Courses

Ontario · Grade 11

Biology, Grade 11, University Preparation

  • SBI3U

Ontario’s Grade 11 science course, from Investigation Skills and Careers to Plants: Anatomy, Growth, and Function.

Learn thisPractice test
Units
6
Lessons
12
Skills
54
Provincial exam
None
Official curriculum
Ontario Ministry of Education

Unit by unit

Every skill in the course, with its official code.

Unit 1 · 2 skills

Investigation Skills and Careers

Careers in the Biological Sciences

  • Careers in the biological sciences

    I can describe careers in the biological sciences and the training they require.

    A2.1

    Learn itPractice testActivities

Scientists and Their Contributions

  • Scientists who contributed to biology

    I can describe the contributions of scientists, including Canadians, to biology.

    A2.2

    Learn itPractice testActivities
The official wording · 2 outcomes
A2.1
identify and describe a variety of careers related to the fields of science under study (e.g., zoologist, botanist, geneticist, ecologist, pharmacologist, farmer, forester, horticulturalist) and the education and training necessary for these careers
A2.2
describe the contributions of scientists, including Canadians (e.g., Colin D’Cunha, Louis Bernatchez, Lap-Chee Tsui, Helen Battle, Memory Elvin-Lewis), to the fields under study

Key ideas

  1. Biology connects to many careers — zoologist, geneticist, ecologist, pharmacologist, forester.

  2. Scientists from many places, including Canadians such as Louis Bernatchez and Lap-Chee Tsui, advanced biology.

  3. Each career needs particular education and training, usually a university or college program.

  4. A contribution can be a discovery, a technique, or a public-health advance.

Watch out for

  • Thinking biology careers are only 'scientist in a lab'.
  • Thinking all major scientists are from long ago or far away.
  • Not knowing a career needs specific education and training.

Every skill’s key ideas, worked examples and checks are in MapleMind.Practise this unit

Unit 2 · 11 skills

Diversity of Living Things

Biodiversity and Human Impact

  • Risks and benefits of human intervention

    I can analyse the risks and benefits of a human intervention on biodiversity.

    B1.1

    Learn itPractice testActivities

  • Climate change and biodiversity

    I can analyse how climate change might affect the diversity of living things.

    B1.2

    Learn itPractice testActivities

Classifying the Diversity of Life

The official wording · 11 outcomes
B1.1
analyse some of the risks and benefits of human intervention (e.g., tree plantations; monoculture of livestock or agricultural crops; overharvesting of wild plants for medicinal purposes; using pesticides to control pests; suppression of wild fires) to the biodiversity of aquatic or terrestrial ecosystems [AI, C]
B1.2
analyse the impact that climate change might have on the diversity of living things (e.g., rising temperatures can result in habitat loss or expan- sion; changing rainfall levels can cause drought or flooding of habitats) [AI, C]
B2.1
use appropriate terminology related to bio- diversity, including, but not limited to: genetic diversity, species diversity, structural diversity, protists, bacteria, fungi, binomial nomenclature, and morphology [C]
B2.2
classify, and draw biological diagrams of, representative organisms from each of the kingdoms according to their unifying and distinguishing anatomical and physiological characteristics (e.g., vertebrate or invertebrate organisms, vascular or nonvascular plants) [PR, AI, C]
B2.3
use proper sampling techniques to collect various organisms from a marsh, pond, field, or other ecosystem, and classify the organisms according to the principles of taxonomy [PR, AI, C]
B2.4
create and apply a dichotomous key to iden- tify and classify organisms from each of the kingdoms [PR, AI, C]
B3.1
explain the fundamental principles of taxonomy and phylogeny by defining concepts of taxonomic rank and relationship, such as genus, species, and taxon
B3.2
compare and contrast the structure and function of different types of prokaryotes, eukaryotes, and viruses (e.g., compare and contrast genetic material, metabolism, organ- elles, and other cell parts)
B3.3
describe unifying and distinguishing ana- tomical and physiological characteristics (e.g., types of reproduction, habitat, general physical structure) of representative organisms from each of the kingdoms
B3.4
explain key structural and functional changes in organisms as they have evolved over time (e.g., the evolution of eukaryotes from prokaryotes, of plants from unicellular organisms)
B3.5
explain why biodiversity is important to maintaining viable ecosystems (e.g., biodiversity helps increase resilience to stress and resistance to diseases or invading species)

