VCE Biology Question Thread

[Sine]

Hi !!

Could someone tell me what topics from 1/2 are needed for 3/4? I'm in year 10 and I'm not taking 1/2 bio this year but I want to take 3/4 next year so I was wondering what topics to study on my own. Also, do you think getting a score above 40 or even 45 is achievable if you haven't done 1/2? Thanks!

Yes definitely, you can still get even a 50 if you haven't done 1/2. Not much of 1/2 content is that relevant apart from those larger biological concepts. You could even just started off studying 3/4 bio rather than starting with 1/2 since the topics vary quite a bit and what is taught during 1/2 biology is largely school dependent.

[Frostflake]

Yes definitely, you can still get even a 50 if you haven't done 1/2. Not much of 1/2 content is that relevant apart from those larger biological concepts. You could even just started off studying 3/4 bio rather than starting with 1/2 since the topics vary quite a bit and what is taught during 1/2 biology is largely school dependent.

Thank you so much!

[tash.barron]

How do you describe CRISPR in terms of how it works?

[sweetiepi]

How do you describe CRISPR in terms of how it works?

CRISPR does take time to get your head around. I do recommend watching some YouTube videos about the basics of CRISPR and CRISPR-Cas9 to get a better understanding because just reading text may not be the easiest thing to help conceptualise this topic. (It helped me with my honours in the area, I went into that with the knowledge that it existed, but not the how I needed so I definitely understand haha)

click for a brief description

Assuming you mean how it works with bacteria defense (I believe this is at the VCE level, someone else can correct me if it's above that level):
- A bacteriophage inserts its nucleic acids into the bacterium.
- Bacterium takes a portion of viral nucleic acid and stores it in its own genome (these areas are called spacers. This is important for CRIPSR function).
- When the same virus attacks again, bacterium transcribes the stored viral DNA, and forms a complex structure with an endonuclease called Cas9.
- The transcribed strand is complementary to the viral nucleic acids, and helps Cas9 to recognise the viral sequence and cut it.

[evassmith]

how do you do well?

[lm21074]

how do you do well?

Hi Eva and welcome to ATAR Notes!

Plenty of guides on how to do well in bio here.

My three top tips for VCE bio (which might overlap with some of the guides) would be:

1. Understand the content. Clarify any points of confusion online or with a teacher. Make sure you really get the concepts because that's pretty much the first step in applying them to questions in exams.

2. Test yourself. This could be as simple as using flashcards, past SACs, or exam questions like those featured in checkpoints books.

3. Keywords. Yes, you can know the content inside and out but if you don't include some keywords in your answers, you might not get the marks. My teachers like the inclusion of 'specific' (e.g. specific antibody, enzyme, etc.). Have a look at past SAC and VCAA mark schemes and ask your teacher about these.

Good luck

[Amadas_]

Hi!
I would like some advice. On my first bio sac I got 62%. I am not quite happy with it
If I got 85% on my next 4 sacs and got the same for the exam, what study score can I expect to get?
I know that this year 50% of the sac marks contribute to the overall study score.

[lm21074]

Hey,

It's really hard to say what SAC marks you need to get particular study scores. Your raw marks get moderated up or down and your raw SAC marks don't really end up being the marks that show up on your statement of results. Depends on factors like your cohorts' performance, SAC difficulty and exam difficulty.

For example, I got in the 60s for most of my bio SACs and they ended up scaling up to A and A+. My school had super hard bio SACs (at least IMO) and so they moderated up. This might be similar or different to what occurs with your cohort. I think I ended up with a B+ on the exam and got a 35. Not sure what percentages a B+ on the exam correlate to but I remember an 80 being an A+ on the exam most years - you'd have to double check the grade distributions to be sure. If you get 85 in the exam and your GA1 and GA2 (U3 and U4 SAC marks) are also 85, you should have a good shot at getting above 40.

I know it's not nice to have that uncertainty of not knowing what score you could expect. We have a section on the forum called Victorian Technical Discussion that has some guides on how you could  predict your study score.


Good luck, keeping pushing through

[Amadas_]

Hey

Would I be able to know what are the inputs and outputs that I have to know for glycolysis, Kreb cycle, and electron transport chain?
I use the edrolo textbook and the textbook has different ones from the edrolo videos, I'm not sure which one to go by?

