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Search 1,590 matching topics by subject, domain, and learner age.
Renewable vs non-renewable energy
Energy
Distinguish between renewable energy resources (solar, wind, hydroelectric, tidal, geothermal, biomass) and non-renewable resources (coal, oil, gas, nuclear), comparing their advantages, disadvantages, and environmental impacts
Series vs parallel circuits
Energy
Describe and apply the rules for current, voltage, and resistance in series and parallel circuits, and explain the practical uses of each circuit type
Sexual Selection
Animals of the World
Explain sexual selection as a form of natural selection: runaway selection for peacock tails, bird of paradise displays, and frog calls; explain kin selection and altruistic behaviour — why worker bees die to protect the hive, why meerkats stand guard at personal risk (Hamilton's rule, inclusive fitness); introduce game theory in animal behaviour using the hawk-dove model; define cognitive ethology and survey evidence for animal emotions, play, and culture
Species Distribution & Change
Ecosystems & Habitats
Explain how environmental change (climate change, habitat loss, pollution) affects the distribution of species, including range shifts, local extinction, and invasive species
Supervolcanoes & Volcanic Winter
Volcanoes & Earthquakes
Describe calderas such as Yellowstone and Toba as supervolcanoes capable of erupting thousands of cubic kilometres of ash; explain how sulphur dioxide aerosols in the stratosphere scatter sunlight and cause volcanic winter; discuss the Toba catastrophe theory and how giant eruptions have interacted with ice ages; contrast supervolcano eruptions with ordinary eruptions in scale and climate impact
Tables, charts, and graphs
Scientific Inquiry
Construct data tables with correct headings and SI units, plot appropriate graph types (bar chart, line graph, scatter graph), draw a line of best fit, and calculate the gradient of a straight-line graph
The Biodiversity Crisis
Animals of the World
Quantify the current biodiversity crisis: extinction rates 100-1000x the background rate; explain methods for measuring biodiversity loss (species-area relationship, population viability analysis, IUCN Red List categories); evaluate rewilding case studies — Yellowstone wolf reintroduction triggering a trophic cascade that changed river courses; Iberian lynx recovery; describe minimum viable population theory and conservation triage; examine ethical debates in deciding which species to prioritise
The Carbon Cycle
Ecosystems & Habitats
Describe the carbon cycle, tracing carbon through photosynthesis, respiration, feeding, decomposition, and combustion, and explain the role of each process
The Electromagnetic Spectrum
Waves, Light & Sound
Describe the full electromagnetic spectrum from radio waves to gamma rays, in order of increasing frequency and energy; explain that all EM waves travel at the same speed in a vacuum; and describe the uses and hazards of different regions
The Reactivity Series
Matter & Materials
Order common metals in the reactivity series and explain how a more reactive metal displaces a less reactive one; describe how carbon is used to extract metals from their oxides in industry
The Rock Cycle
Matter & Materials
Explain the rock cycle: how igneous rocks form from magma, sedimentary rocks from compressed sediment, and metamorphic rocks from heat and pressure, and how all rock types can transform into one another over geological time
Toxins Building Up in Food Chains
Ecosystems & Habitats
Explain how organisms affect and are affected by their environment, including the bioaccumulation of toxic materials (e.g. pesticides, heavy metals) through food chains
Types of Chemical Reaction
Matter & Materials
Identify and describe four types of chemical reaction: combustion (burning in oxygen), oxidation (gain of oxygen), thermal decomposition (breaking down by heat), and displacement (more reactive metal replaces less reactive one)
Universal Gravitation
Space Systems & Earth's History
Describe gravity as a universal attractive force between all masses, explain that orbital motion arises because gravity provides the centripetal force keeping objects in orbit, and compare gravitational field strengths on different planets
Variation in Species
Ecosystems & Habitats
Explain variation within and between species, distinguishing between continuous variation (e.g. height) and discontinuous variation (e.g. blood group), and between genetic and environmental causes
Waves & Different Materials
Waves, Light & Sound
Explain how waves can be absorbed, transmitted, or reflected by different materials, and apply these interactions to explain colour perception, sight, communication technologies, and the effects of different surfaces on wave behaviour
Where Elements Come From
Space Exploration
Explain stellar nucleosynthesis: the Big Bang produced mainly hydrogen and helium; main-sequence fusion builds elements up to iron; and supernovae produce elements heavier than iron and scatter them into space — meaning the atoms in our bodies were forged in ancient stars
Cancer & Stem Cells
The Human Body
Explain that cancer occurs when mutations in DNA disable normal cell-cycle controls, causing uncontrolled cell division and tumour formation; describe how stem cells differ from specialised cells and their potential for regenerative medicine; and evaluate the ethical debates around embryonic stem cell research and genetic testing
Ceramics, Polymers & Composites
Matter & Materials
Describe the properties and uses of ceramics (hard, brittle, heat-resistant), polymers (flexible, lightweight, variable), and composites (combine properties of constituent materials), giving real-world examples of each
Deep-Ocean Exploration Technology
Ocean Life
Explain how crewed submersibles (Alvin, Deepsea Challenger) and remotely operated vehicles (ROVs) allow exploration of the deep; describe acoustic seafloor mapping using sonar and why only ~25% of the ocean floor has been mapped at high resolution; explore why the deep ocean is harder to explore than the surface of the Moon (pressure, cold, darkness, communication difficulties); survey astrobiology missions targeting ocean worlds in our solar system
Effects of Drugs & Alcohol
Organisms & Life Processes
Explain the effects of recreational drugs including alcohol, tobacco, and illegal substances on behaviour, health, and body systems, and distinguish between depressants, stimulants, and hallucinogens
Grouping Species Using DNA
Animals of the World
Explain cladistics: organisms are grouped by shared derived characters, not just similarity; how phylogenetic trees are built using molecular data (DNA sequence alignment) and the molecular clock; explain why birds are technically a group within dinosaurs (crown Avemetatarsalia); distinguish convergent evolution (unrelated species evolving similar traits) from parallel evolution; introduce horizontal gene transfer and why the tree of life is more accurately a web; explain why classification systems keep changing as new data emerge
Journey to Mars
Space Exploration
Evaluate the engineering and human challenges of long-duration spaceflight to Mars — radiation exposure, muscle and bone loss, psychological isolation, communication delays — and assess the current state of the SETI programme: what methods are used, what has been detected so far, and what the Fermi Paradox is
Life Cycle of a Star
Space Systems & Earth's History
Describe the life cycle of a star from nebula through main sequence to its end state (white dwarf, neutron star, or black hole depending on mass), and relate the life cycle to the origin of elements heavier than hydrogen