MGSS/RTSS-BIOLOGY GRADE 11 SCHEME OF WORK 2023

Term Week Chapter Unit Learning outcomes

1 1 Disease and 12.1 Candidates should be able to:

Immunity Disease 1 .Describe a pathogen as a disease-causing organism
2. Describe a transmissible disease as a disease in
which the pathogen can be passed from one host to
another
3. Understand that a pathogen may be transmitted:
(a) through direct contact, including through blood or
other body fluids
(b) indirectly, including from contaminated surfaces or
food, from animals, or from the air
4 Describe the human body’s barriers to the entry of
pathogens, limited to: skin, hairs in the nose, mucus,
stomach acid
5 Understand the role of the mosquito as a vector of
disease
6 Describe the malarial pathogen as an example of a
parasite and explain how it is transmitted
7 Describe the control of the mosquito that transmits
malaria with reference to its life cycle
8 Explain that human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) is a
viral pathogen
9 Describe how HIV is transmitted
10 Understand that HIV infection may lead to Acquired
Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS)
11 Describe the methods by which HIV may be
controlled
12 Describe cholera as a disease caused by a
bacterium, which is transmitted in contaminated water
13 Explain the importance of a clean water supply,
hygienic food preparation, good personal hygiene,
waste
disposal and sewage treatment in controlling the spread
of cholera (details of the stages of sewage
treatment are not required)
14 Explain that the cholera bacterium produces a toxin
that causes secretion of chloride ions into the small
intestine, causing osmotic movement of water into the
gut, resulting in diarrhoea, dehydration and loss of
ions from the blood
15 Describe the effects of excessive consumption of
alcohol: reduced self-control, depressant, effect on
reaction times, damage to liver and social implications
16 Describe the effects of tobacco smoke and its major
toxic components (nicotine, tar and carbon
monoxide): strong association with bronchitis,
emphysema, lung cancer, heart disease, and the
association between smoking during pregnancy and
 reduced birth weight of the baby

2 12.2 Candidates should be able to:

Antibiotic 1 Describe a drug as any substance taken into the body
that modifies or affects chemical reactions in the
body
2 Describe the use of antibiotics for the treatment of
bacterial infection
3 State that antibiotics kill bacteria but do not affect
viruses
4 Explain how development of antibiotic-resistant
bacteria, including MRSA, can be minimised by using
antibiotics only when essential.

Candidates should be able to:

1 Describe active immunity as defence against a
pathogen by antibody production in the body
2 State that each pathogen has its own antigens, which
have specific shapes
12.3 3 Describe antibodies as proteins that bind to antigens
Immunity leading to direct destruction of pathogens, or
marking of pathogens for destruction by phagocytes
4 State that specific antibodies have complementary
shapes which fit specific antigens
5 Explain that active immunity is gained after an
infection by a pathogen, or by vaccination
6 Outline the process of vaccination:
(a) weakened pathogens or their antigens are given
(b) the antigens stimulate an immune response by
lymphocytes which produce antibodies
(c) memory cells are produced that give long-term
immunity
7 Explain the role of vaccination in controlling the
spread of transmissible diseases
8 Explain that passive immunity is a short-term defence
against a pathogen by antibodies acquired from
another individual, limited to: across the placenta and in
breast milk
9 Explain the importance of breast-feeding for the
development of passive immunity in infants
10 State that memory cells are not produced in passive
immunity
11 Outline how HIV affects the immune system, limited
to: decreased lymphocyte numbers and reduced
ability to produce antibodies, which weakens the
immune system

3 Excretion 13.1 Candidates should be able to:

Excretion 1 Describe excretion as the removal of toxic materials
and the waste products of metabolism from
organisms
2 State that carbon dioxide is a waste product of
respiration, which is excreted through the lungs
 3 State that urea is a toxic waste product produced in
the liver from the breakdown of excess amino acids

4 13.2 Urinary Candidates should be able to:

system 1 Identify, on diagrams, the kidneys, ureters, bladder
and urethra and state the function of each (the
function of the kidney should be described simply as
removing urea and excess salts and water from the
blood as urine)
2 Explain the need for excretion, limited to toxicity of
urea
3 Outline the structure of a nephron and its associated
blood vessels, limited to: Bowman’s capsule,
glomerulus, tubules, loop of Henle and collecting duct
4 Outline the function of a nephron and its associated
blood vessels, limited to:
(a) the role of the glomerulus in the filtration from the
blood of water, glucose, urea and ions
(b) the role of the nephron in the reabsorption of all of
Assessment the glucose, some of the ions and most of the
1 water back into the blood
(c) the formation of urine containing urea, excess water
and excess ions
(details of these processes are not required)
5 Describe the role of the liver in the assimilation of
amino acids by converting them to proteins
6 Describe deamination in the liver as the removal of
the nitrogen-containing part of amino acids, resulting in
the formation of urea

