The Living Body

Know the role of enzymes as catalysts.

Indicative Content

Learners should be able to describe the key features of enzymes, in terms of their size, abundance, chemical nature and size. They should be able to outline the role of enzymes as catalysts, speeding up the rate of reaction yet unaffected by the reaction and therefore can be recycled.

Learners should describe the involvement of different types of enzymes in metabolic processes, for example hydrogen peroxide and catalase, amylase and starch digestion. They could explain the factors affecting the function of enzymes and consolidate this by experimental work. Using the lock and key theory they could explain how enzymes fulfil their function and how enzymes lower the activation energy required for a reaction.

Assessment Criteria

• 1.1
  Describe the key features of enzymes.
  
• 1.2
  Outline the role of enzymes as catalysts.
  

Understand body systems.

Indicative Content

Learners should be able to describe the structure of the digestive, respiratory, circulatory and renal systems by being able to label given diagrams and outline the function of each system in maintaining health. They could investigate the respiratory and circulatory systems further to explain how they interact to maintain a healthy body in terms of maintenance of respiration in cells and explain the consequences for the body when one of these systems fail, e.g. in a cardiac arrest.

Assessment Criteria

• 2.1
  Describe the structure of the digestive, respiratory, circulatory and renal systems.
  
• 2.2
  Outline the function of each system in maintaining health.
  

Know how the nervous and endocrine systems work.

Indicative Content

Learners should describe the components of a simple reflex arc. They could go on to explain how the structure of each of the components in a reflex arc assists in its function. They should be able to identify the functions of the main endocrine glands, e.g. adrenal, thyroid, pituitary, pancreas, ovaries, testes. Those working at higher levels might go on to describe the functions of given hormones released by each of the endocrine glands, examples of such hormones might include insulin, adrenalin, oestrogen, progesterone and testosterone.

Learners should be able to describe how the nervous and endocrine systems work to coordinate the body systems and maintain a healthy, stable body. They could go on to describe the importance of negative feedback in endocrine control and explain how the endocrine and nervous systems work together to maintain homeostasis.

Assessment Criteria

• 3.1
  Describe the components of a simple reflex arc.
  
• 3.2
  Identify the function of the main endocrine glands.
  
• 3.3
  Describe how the nervous and endocrine systems work to coordinate the body systems.
  

Know the structure and functions of the human reproductive system.

Indicative Content

Learners should outline the structure, by labelling diagrams, and state the functions of the ovaries, uterus, oviducts, vagina and the testes, epididymis, prostate gland and seminal vesicles, urethra, penis. They could go on to describe the structure and functions of the parts of the male and female human reproductive system and how gametes are produced leading to fertilization (references to copulation are not required).

Learners working at higher levels could explain how the structure of given organs, e.g. penis and testes, in the male and, e.g. ovaries and uterus, in the female human reproductive system are related to their functions. They could explain why gametes need half the number of chromosomes of somatic cells referring to meiosis but without detail of the stages of meiosis and describe fertilisation in terms of cellular and intracellular changes.

Assessment Criteria

• 4.1
  Outline the structure and functions of the male and female human reproductive system.