CBSE Class 12 Biology Syllabus 2024 – Chapters, Topics, Weightage

CBSE Class 12 Biology Syllabus: Are you Looking for CBSE Class 12 Biology Syllabus 2024-20, Chapter, Topics ??? Then, you are on the right track. Those who are Interested to know about the Information for Class XII CBSE Biology Syllabus 2019-20 may go through this article. As we have provided the details for CBSE Class 12 Biology Syllabus. We all are aware that how important are the Class XII Exams (सीबीएसई कक्षा 12 जीवविज्ञान पाठ्यक्रम) in a student’s life. But students may not have to be worried about the CBSE Syllabus. Each and every detail is provided in this article related to the Central Board of Secondary Education. You just have to check out and read every detail to know about it.

CBSE Class 12 Biology Syllabus 2024

Unit Wise Titles and Marks were mentioned below in a table format for the candidates. Unit Titles and Topics were also given below. For, any doubts visit the PDF.

Unit – VI Reproduction

Chapter-2: Sexual Reproduction in Flowering Plants

Flower structure; development of male and female gametophytes; pollination – types, agencies, and examples; outbreeding devices; pollen-pistil interaction; double fertilization; post-fertilization events – development of endosperm and embryo, development of seed, and formation of fruit; special modes- apomixis, parthenocarpy, polyembryony; Significance of seed dispersal and fruit formation.

Chapter-3: Human Reproduction

Male and female reproductive systems; microscopic anatomy of testis and ovary; gametogenesis – spermatogenesis and oogenesis; menstrual cycle; fertilization, embryo development up to blastocyst formation, implantation; pregnancy and placenta formation (Elementary idea); parturition (elementary idea); lactation (elementary idea).

Chapter-4: Reproductive Health

Need for reproductive health and prevention of Sexually Transmitted Diseases (STDs); birth control – need and methods, contraception and medical termination of pregnancy (MTP); amniocentesis; infertility and assisted reproductive technologies – IVF, ZIFT, GIFT (elementary the idea for general awareness)

Unit-VII Genetics and Evolution

Chapter-5: Principles of Inheritance and Variation

Heredity and variation: Mendelian inheritance; deviations from Mendelism – incomplete dominance, co-dominance, multiple alleles and inheritance of blood groups, pleiotropy; elementary idea of polygenic inheritance; chromosome theory of inheritance; chromosomes and genes; Sex determination – in human being, birds, and honey bee; linkage and crossing over; sex-linked inheritance – hemophilia, color blindness; Mendelian disorders in humans -thalassemia; chromosomal disorders in humans; Down’s syndrome, Turner’s and Klinefelter’s syndromes.

Chapter-6: Molecular Basis of Inheritance

Search for genetic material and DNA as genetic material; Structure of DNA and RNA; DNA packaging; DNA replication; Central Dogma; transcription, genetic code, translation; gene expression and regulation – lac operon; Genome, Human and rice genome projects; DNA fingerprinting.

Unit-VIII Biology and Human Welfare

Chapter-8: Human Health and Diseases

Pathogens; parasites causing human diseases (malaria, dengue, chikungunya, filariasis, ascariasis, typhoid, pneumonia, common cold, amoebiasis, ringworm) and their control; Basic concepts of immunology – vaccines; cancer, HIV and AIDS; Adolescence – drug and alcohol abuse.

Chapter-10: Microbes in Human Welfare

Microbes in food processing, industrial production, sewage treatment, energy generation, and microbes as bio-control agents and bio-fertilizers. Antibiotics; production and judicious use.

Unit-IX Biotechnology and its Applications

Chapter-11: Biotechnology – Principles and Processes

Genetic Engineering (Recombinant DNA Technology).

Chapter-12: Biotechnology and its Application

Application of biotechnology in health and agriculture: Human insulin and vaccine production, stem cell technology, gene therapy; genetically modified organisms – Bt crops; transgenic animals; biosafety issues, biopiracy, and patents.