5 Coordination 14.1Mamm Candidates should be able to:

and control alian 1 State that the nervous system (brain, spinal cord and
nervous nerves) coordinates and regulates body functions
system 2 Describe the mammalian nervous system in terms of:
(a) the central nervous system (CNS) consisting of the
brain and the spinal cord
(b) the peripheral nervous system (PNS) consisting of
the nerves outside the brain and spinal cord
3 Identify, on diagrams, sensory, relay and motor
neurones
4 State that electrical impulses travel along neurones
5 Describe simple reflex arcs in terms of receptor,
sensory neurone, relay neurone, motor neurone and
effector (muscles and glands)
6 Describe a reflex action as a rapid and automatic
response to a stimulus
7 Describe a synapse as a junction between two
neurones
8 Describe the structure of a synapse, including the
presence of vesicles containing neurotransmitter
molecules, the synaptic gap and receptor proteins
9 Describe the events at a synapse:
(a) an impulse stimulates the release of
neurotransmitter molecules from vesicles into the
 synaptic gap
(b) the neurotransmitter molecules diffuse across the
gap and bind with receptor proteins
(c) an impulse is stimulated in the next neurone
10 State that synapses ensure that impulses travel in
one direction only

6 14.2 Candidates should be able to:

Mammalian 1 Describe sense organs as groups of receptor cells
sense responding to specific stimuli: light, sound, touch,
organs temperature and chemicals
2 Identify, on a diagram, the structures of the eye,
limited to: cornea, iris, pupil, lens, ciliary muscles,
suspensory ligaments, retina, fovea, optic nerve and
blind spot
3 Describe the function of each part of the eye, limited
to:
(a) cornea – refracts light
(b) iris – controls how much light enters the pupil
(c) lens – focuses light onto the retina
(d) ciliary muscles and suspensory ligaments – control
the shape of the lens
(e) retina – contains light receptors, some sensitive to
light of different colours
(f) fovea – contains the greatest density of light
receptors
(g) optic nerve – carries impulses to the brain
4 Explain the pupil reflex in terms of light intensity and
antagonistic action of circular and radial muscles in
the iris
5 Explain accommodation to view near and distant
objects in terms of the contraction and relaxation of the
ciliary muscles, tension in the suspensory ligaments,
shape of the lens and refraction of light

candidates should be able to:

1 Describe a hormone as a chemical substance,
produced by a gland and carried by the blood, which
alters
the activity of one or more specific target organs
2 Identify, on a diagram, endocrine glands that produce
hormones and state the hormones they produce,
limited to:
(a) the adrenal glands – produce adrenaline
(b) the pancreas – produces insulin and glucagon
(c) the pituitary gland – produces follicle-stimulating
hormone (FSH) and luteinising hormone (LH)
(d) the testes – produce testosterone
(e) the ovaries – produce oestrogen and progesterone
3 Understand the role of the hormone adrenaline,
14.3Mamm produced by the adrenal glands, in increasing the blood
alian glucose concentration and heart rate and give examples
hormones of situations in which these may occur
4 Compare nervous and hormonal control, limited to
 speed of action and duration of effect

7 14.4 Candidates should be able to:

Homeostasi 1 Describe homeostasis as the maintenance of a
s constant internal environment
2 Explain the concept of control by negative feedback
with reference to a set point

Candidates should be able to:

1 Identify, on a diagram of the skin: hairs, hair erector
muscles, sweat glands, receptors, sensory neurones,
blood vessels and fatty tissue
14.5 2 Describe the role of insulation in maintaining a
Temperatur constant internal body temperature in mammals
e control 3 Describe the roles of the hypothalamus and of
temperature receptors in the skin in maintaining a
constant
internal body temperature in mammals
4 Explain how each of the following processes
contributes to the maintenance of constant internal body
temperature in mammals:
(a) sweating
(b) shivering
(c) contraction of hair erector muscles
(d) vasodilation and vasoconstriction of arterioles
supplying skin surface capillaries

8 14.6 Blood Candidates should be able to:

glucose 1 Explain the need to control blood glucose
control concentration
2 Describe the control of blood glucose concentration
by the liver and pancreas and the roles of insulin and
glucagon.
3 Describe the signs of Type 1 diabetes (limited to
increased blood glucose concentration and glucose
inurine) and its treatment (administration of insulin)

