VCE Biology study plan

Define and distinguish the key characteristics of living things, and classify unfamiliar examples against those criteria

Describe the structure and function of the plasma membrane, including the fluid mosaic model and the roles of phospholipids, proteins, cholesterol and glycoproteins

Compare passive transport (diffusion, facilitated diffusion, osmosis) with active transport and explain the energy requirements of each

Interpret data on the effect of solute concentration on cell mass or volume and identify the direction of net water movement

Outline the stages of the cell cycle and describe the events of mitosis and cytokinesis in plant and animal cells

Explain how disruption of the cell cycle, including mutations in regulatory genes, can lead to uncontrolled cell division

Compare binary fission, mitosis and meiosis in terms of purpose, products and genetic variation generated

Explain the roles of meiosis, crossing over, independent assortment and fertilisation in generating genetic diversity

Describe the structure and function of the major organ systems and explain how specialised cell structure relates to function in at least three tissues

Explain the role of the digestive, respiratory and circulatory systems in the transport of nutrients, gases and wastes

Apply the concept of surface area to volume ratio to explain constraints on cell and organism size

Interpret experimental data on enzyme activity, including the effects of temperature, pH and substrate concentration

Explain the role of the endocrine system in maintaining homeostasis using at least two negative feedback loops

Describe how the nervous and endocrine systems coordinate a response to a change in the internal environment

Analyse stimulus-response models and identify the receptor, control centre and effector in unfamiliar scenarios

Evaluate the effect of a named homeostatic dysfunction on whole-organism function

Explain the roles of the immune system's first, second and third lines of defence and distinguish innate from adaptive immunity

Describe the structure and function of nucleic acids and explain how the genetic code is transcribed and translated

Outline the steps of protein synthesis and explain the consequence of a single base substitution on the resulting polypeptide

Compare the mechanisms by which pathogens are transmitted and controlled, including the concept of herd immunity

Explain the biochemical pathways of cellular respiration, including glycolysis, the Krebs cycle and the electron transport chain, and state the location and yield of each stage

Compare aerobic and anaerobic respiration in terms of ATP yield and products in different organisms

Describe the light-dependent and light-independent reactions of photosynthesis and identify the inputs and outputs of each

Interpret experimental data on limiting factors affecting the rate of photosynthesis

Describe the mechanisms of evolutionary change, including natural selection, gene flow, genetic drift and mutation

Explain how allele frequencies change in a population and apply the Hardy-Weinberg principle to a simple data set

Interpret phylogenetic trees and molecular evidence to infer evolutionary relationships

Distinguish between allopatric and sympatric speciation and identify the isolating mechanism in a given scenario

Explain how changes in DNA sequence, including mutations and chromosomal alterations, can produce new phenotypes and drive evolutionary change

Describe the evidence for evolution from fossils, comparative anatomy, embryology and molecular biology

Synthesise content from all four units by solving mixed-format practice questions under timed conditions

Identify and remediate the three weakest content areas revealed by practice results