Unit-X Ecology and Environment

Chapter-13: Organisms and Populations

Organisms and environment: Habitat and niche, population and ecological adaptations; population interactions – mutualism, competition, predation, parasitism; population attributes – growth, birth rate, and death rate, age distribution.

Chapter-15: Biodiversity and its Conservation

Biodiversity – Concept, patterns, importance; loss of biodiversity; biodiversity conservation; hotspots, endangered organisms, extinction, Red Data Book, Sacred Groves, biosphere reserves, national parks, wildlife, sanctuaries, and Ramsar sites.

CBSE Class 12 Biology Syllabus 2018 – 2019

CBSE Class 12 Biology Syllabus: The present syllabus provides the students with new concepts along with extended exposure to contemporary areas of the subject. The syllabus also aims at emphasizing the underlying principles that are common to both animals and plants as well as highlighting the relationship of Biology with other areas of knowledge. The format of the syllabus allows a simple, clear, sequential flow of concepts. It relates the study of biology to real life through the use of technology.

It links the discoveries and innovations in biology to everyday life such as the environment, industry, health, and agriculture. The updated syllabus also focuses on reducing the curriculum load while ensuring that ample opportunities and scope for learning and appreciating basic concepts of the subject continue to be available within its framework. The prescribed syllabus is expected to :

• Promote understanding of basic principles of Biology;
• Encourage learning of emerging knowledge and its relevance to individual and society;
• Promote rational/scientific attitude towards issues related to population, environment, and development;
• Enhance awareness about environmental issues, problems, and their appropriate solutions;
• Create awareness amongst the learners about diversity in the living organisms and developing respect for other living beings;
• Appreciate that the most complex biological phenomena are built on essentially simple processes;

It is expected that the students would get an exposure to various branches of Biology in the syllabus in a more contextual and friendly manner as they study its various units.

Units and their Weightage

Class 12 CBSE Biology Syllabus for 2019

CBSE Class 12 Biology Syllabus

Unit – VI: Reproduction
Chapter – 1: Reproduction in Organisms
Reproduction, a characteristic feature of all organisms for continuation of species; modes of reproduction – asexual and sexual reproduction; asexual reproduction – binary fission, sporulation, budding, gemmule formation, fragmentation; vegetative propagation in plants.

Chapter – 2: Sexual Reproduction in Flowering Plants
Flower structure; development of male and female gametophytes; pollination – types, agencies, and examples; outbreeding devices; pollen-pistil interaction; double fertilization; post-fertilization events – development of endosperm and embryo, development of seed and formation of fruit; special modesapomixis, parthenocarpy, polyembryony; Significance of seed dispersal and fruit formation.

Chapter – 3: Human Reproduction
Male and female reproductive systems; microscopic anatomy of testis and ovary; gametogenesis – spermatogenesis and oogenesis; menstrual cycle; fertilization, embryo development up to blastocyst formation, implantation; pregnancy and placenta formation (Elementary idea); parturition (elementary idea); lactation (elementary idea).

Chapter – 4: Reproductive Health
Need for reproductive health and prevention of Sexually Transmitted Diseases (STDs); birth control – need and methods, contraception and medical termination of pregnancy (MTP); amniocentesis; infertility and assisted reproductive technologies – IVF, ZIFT, GIFT (Elementary idea for general awareness).

Unit – VII Genetics and Evolution
Chapter – 5: Principles of Inheritance and Variation
Heredity and variation: Mendelian inheritance; deviations from Mendelism – incomplete dominance, codominance, multiple alleles and inheritance of blood groups, pleiotropy; elementary idea of polygenic inheritance; chromosome theory of inheritance; chromosomes and genes; Sex determination – in humans, birds and honey bee; linkage and crossing over; sex-linked inheritance – hemophilia, color blindness; Mendelian disorders in humans – thalassemia;
chromosomal disorders in humans; Down’s syndrome, Turner’s and Klinefelter’s syndromes.

