Students will not be required to recall specific codons and the amino acids for which they code
You do not need to memorise which codon codes for which amino acid. AQA will always give you that information in the exam if you need it.
Real World
The Human Genome Project revealed that despite humans having roughly 20,000 genes, the degenerate genetic code means many mutations are 'silent' — changing a codon but not the amino acid — a key finding in cancer mutation research.
Exam Focus
If given a codon table in the exam, practise reading it systematically; always identify the start codon (AUG) first when tracing polypeptide sequences.
Evaluation Scaffold
A four-step framework for high-quality evaluation. Use this for 'assess', 'evaluate', and 'to what extent' questions.
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