BIOL1019 Human Physiology 101
The Complete Exam Bible · S2 2026BIOL1019 Overview
- University of Adelaide
- Semester 2 2026
- Level 1
- 6 units
- Anatomy & Physiology
Human Physiology 101 explains how the healthy human body works and how its systems are kept in balance. The course aim, as the University describes it, is to understand the normal function of physiological systems and the critical, integrative way they interact.
- Assessed by A practical report, a group oral presentation, two closed-book tests and an end-of-semester exam
- Hardest step Explaining control loops across systems, such as calcium, glucose, temperature and filtration
- Exam focus The final exam covers every topic taught in Semester 2 under closed-book conditions
- How to prepare Redraw each pathway from memory and write timed multi-part short answers
What you get in the full BIOL1019 Exam Bible
- 13 chapters, 64 pages — every examinable topic, week by week
- 32 original practice questions, each with a model answer in the Final Exam format
- 13 worked examples, solved the way BIOL1019 marks
- 19 computed figures, redrawn from the course’s own numbers
- Exam-morning plan for the Final Exam (50%) — what to revise last, where marks are lost
Free on this page: assessment table, chapter map, one worked example, key terms, FAQ. The rest is in the full exam bible.
How BIOL1019 is assessed
| Component | Weight | Format |
|---|---|---|
| Nervous System Practical Report | 10% | Week 2 workshop; group report in Lt on reflexes; pre-practical activity must be completed first |
| Test 1 | 10% | Week 8 workshop; closed book, 75 minutes; multiple choice, reading and short answer questions |
| Group Research Project oral presentation | 20% | Week 10 workshop; group presentation of about 15 minutes; slides submitted 48 hours before |
| Test 2 | 10% | Week 12 workshop; closed book, 45 minutes; multiple choice, reading and short answer questions |
| Final Exam | 50% | Semester 2 exam period; closed book, invigilated; covers all topics |
The University's 2026 course page groups these weights as Multiple Choice Questions 20%, Exam 50% and Report, Assignment 30%; the course site lists the five tasks above, which add to the same 100%. The final exam's format and timing are published on the course site during Semester 2. Confirm any pass requirements in the course outline on the course site.
What other students are asking about BIOL1019
- Where can I find lecture notes or study guides for BIOL1019 at adelaide?
- The BIOL1019 study guide in AskSia Library covers Human Physiology 101 in 13 chapters, with the assessment table, a chapter-by-chapter topic map, key terms and a worked example, free to read on this page.
- Is there a final exam in BIOL1019, and how much is it worth?
- Yes. In the offering this AskSia Library guide is built from, Final Exam carries 50% of the BIOL1019 mark; the full split is Nervous System Practical Report 10%, Test 1 10%, Group Research Project oral presentation 20%, Test 2 10%, Final Exam 50%.
- What does BIOL1019 cover on receptors and nervous system pathways?
- In AskSia Library's BIOL1019 guide, the Receptors and Nervous System Pathways chapter explains receptor types, adaptation, ascending tracts, pain and motor pathways, CNS protection.
- What does BIOL1019 cover on the autonomic nervous system?
- In AskSia Library's BIOL1019 guide, the The Autonomic Nervous System chapter explains sympathetic and parasympathetic chains, transmitters, receptors and dual innervation.
- What does BIOL1019 cover on special senses: eye and ear?
- In AskSia Library's BIOL1019 guide, the Special Senses: Eye and Ear chapter explains eye structure, rods and cones, the ear, hearing and equilibrium pathways.
Current BIOL1019 dates
| Date | Item | Control |
|---|---|---|
| Week 2, 10 to 14 August 2026 | Nervous System Practical Report | Completed in the scheduled workshop; pre-practical activity required beforehand. |
| Week 8, 22 to 25 September 2026 | Test 1 | Closed book, 75 minutes, in the scheduled workshop. |
| Week 10, 19 to 23 October 2026 | Group Research Project presentations | Slides submitted 48 hours before the workshop. |
| Week 12, 3 to 6 November 2026 | Test 2 | Closed book, 45 minutes, in the scheduled workshop. |
| 16 to 29 November 2026 | Exam period | Final Exam date and time on the Semester 2 exam timetable. |
Dates are as published in the Semester 2 2026 course site. Confirm exact deadlines and submission settings in the live LMS.
What BIOL1019 covers
Thirteen chapters follow the course from the nervous system and the senses through hormones, skin and immunity to metabolism, the kidney and reproduction.
