Year 8 Revision checklist
Spring 2017
Science
About the exam
You will receive three 40 minute exams, one for Biology, Chemistry
and Physics. The total number of marks available for each paper is
sixty.
In the exam you are allowed to bring a pen, pencil, ruler and
calculator. It is important that you read all questions carefully and
apply good exam technique. I would advise that you watch my video
on good exam technique which can be found here.
If you finish the exam within the time limit you must go back
through the exam paper checking all of your answers.
Chemistry and Physics
During lessons I have shown you how to summarise a topic onto a cue
card, for your revision I would like you to summarise each topic in
your revision guide to one cue card at most. You are to then revise
the cue card at a time closer to the exam to refresh your memory.
Having done this for most of the topics during the November mock
session, this task should not take too long.
I would also advise that you look over your book and your prep to
date which will help you in your preparation for the exam. Your red
text book will also help to explain any concepts in more detail if you
don’t understand and it also has practice questions to test your
revision.
A good way to prepare for the examinations is to complete past
examination papers under exam conditions. For your convenience, I
will provide you with some past examinations with mark schemes for
you to use over the half term break. Once marked you should then
use the exam to identify any weak areas in your understanding and
revise those areas specifically before doing another past
examination paper.
For questions on specific topics, you have already started the
revision booklets of past questions in Chemistry and Physics. These
would be useful to strengthen weaker areas of your understanding.
Answers to these booklets and additional revision images for each
topic have already been uploaded onto the website. They can both be
found here.
Biology
The following Topics are in the order that they have been taught. All
boys have these Learning Outcome sheets in their year 7 folders
which are kept at home and in their year 8 exercise books at the
beginning of each topic. Boys should use their lesson notes, the “so
you really want to learn Science” red text book and “Science, The
13+ Study Book” green revision guide. Some guidance on page
numbers is included in the following tables.
Topic 1 – Cells and Cell Functions – Taught in year 7, notes in year 7 folder
Lessons taught
in year 6 will
have covered
the following:
1.1 Biology
Investigation
Definitions and
labelling cells
1.2 Cells,
Tissues, Organs
and Organ
Systems
1.3 and 1.4
Specialised Cells
Explain how to prepare a microscope slide, including the
need to use a dye like methylene blue to stain the nucleus.
Explain how to use a microscope to view a slide once it is
prepared making sure I put the steps in the correct
order.
Define key words and terminology used in investigations
and give examples
Label and recall the function of the nucleus, cytoplasm,
mitochondria, cell-surface membrane, vacuole, cell wall
and chloroplasts. I can also say which are present in plant
and animal cells
Recall that animals and plants have cells which form
tissues, and these form organs which make up the
different systems in the body. I can label and give
examples of these.
Recall the seven life processes that are common to all
living things (MRS GREN)
Name and label the positions of the human organs: Brain,
heart, lungs, stomach, intestines, liver and kidneys
Name and label the positions of the plant organs: root,
stem, leaves, flower
Describe how some cells are adapted to their functions
(e.g. ciliated epithelial cells, sperm, ova, root-hairs
cells etc.)
Relate these cells to the life processes that they allow to
occur (i.e MRS GREN)
Red
text
book
page
Green
study
book
page
14
8
2-6
2-6
9
7
11
7
8
10
13
9
Topic 2 – Nutrition and Digestion – Taught in Year 7, notes in year 7 folder
2.1a and
2.1b The
importance of
a Balanced
Diet
2.2 food
tests
2.3
Dangerous
food
2.4 energy in
crisps
2.5 modelling
digestion
2.6 enzymes
in digestion
2.7 the lock
and key model
2.8 villi
State all the food groups required for a balanced diet
Describe what is meant by a balanced diet and state what
would happen as a result of malnourishment
Recall that starch and sugars are both types of
carbohydrate
Recall that vitamin C is a type of vitamin and Calcium is a
type of mineral
State good sources of each food group
State why each food group is essential in the body
State the effects of a lack of each food group in the diet
Describe how to conduct the iodine test for starch
recall that starch and sugars are both types of
carbohydrate
Describe and explain the dangers of an excess of fat
To be able to design an investigation and evaluate its
effectiveness
To be able to safely carry out experiments using Bunsen
burners
To be able to design an investigation and evaluate its
effectiveness
To be able to confidently use investigative terminology
Label the digestive system
Describe what an enzyme is and name one example (e.g
amylase)
Describe what an enzyme is and name one example (e.g
amylase)
Explain why enzymes are so important in the digestive
system
State the large, insoluble molecule that amylase breaks
down, and the small, soluble molecule that it is broken into
and why this is important
Describe what an enzyme is and name one example (e.g
amylase)
Explain why enzymes are so important in the digestive
system
Describe the difference between egestion and excretion
Describe the structure of the small intestine including all
its special adaptations (very long and covered in villi for
maximum surface area for absorption, thin semi-permeable
membrane)
Red
text
book
page
Green
study
book
page
17
12
13
18
2-6
20-23
14
23
14
24
14
State that the products of digestion area absorbed across
the villi into the bloodstream and transported throughout
the body
Recall that Glucose from the small intestine is delivered via
the bloodstream to all of the cells of the body to be used in
respiration (to maintain the body’s activity)
Topic 3 – Breathing and Respiration, Taught in Year 7, notes in year 7 folder
3.1 The
Heart
3.2 Breathing
3.3 The
structure of
the Lungs
3.4 The
transport of
the reactants
and products
of respiration
3.5 The
effects of
smoking
3.6 Breathing
practical
describe how the heart works including words:
deoxygenated, oxygenated, pump, useful substances, waste
products
Explain how we breathe as a mechanical process
summarise respiration in a word equation
Explain the difference between breathing and respiration
Describe the test for carbon dioxide and what a positive
results would look like
Describe an experiment to prove that carbon dioxide is a
product of respiration that is breathed out
describe lung structure and explain how it aids diffusion of
Oxygen into the blood.