Chapter – 6: Molecular Basis of Inheritance
Search for genetic material and DNA as genetic material; Structure of DNA and RNA; DNA packaging; DNA replication; Central dogma; Transcription, genetic code, translation; gene expression and regulation – lac operon; genome and human and rice genome projects; DNA fingerprinting.

Chapter – 7: Evolution
Origin of life; biological evolution and evidence for biological evolution (paleontology, comparative anatomy, embryology, and molecular evidence); Darwin’s contribution, a modern synthetic theory of evolution; mechanism of evolution – variation (mutation and recombination) and natural selection with examples, types of natural selection; Gene flow and genetic drift; Hardy – Weinberg’s principle; adaptive radiation; human evolution.

Unit – VIII Biology and Human Welfare
Chapter – 8: Human Health and Diseases
Pathogens; parasites causing human diseases (malaria, dengue, chikungunya, filariasis, ascariasis, typhoid, pneumonia, common cold, amoebiasis, ringworm) and their control; Basic concepts of immunology – vaccines; cancer, HIV and AIDS; Adolescence – drug and alcohol abuse.

Chapter – 9: Strategies for Enhancement in Food Production
Improvement in food production: Plant breeding, tissue culture, single-cell protein,
Biofortification, Apiculture, and Animal husbandry.

Chapter – 10: Microbes in Human Welfare
In household food processing, industrial production, sewage treatment, energy generation, and microbes as biocontrol agents and biofertilizers. Antibiotics; production and judicious use.

Unit – IX: Biotechnology and Its Applications: 30 Periods
Chapter – 11: Biotechnology – Principles and processes
Genetic Engineering (Recombinant DNA Technology).

Chapter – 12: Biotechnology and its Application
Application of biotechnology in health and agriculture: Human insulin and vaccine production, stem cell technology, gene therapy; genetically modified organisms – Bt crops; transgenic animals; biosafety issues, biopiracy, and patents.

Unit – X: Ecology and Environment: 30 Periods
Chapter – 13: Organisms and Populations
Organisms and environment: Habitat and niche, population and ecological adaptations; population interactions – mutualism, competition, predation, parasitism; population attributes – growth, birth rate and death rate, age distribution.

Chapter – 14: Ecosystem
Ecosystems: Patterns, components; productivity and decomposition; energy flow; pyramids of number, biomass, energy; nutrient cycles (carbon and phosphorous); ecological succession; ecological services – carbon fixation, pollination, seed dispersal, oxygen release (in brief).

Chapter – 15: Biodiversity and its Conservation
Biodiversity-Concept, patterns, importance; loss of biodiversity; biodiversity conservation; hotspots, endangered organisms, extinction, Red Data Book, biosphere reserves, national parks, sanctuaries, and Ramsar sites.

Chapter – 16: Environmental Issues
Air pollution and its control; water pollution and its control; agrochemicals and their effects; solid waste management; radioactive waste management; greenhouse effect and climate change impact and mitigation; ozone layer depletion; deforestation; any one case study as success story addressing the environmental issue(s)

Biology Practicals for Class 12

1. List of Experiments

• Collect and study soil from at least two different sites and study them for texture, moisture content, pH and water holding capacity. Correlate with the kinds of plants found in them.
• Study pollen germination on a slide.
• Study the presence of suspended particulate matter in the air at two widely different sites.
• Study the plant population frequency by quadrat method.
• Study the effect of different temperatures and three different pH on the activity of salivary amylase on starch.
• Collect water from two different water bodies around you and study them for pH, clarity, and presence of any living organism.
• Study the plant population density by quadrat method.
• Prepare a temporary mount of the onion root tip to study mitosis.
• Isolate DNA from available plant material such as spinach, green pea seeds, papaya, etc.

