§-Biology syllabus
NSW · NESA← Biology
Biology syllabus, dot point by dot point
Every dot point in the NSW Biology syllabus, with a focused answer for each. Click any dot point for a worked explainer, past exam questions and links to related points.
Module 5: Heredity
Module overview →Inquiry Question 4: How can the genetic similarities and differences within and between species be compared?
Investigate the inheritance patterns including but not limited to: codominance, incomplete dominance, multiple alleles
Inquiry Question 2: How important is it for genetic material to be replicated exactly?
Model the processes involved in cell replication, including but not limited to: mitosis and meiosis, DNA replication using the Watson and Crick DNA model, including nucleotide composition, pairing and bonding
Inquiry Question 5: Can population genetics be used to determine inheritance patterns in a population?
Investigate the use of technologies to determine inheritance patterns in a population using, for example, but not limited to: DNA sequencing and profiling
Inquiry Question 3: How does genetic information flow from DNA to functional proteins?
Construct appropriate representations to model and compare the processes of transcription and translation, including but not limited to: the structure of DNA and the contributions of Watson, Crick, Franklin and Wilkins
Inquiry Question 1: How does reproduction ensure the continuity of a species?
Analyse the features of fertilisation, implantation and hormonal control of pregnancy and birth in mammals
Inquiry Question 2: How important is it for genetic material to be replicated exactly?
Model the processes involved in cell replication, including but not limited to: mitosis and meiosis, the role of meiosis and gamete formation in maintaining the chromosome number across generations
Inquiry Question 4: How can the genetic similarities and differences within and between species be compared?
Investigate the inheritance of patterns including but not limited to: predicting genotypic and phenotypic ratios using Punnett squares and probability rules
Inquiry Question 5: Can population genetics be used to determine inheritance patterns in a population?
Investigate the use of data analysis from a large-scale collaborative project to identify trends, patterns and relationships, for example: the use of population genetics in the study of human evolution; population genetics studies used to determine the inheritance of a disease or disorder; population genetics relating to human evolution
Inquiry Question 1: How does reproduction ensure the continuity of a species?
Explain the mechanisms of reproduction that ensure the continuity of a species, by analysing sexual and asexual methods of reproduction in a variety of organisms, including but not limited to: animals: advantages of external and internal fertilisation, plants: asexual and sexual reproduction, fungi: budding, spores, bacteria: binary fission, protists: binary fission, budding
Inquiry Question 1: How does reproduction ensure the continuity of a species?
Evaluate the impact of scientific knowledge on the manipulation of plant and animal reproduction in agriculture
Inquiry Question 4: How can the genetic similarities and differences within and between species be compared?
Investigate the inheritance patterns including but not limited to: sex-linkage, codominance, incomplete dominance, multiple alleles
Inquiry Question 3: How does genetic information flow from DNA to functional proteins?
Construct appropriate representations to model and compare the processes of transcription and translation, including but not limited to: the roles of mRNA, tRNA, rRNA and ribosomes in polypeptide synthesis
Module 6: Genetic Change
Module overview →Inquiry Question 2: How do genetic techniques affect Earth's biodiversity?
Investigate the uses and applications of biotechnology (past, present and future), including: analysing the social implications and ethical uses of biotechnology, including plant and animal examples; researching and evaluating the development and use of a biotechnology
Inquiry Question 1: How does mutation introduce new alleles into a population?
Explain how a range of mutagens operate, including but not limited to: electromagnetic radiation sources, chemicals, naturally occurring mutagens
Inquiry Question 1: How does mutation introduce new alleles into a population?
Assess the significance of 'coding' and 'non-coding' DNA segments in the process of mutation and investigate the effects of different mutations on a protein's amino acid sequence
Inquiry Question 2: How do genetic techniques affect Earth's biodiversity?
Evaluate the effects of biotechnology on the genetic diversity of agricultural and natural populations, and the impact on biodiversity
Inquiry Question 3: Does artificial manipulation of DNA have the potential to change populations forever?
Evaluate the benefits of using genetic technologies in agricultural, medical and industrial applications, and the future directions and potential impacts of genetic technologies on society
Inquiry Question 3: Does artificial manipulation of DNA have the potential to change populations forever?
Investigate the uses and applications of genetic technologies (past, present and future), including: recombinant DNA technology, CRISPR-Cas9, whole genome sequencing, gene therapy and cloning of transgenic species
Inquiry Question 1: How does mutation introduce new alleles into a population?
Investigate the causes of genetic variation relating to the changes and conservation of the DNA sequence including: variations in gametes due to crossing over and segregation in meiosis, the cell replication processes that allow the conservation, variation and mutation of DNA, and the contribution of mutation to genetic variation and evolution
Inquiry Question 1: How does mutation introduce new alleles into a population?