Key ideas

  1. Human interventions (tree plantations, monoculture, pesticide use, fire suppression) affect ecosystem biodiversity.

  2. Key terms include genetic, species, and structural diversity, binomial nomenclature, and morphology.

  3. A balanced analysis weighs both the risks and the benefits of one intervention.

  4. Precise terms let you describe and classify the diversity of life.

  5. Climate change can cause habitat loss or expansion and shift rainfall, causing drought or flooding.

Watch out for

  • Thinking an intervention is purely beneficial or purely harmful.
  • Confusing species diversity with genetic diversity.
  • Considering only one side of the judgement.

Every skill’s key ideas, worked examples and checks are in MapleMind.Practise this unit

Unit 3 · 10 skills

Evolution

Selection, Technology, and Change

  • Artificial selection technologies

    I can analyse the advantages and disadvantages of an artificial selection technology.

    C1.1

    Learn itPractice testActivities

  • Environmental change and natural selection

    I can evaluate how an environmental change affects natural selection and species vulnerability.

    C1.2

    Learn itPractice testActivities

Investigating Evolution

The official wording · 10 outcomes
C1.1
analyse, on the basis of research, the economic and environmental advantages and disadvan- tages of an artificial selection technology (e.g., livestock and horticultural breeding) [IP, PR, AI, C]
C1.2
evaluate the possible impact of an environ- mental change on natural selection and on the vulnerability of species (e.g., adaptation to environmental changes can affect reproductive success of an organism) [AI, C]
C2.1
use appropriate terminology related to evo- lution, including, but not limited to: extinction, natural selection, phylogeny, speciation, niche, mutation, mimicry, adaptation, and survival of the fittest [C]
C2.2
use a research process to investigate some of the key factors that affect the evolutionary process (e.g., genetic mutations, selective pressures, environmental stresses) [IP, PR]
C2.3
analyse, on the basis of research, and report on the contributions of various scientists to modern theories of evolution (e.g., Charles Lyell, Thomas Malthus, Jean-Baptiste Lamarck, Charles Darwin, Stephen Jay Gould, Niles Eldredge) [IP, PR, AI, C]
C2.4
investigate, through a case study or comput- er simulation, the processes of natural selection and artificial selection (e.g., selective breeding, antibiotic resistance in microorganisms), and analyse the different mechanisms by which they occur [PR, AI, C]
C3.1
explain the fundamental theory of evolution, using the evolutionary mechanism of natural selection to illustrate the process of biological change over time
C3.2
explain the process of adaptation of individ- ual organisms to their environment (e.g., some disease-causing bacteria in a bacterial popula- tion can survive exposure to antibiotics due to slight genetic variations from the rest of the population, which allows successful surviving bacteria to pass on antibiotic resistance to the next generation)
C3.3
define the concept of speciation, and explain the process by which new species are formed
C3.4
describe some evolutionary mechanisms (e.g., natural selection, artificial selection, sexual selection, genetic variation, genetic drift, biotechnology), and explain how they affect the evolutionary development and extinction of various species (e.g., Darwin’s finches, giraffes, pandas)

Key ideas

  1. Artificial selection technologies (livestock and horticultural breeding) have economic and environmental effects.

  2. Key terms include natural selection, phylogeny, speciation, niche, mutation, mimicry, and adaptation.

  3. A balanced analysis weighs both advantages and disadvantages of one technology.

  4. Precise terms let you describe evolutionary processes.

  5. Environmental change shifts which traits are advantageous, driving natural selection.

Watch out for

  • Thinking a technology is purely good or purely bad.
  • Confusing adaptation with mutation.
  • Considering only economic or only environmental effects.

