This two-page resource lists pathogens, transmission routes, disease effects, treatment methods and other facts for the human diseases on the Cambridge International A-level biology course. The large number of disease case studies on the course is something students need a lot of help with. A blank worksheet version is also included for students to fill in themselves. To help students build up a common sense knowledge of the kind of issues surrounding these diseases that could be important in future and likely topics of exam questions, there’s a section on “other things to know” explaining issues like malaria potentially being spread by global warming. That should make this set of notes particularly useful for students aiming high and looking to study medicine, nursing and biosciences degrees in future or getting ready for interviews. Although flu is not one of the “official” case studies on the course, because it’s covered in the vaccination topic notes on it are also included. I’ve had positive feedback from students who found it interesting and felt that it gave them a sense of issues in modern medicine-one student studying history A-level said it really helped put studying AIDS in history in context.

Notes and diagrams on epigenetics for the AQA course, starting from some simple analogies to the real world. I also give the core definition AQA have asked for of epigenetics, which isn’t clearly stated in the textbook but came up on a specimen paper. There’s links to tons of YouTube videos explaining how epigenetics works, and a mnemonic for remembering euchromatin and heterochromatin. Length is two very well-filled pages: you could print it double-sided as a resource for students to keep. Could also be useful for students taking OCR as extension material.

One-page set of notes on differential ultracentrifugation to extract organelles, covering homogenization, the ice-cold, buffered, isotonic solution, extracting different organelles and links to recommended videos. This set of notes is particularly targeted towards revising the practical come exam time-it doesn’t go into a detailed practical methodology for fractionation but gives exam-oriented explanation of how a centrifuge works, what a cold, buffered, isotonic solution is and why it’s needed. These notes should be suitable for all major A-level courses, but they’re particularly designed to help AQA students taking into account points on the mark schemes for the 74011 specimen paper Q1, 74023 2018 Q5 and 74011 2018 Q7, which would be great for practice alongside these notes.

Simple worksheet on two pages covering electrolysis of aluminium for students to fill in. Covers the equations at the cathode, anode, redox, why the process is environmentally damaging and why recycling aluminium is a good thing to do. There’s also links to recommended YouTube videos from Fuse School and the RSC. This plan targets the AQA 9-1 chemistry GCSE course. Versions both in colour and black and white. This lesson plan is given away for free in order to encourage recycling! But if you like it please check out my lesson plan on metallic bonding, my worksheet on AQA solution electrolysis equations and on extracting metals using carbon and other lesson plans. I also have versions for Edexcel GCSE and Edexcel iGCSE. Update: 13/3/24: added clarification that the cathodes are graphite and added a link to a video showing bauxite mining to show the amount of land needed.

Worksheet covering wave speed, frequency, and wavelength, on two pages, targeted for AQA 9-1 GCSE physics. Intended to provide a graduated scheme of work from definitions to calculations of wavelength, frequency, wave speed, period, longitudinal and transverse waves. There’s diagrams and power triangles for the two core equations for the student to practice using and a mark scheme. Particularly suitable for 1:1 tuition. Questions consulted include 8463/2H 2021 Q5, 84652H 2020 Q5 and 8464/P/2H Q3. Update, June 2024: following feedback from students, I decided that including unit conversions in the worksheet made calculations too long, so removed this, also put power triangles on both sides of the worksheet to make them easier to find.

Revision notes of the negative ions for Edexcel iGCSE chemistry on one page, including both complete and ionic equations for the reactions. Versions both in colour and for black and white printing. There’s both a full and ionic equation for carbonate, sulfate and halide ion reactions to give students good models. To show the differences in formulas between compounds of metals that form +2 and +1 ions, there’s equations for both sodium and calcium carbonate too.

Two-page link-up-the-boxes worksheet and two-page written worksheet recapping definitions of community, habitat, ecosystem and biotic/abiotic factors, along with case study questions. For the Edexcel 9-1 biology GCSEs. The link-up-the-boxes worksheet is deliberately written to be very easy for students with low knowledge and confidence. The written worksheet covers biotic factors, quadrats, transects and competition, along with a calculation question and practice identifying types of habitat. Versions for colour and black and white printing and a mark scheme are included. Could also be suitable as a quick recap exercise for A-level students. These worksheets are very similar to my set for AQA, if you tutor both courses you don’t really need the other version. For the Edexcel iGCSE, I intend to do a version of this worksheet specific to that course in future, but for now this worksheet is fine to use; a few questions (10 and 11 on the written worksheet, 3 on the link-the-boxes worksheet) aren’t things students need to memorise but those questions would still be fine for students to do as “suggest” questions.

Worksheet on one page on when you use less and when you use fewer. Versions both in colour and black and white and a mark scheme. Colourful design with emoji graphics for each question to make it more enjoyable.

Worksheet on homeostasis and thyroid function, covering thyroxine, TSH and nutrient deficiencies as well as revising homeostasis and negative feedback generally. This two-page worksheet has plenty of illustrations and diagrams to help students remember the topic. Targets the Edexcel 9-1 biology GCSE. There’s an in-depth mark scheme and versions for colour and black and white printing. Doing AQA? I have a separate version of the worksheet for the AQA course. Doing the Edexcel iGCSE? This worksheet isn’t needed, that course doesn’t go into so much depth on the topic. 2024 update: following feedback from students, added more space for answers.

Two-page worksheet on plant hormones for the AQA 9-1 GCSE. Covers phototropism, geotropism, gibberellins and their industrial uses, ethene and an experiment design question. Versions in colour and for black and white printing. There’s an in-depth mark scheme. Doing a different course? I have similar worksheets for AQA biology A-level, Edexcel GCSE and Cambridge iGCSE.

