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Curriculum-aligned learning support — not an official school, university, or ministry-approved course, and not a replacement for official credit.

Grade 11 · Biology · Core

Life Sciences 11

BC Life Sciences 11 core coverage: the characteristics and organization of life, cell structure and function, the diversity of living things (viruses, bacteria, protists, fungi, plants and animals), evolution and classification, taught with original, animated diagrams and worked examples, plus an Extension unit covering ecology.

Contents

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1

Characteristics of Life

3 of 4 published

  1. 1.1
    What makes something alive

    The shared properties of all living things and the tricky edge cases.

    Published

  2. 1.2
    Levels of biological organization

    From atoms and molecules up to the biosphere.

    Published

  3. 1.3
    Doing biology — the scientific method

    Hypotheses, variables, controls and evidence in life science.

    Published

  4. 1.4
    First Peoples understandings of interrelationships between organisms

    How First Peoples knowledge describes the relationships between living things, grounded in public FNESC and BC curriculum sources.

    In preparation

2

Cell Structure & Function

3 of 4 published

  1. 2.1
    Cell theory & cell types

    The cell theory; prokaryotic vs eukaryotic and plant vs animal cells.

    Published

  2. 2.2
    Organelles in detail

    The structure and function of every major organelle.

    Published

  3. 2.3
    The membrane & transport

    Diffusion, osmosis, facilitated and active transport across the membrane.

    Published

  4. 2.4
    Energy transformations in cells: respiration and photosynthesis

    How cells release energy from food by cellular respiration and capture it from light by photosynthesis.

    In review

3

Viruses

3 of 3 published

  1. 3.1
    Viral structure — are viruses alive?

    Capsids, genomes and the living-status debate.

    Published

  2. 3.2
    The lytic & lysogenic cycles

    How viruses replicate inside a host cell.

    Published

  3. 3.3
    Viruses & human disease

    Infection, spread, vaccines and antivirals.

    Published

4

Bacteria & Archaea

3 of 3 published

  1. 4.1
    Prokaryotic cell structure

    The parts of a bacterial cell and Gram staining.

    Published

  2. 4.2
    Reproduction & metabolism

    Binary fission, exponential growth and metabolic diversity.

    Published

  3. 4.3
    Bacteria, health & resistance

    Helpful and harmful bacteria; antibiotics and resistance.

    Published

5

Protists

3 of 3 published

  1. 5.1
    Protist diversity

    Why protists are the "leftover" kingdom and how they are grouped.

    Published

  2. 5.2
    Animal-, plant- & fungus-like protists

    Protozoa, algae and slime/water moulds.

    Published

  3. 5.3
    Protists in ecosystems & disease

    Producers, plankton and pathogens such as malaria.

    Published

6

Fungi

3 of 3 published

  1. 6.1
    Fungal structure

    Hyphae, mycelium and the fungal body plan.

    Published

  2. 6.2
    Fungal reproduction

    Spores, and asexual vs sexual reproduction.

    Published

  3. 6.3
    Fungi in ecosystems & human life

    Decomposers, mycorrhizae, lichens, food and medicine.

    Published

7

Plants

3 of 3 published

  1. 7.1
    Plant diversity & evolution

    Mosses to flowering plants; alternation of generations.

    Published

  2. 7.2
    Plant structure

    Roots, stems, leaves and the tissues inside them.

    Published

  3. 7.3
    Transport & reproduction

    Xylem, phloem, the transpiration stream, flowers and seeds.

    Published

8

Animals

3 of 3 published

  1. 8.1
    Invertebrate diversity

    The major invertebrate phyla and their body plans.

    Published

  2. 8.2
    Vertebrates & chordates

    The chordate features and the vertebrate classes.

    Published

  3. 8.3
    Body plans, symmetry & adaptation

    Symmetry, cephalization and adaptations for survival.

    Published

9

Evolution

3 of 5 published

  1. 9.1
    Evidence for evolution

    Fossils, homology, biogeography and molecular evidence.

    Published

  2. 9.2
    Natural selection

    Variation, fitness and how populations change over time.

    Published

  3. 9.3
    Speciation & population genetics

    Isolation, new species and allele frequencies (Hardy–Weinberg).

    Published

  4. 9.4
    The pace of evolution: gradualism and punctuated equilibrium

    Two models of evolutionary tempo: slow, continuous change versus long stasis punctuated by rapid bursts.

    In preparation

  5. 9.5
    Genetic modification and the ethics of changing organisms

    Artificial selection, genetic modification and GMOs, gene therapy, and the ethical questions each raises.

    In review

10

Classification

3 of 4 published

  1. 10.1
    Taxonomy & binomial naming

    The classification hierarchy and scientific names.

    Published

  2. 10.2
    Domains & kingdoms

    The three domains and the tree of life.

    Published

  3. 10.3
    Dichotomous keys & phylogenetics

    Identifying organisms and reading cladograms.

    Published

  4. 10.4
    First Peoples knowledge on classification

    How First Peoples knowledge classifies animals and BC plants by use, contrasted with the Linnaean system.

    In preparation

11

ExtensionExtension, not counted toward course totals

3 of 3 published

  1. 11.1
    Energy flow & trophic levels

    Food chains, food webs, pyramids and the 10% rule.

    Published

  2. 11.2
    Biogeochemical cycles

    The carbon, nitrogen and water cycles.

    Published

  3. 11.3
    Populations, communities & biodiversity

    Growth curves, interactions and conservation.

    Published

What is Life Sciences 11 in British Columbia?