Every skill’s key ideas, worked examples and checks are in MapleMind.Practise this unit

Unit 4 · 11 skills

Genetic Processes

Genetics, Ethics, and Society

Investigating Genetic Processes

The official wording · 11 outcomes
D1.1
analyse, on the basis of research, some of the social and ethical implications of research in genetics and genomics (e.g., genetic screening, gene therapy, in vitro fertilization) [IP, PR, AI, C]
D1.2
evaluate, on the basis of research, the im- portance of some recent contributions to knowledge, techniques, and technologies related to genetic processes (e.g., research into the cystic fibrosis gene; the use of safflowers to produce insulin for human use) [IP, PR, AI, C]
D2.1
use appropriate terminology related to gen- etic processes, including, but not limited to: haploid, diploid, spindle, synapsis, gamete, zygote, heterozygous, homozygous, allele, plasmid, trisomy, non-disjunction, and somatic cell [C]
D2.2
investigate the process of meiosis, using a microscope or similar instrument, or a computer simulation, and draw biological diagrams to help explain the main phases in the process [PR, AI, C]
D2.3
use the Punnett square method to solve basic genetics problems involving monohybrid crosses, incomplete dominance, codominance, dihybrid crosses, and sex-linked genes [PR, AI, C]
D2.4
investigate, through laboratory inquiry or computer simulation, monohybrid and dihy- brid crosses, and use the Punnett square method and probability rules to analyse the qualitative and quantitative data and determine the parent genotype [PR, AI, C]
D3.1
explain the phases in the process of meiosis in terms of cell division, the movement of chromosomes, and crossing over of genetic material
D3.2
explain the concepts of DNA, genes, chromosomes, alleles, mitosis, and meiosis, and how they account for the transmission of her- editary characteristics according to Mendelian laws of inheritance
D3.3
explain the concepts of genotype, pheno- type, dominance, incomplete dominance, codominance, recessiveness, and sex linkage ac- cording to Mendelian laws of inheritance
D3.4
describe some genetic disorders caused by chromosomal abnormalities (e.g., non-disjunction of chromosomes during meiosis) or other genetic mutations in terms of chromosomes affected, physical effects, and treatments
D3.5
describe some reproductive technologies (e.g., cloning, artificial insemination, in vitro fertilization, recombinant DNA), and explain how their use can increase the genetic diversity of a species (e.g., farm animals, crops)

Key ideas

  1. Research like genetic screening, gene therapy, and IVF raises social and ethical questions.

  2. Key terms include haploid, diploid, gamete, zygote, heterozygous, homozygous, and allele.

  3. An analysis weighs the benefits against the concerns from different viewpoints.

  4. Precise terms let you describe inheritance and cell division.

  5. Recent contributions include research into the cystic fibrosis gene and using safflowers to produce insulin.

Watch out for

  • Thinking genetics research has no downside.
  • Confusing haploid and diploid.
  • Confusing an opinion with an analysis of implications.

Every skill’s key ideas, worked examples and checks are in MapleMind.Practise this unit

Unit 5 · 9 skills

Animals: Structure and Function

Internal Systems and Technology

  • Technologies for internal body systems

    I can evaluate the importance of technologies for understanding internal body systems.

    E1.1

    Learn itPractice testActivities

  • Societal needs and scientific developments

    I can assess how a societal need drives developments related to internal systems.

