OCR Biology F211/ F212 May/ June 2014

Hey, how's everybody doing? Was wondering what everyone is feeling towards the two AS Biology exams coming up this summer?

Also, what do you guys reckon will most likely come up on both exams?!?!

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Reply 1

lilovethebio

Doing okay so far :smile:

However we are really behind in our lessons...we havent even finished module 2 "Food and Health" yet, dont know where other schools are at, but from looking at exam papers we are well behind since such a large part of F212 past papers seem to be made up of ecology ( module 3) which we havent even started yet. Overall though I MUCH prefer F212 to F211, so will probs be more willing to revise it properly than F211 which I hated. In terms of what will come up in exams, I have really no idea as such alot of topics are covered in each exam , although the most recent paper ( June 2013) had questions on haemoglobin and tissue fluid I think if I remember right from my Mock in Jan :smile:

Reply 2

QuantumSuicide

Man's retaking F212. Looks fairly easy now that I've done A2. Hopefully it will go well.

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Reply 3

StartingTheParty

I'm resitting F211 after I got a D the first time round and then a C the second time around. This is my third go, lol! :P

I got a high A in F212, so F211 was just really dragging my grade down.

I've just finished my notes and I think there has got to be a significant question on active loading in the phloem or mass flow in the xylem.

The DfE has been pushing for more mathematics in science papers, so I'm sure OCR will take the opportunity to test us on the spirometer - oxygen uptake, perhaps?

(edited 10 years ago)

Reply 4

lilovethebio

Original post by StartingTheParty

Thats a good point tbh, will have to pay like extra attention to areas around things then could turn into a mathsey question. And ergh I hate F211 -_- I just kinda feel like its harder than F212 which is weird as you would have thought the second unit would have been harder? I havent sat either yet, but all the really smart people in the year above got full UMS in F212 whereas only B's in F211 :/

Reply 5

Munrot07

For F212 I'm expecting a big question on carbohydrates and/or lipids as proteins were done heavily last time. Something on the immune response with lymphocytes perhaps. An evolution question. Perhaps something on classification. A question on the food section and the usual biodiversity question (just my judging on the june 2013 paper that I did). I'm in A2 now.

F211 a normal question about cells, maybe cell membrane structure too. Spirometer could definitely come up. Something on the structure of the heart and blood vessels. Translocation hasn't come up for ages.

Obviously these are just ideas based on the last few papers. That's the annoying thing about biology you have to revise everything as they can (and will) test you on anything in the book. One sentence you think is insignificant can be made in to a 3 mark question. So learn everything but you will only be tested on like 10% of the material. Very annoying.

If anyone wants any help on any of the topics feel free to ask or watch these videos: https://www.youtube.com/user/MrBioTom1

Good luck :smile:

Reply 6

bakedbeans247

Does anybody think that it is to late for somebody (like me) to get 4A's (AS) if they only started revising from today? I've been procrastinating revision this whole month. My AS levels are (AQA) maths and (OCR) chemistry, biology and physics. I feel confident with most of unit 1 for each a level but i need a lot of revising for unit 2. I have 5 weeks left till my exams start, 4 weeks of school and this 1 week of Easter holiday that is left. Is that enough time to revise/study to get 4A's? Any tips or experiences is appreciated.

Reply 7

Lucien23

Original post by sadeqrahman

Hiya, it is possible, but it is going to take a lot of work. Get the spec for the sciences and make notes from that, just keep reading and do past papers. I guess its also how smart you are. I'm in the same position as you tbh with bio, chem, economics and italian. I have pretty much given up on italian so i'm aiming for a c in that ahah. What do you plan to do at uni btw, and what uni? At the end of the day it is possible to still do well, just put 100% effort in. I left my studies till now but i am making progress :smile:

just need to learn ecology

Reply 8

bakedbeans247

Original post by Lucien23

just need to learn ecology

Whoa dude, thanks for the awesome reply, I'll make sure i study till the exams I guess :smile:

Boosted my confidence.

Uni? Well i'm not 100% sure what i want to do, thinking either computer science, pharmacy or chemistry. More likely computer science but i'm going to make a final decision after my results. So either next year i drop bio and take Further maths AS (for computer science) OR i drop physics and carry on with Math, chem and bio (for chemistry or pharmacy). I'm really not sure, everyone says it's really hard to get a job in both after you finish your degree/masters. I'm thinking of applying to ucl, kings, imperial and a less harder one to get into Queens.
What about you? what are your plans?

Reply 9

Lucien23

Original post by sadeqrahman

Whoa dude, thanks for the awesome reply, I'll make sure i study till the exams I guess :smile:

No problem, good luck anyways :smile:

, i plan to study pharmacology at ucl or kings so might see you ahah, I plan to get AABC/ABBC at as and AAA-AAB at A level. My brother is doing mech eng at imperial, if you go to imperial you pretty much have a 100% chance of employment, I'm sure by the time we have graduated there will be more jobs

Reply 10

bakedbeans247

Original post by Lucien23

No problem, good luck anyways :smile:

Oh wow, 100% chance employment? sweet. Ha yh, might see each-other.