Red
text
book
page
Green
study
book
page
50-51
45-46
19
10
45
10
49
51
19
54-55
19
Describe how the gut, lung and heart are all linked in their
role of keeping us alive
Describe how the reactants and products of respiration are
delivered to and from cells
Describe the effects of smoking on the lungs and gas
exchange
Measure my peak flow, vital capacity and tidal volume
record class results in a suitable graph
Topic 4 – Health, Taught in Year 7, notes in year 7 folder
Describe some of the positive effects of exercise and healthy eating
Describe how the abuse of alcohol, solvents and other drugs affects health
Name a disease caused by a bacterial infection
Name a disease caused by a viral infection
Describe how pathogens (bacteria, viruses and fungi) might spread and what
precautions we can take to slow this down.
Describe how pathogens are attacked in the body (white blood cells)
List some medicines and describe how they help our immune system to kill
pathogens that have invaded or how they might relieve symptoms
describe how the growth and reproduction of bacteria affects health
describe how the growth and replication of viruses inside the cells of our
body can affect health
Red
text
book
page
Green
study
book
page
58
59
61-67
13
20
21
Topic 5 – Ecology, Taught in Year 7, notes in year 7 folder
Explain why it is important to conserve local habitats
Describe ways that plants and animals can be protected
Explain sustainable development and its importance (i.e. limited resources
on earth need to be saved for future generations)
Explain that habitats support a variety of plants and animals that are
interdependent
Give examples of habitats (e.g. pond, hedgerow), the organisms that live
there, and the adaptations that these organisms have in order to survive
there during different times of the day and different seasons
Be able to describe physical adaptations and behavioural adaptations (not
just list features, but say how they are advantageous)
Describe how to measure physical factors such as temperature, pH,
rainfall, light intensity
Describe how to use a quadrat to estimate population size
Describe how predation and competition affect the size of populations
Red
text
book
page
114119
Green
study
book
page
38
35
36
9597
36
36
110112
109
37
37
Topic 6 – Plants, Taught in October/November, notes in year 8 exercise book
6.1
Photosynthesis
and the factors
that affect it
6.2 plant
experiments and
testing leaves
for starch
6.3 the role of
the leaf
6.4 – The root
Summarise respiration in plants as a word equation
Summarise photosynthesis as a word equation
Describe the effect of light, air, water and temperature
on plant growth
Explain how you could investigate the effect of each
variable above on photosynthesis
Explain the importance of destarching leaves before
investigations
Describe the effect of light, air, water and temperature
on plant growth
Explain how you could investigate the effect of each
variable above on photosynthesis
Describe the steps in testing a leaf for starch
Describe the role and structure of the leaf and explain
how its structure aids its function
Explain why plants need a supply of carbon dioxide and
oxygen
Name and Explain the role of the green pigment in leaves
List the uses of Glucose in plants
Explain the importance of plants in food chains,
medication, fuels and maintaining the composition of the
atmosphere
Describe the role and structure of the root and explain
how its structure aids its function
State the minerals that are required by plants and for
what purpose
Explain the importance of plants in food chains,
medication, fuels and maintaining the composition of
atmosphere
Red
text
book
page
Green
study
book
page
68-69
24
70-71
25
73
24
26
73-74
24
Topic 7 – Food Chains, Taught in September, notes in year 8 exercise book
7.1 Decay and
the Carbon Cycle
7.2 Food webs
and Pyramids
describe the role of microorganisms in the breakdown of
waste
state the conditions for decay and explain why they are
necessary
draw and label the carbon cycle
Draw a food chain
Define terminology associated with food webs and state
what the arrows mean
Describe how organisms in a food web are interconnected
and the explain the effect of removing species
Draw pyramids of number and pyramids of biomass for
populations
State whether a pyramid of number or biomass is a
better representation of energy available to organisms in
an area
State whether a food chain or food web gives a more
realistic picture of feeding relationships and explain why
Explain why not all energy is passed on to the next
consumer in a food chain
Explain how toxic materials can accumulate in food chains
and the possible effects of this.