Two page set of notes in table format on intermolecular forces, listing the forces, where they come from and how strong they are: London forces, permanent dipole-dipole, hydrogen bonds. Also includes notes on which type of chemical has what forces. Page 2 explains how aldehydes and ketones and esters are hydrogen bond acceptors. Following the example of Chemguide, explains permanent dipole-dipole as more adding a bit of strength on top of London forces than making the molecule highly polar and hydrophilic like hydrogen bonding. Bold, eye-catching typography and careful design sets this lesson plan out. Special bonus! This pack contains three sets of notes depending on what your course calls London forces/van der Waals forces/instantaneous-induced dipole forces, so if you teach multiple courses you’re always covered: OCR, Edexcel, AQA, Cambridge. I sell multiple SKUs of this set of three notes to advertise at teachers searching for different courses, but they contain the same content: all three files in the same pack.

Two page set of notes in table format on intermolecular forces, listing the forces, where they come from and how strong they are: instantaneous dipole-induced dipole forces, permanent dipole-dipole, hydrogen bonds. Also includes notes on which type of chemical has what forces. Page 2 explains how aldehydes and ketones and esters are hydrogen bond acceptors. Following the example of Chemguide, explains permanent dipole-dipole as more adding a bit of strength on top of instantaneous dipole-induced dipole forces forces than making the molecule highly polar and hydrophilic like hydrogen bonding. Bold, eye-catching typography and careful design sets this lesson plan out. Special bonus! This pack contains three sets of notes depending on what your course calls instantaneous-induced dipole forces/van der Waals forces/London forces, so if you teach multiple courses you’re always covered: Cambridge/CIE, OCR, Edexcel, AQA. I sell multiple SKUs of this set of three notes to show up on searches for teachers teaching different courses, but they contain the same content: all three files in the same pack.

Two-page worksheet and mark scheme on the use of positron emission tomography scans in medical imaging of the brain and cancer, a topic on the current Edexcel biology GCSE, with a range of diagrams, pictures and links to recommended videos. The worksheet is also suitable for teaching in physics as a case study. Worksheet assumes a bit of basic knowledge of radioactivity and gamma rays (safety precautions, hazards) so may be worth coordinating with physics that those topics have been covered, although it’s only at a common sense level of knowledge. A version of the worksheet converted to black and white is included too. Specification reference: brain and spinal cord problems, B2.11B and B2.12B, higher tier.

One-page poster and revision notes showing how to work out the formula of ionic chemicals. Includes a list of common ions, and the three scenarios: swap and drop, the ions have the same charge, and there’s more than one of an ion made of more than one atom so you need brackets. Versions both in colour and carefully converted into black and white. Then there’s also a question sheet working out the formulas of 21 chemicals, and the answers on a separate sheet. Suitable for both GCSE and A-level students-I find it really helpful as a recap for A-level students to recap the topic, since they’ve often forgotten it from GCSE. September 2023 update: based on feedback from students, I’ve explained more about what iron(II) and iron(III) are, and turned the part about when you use brackets into a checklist of questions to ask. I’ve also created an additional version of the questions split into two sets so one can be homework. The questions in the homework set 2 are similar at each level but the hardest questions are in set 1.

Two page set of notes in table format on intermolecular interactions, listing the forces, where they come from and how strong they are: London forces, permanent dipole-dipole, hydrogen bonds. Also includes notes on which type of chemical has what forces. Page 2 explains how aldehydes and ketones and esters are hydrogen bond acceptors. Following the example of Chemguide, explains permanent dipole-dipole as more adding a bit of strength on top of London forces than making the molecule highly polar and hydrophilic like hydrogen bonding. Bold, eye-catching typography and careful design sets this lesson plan out. Special bonus! This pack contains three sets of notes depending on what your course calls London forces/van der Waals forces/instantaneous-induced dipole forces, so if you teach multiple courses you’re always covered: Edexcel, OCR, AQA, Cambridge. I sell multiple SKUs of this set of three notes to advertise at teachers teaching different courses, but they contain the same content: all three files in the same pack.

Explanation of what “per” means: that it means you need to divide. Two stories are given as examples. Suitable for primary school maths and science. Because people have a lot of trouble learning this, this could be useful across a lot of ages, KS1, KS2, KS3 or weaker GCSE students who need a bit of help.

One-page set of notes on confocal microscopy targeting A-level biology (especially OCR A) with some selected images and a link to a recommended video. Although suitable for other courses, these notes were specifically targeted at OCR A-level biology A. The focus is on the images produced by confocal microscopy rather than on the details of how the mirror system works. Questions studied writing this pack (and recommended for exam technique) included: AS-level unit 2, question 1 from 2017 AS-level unit 2 specimen, question 6 (MCQ) A-level 2020 paper 1, question 2 (MCQ)

Worksheet for the AQA specification on two pages covering genetic definitions and genetic crosses. Dominant and recessive, alleles and genes and Punnet squares are all covered as questions. Sensitivity note: the worksheet includes cystic fibrosis as a case study. Topic reference: B13.7, 13.8, 13.9. This pack is almost identical to my pack for Edexcel covering this topic, you could use either if you teach both courses.

Two-page illustrated worksheet on Salmonella bacterial disease, covering infection, effects, epidemiology, treatment and vaccination against bacteria, for the AQA 9-1 GCSE biology specification (B5.7). Versions with images in colour and converted to black and white are included, as well as an in-depth mark scheme.