QCAA Biology EA study guide
QCAA Biology EA · Work through your exam, one topic at a time.
The Biology General senior syllabus 2025 is the Queensland Curriculum and Assessment Authority syllabus for a General senior Biology course, published as Biology 2025 v1.3 and intended for implementation with students who will complete their study of the course in 2026 or beyond. It is studied by senior secondary students in Queensland working towards their Queensland Certificate of Education, typically across Units 3 and 4 in their final year. The course is assessed through a combination of school-based internal assessment and external assessment set by the QCAA. Internal instruments published as samples are a Unit 3 data test (IA1), a Unit 3 student experiment (IA2) and a Unit 4 research investigation (IA3). The QCAA Biology EA study guide has 4 sections and about 1,039 words.
01Cells and Multicellular Organisms
Candidates must understand the plasma membrane as a fluid mosaic of phospholipids and proteins, and how its selective permeability underpins transport. Distinguish passive processes (simple diffusion, facilitated diffusion, osmosis) from active transport requiring ATP, and recognise endocytosis/exocytosis as bulk transport.
261 words, about 1 min02Maintaining the Internal Environment
Homeostasis is the maintenance of a relatively stable internal environment despite external change. Candidates must understand negative feedback (a deviation triggers a response that reverses it) and positive feedback (amplifies change; rare, e.g.
267 words, about 1 min03Heredity and Continuity of Life
Candidates must understand DNA structure and replication (semi-conservative), the central dogma (DNA → RNA → protein), transcription and translation, and how genes determine traits. Know the difference between genotype and phenotype, dominant and recessive alleles, and the patterns of inheritance: monohybrid and dihybrid crosses, codominance, incomplete dominance, sex-linked traits and multiple alleles (e.g.
264 words, about 1 min04The Living World: Ecosystems and Biodiversity
Candidates must understand ecosystems as interacting biotic and abiotic components, and the flow of energy through trophic levels (producers, consumers, decomposers). Know that energy is lost at each transfer (roughly 10% passes to the next level) and that nutrients cycle while energy flows one way.
247 words, about 1 min