Short answer

Life Sciences 11 is the BC senior-biology course covering the characteristics and organization of life, cell structure and function, the diversity of living things (viruses, bacteria, protists, fungi, plants, and animals), evolution, ecology, and classification. It builds the biological vocabulary and reasoning that Anatomy & Physiology 12 extends to human body systems.

Course overview

Life Sciences 11 surveys life from the cell up to whole ecosystems. You learn what distinguishes living things, how cells are built and work, and how biologists classify the enormous diversity of organisms. Evolution ties the survey together as the explanation for why life is both varied and related, and ecology places organisms in their environments.

What you will learn

  • Describe the characteristics and organization of living things
  • Explain cell structure and how organelles carry out cell functions
  • Compare the major groups of organisms — viruses, bacteria, protists, fungi, plants, and animals
  • Explain the evidence and mechanisms of evolution
  • Describe ecological relationships and energy flow
  • Use classification systems to organize biological diversity

Who this course is for

  • • BC students taking Life Sciences 11 who want to understand biology, not just memorize terms
  • • Students planning to take Anatomy & Physiology 12
  • • Anyone who finds classification or evolutionary reasoning difficult and wants clear explanations

Commonly difficult topics

  • • Classification — keeping the hierarchy and the distinguishing features of each group straight
  • • Evolution — separating the evidence for evolution from the mechanisms that drive it
  • • Cell processes — linking each organelle to the job it performs
  • • Ecology — tracing energy and matter through a food web

How Dr. Shreyank Educare teaches this course

  1. 01 · Diagnose

    Find the exact skill causing difficulty — not the chapter, the skill.

  2. 02 · Understand

    Learn it through explanations, worked examples and visual reasoning.

  3. 03 · Practice

    Work problems that adapt to how you are actually doing.

  4. 04 · Fix

    A wrong answer becomes targeted remediation for the misconception behind it.

  5. 05 · Prove

    Solve new, unseen problems independently before mastery is awarded.

Course curriculum

1Characteristics of Life4 topics
  • — What makes something alive
  • — Levels of biological organization
  • — Doing biology — the scientific method
  • — First Peoples understandings of interrelationships between organisms
2Cell Structure & Function4 topics
  • — Cell theory & cell types
  • — Organelles in detail
  • — The membrane & transport
  • — Energy transformations in cells: respiration and photosynthesis
3Viruses3 topics
  • — Viral structure — are viruses alive?
  • — The lytic & lysogenic cycles
  • — Viruses & human disease
4Bacteria & Archaea3 topics
  • — Prokaryotic cell structure
  • — Reproduction & metabolism
  • — Bacteria, health & resistance
5Protists3 topics
  • — Protist diversity
  • — Animal-, plant- & fungus-like protists
  • — Protists in ecosystems & disease
6Fungi3 topics
  • — Fungal structure
  • — Fungal reproduction
  • — Fungi in ecosystems & human life
7Plants3 topics
  • — Plant diversity & evolution
  • — Plant structure
  • — Transport & reproduction
8Animals3 topics
  • — Invertebrate diversity
  • — Vertebrates & chordates
  • — Body plans, symmetry & adaptation
9Evolution5 topics
  • — Evidence for evolution
  • — Natural selection
  • — Speciation & population genetics
  • — The pace of evolution: gradualism and punctuated equilibrium
  • — Genetic modification and the ethics of changing organisms
10Classification4 topics
  • — Taxonomy & binomial naming
  • — Domains & kingdoms
  • — Dichotomous keys & phylogenetics
  • — First Peoples knowledge on classification
11Extension3 topics
  • — Energy flow & trophic levels
  • — Biogeochemical cycles
  • — Populations, communities & biodiversity

A sample learning experience

A cell secretes large amounts of digestive enzyme (a protein). Predict which organelles you would expect to be especially abundant, and explain why.

  1. 1. Proteins are built on ribosomes, so expect many ribosomes.
  2. 2. Secreted proteins are processed through the rough endoplasmic reticulum, so expect extensive rough ER.
  3. 3. The Golgi apparatus packages proteins for export, so expect a prominent Golgi.
  4. 4. Secretion requires energy, so expect many mitochondria to supply ATP.

Frequently asked questions

Is Life Sciences 11 hard?
It is less calculation-heavy than chemistry or physics, but there is a lot of vocabulary and conceptual reasoning. Understanding the "why" behind classification and evolution — rather than memorizing lists — is what makes it click.
Is Life Sciences 11 the same as Biology 11?
In the current BC curriculum the senior biology course is titled Life Sciences 11; it plays the role that "Biology 11" did in older curricula.
Do I need Life Sciences 11 for Anatomy & Physiology 12?
It is strongly recommended. Anatomy & Physiology 12 assumes the cell biology and organism-level understanding developed in Life Sciences 11.
How much chemistry is in Life Sciences 11?
Some basic chemistry of life (molecules, cells, energy) appears, but it is far less quantitative than Chemistry 11. The focus is biological structure and function.
What is the best way to study Life Sciences 11?
Turn lists into relationships — link each structure to its function, and each organism group to what makes it distinct. Diagrams you can redraw from memory are more useful than re-reading notes.

Related courses

Anatomy and Physiology 12 →

Explore all Biology courses →

Curriculum & sources

Content source: original lessons, worked examples and diagrams created for Dr. Shreyank Educare.

Curriculum alignment: Grade 11 Biology (BC curriculum).

Curriculum-aligned learning support — not an official school, ministry, or College Board course, and not a replacement for official credit.

Last updated . Authored and maintained in-house by the Dr. Shreyank Educare teaching team — see our editorial standards, methodology and source policy.