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4.6 Inheritance, Variation and Evolution

This topic area follows biological information across generations. It links genes, inheritance patterns, variation and evolutionary change into one continuous story.

Core Role

  • Explain how inherited information is stored and passed on.
  • Connect variation to natural selection and long-term change.
  • Show how human choices such as selective breeding and genetic engineering act on inherited traits.

Learning Objective Map

Each topic page in this module now opens with a specification-aligned Learning Objectives section. Use these links to jump straight to the objective map for each topic, then into the teaching sections linked from that map.

Topic Objective map focus
4.6.1 Reproduction sexual vs asexual reproduction; meiosis and fertilisation; DNA and genome; inheritance language and Punnett squares; inherited disorders
4.6.2 Variation and Evolution sources of variation; natural selection and speciation; selective breeding; genetic engineering; cloning
4.6.3 The Development of Understanding of Genetics and Evolution Darwin and Lamarck; Wallace and speciation; Mendel and genetics; evidence from fossils and resistance; extinction
4.6.4 Classification of Living Organisms Linnaean hierarchy; binomial naming; five kingdoms vs three domains; molecular phylogenetics and evolutionary trees

Topic Pages