A Level Biology A
(SNAB) June 2025 Past
Paper 1 – Natural
Environment & Species
Survival | Edexcel
9BN0/01 Complete
Assessment
Question Paper
1. Understand how to determine the time of death of a mammal by examining the extent of
decomposition, stage of succession, forensic entomology, body temperature and degree of
muscle contraction.
2. Know the role of micro-organisms in the decomposition of organic matter and the recycling of
carbon.
3. Know how DNA profiling is used for identification and determining genetic relationships
between organisms (plants and animals).
4. Know how DNA sequencing can be used in the classification of organisms.
5. Know the ultrastructure of eukaryotic cells, including nucleus, nucleolus, ribosomes, rough
and smooth endoplasmic reticulum, mitochondria, centrioles, lysosomes, and Golgi apparatus.
6. Understand the role of the rough endoplasmic reticulum (rER) and Golgi apparatus in protein
transport within cells, including glycoproteins.
, 7. Understand that the classification of viruses challenges traditional definitions of living
organisms.
8. Know the structure of viruses, including glycoproteins, capsid, RNA, reverse transcriptase
(HIV only), and phospholipid envelope.
9. Know that bacteria are metabolically diverse and form one of the kingdoms of life, and that
viruses replicate inside host cells of other organisms and are non-living.
10. Understand the way in which surface area to volume ratio affects heat exchange in animals.
11. Understand how evolution can come about through gene mutations and natural selection.
12. Understand the role of the scientific community in validating new evidence, including the role
of scientific journals and peer review, in the process of evaluating claims that human activities
are causing climate change.
13. Understand how models such as the Hardy-Weinberg principle are used to interpret data of
known populations.
14. Understand how isolating mechanisms, including geographical isolation, can lead to
speciation.
15. Understand the way in which antibiotics work and the development of antibiotic resistance in
bacteria.
16. Understand the role of B-lymphocytes and T-lymphocytes in the cellular and humoral
responses to a pathogen, including the role of: antigen-presenting phagocytes, T helper cells,
plasma cells, T killer cells.
17. Understand how immunity can be natural or artificial, and active or passive.
18. Understand how vaccination results in the manufacture of memory cells, which enable future
antibody production to the antigen to occur sooner, faster and in greater quantity.
19. Understand how Mycobacterium tuberculosis (TB) and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)
infect human cells, causing a sequence of symptoms that may result in death.
20. Understand the non-specific defences of organisms, including examples from humans and
plants.
21. Know the cause and transmission of TB and HIV in humans.
(SNAB) June 2025 Past
Paper 1 – Natural
Environment & Species
Survival | Edexcel
9BN0/01 Complete
Assessment
Question Paper
1. Understand how to determine the time of death of a mammal by examining the extent of
decomposition, stage of succession, forensic entomology, body temperature and degree of
muscle contraction.
2. Know the role of micro-organisms in the decomposition of organic matter and the recycling of
carbon.
3. Know how DNA profiling is used for identification and determining genetic relationships
between organisms (plants and animals).
4. Know how DNA sequencing can be used in the classification of organisms.
5. Know the ultrastructure of eukaryotic cells, including nucleus, nucleolus, ribosomes, rough
and smooth endoplasmic reticulum, mitochondria, centrioles, lysosomes, and Golgi apparatus.
6. Understand the role of the rough endoplasmic reticulum (rER) and Golgi apparatus in protein
transport within cells, including glycoproteins.
, 7. Understand that the classification of viruses challenges traditional definitions of living
organisms.
8. Know the structure of viruses, including glycoproteins, capsid, RNA, reverse transcriptase
(HIV only), and phospholipid envelope.
9. Know that bacteria are metabolically diverse and form one of the kingdoms of life, and that
viruses replicate inside host cells of other organisms and are non-living.
10. Understand the way in which surface area to volume ratio affects heat exchange in animals.
11. Understand how evolution can come about through gene mutations and natural selection.
12. Understand the role of the scientific community in validating new evidence, including the role
of scientific journals and peer review, in the process of evaluating claims that human activities
are causing climate change.
13. Understand how models such as the Hardy-Weinberg principle are used to interpret data of
known populations.
14. Understand how isolating mechanisms, including geographical isolation, can lead to
speciation.
15. Understand the way in which antibiotics work and the development of antibiotic resistance in
bacteria.
16. Understand the role of B-lymphocytes and T-lymphocytes in the cellular and humoral
responses to a pathogen, including the role of: antigen-presenting phagocytes, T helper cells,
plasma cells, T killer cells.
17. Understand how immunity can be natural or artificial, and active or passive.
18. Understand how vaccination results in the manufacture of memory cells, which enable future
antibody production to the antigen to occur sooner, faster and in greater quantity.
19. Understand how Mycobacterium tuberculosis (TB) and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)
infect human cells, causing a sequence of symptoms that may result in death.
20. Understand the non-specific defences of organisms, including examples from humans and
plants.
21. Know the cause and transmission of TB and HIV in humans.
