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Cambridge International AS and A Level Biology syllabus (9700)

Cambridge International AS and A Level Biology (9700) is five papers. For the AS you sit Paper 1 (multiple choice), Paper 2 (structured questions) and Paper 3 (a practical exam). The full A Level adds Paper 4, structured questions on topics 12 to 19, and Paper 5, on planning, analysis and evaluation. The map below takes every numbered subsection of the syllabus in Cambridge’s order, with the lessons that teach it and any missing detail named in its row. Papers 3 and 5 test skills you build at the bench, so they are not mapped. Our practicals pages cover the methods.

Checked against Cambridge International Biology 9700, the syllabus for examination in 2025, 2026 and 2027 (2025-2027 v1; 2028-2030 v1 held alongside) on 19 August 2026. The table links each syllabus subsection to the lessons that teach it and names any partial or missing coverage. Treat Cambridge’s current syllabus as the final word.

1 Cell structure

Ref	Specification heading	Taught in	Coverage
1.1	The microscope in cell studies	Microscopy, magnification and resolution, Optical microscopy and calibrated measurement, Preparing biological material: squashes, sections and mounts, Dissection and biological drawing	Covered
1.2	Cells as the basic units of living organisms	Eukaryotic cell structure and organelles, Prokaryotic cells and viruses, Cell specialisation and biological organisation, Active transport, co-transport and bulk transport	Covered

2 Biological molecules

Ref	Specification heading	Taught in	Coverage
2.1	Testing for biological molecules	Carbohydrate structure and function, Protein structure and function, Lipids: triglycerides, phospholipids and ester bonds, Qualitative biochemical tests, and what they do not tell you, Colorimetry, dilution series and calibration curves	Covered
2.2	Carbohydrates and lipids	Carbohydrate structure and function, Lipids: triglycerides, phospholipids and ester bonds	Covered
2.3	Proteins	Protein structure and function, Haemoglobin and oxygen dissociation curves	Covered
2.4	Water	Water and inorganic ions	Covered

3 Enzymes

Ref	Specification heading	Taught in	Coverage
3.1	Mode of action of enzymes	Enzyme action and specificity, Factors affecting enzyme rate: temperature, pH and concentration, Cofactors, coenzymes and where enzymes work, Colorimetry, dilution series and calibration curves, Measuring the rate of an enzyme-controlled reaction	Covered
3.2	Factors that affect enzyme action	Factors affecting enzyme rate: temperature, pH and concentration, Enzyme inhibition and metabolic control, Cofactors, coenzymes and where enzymes work, Measuring the rate of an enzyme-controlled reaction	Covered

4 Cell membranes and transport

Ref	Specification heading	Taught in	Coverage
4.1	Fluid mosaic membranes	Membrane structure and the fluid mosaic model, Hormonal communication and negative feedback	Covered
4.2	Movement into and out of cells	Diffusion and osmosis, Active transport, co-transport and bulk transport, Surface area to volume ratio: why size limits diffusion, Digestion and absorption in the human gut, Investigating membrane permeability, Water relations of plant tissue: osmosis and transpiration, Non-living models of diffusion, osmosis and surface area	Covered

5 The mitotic cell cycle

Ref	Specification heading	Taught in	Coverage
5.1	Replication and division of nuclei and cells	The cell cycle and mitosis, Stem cells and cell potency, Eukaryotic cell structure and organelles, Cell specialisation and biological organisation	Covered
5.2	Chromosome behaviour in mitosis	The cell cycle and mitosis, Preparing biological material: squashes, sections and mounts	Covered

6 Nucleic acids and protein synthesis

Ref	Specification heading	Taught in	Coverage
6.1	Structure of nucleic acids and replication of DNA	DNA and RNA structure, DNA replication, Glycolysis, ATP and the link reaction	Covered
6.2	Protein synthesis	The genetic code and transcription, Translation and protein synthesis, DNA replication, Mutation, gene expression and cancer	Covered

7 Transport in plants

Ref	Specification heading	Taught in	Coverage
7.1	Structure of transport tissues	Xylem and the transpiration stream, Phloem translocation and the mass-flow hypothesis, Plan diagrams and tissue sections, Cell specialisation and biological organisation, Preparing biological material: squashes, sections and mounts, Dissection and biological drawing	Covered
7.2	Transport mechanisms	Xylem and the transpiration stream, Transpiration and stomatal control, Phloem translocation and the mass-flow hypothesis, Gas exchange in insects, fish and plants, Water relations of plant tissue: osmosis and transpiration, Dissection and biological drawing	Covered

8 Transport in mammals

Ref	Specification heading	Taught in	Coverage
8.1	The circulatory system	The heart and cardiac cycle, Blood vessels, tissue fluid and lymph, Water and inorganic ions, Plan diagrams and tissue sections, Dissection and biological drawing	Covered
8.2	Transport of oxygen and carbon dioxide	Haemoglobin and oxygen dissociation curves	Covered
8.3	The heart	The heart and cardiac cycle, Dissection and biological drawing	Covered