    2. Study/observation of the following (Spotting)

• Flowers adapted to pollination by different agencies (wind, insects, birds).
• Meiosis in onion bud cell or grasshopper testis through permanent slides.
• S. of blastula through permanent slides (Mammalian).
• Pollen germination on stigma through a permanent slide.
• Identification of stages of gamete development, i.e., T.S. of testis and T.S. of ovary through permanent slides (from grasshopper/mice).
• Controlled pollination – emasculation, tagging and bagging.
• Common disease causing organisms like Ascaris, Entamoeba, Plasmodium, any fungus causing ringworm through permanent slides or specimens. Comment on symptoms of diseases that they cause.
• Mendelian inheritance using seeds of different colour/sizes of any plant.
• Prepared pedigree charts of any one of the genetic traits such as rolling of tongue, blood groups, ear lobes, widow’s peak, and colour blindness.
• Two plants and two animals (models/virtual images) found in xeric conditions. Comment upon their morphological adaptations.
• Two plants and two animals (models/virtual images) found in aquatic conditions. Comment upon their morphological adaptations.

CBSE Class 12 Biology Syllabus – Practical Syllabus

General Guidelines

• The question paper given to the students should be legibly typed. It should contain a total of 15 practical skill-based very short answer-type questions. A student would be required to answer any 10 questions.
• A writer may be allowed to such students as per CBSE examination rules.
• All questions included in the question paper should be related to the listed practicals. Every question should require about two minutes to be answered.
• The practical examination will be of two-hour duration.
• A separate list of ten experiments is included here.
• The written examination in practicals for these students will be conducted at the time of practical examination of all other students.
• The written test will be of 30 minutes duration.
• Questions may be generated jointly by the external/internal examiners and used for assessment.
• The viva questions may include questions based on basic theory/principle/ concept, apparatus /materials/chemicals required, procedure, precautions, sources of error, etc.
• These students are also required to maintain a practical file. A student is expected to record at least five of the listed experiments as per the specific instructions for each subject. These practicals should be duly checked and signed by the internal examiner.
• The format of writing any experiment in the practical file should include aim, apparatus required, simple theory, procedure, related practical skills, precautions, etc.

CBSE Class 12 Biology Syllabus Practicals 2018 – 2019

1. Items for Identification/ familiarity with the apparatus for assessment in practicals (All experiments)Beaker, flask, Petri dishes, soil from different sites- sandy, clayey, loamy, small potted plants, aluminum foil, paintbrush, test tubes, starch solution, iodine, ice cubes, Bunsen burner/water bath, large colorful flowers, Maize inflorescence, a model of developmental stages highlighting morula and blastula of frog, beads of different shapes (cubes, round) /size, smooth and rough, tags of different shapes, bags, Ascaris, Cacti (Opuntia).
2. List of Practicals

• Study of the soil obtained from at least two different sites for their texture and water holding capacity.
• Comment upon the morphological adaptations of plants found in xerophytic conditions.
• Study of flowers adapted to pollination by different agencies (wind, insects).
• Identification of T.S of morula or blastula of the frog.
• Study of Mendelian inheritance pattern using beads of different color/sizes.
• Preparation of pedigree charts of genetic traits such as rolling of tongue, color blindness.
• Study of presence of suspended particulate matter in the air at two widely different sites.
• Study of the effect of different temperatures on the activity of salivary amylase.
• Study of emasculation, tagging, and bagging by trying out an exercise on controlled pollination.
• Identify common disease-causing organisms like Ascaris and learn some common symptoms of the disease that they cause.

Note: The above practicals may be carried out in an experiential manner rather than recording observations.

Recommended Books for CBSE Class 12 Biology Syllabus

• Biology, Class-XII, Published by NCERT
• Other related books and manuals brought out by NCERT (consider multimedia also)

Students need not have to worry about the Exam syllabus. As we have provided about CBSE Class 12 Biology Syllabus 2024 in this article. Once, check it and immediately start the preparation. Also, keep following us for such Updates and Do not forget to share this article with your friends. So, they may also know about CBSE Class 12 Biology Syllabus 2020-21 – Language Paper, and they may also start preparing for the Exams. The curriculum for March 2019 exams is designed by CBSE, New Delhi as per NCERT textbooks for the session 2020-21.