix
304 Measurement of variables Appendix
306 Enzyme experiments and the scientific method Appendix
308 Handling data Appendix

Assessment for IGCSE

The IGCSE examination will include questions that test you in three different ways. These
are called Assessment Objectives (AO for short). How these different AOs are tested in the
examination is explained in the table below:
Assessment What the syllabus calls
What this means in the examination
Objective these objectives
AO1 Knowledge with Questions which mainly test your recall (and understanding)
understanding of what you have learned. About 50% of the marks in the
examination are for AO1.
AO2 Handling information and prob- Using what you have learned in unfamiliar situations. These
lem solving questions often ask you to examine data in graphs or tables, or
to carry out calculations. About 30% of the marks are for AO2.
AO3 Experimental skills and investi- These are tested on the Practical Paper or the Alternative to
gations Practical (20% of the total marks). However, the skills you
develop in practising for these papers may be valuable in
handling questions on the theory papers.

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The end-of-section questions in this book include examples of those
testing AO1, AO2 and AO3. Your teacher will help you to attempt
questions of all types. You can see from the above table that it will not
be enough to try only ‘recall’ questions.
All candidates take three papers.
The make-up of each assessment programme is shown below:

Core assessment
Questions are based on Core content.
Paper 1: Multiple Choice (Core), 45 mins Paper 3: Theory (Core), 1 hour 15 mins
There are a total of 40 marks available, worth There are a total of 80 marks available, worth
25% of your IGCSE. The paper consists of 50% of your IGCSE. The paper consists of
multiple-choice questions. compulsory short-answer and structured
questions.
You will be tested in AO1 and AO2 and can You will be tested in AO1 and AO2 and can
achieve a grade C to G. achieve a grade C to G.

Extended assessment
Questions are based on the Core and Supplement subject content.
Paper 2: Multiple Choice (Extended), 45 mins Paper 4: Theory (Extended), 1 hour 15 mins
There are a total of 40 marks available, worth There are a total of 80 marks available, worth
25% of your IGCSE. The paper consists of 50% of your IGCSE. The paper consists of
multiple-choice questions. compulsory short-answer and structured
questions.
You will be tested in AO1 and AO2 and can You will be tested in AO1 and AO2 and can
achieve a grade A* to G achieve a grade A* to G.

Practical assessment
Students take either Paper 5 or Paper 6.
Paper 5: Practical Test, 1 hour 15 mins Paper 6: Alternative to Practical, 1 hour 15 mins
There are a total of 40 marks available, worth There are a total of 40 marks available, worth
25% of your IGCSE. You will be required to do 25% of your IGCSE. You will NOT be required
experiments in a lab as part of the assessment. to do experiments in a lab as part of the
assessment.
You will be tested in AO3 and can achieve a You will be tested in AO3 and can achieve a
grade A* to G. grade A* to G.

I hope that you enjoy using this book, and that it helps you to understand the
world of biology. You, like every other living organism, are a part of this world
– perhaps one day you will find yourself working to help others to understand
more about it.

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