Enzymes
These are biological catalysts, speeding up reactions within living organisms. Each enzyme is specific to a certain reaction. The enzymes do not change during a reaction and can be used again and again. They are involved in building large molecules from smaller ones (eg protein synthesis ie growth), changing molecules from one type to another and breaking large molecules into smaller ones ( eg digestion ie fats into fatty acids and glycerol.)
Enzyme structure
Enzymes are long protein molecules coiled into very specific shapes and held in place by forces along parts of the molecule.
A part of the enzyme molecule will consist of a dent or hole (the active site)
Chemical reactions
Each of our cells needs hundreds of chemical reactions to happen quickly and efficiently. For a chemical reaction to take place the reacting particles have to collide with enough energy to react (activation energy)
Reactions are more likely to happen if-
- The number of collisions increases
- The energy of the collisions increases
- The activation energy is lowered
Enzymes work by lowering the activation energy of reactions.
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Peer Reviews
Here's what a star student thought of this essay
Quality of writing
There are no issues with spelling or grammar throughout this essay, though I would like to add, that if you use ‘e.g’ or ‘i.e’ you must put a full stop between the letters, which is the something that the candidate hasn’t done.
Level of analysis
The candidate has taken the time to link together other topics within biology which demonstrates a wider range of knowledge, this is a useful skill, one in which can help your studies. However, I feel that the candidates use of tables to display information is unhelpful, it detracts from the essay. At this the level of qualification you should be able to write scientific information in continual prose. In addition to this the candidate could have received a higher grade had they demonstrated that they had taken the time to research this subject. By doing background research and including information within your essay that is above and beyond your specification, you show that you are able to learn independently. Furthermore the extra information you include in your work can make your essay more interesting to read. Though you must remember to write a bibliography and site any resources you use, which includes providing links to webpages. This is important as it shows the steps you have taken to prepare your work and providing you write up information in your own word it prevents you being accused of plagiarism. On a final note, there is no conclusion for this piece of work which is a mistake, it is important to write a conclusion as this gives you a chance to leave the reader with a good impression of your work. You should end your essay by writing a summary of your key points with reference to why these are important as this helps to tie together any loose ends and bring your essay to a close. You should also give a personal response to your topic, for this type of essay that could simply be what you have learnt from writing this piece of work.
Response to question
The candidate gives a fairly in depth response, they explain what enzymes are, how they work and they give examples to why they are useful. Furthermore, they have used appropriate terms throughout their work which indicates they have a good understanding of this topic. In addition to this, the candidates introduction starts well, it is always a good idea to give a brief description of your topic. However, the candidate does not state what they plan to discuss, this is something you should do as it allows the reader to clearly see the purpose of your essay from offset.