Investigate the causes of genetic variation relating to the changes and conservation of the DNA sequence including: the use of pedigree analysis to identify patterns of inheritance and mutation
Inquiry Question 1: How does mutation introduce new alleles into a population?
Explain how a range of mutagens operate, including but not limited to: electromagnetic radiation sources, chemicals, naturally occurring mutagens; and classify different types of mutation including point, silent, frameshift and chromosomal mutations
Module 7: Infectious Disease
Module overview →Inquiry Question 3: How can the spread of infectious diseases be controlled?
Investigate and assess the effectiveness of historical and contemporary methods of prevention and control of infectious disease, including the contemporary application of Aboriginal protocols in the development of particular medicines and biological materials in Australia
Inquiry Question 2: How does a plant or animal respond to infection?
Investigate the innate and adaptive immune systems in mammals, including the response of animal adaptive immunity to infection (third line of defence: humoral and cell-mediated immunity, including the roles of lymphocytes, antibodies and antigens)
Inquiry Question 1: How are diseases transmitted?
Describe a variety of infectious diseases caused by pathogens, including microorganisms, macroorganisms and non-cellular pathogens, and collect primary and secondary-sourced data and information relating to disease transmission, including: classifying different pathogens that cause disease in plants and animals
Inquiry Question 2: How does a plant or animal respond to infection?
Investigate the innate and adaptive immune systems in mammals, including the response of animal innate immunity to infection (first and second lines of defence, including the inflammatory response)
Inquiry Question 1: How are diseases transmitted?
Investigate the work of Pasteur and Koch and evaluate the impact of their work on the understanding of infectious disease, including Koch's postulates
Inquiry Question 1: How are diseases transmitted?
Investigate the transmission of a disease during an epidemic, including: mode of transmission (direct, indirect including airborne, vector-borne and waterborne or food-borne) of an infectious disease
Inquiry Question 1: How are diseases transmitted?
Investigate the transmission of a disease during an epidemic, including: adaptations of pathogens that facilitate their entry into and transmission between hosts
Inquiry Question 3: How can the spread of infectious diseases be controlled?
Investigate and assess the effectiveness of pharmaceuticals as treatment strategies for the control of infectious disease, including: antivirals and antibiotics, the development of antibiotic resistance, and the role of immunisation including the impact of vaccination programs in conferring herd immunity
Inquiry Question 2: How does a plant or animal respond to infection?
Investigate the response of a named Australian plant to a named pathogen through the application of physical and chemical defences
Inquiry Question 3: How can the spread of infectious diseases be controlled?
Investigate and assess the effectiveness of historical and contemporary methods of prevention and control of infectious disease, including local, regional and global strategies (hygiene, quarantine, vaccination and public health campaigns)
Module 8: Non-infectious Disease and Disorders
Module overview →Inquiry Question 2: Do non-infectious diseases cause more deaths than infectious diseases?
Investigate the causes and effects of non-infectious diseases in humans, including but not limited to: genetic diseases, diseases caused by environmental exposure, nutritional diseases and diseases caused by cancer
Inquiry Question 4: How can technologies be used to assist people who experience disorders?
Investigate the treatment, management and possible future directions for the cure of non-infectious diseases through pharmaceutical intervention, gene therapy and lifestyle change
Inquiry Question 2: Do non-infectious diseases cause more deaths than infectious diseases?
Collect and represent data from secondary sources to evaluate the method used in an example of an epidemiological study, including incidence, prevalence, mortality, and the methods and benefits of epidemiology
Inquiry Question 2: Do non-infectious diseases cause more deaths than infectious diseases?
Investigate the causes and effects of named genetic diseases on humans, including cystic fibrosis, sickle cell anaemia and Huntington's disease, and analyse pedigrees showing their inheritance
Inquiry Question 1: How is an organism's internal environment maintained in response to a changing external environment?
Investigate the responses of a named Australian ectothermic and endothermic organism to changes in the ambient temperature, and explain how these responses assist in maintaining homeostasis, including negative feedback, positive feedback, thermoregulation and osmoregulation
Inquiry Question 4: How can technologies be used to assist people who experience disorders?
Explain a disorder by investigating the structure and function of the affected organ, and investigate technologies that are used to assist people who experience that disorder, including the loss of kidney function and the use of dialysis
Inquiry Question 2: Do non-infectious diseases cause more deaths than infectious diseases?
Investigate the causes and effects of named nutritional and environmental diseases, including diabetes (type 2), cardiovascular disease and mesothelioma
Inquiry Question 3: Why are epidemiological studies used?
Investigate the treatment, management and possible future directions for the cure of non-infectious diseases using an example that has been treated by both pharmaceutical and medical interventions, including education programs and screening
Inquiry Question 4: How can technologies be used to assist people who experience disorders?
Investigate technologies that are used to assist with the effects of a disorder, including hearing loss, vision loss and loss of kidney function, and explain how a named disorder is assisted by the use of named technologies