Red
text
book
page
Green
study
book
page
74-75
27
99104
35
105107
Topic 8 – Movement, Taught in September/October, notes in year 8 exercise book
Red
Green
text
study
book
book
page
page
8.1 Movement
State the three main roles of the skeleton
27-29 15
Label parts of the skeleton
Explain what antagonistic muscles are, how they work and
give an example.
Topic 9 – Reproduction, Taught in October (plant reproduction) and January, notes
in year 8 exercise book
Red
text
book
page
9.1 Plant
reproduction
9.2 Changes in
adolescence
and the male and
female
reproductive
systems
9.3 Genes
9.3 Genes extension for 8A
9.4 foetus
development
9.5 the
menstrual cycle
Describe how fertilisation occurs in flowering plants (in
terms of a male nucleus in a pollen tube fusing with a
female egg cell nucleus (ovum) in an ovule.
describe the physical and emotional changes that take
place during adolescence
label the human reproductive systems and describe roles
of organs and tissues including the relative sizes and
numbers of eggs and sperm and their roles
describe how the sperm and egg are brought together
describe how fertilisation occurs when the head of a
sperm (male gamete) enters the ovum (a female gamete)
and the nuclei fuse together
explain how our characteristics are determined by genes,
which lie on Chromosomes made of DNA (and how we
receive half from each parent but the combination is
impossible to predict)
8A extension – define haploid, diploid, mitosis, meiosis
describe the stages of foetus development (embryo,
zygote, foetus)
describe the role of the placenta
explain how the foetus is protected, nourished and how
waste materials are eliminated
Describe the dangers of smoking and drugs on babies in
the womb
describe the menstrual cycle and its purpose
Green
study
book
page
23
32
16
33-34
16
37-39
18
29
31
18
40-42
18
36
17
Topic 10 - Variation and Classification, Taught in February, notes in year 8
exercise book
10.1
variation
10.2
variations
between
species
10.3
taxonomy
describe the difference between discontinuous variation
and continuous variation
state which type of graph you would use to represent
discontinuous or continuous data
give examples of discontinuous (blood groups, eye colour
etc) and continuous (height, weight) variation
describe variations between individuals of the same species
and explain whether those variations are due to genetic or
environmental factors
describe variations between different species and how
those variations allow each to survive in its habitat
Know how selective breeding can give rise to new breeds
and varieties (e.g crop plants, dogs)
use a simple identification key to identify the group to
which a specimen belongs
name the five different taxonomic kingdoms
describe the characteristic features of the animal and
plant kingdoms
explain why fungi are not included in the plant kingdom
describe the characteristic features of fungi and single
celled organisms.
recall that animals can be divided into vertebrates and
invertebrates.
Recall that vertebrates are divided into fish, amphibians,
reptiles, birds and mammals
Assign individuals to the correct vertebrate group based on
their characteristics
Be able to describe the characteristics belonging to
individuals within the five different vertebrate groups
Be able to recognise and classify flowering plants due to
their procession of flowers, fruits and seeds
Name some of the invertebrate groups including the
arthropods
Know the difference between different arthropods (e.g
insects and spiders)
Red
text
book
page
78-83
Green
study
book
page
30
31
92-94
29
85-90
32-33
Investigation definitions and rules
 Independent variable – the one you change in an experiment to see its effect on an
outcome.
 Rule – always put this on the x- axis in graphs and the first column in a table
 Dependent variable – the one that depends upon the previous. It is the one that you
will measure and it will change as a result of your independent variable.
 Rule – always put this on the y-axis in graphs
 Control Variables – variables that could affect your outcome unless you keep them
the same (control them). If you allowed these variables to change they would
interfere with your experiment so that you would not know whether the change in
the independent variable really was the factor that affected your results. This would
mean you had not conducted a Fair Test
 Fair test – one in which any variable that could affect the outcome (apart from the
independent variable) is kept constant (controlled)
 A reliable experiment – is a believable experiment. I am more likely to believe it if
you can repeat it several times and still get the same results
 A precise experiment – is one where you have been very specific. You have measure
in small units (mm instead of cm), used plenty of decimal places when recording
answers and use sensitive equipment to get more precise readers (e.g. using a data
logger rather than a standard thermometer)
 An accurate experiment – is a correct experiment. It is how close you are to actually
being correct or achieving the true value. You are more likely to be accurate (correct)
in an experiment if you have controlled other variables, repeated the experiment,
taken precise measurements, and made no errors.