GCSE Biology Inheritance Revision Notes
Master GCSE Biology Inheritance using simple revision notes, key facts and practice questions — all generated by AI for your exam.
Inheritance is the process by which genetic information is passed from parents to their offspring. It determines the traits and characteristics that an organism inherits, such as eye color or height.
Key Concepts
- 1Genes are units of heredity that determine traits.
- 2Alleles are different forms of a gene.
- 3Dominant alleles mask the effects of recessive alleles.
- 4Genotype refers to the genetic makeup of an organism.
- 5Phenotype is the observable characteristics of an organism.
Simple Explanation
Inheritance is how traits are passed down from parents to their children through genes. Each gene can have different versions called alleles. Some alleles are dominant, meaning they will show up in the offspring, while others are recessive and may not be visible unless both alleles are recessive. The combination of alleles determines what traits the offspring will have.
Memory Trick
“Remember 'DGP' for Dominant, Genotype, Phenotype to recall the key concepts of inheritance.”
Flashcards
What are genes?
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Exam Questions
Describe and explain how traits are inherited from parents to offspring. [6 marks]
6 marksView mark scheme hint▾
Include definitions of genes, alleles, dominant and recessive traits, and examples.
Explain how a dominant allele affects the phenotype of an organism. [4 marks]
4 marksView mark scheme hint▾
Discuss the concept of dominance and provide examples.
What is meant by the term 'homozygous'? [2 marks]
2 marksView mark scheme hint▾
Define homozygous and provide an example.
Practice Quiz
What is the term for different forms of a gene?
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