Chris Baynes Biology 09/09/09
The Role of ATP
Living organisms all need energy to live, for reproduction and for movement. This energy is used in the form of adenosine triphosphate (ATP). It is known as the ‘energy currency of living organisms’ and can be produced by two methods:
- Photosynthesis
- Chemical Energy
Photosynthesis is the absorption of light energy from the sun, which is then transferred into chemical energy. It occurs in plants and results in a useful supply of carbon. Chemical energy is acquired from a ‘ready made’ source of carbon such as biological materials found in plants and animals, although this energy still originally comes from the sun.
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Peer Reviews
Here's what a star student thought of this essay
Quality of writing
The essay is fluent and flows well, the candidate uses a good descriptive language and there is no issue with spelling or grammar.
Level of analysis
The candidate gives a reasonable level of analysis with good descriptions of structure and synthesis. There is suitable level of depth in their descriptions and s/he shows evidence of independent study as they go into a high level of detail about the quantity of energy provided by ATP. However the candidate fails to list the reasons of why we need ATP and the detail of what ATP is use for, it is needed for; movement, metabolism, active transport, maintenance, repair and division, production of substances and the maintenance of body temperature. For example It is used for metabolic processes, ATP provides energy to build up macromolecules from their basic units use as polypeptides from amino acids. There is also a lack of detail when describing the synthesis of ATP, for example it should be stated that photophosphorylation is the addition of a inorganic phosphate molecule using light energy, the term photo meaning from light. The candidate does mention that ATP is only an immediate source but doesn’t not mention that the reason it is not used as an energy store is because it is relatively unstable, fortunately though it can be manufactured rapidly and does not need to be stored. In addition ATP releases less energy than glucose therefore the energy released is in a more manageable quantity.
Response to question
This is good example of how to set out this type of essay and the language used is good. However the candidate doesn’t fully refer to the given statement and lacks basic detail. For the most part the candidate answers the statement adequately, though they do not provide the basic reasons ATP is needed which is essential when discussing the role of ATP. However the essay is well laid out, the information is very clear and it is easy to follow. I would also have though it important to show the equation for the formation of ATP which is missing from this essay. ATP + H20 -----> ADP + Pi + energy.