Reply 11

Lucien23

Original post by sadeqrahman

Oh wow, 100% chance employment? sweet. Ha yh, might see each-other.

But yeah, its going to take a lot of work, i'm in the exact same position tbh :/

Reply 12

bossun

Do you guys feel that a Big Marker on Mitosis will come up in F211. It has never explicitly come up since 2009. Or is it not largely on the specification?

Reply 13

Lucien23

Original post by bossun

Do you guys feel that a Big Marker on Mitosis will come up in F211. It has never explicitly come up since 2009. Or is it not largely on the specification?

hmm, i don't think so

Reply 14

mrchemistry

Hi! I was wondering if anyone could give me a step by step method of transpiration and translocation which I could write in the exam to get me full marks with all the key words. Also could anyone give me notes/help me out on the transport in animals chapter. If anyone could give me a step by step method of the full cardiac cycle which again would get me full marks and has all the key words? And the other cycle with the SAN and AVN etc. Also if anyone could explain the partial pressure in the placenta and all that stuff, it would be much appreciated. THANKS SO MUCH!!!

Reply 15

username1107011

Original post by mrchemistry

I assume you meant actual transpiration and not just how water moves up the xylem.
Transpiration: Loss of water vapour from the aerial parts of the plant.
Basically, water is lost by this process:
1. Osmosis from the xylem to the spongy mesophyll cells
2. Evaporation from the spongy mesophyll cells into the air spaces
3. Diffusion of water vapour out of the stomata

Translocation: Movement of sucrose and other assimilates bidirectionally along the phloem.
1. At the source, the companion cells in the phloem actively transport H+ ions into the surrounding tissues.
2. This creates a concentration gradient for the H+ ions and they diffuse back into the companion cells by facilitated diffusion through cotransporter proteins. These cotransporter proteins allow them to bring back sucrose molecules with them into the companion cells.
3. The concentration of sucrose molecules in the companion cells rises, and they diffuse through plasmodesmata into the sieve tube elements.
4. This lowers the water potential in the sieve tube elements, and water moves in by osmosis, raising the hydrostatic pressure at the source.
5. The opposite of 4. At the sink, sucrose diffuses out of the phloem. This raises the water potential in the sieve tube elements, and water moves out by osmosis. This decreases the hydrostatic pressure at the sink.
6. Water and assimilates move from source to sink down the hydrostatic pressure gradient.

Reply 16

username1107011

Original post by mrchemistry

For transport in animals, you've only really got to know the reasons why a transport system is needed, and the advantages/disadvantages of open/closed and single/double circulatory systems.
A transport system is needed because:
a) Surface-area-to-volume ratio is too small
b) Animal is too big (ie too many layers of cells which will use up any nutrients diffusing in)
c) Animal is very active or is warm-blooded
As for the other point, basically blood flows more quickly in a closed system than in an open system, and blood flows more quickly in a double system than a single system. You can work out yourself why that's useful.

Cardiac cycle
Atrial systole: Atria contract. This is just to make sure the ventricles are full of blood before they contract. AV valves remain open.
Ventricular systole: Ventricles contract. Pressure in ventricles rises above pressure in atria - AV valves shut. Pressure in ventricles rises above pressure in major arteries - SL valves open.
Diastole: Pressure in ventricles drops below pressure in major arteries - SL valves shut. Pressure in ventricles drops below pressure in atria - AV valves open.
And the whole thing just starts again.

(edited 9 years ago)

Reply 17

username1107011

Original post by mrchemistry

Concerning control of the cardiac cycle:
SAN generates a wave of excitation at regular intervals. This spreads over the atrial walls and causes the atria to contract.
There is a disk of non-conducting tissue at the base of the atria, and the only way the excitation wave can reach the ventricles is through the AVN.
When it reaches the AVN, it is delayed to allow time for the atria to finish contracting.
Then, it is carried down the septum (between the ventricles) in the Purkyne tissue. When it reaches the base of the heart it spreads up the ventricle walls, causing the ventricles to contract from the base upwards (which is very important).

And for the last point I think you're talking about foetal haemoglobin.
Essentially, foetal haemoglobin has a higher affinity for oxygen than adult haemoglobin, because it must be able to attract oxygen in an area of very low partial pressure (ie the placenta).
As a result you'll notice that the dissociation curve for foetal haemoglobin is shifted to the left.

Reply 18

ThatGirlx

I am so stuck on spirometers!
How do they work!?

What do we need to know about them?
We haven't even learnt about them in school wtf
Any help would be appreciated :smile:

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Reply 19

mrchemistry

Original post by ThatGirlx

I am so stuck on spirometers!
How do they work!?

What do we need to know about them?
We haven't even learnt about them in school wtf
Any help would be appreciated :smile:

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