Thankss!

[valjaybj]

hey does anyone know where i can find answers to the short answer section of the 2022 sample exam? thanks

[valjaybj]

Hey

Would I be able to know what are the inputs and outputs that I have to know for glycolysis, Kreb cycle, and electron transport chain?
I use the edrolo textbook and the textbook has different ones from the edrolo videos, I'm not sure which one to go by?

Thankss!

hey, for sure!
Inputs:
Glycolysis - glucose, ADP + Pi, NAD
Krebs - pyruvate / acetyl coa (vcaa accepts both answers here; if you've learned about the linking reaction then feel free to say acetyl coa, but if you haven't then pyruvate is still correct (and in most examination reports vcaa uses pyruvate as the answer), NAD, FAD, ADP + Pi
ETC - NADH, FADH2, oxygen

Outputs:
Glycolysis - 2 pyruvates, NADH, 2 ATP
Krebs - 2ATP, CO2, NADH, FADH2
ETC - NAD, FAD, H2O, 26-28 ATP (vcaa has specified for the new study design, the number of ATP made in the ETC is 26-28 so stick to these numbers!)

Hope this helps!

[tiredandstressed]

hey does anyone know where i can find answers to the short answer section of the 2022 sample exam? thanks

VCCA typically does not release solutions to the SAQ section of a sample exam.
Maybe ask your teacher - typically they will write up their own answers to these questions (as well some external companies may also write up solutions) - however these would only be sample answers not affiliated with VCCA

[valjaybj]

VCCA typically does not release solutions to the SAQ section of a sample exam.
Maybe ask your teacher - typically they will write up their own answers to these questions (as well some external companies may also write up solutions) - however these would only be sample answers not affiliated with VCCA

yeah im just looking for any sort of sample answers. if anyone finds some could you drop a link below? cheers

[elfy]

hey, for sure!
Inputs:
Glycolysis - glucose, ADP + Pi, NAD
Krebs - pyruvate / acetyl coa (vcaa accepts both answers here; if you've learned about the linking reaction then feel free to say acetyl coa, but if you haven't then pyruvate is still correct (and in most examination reports vcaa uses pyruvate as the answer), NAD, FAD, ADP + Pi
ETC - NADH, FADH2, oxygen

Outputs:
Glycolysis - 2 pyruvates, NADH, 2 ATP
Krebs - 2ATP, CO2, NADH, FADH2
ETC - NAD, FAD, H2O, 26-28 ATP (vcaa has specified for the new study design, the number of ATP made in the ETC is 26-28 so stick to these numbers!)

Hope this helps!

hey I was wondering if I need to know the exact number of molecules in photosynthesis and cellular respiration and anything other than the inputs and outputs and stages of all the stages.

[RaspberryTau]

hey I was wondering if I need to know the exact number of molecules in photosynthesis and cellular respiration and anything other than the inputs and outputs and stages of all the stages.

According to the study design:
Photosynthesis as an example of biochemical pathways
· inputs, outputs and locations of the light dependent and light independent stages of photosynthesis in C3 plants (details of biochemical pathway mechanisms are not required)
· the role of Rubisco in photosynthesis, including adaptations of C3, C4 and CAM plants to maximise the efficiency of photosynthesis
· the factors that affect the rate of photosynthesis: light availability, water availability, temperature and carbon dioxide concentration

Cellular respiration as an example of biochemical pathways
· the main inputs, outputs and locations of glycolysis, Krebs Cycle and electron transport chain including ATP yield (details of biochemical pathway mechanisms are not required)
· the location, inputs and the difference in outputs of anaerobic fermentation in animals and yeasts
· the factors that affect the rate of cellular respiration: temperature, glucose availability and oxygen concentration

I am not that familiar with the updated one... but for the old study-design: we had to know that (eg for aerobic respiration) 1 glucose --> 2 ATP + 2 Pyruvate (glycolysis) --> Krebs cycle ....--> ETC ..... and so on.

So I'd say, u should know the inputs/outputs for each stage (ESPECIALLY ATP YIELD). I think Douchy had a good video explaining it. From checking just now, he's uploaded a bunch more that might be more relevant (eg. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=th2wwzBNQ1I). Would 100% recommend his podcast as well. (Douchy's Biology)

Hope this helps!