IBO

Observation; Measurement; Grouping or classification; Relationship finding; Calculation; Data organization and presentation: graphs, tables, charts, diagrams, photographs; Prediction / projection; Hypothesis formulation; Operational definition: scope, condition, assumption; Variable identification and control; Experimentation: experimental design, experimenting, result / data recording, result interpretation and drawing conclusions; Representing numerical results with appropriate accuracy (correct number of digits)

Observation of biological objects using magnifying glasses; Work with a microscope (objective max. 45×); Work with a stereomicroscope; Drawing of preparations (from a microscope, etc.); Exact description of a biological drawing using tables of biological terms marked with a numerical code

A. Cytological methods: Maceration and squash technique; Smear method; Staining of cells and slide preparation; B. Methods to study plant anatomy and physiology: Dissection of plant flower and deduction of flower formula; Dissection of other plant parts: roots, stems, leaves, fruits; Free-hand sectioning of stems, leaves, roots; Staining (for example lignin) and slide preparation of plant tissues; Elementary measurement of photosynthesis; Measurement of transpiration; C. Methods to study animal anatomy and physiology: Dissection of invertebrates; Whole-mount slide preparation of small invertebrates; Elementary measurement of respiration; D. Ethological methods: Determination and interpretation of animal behavior; E. Ecological and environmental methods: Estimation of population density; Estimation of biomass; Elementary estimation of water quality; Elementary estimation of air quality; F. Taxonomic methods: Use of dichotomous keys; Construction of simple dichotomous keys; Identification of the most common flowering plant families; Identification of insect orders; Identification of phyla and classes of other organisms

Separation techniques: chromatography, filtration, centrifugation; Standard tests for monosaccharides, polysaccharides, lipids, protein (Fehling, I2 in KI (aq), biuret); Titration; Measuring quantities by drip and strip methods; Dilution methods; Pipetting, including use of micropipettes; Microscopy, including use of counting chambers; Determination of absorption of light; Gel electrophoresis

Preparing nutrient media; Aseptic techniques (flaming and heating glass material); Inoculation techniques

Probability and probability distributions; Application of mean, median, percentage, variance, standard deviation, standard error, t-test, chi-square test

A. Comparative sequence analysis: Performing and interpreting sequence alignments; Identifying point mutations and insertions/deletions (indels); Comparing nucleotide or amino acid sequences; Note: Students should be able to interpret alignment outputs and identify biologically relevant sequence differences. Algorithmic details of alignment methods are not required.; B. Phylogenetic analysis and evolutionary interpretation: Interpreting phylogenetic trees; Distinguishing orthologous and paralogous genes; Inferring evolutionary relationships among sequences or organisms; Note: Students should be able to interpret tree topology and evolutionary relationships. Construction algorithms or advanced evolutionary models are not required.; C. Querying biological databases: Searching biological databases; Interpreting database records; Using accession numbers and cross-referencing related entries; Note: Students should be able to locate and interpret biological information in databases. Technical database architecture and programming interfaces are outside the scope.; D. Interpretation of genomic and transcriptomic data: Interpreting simplified sequencing outputs; Comparing gene expression levels; Identifying genes associated with biological traits; Note: Students should focus on biological interpretation of sequencing results. Complex bioinformatics pipelines or statistical modelling are not required.; E. Structural bioinformatics and protein function: Inspecting protein structures; Identifying structural features such as secondary structures, hydrogen bonds, and hydrophobic regions; Comparing homologous protein structures; Note: Students should interpret structural visualizations or simplified structural data. Advanced molecular simulations or energy calculations are outside the scope.; F. Genetic engineering design (virtual cloning): Identifying restriction enzyme sites; Designing plasmid constructs; Designing PCR primers; Note: Students should understand the conceptual design of cloning experiments. For computational examinations, detailed laboratory protocols are not required.; G. Modelling of biological systems: Interpreting outputs from biological simulations or simplified models; Understanding how parameter changes affect model outcomes; Note: Students are expected to interpret outputs from existing models rather than construct models themselves.; H. Integration of multiple biological data sources: Integrating results from multiple biological datasets and/or experiments; Synthesizing evidence from different types of biological information; Note: Students are expected to interpret combined outputs from multiple datasets or experiments. Developing mathematical models or applying multivariate statistics (e.g. PCA, NMDS) should not be required unless these are explicitly explained within the examination materials.