TAS · TASCSyllabus
Biology syllabus, dot point by dot point
Every dot point in the TAS Biologysyllabus, with a focused answer for each one. Click any dot point for a worked explainer, past exam questions, and links to related dot points. Written by Claude Opus 4.7, Anthropic's latest AI, published by Better Tuition Academy.
Unit 1: Biodiversity and the Interconnectedness of Life
Module overview →- Why are cells regarded as the basic units of all living things?Explain cell theory and compare prokaryotic and eukaryotic cells.7 min answer →
- How and why do biologists classify living things?Describe the system of biological classification and explain how organisms are named and grouped.7 min answer →
- How is matter recycled through ecosystems?Describe the carbon, nitrogen, and water cycles and the role of organisms in moving matter.8 min answer →
- What components make up an ecosystem and how do they interact?Identify the biotic and abiotic components of ecosystems and explain how abiotic factors shape distribution.7 min answer →
- How does energy move through an ecosystem?Explain how energy flows through food chains and webs and why energy is lost at each trophic level.7 min answer →
- What is biodiversity and how do we measure it?Define the levels of biodiversity and describe how species richness and evenness are measured.7 min answer →
- What controls the size of a population and how do we measure it?Explain the factors that change population size and describe methods used to estimate populations.8 min answer →
- How do organisms interact with one another within a community?Describe the types of interspecific relationships and explain their effects on the organisms involved.7 min answer →
Unit 2: Cells and Multicellular Organisms
Module overview →- How does the cell membrane control what enters and leaves a cell?Describe the structure of the cell membrane and explain the mechanisms of membrane transport.8 min answer →
- How does the structure of each organelle suit its function?Identify the main organelles of eukaryotic cells and relate their structure to function.8 min answer →
- How do enzymes control the chemical reactions of life?Explain how enzymes work as biological catalysts and how their activity is affected by conditions.8 min answer →
- Why are cells small and why do large organisms have many cells?Explain how the surface area to volume ratio limits cell size and exchange.7 min answer →
Unit 3: Heredity and Continuity of Life
Module overview →- How do we manipulate and analyse DNA, and what are the implications?Explain the principles and applications of key biotechnology tools and evaluate their implications.8 min answer →
- How do cells divide and how does meiosis create genetic variation?Compare mitosis and meiosis and explain how meiosis generates genetic variation.7 min answer →
- How does the sequence of DNA direct the synthesis of proteins?Describe the structure of DNA and explain how transcription and translation produce proteins.8 min answer →
- How are characteristics passed from parents to offspring and why do offspring vary?Apply Mendelian inheritance to predict genotype and phenotype ratios and explain sources of variation.8 min answer →
Unit 4: Change Over Time
Module overview →- What evidence supports the theory of evolution by natural selection?Describe and evaluate the lines of evidence that support evolution.7 min answer →
- How does natural selection lead to adaptation in populations?Explain how natural selection acts on variation to produce adaptation over generations.7 min answer →
- How and why do allele frequencies change within a population over time?Use the Hardy-Weinberg principle and describe the factors that change allele frequencies.8 min answer →
- How do new species arise from existing ones?Explain how reproductive isolation leads to speciation, including allopatric and sympatric modes.7 min answer →