BGCSE BSSE Biology 1428 study guide
BGCSE BSSE Biology 1428 · Work through your exam, one topic at a time.
The BGCSE Biology (BSSE Biology 1428) is a secondary-school science qualification taken by students in The Bahamas, typically at the end of the senior years, and is used for school-leaving records and as a stepping stone to sixth-form or college study in biology, health sciences, agriculture and related fields. It suits candidates who have completed a general science programme and are ready to work with cell structure, human physiology, genetics, ecology and the scientific method rather than with isolated facts. The BGCSE BSSE Biology 1428 study guide has 12 sections and about 2,925 words.
01Cells and Cell Biology
Every living thing is built from cells, and the cell is the smallest unit that can carry out all life processes. You need to know the shared features of all cells (cell membrane, cytoplasm, genetic material, ribosomes) and the differences between prokaryotic cells (bacteria: no nucleus, no membrane-bound organelles, circular DNA, often a cell wall and plasmids) and eukaryotic cells (plant, animal, fungal, protist: DNA enclosed in a nucleus, membrane-bound organelles).
305 words, about 2 min02Biological Molecules and Enzymes
You must know the structure, building blocks, tests and roles of carbohydrates, lipids, proteins and water. Starch and glycogen are polymers of glucose used for storage; cellulose is a glucose polymer giving plant cell walls strength; proteins are polymers of amino acids joined by peptide bonds; lipids are glycerol plus fatty acids.
301 words, about 2 min03Nutrition and Digestion
You need to know the nutrients needed by humans - carbohydrates, proteins, lipids, vitamins A, C and D, minerals calcium and iron, water and fibre - with a source, a function and a deficiency disease for each. Energy requirements vary with age, sex, activity and pregnancy.
292 words, about 1 min04Respiration and Gas Exchange
Distinguish aerobic respiration (glucose + oxygen → carbon dioxide + water + energy) from anaerobic respiration in muscles (glucose → lactic acid + some energy) and in yeast (glucose → ethanol + carbon dioxide + some energy). Energy is used for muscle contraction, growth, active transport, maintaining body temperature and nerve impulses.
270 words, about 1 min05Transport and Circulation
In mammals, blood travels in a double circulation: right side of the heart to the lungs, left side to the body. Know the heart chambers, valves, arteries, veins and capillaries, and the direction of flow.
280 words, about 1 min06Excretion and Homeostasis
Excretion is removal of metabolic waste - carbon dioxide from lungs, urea from kidneys, water and salts. The kidneys filter blood, reabsorb useful substances and produce urine.
227 words, about 1 min07Coordination and Response
Nervous coordination uses receptors, sensory neurones, relay neurones in the spinal cord, motor neurones and effectors. Learn the reflex arc and why reflexes are fast and protective.
230 words, about 1 min08Reproduction and Development
Compare sexual and asexual reproduction. Learn human reproductive anatomy and the roles of sperm and egg, fertilisation, implantation, placenta and development.
192 words, under 1 min09Genetics and Inheritance
Know DNA structure, genes and chromosomes, and how genes code for proteins. Learn mitosis (growth, identical cells) and meiosis (gametes, halving chromosome number, variation).
204 words, about 1 min10Ecology and the Environment
Learn the levels of organisation - organism, population, community, ecosystem - and the terms habitat, niche, producer, consumer, decomposer. Understand food chains and webs, energy transfer, pyramids of number and biomass, and why energy is lost at each trophic level (respiration, heat, excretion, uneaten parts).
213 words, about 1 min11Evolution and Classification
Learn natural selection: variation exists, some variants are better adapted, survivors reproduce and pass on alleles, so allele frequencies change over time. Understand evidence for evolution - fossils, homologous structures, DNA similarities, antibiotic resistance.
193 words, under 1 min12Health, Disease and Practical Skills
Distinguish communicable from non-communicable disease. Learn pathogens (bacteria, viruses, fungi, protists), how they spread, and defences: skin, mucus, cilia, stomach acid, white blood cells, antibodies and vaccination.
218 words, about 1 min