| Biology | 1. Cells and Microorganisms • Use prokaryotic and eukaryotic cells, organelles, cell membranes, transport across membranes, microscopy, biological drawings, microorganisms, structure-function relationships, and factors affecting cellular function.• For harder questions, include cell diagrams, microscopy-style interpretation, microorganism growth data, membrane transport scenarios, experimental data, model comparison, and evidence-based explanation.2. Infectious Disease • Use infectious disease, pathogens, transmission, barriers to infection, immune responses, vaccination, public health strategies, epidemics, and epidemiological data at Stage 1 level.• For harder questions, include disease transmission graphs, vaccination or outbreak data, immune-response diagrams, intervention evaluation, and evidence-based public-health reasoning.3. Multicellular Organisms • Use levels of organisation, specialised cells, tissues, organs, organ systems, plant and animal transport systems, gas exchange, nutrient uptake, waste removal, coordination, and regulation in multicellular organisms.• For harder questions, include plant/animal system diagrams, exchange-surface reasoning, transport data, graph interpretation, and explaining how structure supports function.4. Biodiversity and Ecosystem Dynamics • Use biodiversity, classification, ecosystem structure, biotic and abiotic factors, species interactions, food webs, energy flow, nutrient cycling, population dynamics, ecological succession where appropriate, human impacts, conservation, and sustainability.• For harder questions, include ecological data, food-web diagrams, population graphs, ecosystem-change scenarios, fieldwork evidence, and evaluating management claims.5. Science Inquiry Skills • Use SACE Biology science inquiry skills: research question, hypothesis, variables, controls, risk, method design, data collection, uncertainty, graphing, analysis, conclusion, validity, reliability, and improvements.• For harder questions, include experimental or ecological fieldwork scenarios, interpreting uncertainty, judging method validity, identifying limitations, improving investigations, and evidence-based conclusions. | 1. DNA, Genes and Protein Synthesis • Use DNA structure, genes, chromosomes, genetic code, DNA replication, transcription, translation, protein synthesis, gene expression, and protein structure and function.• For harder questions, include DNA/RNA sequence interpretation, codon tables, mutation-effect reasoning, molecular diagrams, gene-expression data, and evidence-based explanation.2. Mutations, Biotechnology and Molecular Data • Use mutations, genetic variation, molecular biology methods, biotechnology applications, DNA profiling, gene technologies, bioinformatics-style data where appropriate, benefits, risks, and evidence interpretation.• For harder questions, include mutation scenarios, gel electrophoresis or DNA-profile interpretation if in scope, biotechnology workflow diagrams, molecular data interpretation, and ethical/application reasoning.3. Cells as the Basis of Life • Use cell structure and function, cell membranes, cellular communication, cell signalling, differentiation, regulation of cellular processes, cellular responses, and applications to health or biotechnology where appropriate.• For harder questions, include cell-signalling diagrams, cell-process data, microscopy-style interpretation, model comparison, and explaining cellular mechanisms using evidence.4. Homeostasis • Use homeostasis, internal regulation, negative feedback, stimulus-response models, receptors, effectors, nervous and endocrine control, thermoregulation, osmoregulation, blood glucose regulation where appropriate, and physiological control systems.• For harder questions, include feedback-loop diagrams, homeostatic data, graph interpretation, comparing regulatory pathways, and explaining mechanisms using evidence.5. Disease and Immune Responses • Use pathogens, disease transmission, barriers to infection, innate and adaptive immune responses, antigens, antibodies, lymphocytes, immune memory, vaccination, epidemiology, prevention and control.• For harder questions, include immune-response diagrams, vaccination data, disease transmission graphs, epidemiological tables, intervention evaluation, and explaining immunity using evidence.6. Evolution and Speciation • Use evolution by natural selection, selection pressures, adaptation, genetic drift and gene flow where appropriate, speciation, fossil evidence, molecular evidence, comparative anatomy, phylogenetic relationships, and human evolution where appropriate.• For harder questions, include phylogenetic tree interpretation, allele-frequency data, fossil comparison, molecular evidence, population scenarios, and evaluating evolutionary claims.7. Population and Environmental Change • Use population dynamics, selection pressures, environmental change, sustainability, human impacts, conservation issues, ecosystem change, and biological responses to changing environments.• For harder questions, include population graphs, environmental data, conservation scenarios, management evidence, and claim-evidence reasoning.8. Science Inquiry Skills • Use SACE Biology science inquiry skills related to DNA/proteins, cells, homeostasis or evolution: analysing primary or secondary data, uncertainty, source evaluation, model evaluation, graphing, conclusion validity, reliability, limitations, and improvements.• For harder questions, include secondary data, competing claims, source limitations, evidence comparison, model evaluation, and evidence-based conclusions. |
