Biotechnology

Brewing, cheese and yoghurt making used microbes long before the work of Louis Pasteur set the foundations for modern biotechnology. Genetic engineering now allows microbes to be manipulated to produce a wide range of products. The resources on this page look at established uses of biotechnology as well as how developments, such as in the pharmaceutical industry, have resulted in new applications. They also allow students to examine the ethical issues behind the use of genetically modified organisms.

The resources here will support delivery of biotechnology in GCSE Biology. The range of resources can be used to support individual students or with whole classes using an interactive whiteboard. Practical activities allow students to investigate the process of fermentation.

Specification links: AQA 13.5, Edexcel 360 B3.1, OCR Gateway B6, OCR 21st Century Science B7.4, WJEC B5.5 and B5.6.

If you cannot find what you want in the listed resources, enter keywords from your specification in the Search box on the right. Reduce the number of ‘hits’ by using inverted commas to search for phrases.

Useful links/resources

Show all materials for this page

AQA (Showing 2 of 3 available)

How Stuff Works: How to make beer
Web link
AQA 13.5, Edexcel B3.1, OCR Gateway B6a, OCR Twenty First Century B7.4, WJEC B3.6. Webpage detailing the steps for beer making, including brewing, fermentation and bottling. May be used as additional...
BBC News: Quick guide - Biofuels
Web link
AQA 13.6. BBC News article explaining biofuels and their costs and benefits. May be used as additional material for the subject matter.

Edexcel (Showing 2 of 4 available)

ABPI for Schools: Pharmaceutical Industry
Web link
OCR Twenty First Century B7.4, Edexcel B3.1. A series of pages from the ABPI exploring the pharmaceutical industry, the drugs and medicines that they make and how they make them.
How Stuff Works: How to make beer
Web link
AQA 13.5, Edexcel B3.1, OCR Gateway B6a, OCR Twenty First Century B7.4, WJEC B3.6. Webpage detailing the steps for beer making, including brewing, fermentation and bottling. May be used as additional...

OCR 21st Century Science (Showing 2 of 2 available)

ABPI for Schools: Pharmaceutical Industry
Web link
OCR Twenty First Century B7.4, Edexcel B3.1. A series of pages from the ABPI exploring the pharmaceutical industry, the drugs and medicines that they make and how they make them.
How Stuff Works: How to make beer
Web link
AQA 13.5, Edexcel B3.1, OCR Gateway B6a, OCR Twenty First Century B7.4, WJEC B3.6. Webpage detailing the steps for beer making, including brewing, fermentation and bottling. May be used as additional...

OCR Gateway (Showing 2 of 3 available)

How Stuff Works: How to make beer
Web link
AQA 13.5, Edexcel B3.1, OCR Gateway B6a, OCR Twenty First Century B7.4, WJEC B3.6. Webpage detailing the steps for beer making, including brewing, fermentation and bottling. May be used as additional...
Genetic modification and the environment: scientific certainties and uncertainties
Web link
OCR Gateway B6c. Six page Natural Environment Research Council 'briefing note', outlining GM terminology, some potential advantages of genetically modified organisms, GM crop trials, concerns about GM...

WJEC (Showing 2 of 2 available)

How Stuff Works: How to make beer
Web link
AQA 13.5, Edexcel B3.1, OCR Gateway B6a, OCR Twenty First Century B7.4, WJEC B3.6. Webpage detailing the steps for beer making, including brewing, fermentation and bottling. May be used as additional...
Society for General Microbiology: Microbes in Food
Web link
WJEC B3.6. A broad range of information about microbes in food, including healthy microbes, preservers, spoilers and poisoners, from the Society for General Microbiology. May be useful as additional ...

Activity Resources (Showing 1 of 2 available)

Society for General Microbiology: Microbes in Food
Web link
WJEC B3.6. A broad range of information about microbes in food, including healthy microbes, preservers, spoilers and poisoners, from the Society for General Microbiology. May be useful as additional ...

Instructional (Showing 1 of 2 available)

BBC News: Quick guide - Biofuels
Web link
AQA 13.6. BBC News article explaining biofuels and their costs and benefits. May be used as additional material for the subject matter.

Learning Resource (Showing 4 of 6 available)

ABPI for Schools: Pharmaceutical Industry
Web link
OCR Twenty First Century B7.4, Edexcel B3.1. A series of pages from the ABPI exploring the pharmaceutical industry, the drugs and medicines that they make and how they make them.
How Stuff Works: How to make beer
Web link
AQA 13.5, Edexcel B3.1, OCR Gateway B6a, OCR Twenty First Century B7.4, WJEC B3.6. Webpage detailing the steps for beer making, including brewing, fermentation and bottling. May be used as additional...
Society for General Microbiology: Microbes in Food
Web link
WJEC B3.6. A broad range of information about microbes in food, including healthy microbes, preservers, spoilers and poisoners, from the Society for General Microbiology. May be useful as additional ...
Genetic modification and the environment: scientific certainties and uncertainties
Web link
OCR Gateway B6c. Six page Natural Environment Research Council 'briefing note', outlining GM terminology, some potential advantages of genetically modified organisms, GM crop trials, concerns about GM...

Publications / Correspondence (Showing 2 of 2 available)

BBC News: Quick guide - Biofuels
Web link
AQA 13.6. BBC News article explaining biofuels and their costs and benefits. May be used as additional material for the subject matter.
Genetic modification and the environment: scientific certainties and uncertainties
Web link
OCR Gateway B6c. Six page Natural Environment Research Council 'briefing note', outlining GM terminology, some potential advantages of genetically modified organisms, GM crop trials, concerns about GM...