Assessment
2

9 Coordination 15.1 Students should be able to:

and response Coordinatio 1 Describe gravitropism as a response in which parts of
in Plants n and a plant grow towards or away from gravity
response in 2 Describe phototropism as a response in which parts
Plants of a plant grow towards or away from light
3 Explain the role of auxin in controlling shoot growth,
limited to:
(a) auxin is made in the shoot tip
(b) auxin spreads through the plant from the shoot tip
(c) auxin is unequally distributed in response to light
and gravity
(d) auxin stimulates cell elongation
4 Investigate gravitropism and phototropism in shoots
 and roots

10 Development 16.1 1 Understand that chromosomes contain DNA, which

of organisms Nuclear carries genetic information in the form of genes
and continuity division 2 Describe a haploid nucleus as a nucleus containing a
of life single set of chromosomes
3 Describe a diploid nucleus as a nucleus containing
two sets of chromosomes
4 State that in a diploid cell there is a pair of each type
of chromosome and in a human diploid cell there
are 23 pairs
5 Describe mitosis as nuclear division giving rise to
genetically identical cells in which the chromosome
number is maintained (details of stages are not
required)
6 Outline the role of mitosis in growth, repair of
damaged tissues, replacement of dying cells and
asexual
reproduction
7 Describe stem cells as unspecialised cells that divide
by mitosis to produce daughter cells that can
become specialised for specific functions
8 State that meiosis is involved in the production of
gametes
9 Describe meiosis as a reduction division in which the
chromosome number is halved from diploid to
haploid resulting in genetically different cells (details of
stages are not required)
10 Understand that cancers form as a result of
uncontrolled cell division.

1 Describe asexual reproduction as a process resulting

in the production of genetically identical offspring
from one parent
2 Identify examples of asexual reproduction
3 Describe sexual reproduction as the process involving
the fusion of haploid nuclei (fertilisation) to form a
diploid zygote and the production of genetically different
offspring
4 Discuss the advantages and disadvantages of
asexual reproduction and sexual reproduction

16.2asexual
and sexual
reproductio
n

2nd term 1 16.3 sexual Candidates should be able to:

reproductio 1 Identify and draw the sepals, petals, stamens (anthers
n in Plants and filaments) and carpels (stigmas, styles, ovaries
and ovules) of an insect-pollinated flower
 2 Identify and draw the anthers and stigmas of a wind-
pollinated flower
3 Relate the structure of the parts of flowers to their
functions, limited to the parts listed in 16.3.1
4 Compare the flower structure and the pollen from
insect-pollinated and wind-pollinated flowers
5 Outline the process of pollination and distinguish
between self-pollination and cross-pollination
6 Discuss the potential effects of self-pollination and
cross-pollination on a population, in terms of
variation, capacity to respond to changes in the
environment and reliance on pollinators
7 Describe the growth of the pollen tube and its entry
into the ovule followed by fertilisation (production of
endosperm and details of development are not
required)
8 Understand that after fertilisation the ovules develop
into seeds and the ovary develops into a fruit
9 Investigate and describe the structure of a seed,
limited to embryo (radicle, plumule and cotyledons) and
Testa.
10 Understand that seed and fruit dispersal by wind and
by animals is a means of colonising new areas and of
reducing competition
11 Relate the features of wind-dispersed fruits and
animal-dispersed fruits to their functions
12 Investigate and state the environmental conditions
that affect germination of seeds, limited to: suitable
temperature, water and oxygen
13 Describe the process of germination, including the
role of enzymes

2 16.4 sexual Candidates should be able to:

reproductio 1 Identify, on diagrams of the male reproductive system:
n in humans the testes, scrotum, sperm ducts, prostate gland,
urethra and penis, and describe their functions
2 Identify, on diagrams of the female reproductive
system: the ovaries, oviducts, uterus, cervix and vagina,
and describe their functions
3 Explain how the structure of a sperm cell is related to
its function, limited to: flagellum, mitochondria and
enzymes in the acrosome
4 Explain how the structure of an egg cell is related to
its function, limited to energy stores and the jelly
coat that changes at fertilisation
5 Describe fertilisation as the fusion of the nuclei from a
male gamete (sperm) and a female gamete (egg
cell)
6 Compare male and female gametes in terms of size,
structure, numbers and motility
7 Describe the roles of testosterone and oestrogen in
the development and regulation of secondary sexual
characteristics during puberty
8 Describe the menstrual cycle in terms of development
 and release of an egg and changes in the lining of
the uterus
9 Explain the roles of follicle-stimulating hormone
(FSH), luteinising hormone (LH), oestrogen and
progesterone in controlling the menstrual cycle
10 Describe the early development of the zygote,
limited to the formation of a ball of cells (embryo) that
becomes implanted in the lining of the uterus
11 State the functions of the amniotic sac and the
amniotic fluid
12 Identify, on diagrams, the placenta and umbilical
cord and describe their functions in relation to the
exchange of dissolved nutrients, gases and excretory
products between the blood of the mother and the
blood of the fetus (structural details are not required)
13 State that some viruses can pass across the
placenta and affect the fetus.

