Required Practicals - Biology



Rates of decomposition

AQA Biology 12:08

This Biology only video covers the Required Practical ‘Investigate how temperature affects the rate of decay by measuring changes in milk pH.’  It also covers the application of decomposition rates in the contexts of making compost and biogas.

Measuring the Distribution of Organisms

AQA Biology 06:02

This video covers the Required Practical which relates to using quadrats and transects to sample organisms in a habitat. It also cover the calculation of a mean [Maths skills].

An Introduction to Enzymes

AQA Biology 16:30

This video describes how enzymes work and introduces some key vocabulary associated with enzymes. It then describes how changes in temperature and pH can affect enzyme activity. The Required Practical ‘Investigating the effect of pH on enzyme activity’ is also covered in the video as well as calculating a rate of reaction. [Maths skills]

Microscopes and Magnification

AQA Biology 18:48

This video looks at the development of microscopy and compares light and electron microscopes. It also covers the Required Practical ‘Use a light microscope to observe, draw and label a selection of plant and animal cells and use a magnification scale,’ as well as how to perform various magnification calculations. [Maths skills]

Culturing Microorganisms

AQA Biology 09:40

This Biology only video describes how to prepare an uncontaminated culture of bacteria using aseptic techniques and how to perform calculations on bacterial population growth and areas of inhibition [Maths skills]. It also covers Required Practical ‘Investigating the effect of antibiotics on bacterial growth’.

Osmosis

AQA Biology 10:11

This video defines osmosis and uses results typical of the Required Practical ‘investigate the effect of a range of concentrations of sugar solutions on the mass of plant tissue’ to explain the percentage change in mass of a potato, before illustrating the issues of water control in animal cells. [Maths skills]

Enzymes in the digestive system

AQA Biology 11:56

This video compares the food groups carbohydrates, fats and proteins and describes how they are broken down in the digestive system by enzymes. It also covers the Required Practical ‘use a range of reagents to test for various food groups’. 

Investigating the rate of photosynthesis

AQA Biology 08:03

This video covers the Required Practical ‘investigate the effect of light intensity on the rate of photosynthesis’ and the inverse square law. [Maths skills]

The Nervous System

AQA Biology 08:33

This video describes the role of receptors, the coordination centre and effectors in homeostasis including how a reflex arc works and how a synapse works as well as how to carry out the Required Practical on human reaction times.

Plant hormones: Coordination and use

AQA Biology 08:27

This video describes the effects of some plant hormones and the different ways that people use them to control plant growth. it also covers the Required Practical ‘Investigate the effect of light on the growth of newly germinated seedlings’.