CAPE Biology Unit 1 study plan
CAPE Biology Unit 1 · Give each week a clear focus.
8 weeks · About 6 hours per week
Module 1
Define the terms cell, tissue, organ and organ system, and classify ten given examples into the correct level of organisation
Compare, in a written table, the structural features of plant and animal cells, including the cell wall, chloroplasts, vacuole, centrioles and storage carbohydrate
Relate the structure of the nucleus, mitochondrion, chloroplast and rough and smooth endoplasmic reticulum to their functions
Interpret the results of a differential centrifugation experiment by ranking cell fractions by sedimentation order and explaining each step
Your checkpoint
A labelled, hand-drawn comparison chart of five organelles with a one-sentence structure-function link for each, self-marked against a checklist of 15 required features
Module 1
Explain how the fluid mosaic model accounts for membrane permeability, and distinguish simple diffusion, facilitated diffusion, osmosis and active transport
Calculate water potential of a plant tissue from experimental mass or length data and interpret the direction of net water movement
Describe the effects of temperature, solvent concentration and lipid solubility on membrane permeability, and justify the design of a beetroot pigment-leakage practical
Outline the process of cell signalling in terms of receptor binding and signal transduction
Your checkpoint
A written plan for a beetroot membrane-permeability investigation including a stated hypothesis, controlled variables, a results table template and a predicted trend with justification
Module 1
Describe the stages of mitosis and identify each stage from descriptions of chromosome behaviour
Explain the roles of mitosis in growth, repair and asexual reproduction, and contrast mitosis with meiosis in terms of daughter cells and genetic variation
Outline the events of meiosis I and II that generate genetic variation through crossing over and independent assortment
Distinguish apoptosis from necrosis and explain why controlled cell death is necessary in development
Your checkpoint
An original sequence of six diagrams or descriptions tracing one diploid cell through meiosis to four haploid cells, annotated to show where variation arises
Module 2
Describe the structure of a typical enzyme and explain specificity using the induced-fit model
Explain how temperature, pH, substrate concentration and competitive and non-competitive inhibitors affect rate of reaction
Interpret graphs of enzyme-catalysed reactions and distinguish reversible from irreversible inhibition
Describe the roles of coenzymes and prosthetic groups using named examples
Your checkpoint
A timed 40-minute written paper of 8 short-answer enzyme questions, marked against a self-built mark scheme, with a list of every lost mark and its cause
Module 2
Describe the stages of aerobic respiration, naming the location, inputs and outputs of glycolysis, the link reaction, the Krebs cycle and oxidative phosphorylation
Explain the role of the electron transport chain and chemiosmosis in ATP synthesis
Compare aerobic respiration with anaerobic respiration in named organisms, including ATP yield and the fate of pyruvate
Interpret experimental data on oxygen uptake or carbon dioxide release to infer respiratory substrate
Your checkpoint
A one-page flow diagram of aerobic respiration showing carbon, hydrogen and ATP accounting at each stage, checked so that the total ATP figure is consistent
Module 2
Describe the light-dependent and light-independent reactions of photosynthesis, naming the sites, reactants and products
Explain how limiting factors affect the rate of photosynthesis and interpret a limiting-factor graph
Compare the absorption spectra of chlorophyll a, chlorophyll b and carotenoids and relate them to the action spectrum
Distinguish the roles of ATP and reduced NADP in the Calvin cycle
Your checkpoint
A written explanation of a limiting-factor graph of photosynthesis, predicting and justifying the effect of raising light intensity at two different carbon dioxide concentrations
Module 3
Describe the structure of DNA and RNA and explain how the double-helix structure enables semi-conservative replication
Outline the processes of transcription and translation, including the roles of mRNA, tRNA and ribosomes
Use the genetic code to translate a given DNA sequence into an amino acid sequence and identify the effect of a substitution, deletion and insertion mutation
Explain the roles of the spindle, centromere and chromatids in the accurate transmission of genetic information
Your checkpoint
A worked example translating a 15-base DNA template into an amino acid chain, with three labelled mutation variants and a stated consequence for each
Module 1 & Module 2 & Module 3
Sit two full-length timed practice papers under exam conditions and mark them against mark schemes
Rank the three modules by percentage of marks lost and re-teach the two weakest topics from each
Compile and memorise a one-page summary of calculation methods, including water potential, magnification and respiratory quotient
Rehearse command words such as describe, explain, compare and suggest, and match answer length to mark allocation
Your checkpoint
A completed error log listing every lost mark across both papers with the corrected answer and the module it belongs to, plus a ranked revision list for the final week
Milestones
Week 2: Score at least 70% on a self-set 20-question recall test covering cell structure and membrane transport, and correctly explain the direction of water movement in two osmosis scenarios
Week 4: Complete the 40-minute enzyme paper with no more than two lost marks attributable to misreading the command word, and correctly identify the type of inhibition in three of three given scenarios
Week 6: Reproduce the full aerobic respiration and photosynthesis summary diagrams from memory in under 15 minutes each, with all named locations and products correct
Week 8: Achieve at least 65% on each of the two full-length practice papers, with no single module below 60%, and show a lower error count on the second paper than the first