3 Inheritance 17.1 Candidates should be able to:

variation 1 Describe variation as differences between individuals
of the same species
2 Understand that continuous variation results in a
range of phenotypes between two extremes, including
body length and body mass
3 Understand that discontinuous variation results in a
limited number of phenotypes with no intermediates,
including ABO blood groups, seed shape and seed
colour in peas
4 Understand that discontinuous variation is usually
caused by genes only and continuous variation is
caused by genes and the environment
Assessment 5 Investigate and describe examples of continuous and
1 discontinuous variation

4 17.2 DNA Candidates should be able to:

1 Describe the structure of a DNA molecule:
(a) two strands coiled together to form a double helix
(b) each strand is made up of a chain of nucleotides
(c) each nucleotide contains a base (A, T, C, G; full
names are not required)
(d) bonds between pairs of bases hold the strands
together
(e) the bases always pair up in the same way: A with T,
and C with G
2 Define a gene as a length of DNA that codes for a
protein
3 Explain that DNA controls cell function by controlling
the production of proteins, including enzymes
4 State that the sequence of bases in a gene
determines the sequence of amino acids needed to
make a
specific protein (knowledge of the details of nucleotide
structure is not required)
5 Understand that different sequences of amino acids
 give different shapes to protein molecules.

Candidates should be able to:

1 Describe inheritance as the transmission of genetic
information from generation to generation
2 Define an allele as an alternative form of a gene
3 Understand and use the terms: dominant, recessive,
phenotype, genotype, homozygous and heterozygous
4 Use genetic diagrams, including Punnett squares, to
predict the results of monohybrid crosses and
calculate phenotypic ratios, limited to 1:1 and 3:1 ratios
17.3 5 Explain why observed ratios often differ from
Inheritance expected ratios, especially when there are small
numbers of
offspring
6 State that two identical homozygous individuals that
breed together will be pure-breeding
7 Explain codominance by reference to the inheritance
of the ABO blood groups (phenotypes A, B, AB, O,
gene alleles IA, IB and Io)
8 Describe the determination of sex in humans (XX and
XY chromosomes)
9 Describe a gene mutation as a random change in the
base sequence of DNA, using sickle cell anaemia as
an example
10 Describe a chromosome mutation as a change in the
chromosome number or structure, using Down’s
syndrome as an example (47 chromosomes instead of
46)
11 State that mutation, meiosis, random mating and
random fertilisation are sources of genetic variation in
populations
12 Understand that ionising radiation and some
chemicals increase the rate of mutation

5 17.4 Candidates should be able to:

selection 1 Describe natural selection with reference to:
(a) variation within populations
(b) production of many offspring
(c) struggle for survival, including competition for
resources
(d) reproduction by individuals that are better adapted to
the environment than others
(e) passing on of their alleles to the next generation
2 Describe how the inherited features of a population
can evolve over time as a result of natural selection
3 Describe the development of strains of antibiotic-
resistant bacteria, including MRSA, as an example of
natural selection
4 Describe artificial selection (selective breeding) with
reference to:
(a) selection by humans of animals or plants with
desirable features
(b) crossing these to produce the next generation
 (c) selection of offspring showing the desirable features
(d) repetition over many generations
5 Describe the role of artificial selection in the
production of economically important plants and
animals

6 Biotechnolog 18.1Biotech Candidates should be able to:

y and genetic nology 1 Explain the role of yeast in the production of bread
modification and ethanol
2 Understand that bacteria are useful in biotechnology
and genetic modification due to their rapid
reproduction rate and their ability to make complex
molecules
3 Discuss why bacteria are useful in biotechnology and
genetic modification, limited to:
(a) no ethical concerns over their manipulation and
growth
(b) presence of plasmids
4 Describe how fermenters can be used for the large-
scale production of useful products by bacteria and
fungi, including the conditions that need to be
controlled, limited to: temperature, pH, oxygen, nutrient
supply and waste products
5 Describe the use of:
(a) enzymes in biological washing powders
(b) pectinase for fruit juice production
(c) lactase for lactose-free milk

Candidates should be able to:

1 Describe genetic modification as changing the genetic
material of an organism by removing, changing or
inserting individual genes
2 Understand that the gene that controls the production
of human insulin has been inserted into bacterial
DNA, for commercial production of insulin
18.2 genetic 3 Outline the use of genetic modification in crop plants
modification by inserting genes:
(a) to confer resistance to herbicides
(b) to confer resistance to insect pests
(c) to provide additional vitamins
4 Discuss potential advantages and risks of genetic
modification, limited to modifying crop plants and
bacteria

7 Relationships 19.1 Energy Candidates should be able to:

of organisms flow 1 Understand that the Sun is the principal source of
with one energy input to most biological systems
another and 2 Explain why most forms of life are completely
with the dependent on photosynthesis
environment 3 Describe the flow of energy through food chains and
webs including energy from light and energy in living
organisms and its eventual transfer to the environment
4 Construct and interpret simple food chains
 5 Understand the terms producer, consumer, herbivore,
carnivore and decomposer
6 Describe food webs as networks of interconnected
food chains and construct and interpret them
7 Explain why the transfer of energy from one trophic
level to another is inefficient
8 Explain why food chains usually have fewer than five
trophic levels
9 Explain why it is more energy efficient for humans to
eat crop plants than to eat livestock that have been
fed on crop plants
10 Construct and interpret pyramids of numbers,
biomass and energy

Candidates should be able to:

1 Describe the carbon cycle, limited to: photosynthesis,
respiration, feeding, decomposition, formation of
fossil fuels and combustion
2 Outline the nitrogen cycle in making nitrogen available
for plant and animal protein, limited to:
(a) decomposition of plant and animal protein to
ammonium ions
(b) nitrification
(c) nitrogen fixation by lightning and bacteria
(d) absorption of nitrate ions by plants
(e) production of amino acids and protein
(f) feeding and digestion of proteins
19.2 (g) denitrification
Nutrient (the names of individual bacteria are not required)
cycles 3 Outline the role of fungi and bacteria in decomposition

Assessment
2

8
19.3 Candidates should be able to:
ecosystem 1 Describe a population as a group of organisms of one
and species, living in the same area, at the same time
biodiversity 2 Describe a community as all of the populations of
different species in an ecosystem
3 Describe an ecosystem as a unit containing the
community of organisms and their environment,
interacting together
4 Describe biodiversity as the number of different
species that live in an area
5 Identify and state the factors affecting the rate of
population growth for a population of an organism,
 limited to: food supply, competition, predation and
disease
6 Understand that the growth of the human population
is increasing the demand for global resources

9 19.4 effects Students should be able to:

of humans 1 Outline the causes and describe the consequences of
on deforestation, limited to its effects on: biodiversity,
ecosystems extinction, loss of soil, flooding and concentration of
carbon dioxide in the atmosphere
2 Describe the impacts humans have through:
(a) over-harvesting of plant and animal species
(b) introducing a non-native species to an ecosystem
3 Describe the harmful effects of:
(a) water pollution by untreated sewage and nitrogen-
containing fertilisers leading to eutrophication,
limited to:
(i) increased availability of nitrate and other ions
(ii) increased growth of producers
(iii) increased decomposition after death of producers
(iv) increased aerobic respiration by decomposers
(v) reduction in dissolved oxygen
(vi) death of organisms requiring dissolved oxygen in
water
(b) air pollution by greenhouse gases (carbon dioxide
and methane), contributing to global warming and
its likely effects
(c) pollution due to insecticides and herbicides
(d) non-biodegradable plastics in the environment, in
both aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems
Candidates should be able to:
1 Discuss reasons for conservation of species with
reference to:
(a) maintenance of biodiversity
(b) reducing extinction
(c) protecting vulnerable environments
2 Explain how forests can be conserved using
education, protected areas, quotas and replanting
3 Explain how fish stocks can be conserved using
education, closed seasons, protected areas, controlled
net
types and mesh size, quotas and monitoring
4 Describe a sustainable resource as one which is
produced as rapidly as it is removed from the
19.5 environment so that it does not run out.
conservatio
n

10 Revision

11 Revision
 12 Revision

3 1 Feedback
on 2nd term
exams

2 Revision Nov 2022 papers 12, 22, 62

3 Revision June 2022 papers 13, 22, 62

4 Revision Nov 2021 papers 12, 22, 62

5 Revision June 2021 papers 12, 22, 42

6 Revision Nov 2020 papers 12,22, 62

7 Revision June 2020 papers 12, 22, 62

8 Revision

9 Revision

10 Revision

11 Revision

12 Revision