    E1.2

    Learn itPractice testActivities

Investigating Animal Systems

The official wording · 9 outcomes
E1.1
evaluate the importance of various technolo- gies, including Canadian contributions, to our understanding of internal body systems (e.g., endoscopes can be used to locate, diagnose, and surgically remove digestive system tu- mours; lasers can be used during surgery to destroy lung tumours; nuclear magnetic reson- ance [NMR] imaging can be used to diagnose injuries and cardiovascular disorders, such as aneurysms) [AI, C]
E1.2
assess how societal needs (e.g., the need for healthy foods; the need to counteract the effects of sedentary lifestyles) lead to scientific and technological developments related to internal systems (e.g., advances in dietary products and fitness equipment; improved standards for transplanting organs) [AI, C]
E2.1
use appropriate terminology related to animal anatomy, including, but not limited to: systolic, diastolic, diffusion gradient, inhalation, ex- halation, coronary, cardiac, ulcer, asthma, and constipation [C]
E2.2
perform a laboratory or computer-simulated dissection of a representative animal, or use a mounted anatomical model, to analyse the relationships between the respiratory, circulatory, and digestive systems [PR, AI]
E2.3
use medical equipment (e.g., a stethoscope, a sphygmomanometer) to monitor the functional responses of the respiratory and circulatory systems to external stimuli (e.g., measure the change in breathing rate and heart rate after exercise) [PR, AI]
E3.1
explain the anatomy of the respiratory system and the process of ventilation and gas exchange from the environment to the cell (e.g., the movement of oxygen from the atmosphere to the cell; the roles of ventilation, hemoglobin, and diffusion in gas exchange)
E3.2
explain the anatomy of the digestive system and the importance of digestion in providing nutrients needed for energy and growth (e.g., the body’s mechanical and chemical processes digest food, which provides the proteins needed to build muscle, and the fibre, water, vitamins, and minerals needed to regulate body processes)
E3.3
explain the anatomy of the circulatory system (e.g., blood components, blood vessels, the heart) and its function in transporting substances that are vital to health
E3.4
describe some disorders related to the respiratory, digestive, and circulatory systems (e.g., asthma, emphysema, ulcers, colitis, cardiac arrest, arteriosclerosis)

Key ideas

  1. Technologies (endoscopes, surgical lasers, NMR imaging) reveal and treat internal systems.

  2. Key terms include systolic, diastolic, diffusion gradient, inhalation, exhalation, coronary, and cardiac.

  3. Evaluating importance means judging how much a technology advanced understanding or treatment.

  4. Precise terms let you describe how animal systems work.

  5. Societal needs (healthier foods, counteracting sedentary lifestyles) drive scientific developments.

Watch out for

  • Thinking all technologies are equally important.
  • Confusing systolic and diastolic.
  • Not connecting a technology to a gain in understanding or treatment.

Every skill’s key ideas, worked examples and checks are in MapleMind.Practise this unit

Unit 6 · 11 skills

Plants: Anatomy, Growth, and Function

Plants and Society

Investigating Plant Anatomy and Growth

The official wording · 11 outcomes
F1.1
evaluate, on the basis of research, the im- portance of plants to the growth and development of Canadian society (e.g., as a source of food, pharmaceuticals, Aboriginal medicines, building materials, flood and ero- sion control; as a resource for recreation and ecotourism) [IP, PR, AI, C]
F1.2
evaluate, on the basis of research, ways in which different societies or cultures have used plants to sustain human populations while supporting environmental sustainability (e.g., sustainable agricultural practices in developing countries such as crop rotation and seed saving; traditional Aboriginal corn production practices) [IP, PR, AI, C]
F2.1
use appropriate terminology related to plants, including, but not limited to: mesophyll, palisade, aerenchyma, epidermal tissue, stomata, root hair, pistil, stamen, venation, auxin, and gibberellin [C]
F2.2
design and conduct an inquiry to determine the factors that affect plant growth (e.g., the effects on plant growth of the quantity of nutri- ents, the quantity and quality of light, and factors such as temperature and water retention or percolation rate) [IP, PR, AI]
F2.3
identify, and draw biological diagrams of, the specialized plant tissues in roots, stems, and leaves (e.g., xylem, phloem), using a microscope and models [PR, AI]
F2.4
investigate various techniques of plant propagation (e.g., leaf cutting, stem cutting, root cutting, seed germination) [PR]
F3.1
describe the structures of the various types of tissues in vascular plants, and explain the mechanisms of transport involved in the processes by which materials are distributed throughout a plant (e.g., transpiration, translocation, osmosis)
F3.2
compare and contrast monocot and dicot plants in terms of their structures (e.g., seeds, stem, flower, root) and their evolutionary processes (i.e., how one type evolved from the other)
F3.3
explain the reproductive mechanisms of plants in natural reproduction and artificial propagation (e.g., germination of seeds, leaf cuttings, grafting of branches onto a host tree)
F3.4
describe the various factors that affect plant growth (e.g., growth regulators, sunlight, water, nutrients, acidity, tropism)
F3.5
explain the process of ecological succession, including the role of plants in maintaining biodiversity and the survival of organisms after a disturbance to an ecosystem

