Synoptic Essay tips and plans
- Link your paragraphs to improve fluency and show synoptic thinking (ie linked
themes and mix of AS and A2 content)
- Give specific examples (eg naming proteins and enzymes and describing specific
pathways)
- Link specifically to the question, ie by focusing on biological importance.
- Aim for four paragraphs, showing biological importance on a:
- Molecular level (eg proteins)
- Cellular level (eg immunity)
- Individual level (eg gas exchange)
- Population level (eg succession)
Points to remember:
- Distinction between concentration/hydrostatic pressure/osmotic pressure gradients
- Water vs water vapour (eg during transpiration)
The importance of diffusion in - Nature of and factors affecting diffusion
organisms - Digestion and absorption in ileum
- Transpiration/ gas exchange
- Gas exchange in mammalian lungs/fish/insects
- Respiration/photosynthesis
- Tissue fluid formation
- Action potentials: moving of sodium and potassium ions
The importance of responses to - Haemoglobin: changes to outside oxygen conc. And CO 2
changes in the internal and external production
environment of an organism. - Immunity
- Response to changes in stimuli, eg control of heart rate
- Response to selection pressures, resulting in evolution
- Reflexes etc.
The importance to humans of the - Immune response to control growth of pathogens
control of growth, reproduction and - Population sizes
development of organisms, - Controlling succession
including themselves.
- Gene expression stuff
The importance of controlling - Movement across cell membranes
movement in organisms - Cardiac cycle
- Movement of molecules in photosynthesis and respiration
- Link your paragraphs to improve fluency and show synoptic thinking (ie linked
themes and mix of AS and A2 content)
- Give specific examples (eg naming proteins and enzymes and describing specific
pathways)
- Link specifically to the question, ie by focusing on biological importance.
- Aim for four paragraphs, showing biological importance on a:
- Molecular level (eg proteins)
- Cellular level (eg immunity)
- Individual level (eg gas exchange)
- Population level (eg succession)
Points to remember:
- Distinction between concentration/hydrostatic pressure/osmotic pressure gradients
- Water vs water vapour (eg during transpiration)
The importance of diffusion in - Nature of and factors affecting diffusion
organisms - Digestion and absorption in ileum
- Transpiration/ gas exchange
- Gas exchange in mammalian lungs/fish/insects
- Respiration/photosynthesis
- Tissue fluid formation
- Action potentials: moving of sodium and potassium ions
The importance of responses to - Haemoglobin: changes to outside oxygen conc. And CO 2
changes in the internal and external production
environment of an organism. - Immunity
- Response to changes in stimuli, eg control of heart rate
- Response to selection pressures, resulting in evolution
- Reflexes etc.
The importance to humans of the - Immune response to control growth of pathogens
control of growth, reproduction and - Population sizes
development of organisms, - Controlling succession
including themselves.
- Gene expression stuff
The importance of controlling - Movement across cell membranes
movement in organisms - Cardiac cycle
- Movement of molecules in photosynthesis and respiration
