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WJEC AS & A2 Biology

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Anyone else finding BY5 extremely tedious/boring? I've tried to revise tonight, but instead watched Richard Gere and Julia Roberts twice :biggrin:

I've partially done 5.1-5.4 tonight though. It's just 5.6-5.8 that really kill. Ugh. I However, this time next week I'll be packing for Barcelona! :biggrin:

Soooooooooo Dullll. I tried reading 5.7 onwards. I am all for conservation and animal welfare and overfishing is a serious issue but it is so tedious to learn!

Anyway sleep is dearly needed. Up early for revision. burrr. :frown:

ps. check out my last post on Meiosis see if you think its all right! really hope I've made no mistakes! :/

Reply 101

jeremybag

Original post by Daave92

Hey guys, does anyone know the grade boundaries for the June 2010 paper out of interest?

HB4 : 71/80 raw gave me 120/120 UMS.
BY5 : 72/80 raw gave me 114/120 UMS.

Reply 102

sarp

Does anyone have any useful BY5 revision resources? D:

Reply 103

Apenoviticus

Original post by sarp

Does anyone have any useful BY5 revision resources? D:

WJEC suck for resources. They suck for charging for papers. They generally suck? The only resource I could find would be basically googling the topics of the specification and deciphering what we need to know. =/ Which isn't even a resource

Apart from that the student guide is the only resource I have. and Obviously my school notes which are a repeat of the student guide.... Although if you do learn all the student guide you know everything there is to know for the exam?

Reply 104

sarp

Original post by Apenoviticus

Yeah, I just wish there was more to go on :/ I always did well at GCSE by using the mark schemes and learning from them, but as they're so scarce and cost money for WJEC, I haven't been able to use that technique as effectively for A-Level and it sucks.

I use khanacademy videos too, which do help, but at the end of the day, I guess I really am going to have to just learn the revision guide, which will be difficult in 2 and a half days :/ Just going to have to go for a C overall in this and hope I got an A in Psychology >_<

Reply 105

colabottles

Original post by Apenoviticus

So I got really confused with this myself (even though I thought I understood it, it really didn't help that it was late and I was a loser and checked this thread)

I decided to write something down to help explain it all and came up with this to see what people thought and semi explain it to myself.

('-' is the centromere. '|' and '\' are chromatids.
Pink is mummy black is daddy. (simples)

E.g. standard condensed DNA in a diploid cell of say 2n 6 so 6 chromosomes or 3 pairs.
| / | | / | = Germinal Epithelium cell. (either spermatogonia or oogonia) Diploid cell

(Interphase) Dna doubles, so in this case it would go to 12 chromosomes or 6 pairs.
|-| /-/ |-| |-| /-/|-| -

Prophase 1 the chromosomes associated in their homologous pairs. would look like.
|-||-| /-//-/ |-||-|

After Meiosis 1

Cell1 |-| /-/ |-| Cell2 |-| /-/ |-| (random distribution/independent assortment at metaphase means each cell has an equal chance of getting either parternal or maternal chromosomes (Also crossing over has occurred which I can't show diagrammatically). These are now haploid in respect to the type of chromosomes they have. because even though there are 3 pairs i.e 6 chromosomes there are only 3 types in each cell where as the parent nucleus had 6 types 3 from each the mother and father.

After Meiosis 2 (its considered mitosis because the chromosomes are already in their doubled form and so they just separate).

Cell1 | / | Cell2 | / | Cell3 | / | Cell 4 | / |

So you end up with 4 haploid daughter cells! :smile:

Sorry if that was over kill but I wanted to explain it to myself aswell. But Yes a haploid cell of a human would have 23 chromatids or single strands. As a chromosome is made up of 2 chromatids.

I hope I haven't made any mistakes!

Aww thank you so much, that's a great help :biggrin:

Reply 106

BlueEyes_WearsGlasses

Original post by colabottles

So how does the farmland link to lowland bogs? :tongue:

As lowland bogs have been drained to be used as farmland. In conservation these can be reflooded, creating a biodynamic and new habitats for animals, leading to greater biodiversity.

Reply 107

colabottles

Original post by BlueEyes_WearsGlasses

As lowland bogs have been drained to be used as farmland. In conservation these can be reflooded, creating a biodynamic and new habitats for animals, leading to greater biodiversity.

Awesome, thanks :smile:

P.S. I just had a look at your website and I love the Aborigine double bracelet :biggrin:

Is it stretchy?

(edited 12 years ago)

Reply 108

Birdy_92

is chi squared likely to come up?

Reply 109

Apenoviticus

Original post by Birdy_92

is chi squared likely to come up?

Its in the specimen paper/specification so its got as much chance to come up as the other things on there!

Reply 110

Apenoviticus

So post 5.6 in the book is LAME. Anyone fancy summarising the information in there? ;D

Reply 111

x_Melissa_x

Does anyone know if any 'model' essays are floating around internet?

My teacher printed off a few for BY1, 2 and 4, but hasn't given us any for BY5 :/

Reply 112

username549232

Struggling to concentrate on bY5. It's so damn tedious compared to BY4.

Reply 113

sarp

BY5 = bane of our lives.

Literally typing up the spec/revision guide. Fun times. Does help a bit though, but I can't see myself getting a good grade on this.

Reply 114

Birdy_92

Original post by Apenoviticus

Its in the specimen paper/specification so its got as much chance to come up as the other things on there!

thanks, just looking at it now. Hate revising for BY5 :frown:

Reply 115

colabottles

Original post by Apenoviticus

So post 5.6 in the book is LAME. Anyone fancy summarising the information in there? ;D

I will later, when I reach it - just going over the bits I don't quite get so check back around half 7 and I might've done it by then for you :smile:

5.7 ain't that bad though, it's just 5.8 that's dull!

Reply 116

Apenoviticus

Original post by x_Melissa_x

Does anyone know if any 'model' essays are floating around internet?

My teacher printed off a few for BY1, 2 and 4, but hasn't given us any for BY5 :/

Its a lame suggestion I know but. What I do is copy out the markscheme for the essay and then basically just string their points together. If you learn them like that you set up memory points in your brain and it makes sure you get all of them :smile:

Have you ever done the thing where you learn a list by a story? Its basically what I do for the markscheme and I find it to be a big help for the essays. A biology story.. (yay).

Reply 117

telle_gentillesse

anyone know of any possible 10 mark questions for this BY5 paper coming up? i know its hard cos its a new spec and all- just wondering - any heads up? :smile:

Reply 118

colabottles

Here's my 5.8 revision summary notes on 4 pages if anyone wants them! They're very brief :smile:

5.doc157.7KB

Reply 119

purplefrog

May somebody just check that I've understood spermatogenesis and oogenesis correctly please?:

Spermatogenesis:
Germinal Epithelial Cells (Germ Cells) divide by mitosis to produce spermatogonia
Spermatogonia grow into primary spermatocytes
primary spermatoctyes form secondary spermatocytes after meiosis II
these then differentiate into spermatids
spermatids then mature into spermatozoa
Interstital cells secrete testosterone and the sperm are nourished by the sertoli cells

Oogenesis:
Born with primary oocytes (germ cells divide by mitosis while they are still in womb)
starts meiosis one but stops at prophase I until puberty
at puberty continues meiosis I but stops at metaphase II
oocyte develops into a graafian follicle
graafian follicle then matures and bursts, releasing ovum (this is known as ovulation)
if ovum is fertilised, meiosis II continues - resuming from metaphase II to form a zygote