Key ideas

  1. Plants provide food, pharmaceuticals, Aboriginal medicines, building materials, and flood and erosion control.

  2. Key terms include mesophyll, palisade, epidermal tissue, stomata, root hair, pistil, stamen, and auxin.

  3. Evaluating importance means judging how much society depends on plants.

  4. Precise terms let you describe plant anatomy and growth.

  5. Cultures have used plants sustainably — crop rotation, seed saving, traditional Aboriginal corn production.

Watch out for

  • Thinking plants are only food.
  • Confusing pistil and stamen.
  • Judging importance without evidence.

Every skill’s key ideas, worked examples and checks are in MapleMind.Practise this unit

Which course?

Ontario has 5 science courses for Grade 11. Here they are side by side.

What a university, college or program asks for is theirs to say: check its admission page, and your school’s course guide.

The official curriculum

This page follows Ontario’s own curriculum for Biology, Grade 11, University Preparation.

The Ontario Curriculum, Grades 11 and 12: ScienceOntario Ministry of Education · edu.gov.on.ca · Read July 31, 2026

Textbooks

The textbooks Ontario Ministry of Education lists for Biology, Grade 11, University Preparation:

  • Nelson Biology 11 University PreparationNelson Education Ltd. · 2011
  • Pearson Investigating Science BiologySource 11Pearson Education Canada · 2011
  • McGraw-Hill Ryerson Biology 11McGraw-Hill Ryerson · 2010

From the Trillium List, read October 27, 2026. ontario.ca

Study it in MapleMind

MapleMind teaches Biology, Grade 11, University Preparation one skill at a time. Each skill gets a short lesson, practice as you go and a check worth up to three stars. It remembers where you stopped.

Geography of Canada, Grade 9 in the MapleMind app on a tablet: its units, Unit 2 open, and the skills done so far with their starsGeography of Canada, Grade 9 in the MapleMind app on a phone: its units, Unit 2 open, and the skills done so far with their stars
Pictured: Geography of Canada, Grade 9, another Ontario course, partway through Unit 2.

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Questions about Biology, Grade 11, University Preparation

What is Biology, Grade 11, University Preparation?

Ontario’s Grade 11 science course: 6 units and 54 skills, from Investigation Skills and Careers to Plants: Anatomy, Growth, and Function.

What units are in Biology, Grade 11, University Preparation?

1. Investigation Skills and Careers, 2. Diversity of Living Things, 3. Evolution, 4. Genetic Processes, 5. Animals: Structure and Function and 6. Plants: Anatomy, Growth, and Function.

Is there a provincial exam for Biology, Grade 11, University Preparation?

No. Ontario gives no provincial exam for Biology, Grade 11, University Preparation.

What textbook does Biology, Grade 11, University Preparation use?

The textbooks Ontario Ministry of Education lists for Biology, Grade 11, University Preparation: Nelson Biology 11 University Preparation, Nelson Education Ltd., Pearson Investigating Science BiologySource 11, Pearson Education Canada and McGraw-Hill Ryerson Biology 11, McGraw-Hill Ryerson.

What comes after Biology, Grade 11, University Preparation?

Biology, Grade 12, University Preparation, Chemistry, Grade 12, University Preparation, Chemistry, Grade 12, College Preparation, Physics, Grade 12, University Preparation, Physics, Grade 12, College Preparation and Earth and Space Science, Grade 12, University Preparation.

Can MapleMind help with Biology, Grade 11, University Preparation?

Yes. MapleMind teaches every skill of Biology, Grade 11, University Preparation, step by step, with practice and checks, and its tutor answers questions about any of them. It’s free with daily limits, on iPhone, Android and the web.

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