VCE Biology study guide
VCE Biology · Work through your exam, one topic at a time.
VCE Biology is a Victorian Certificate of Education study from the Victorian Curriculum and Assessment Authority, set out in a study design with an accreditation period of 2022 covering Units 1 to 4. It suits secondary students building a science pathway who want a structured, externally examined biology course. The study design describes areas of study, outcomes and assessment for all four units, with Units 1 and 2 assessed within school and Units 3 and 4 including school-based assessment plus an external written examination. VCAA publishes examination specifications and a sample written examination, along with a sample multiple-choice answer sheet, so candidates can see the expected style of questions and recording of answers. The VCE Biology study guide has 4 sections and about 1,496 words.
01Unit 1: How Do Living Things Survive and Reproduce?
Unit 1 builds the foundation for everything else: cells are the smallest unit that can carry out all the processes of life. You must be able to compare prokaryotic and eukaryotic cells, describe the roles of organelles (nucleus, mitochondrion, chloroplast, ribosome, endoplasmic reticulum, Golgi body, lysosome, vacuole, cell membrane, cell wall), and explain the fluid mosaic model of the membrane, including diffusion, facilitated diffusion, osmosis and active transport.
397 words, about 2 min02Unit 2: How Is Inheritance Explained and How Does It Change?
Unit 2 connects cell division to inheritance. You must describe the cell cycle, mitosis and its role in growth and repair, and meiosis and its role in producing genetically variable haploid gametes.
372 words, about 2 min03Unit 3: How Do Cells Maintain Life?
Unit 3 focuses on the molecules and processes that keep cells functioning. Know the structure and roles of DNA, RNA and proteins, and how the genetic code links them.
378 words, about 2 min04Unit 4: How Does Life Change Over Time?
Unit 4 examines how populations change over time. You must explain evolution as a change in allele frequencies in a population, and identify its causes: mutation, gene flow, genetic drift, and natural selection.
349 words, about 2 min