9 Gas exchange

Ref	Specification heading	Taught in	Coverage
9.1	The gas exchange system	Gas exchange in mammals: lungs and ventilation, Plan diagrams and tissue sections, Preparing biological material: squashes, sections and mounts, Dissection and biological drawing	Covered

10 Infectious diseases

Ref	Specification heading	Taught in	Coverage
10.1	Infectious diseases	Pathogens and non-specific defences, The specific immune response, Infectious disease: transmission and control	Covered
10.2	Antibiotics	Enzyme inhibition and metabolic control, Evidence for evolution, resistance and genetic drift, Pathogens and non-specific defences, Aseptic technique and the effect of antimicrobials	Covered

11 Immunity

Ref	Specification heading	Taught in	Coverage
11.1	The immune system	Pathogens and non-specific defences, The specific immune response	Covered
11.2	Antibodies and vaccination	Antibodies, vaccination and the four kinds of immunity	Covered

12 Energy and respiration (A-level only)

Ref	Specification heading	Taught in	Coverage
12.1	Energy	Glycolysis, ATP and the link reaction, The Krebs cycle and oxidative phosphorylation, Anaerobic respiration and the respiratory quotient, Chloroplast structure and the light-dependent reactions, Measuring respiration and photosynthesis rates	Covered
12.2	Respiration	Glycolysis, ATP and the link reaction, The Krebs cycle and oxidative phosphorylation, Anaerobic respiration and the respiratory quotient, Chloroplast structure and the light-dependent reactions, Measuring respiration and photosynthesis rates	Covered

13 Photosynthesis (A-level only)

Ref	Specification heading	Taught in	Coverage
13.1	Photosynthesis as an energy transfer process	Chloroplast structure and the light-dependent reactions, The Calvin cycle, Chromatography and the separation of pigments	Covered
13.2	Investigation of limiting factors	Limiting factors and primary productivity, Chloroplast structure and the light-dependent reactions, Measuring respiration and photosynthesis rates	Covered

14 Homeostasis (A-level only)

Ref	Specification heading	Taught in	Coverage
14.1	Homeostasis in mammals	Hormonal communication and negative feedback, Regulation of blood glucose and diabetes mellitus, Osmoregulation and kidney function, Anaerobic respiration and the respiratory quotient, The liver: detoxification, deamination and the making of urea	Covered
14.2	Homeostasis in plants	Transpiration and stomatal control, Plant responses: tropisms, auxins and the classic experiments	Covered

15 Control and coordination (A-level only)

Ref	Specification heading	Taught in	Coverage
15.1	Control and coordination in mammals	Receptors: transduction and the reflex arc, The action potential and its propagation, The synapse: transmission, and why it runs one way, Muscles and movement: the sliding-filament model, Hormonal communication and negative feedback, Organisation of the nervous system	Covered
15.2	Control and coordination in plants	Plant responses: tropisms, auxins and the classic experiments, Plant disease and plant defences	Covered

16 Inheritance (A-level only)

Ref	Specification heading	Taught in	Coverage
16.1	Passage of information from parents to offspring	Meiosis and the sources of genetic variation, The cell cycle and mitosis	Covered
16.2	The roles of genes in determining the phenotype	Monohybrid inheritance and genetic diagrams, Dihybrid inheritance, linkage, epistasis and the chi-squared test, Choosing, carrying out and concluding a statistical test	Covered
16.3	Gene control	Control of gene expression	Covered

17 Selection and evolution (A-level only)

Ref	Specification heading	Taught in	Coverage
17.1	Variation	Natural selection: variation, selection and allele frequency, Choosing, carrying out and concluding a statistical test, Averages, spread and the null hypothesis, Continuous and discontinuous variation	Covered
17.2	Natural and artificial selection	Natural selection: variation, selection and allele frequency, Evidence for evolution, resistance and genetic drift, Population genetics and Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium, Artificial selection and selective breeding	Covered
17.3	Evolution	Natural selection: variation, selection and allele frequency, Evidence for evolution, resistance and genetic drift, Speciation and reproductive isolation, Classification, phylogeny and molecular evidence	Covered

18 Classification, biodiversity and conservation (A-level only)

Ref	Specification heading	Taught in	Coverage
18.1	Classification	Classification, phylogeny and molecular evidence, Prokaryotic cells and viruses, The five kingdoms, species concepts and viruses, Speciation and reproductive isolation	Covered
18.2	Biodiversity	Measuring biodiversity, Populations and their limits, Choosing, carrying out and concluding a statistical test, Field sampling, distribution and behavioural response	Covered
18.3	Conservation	Conservation in situ and ex situ, Succession and environmental change	Covered

19 Genetic technology (A-level only)

Ref	Specification heading	Taught in	Coverage
19.1	Principles of genetic technology	Recombinant DNA technology, Genome analysis, genetic screening and gene therapy	Covered
19.2	Genetic technology applied to medicine	Genome analysis, genetic screening and gene therapy, Recombinant DNA technology, Pharming, recombinant medicines and synthetic biology	Covered
19.3	Genetically modified organisms in agriculture	Recombinant DNA technology	Covered

For what each paper is, how long it lasts and where Cambridge International publishes it, see the 9700 past papers.

Found a mismatch between this map and a lesson? Please report it from that lesson’s page.