Brain, Spinal Cord and Reflexes
Brain regions, gray and white matter, spinal roots and reflex arcsThe nervous system splits into a central part that processes and co-ordinates information and a peripheral part that carries it.
- CNS and PNS: processing versus transmitting
- Gray matter, white matter and tracts
- Dorsal root ganglia, dorsal and ventral roots
- Dermatomes as a clinical map
- Monosynaptic and polysynaptic reflexes
- Stretch, Golgi tendon, withdrawal and crossed extensor reflexes
Receptors and Nervous System Pathways
Receptor types, adaptation, ascending tracts, pain and motor pathways, CNS protectionSensation begins with receptors that convert a stimulus into action potentials, and the properties of those receptors decide what reaches the brain: their sensitivity, the size of their receptive field, the labelled line they feed and how quickly they adapt.
- Receptor classes by stimulus
- Receptive fields and two-point discrimination
- Tonic and phasic adaptation
- Three-neuron somatosensory pathways
- Spinothalamic, posterior column and spinocerebellar routes
- Substance P and the analgesic pathway
The Autonomic Nervous System
Sympathetic and parasympathetic chains, transmitters, receptors and dual innervationThe autonomic nervous system controls cardiac muscle, smooth muscle, glands and adipose tissue without conscious effort.
- Somatic versus autonomic motor pathways
- Thoracolumbar and craniosacral origins
- Preganglionic and postganglionic transmitters
- Nicotinic, muscarinic and adrenergic receptors
- Adrenal medulla as a modified ganglion
- Dual innervation and tonic control
Special Senses: Eye and Ear
Eye structure, rods and cones, the ear, hearing and equilibrium pathwaysVision, hearing and equilibrium depend on complex sense organs that turn light, sound and movement into action potentials.
- Accessory structures of the eye
- Cornea, lens and accommodation
- Rods, cones and visual pigments
- The visual pathway to the occipital lobe
- Outer, middle and inner ear
- Organ of Corti and the hearing pathway
Hormones, the Hypothalamus and the Pituitary
Hormone classes, second messengers, feedback and the pituitary lobesThe endocrine system is the body's second communication system, slower to start and longer lasting than the nervous system and able to reach virtually every cell.
- Nervous versus endocrine communication
- Three hormone classes
- Second messengers and intracellular receptors
- Free and protein-bound hormones
- Hypothalamic releasing and inhibiting hormones
- Anterior and posterior pituitary
Thyroid, Parathyroid, Adrenal Glands and Pancreas
Thyroid hormones, calcium control, adrenal zones, insulin, glucagon and diabetesFour glands carry most of the endocrine regulation examined in this course.
- Thyroid follicles, T3 and T4
- Goitre, myxoedema and Graves' disease
- Calcium balance: PTH, calcitriol and calcitonin
- Adrenal cortex zones and their hormones
- Adrenal medulla and the stress response
- Insulin, glucagon and islet cells
The Integumentary System
Epidermal strata, dermis, glands, wound healing, burns and thermoregulationThe skin is an organ with jobs well beyond covering the body: it protects, excretes salts and water, helps regulate temperature, synthesises vitamin D3, stores lipids and detects touch, pressure, pain and temperature.
- Functions of the integument
- Epidermal strata and cell types
- Papillary and reticular dermis
- Melanin, carotene and skin colour
- Hair, sebaceous and sweat glands, nails
- Wound healing and burns
Lymphatics and Innate Immunity
Lymph formation and flow, lymphoid organs, barriers, inflammation and feverThe lymphatic system returns excess tissue fluid to the blood, absorbs dietary fat and hosts much of the immune response.
- Lymph formation and lymphatic capillaries
- How lymph moves without a pump
- Primary and secondary lymphoid organs
- Lacteals and fat absorption
- First line: physical barriers
- Phagocytes, natural killer cells and interferons
Adaptive Immunity: T Cells, B Cells and Antibodies
Antigen presentation, MHC and CD markers, T cell types, antibody classes and memoryAdaptive immunity is the third line of defence: it recognises specific antigens, expands the few lymphocytes that match them and remembers the encounter.
- Specificity, versatility, memory and tolerance
- MHC class I and class II
- CD4 and CD8 markers
- Cytotoxic, helper, memory and suppressor T cells
- B cells, plasma cells and antibodies
- Five antibody classes
Metabolism and Cellular Respiration
Glycolysis, acetyl CoA, the Krebs cycle, electron transport and fermentationCellular respiration oxidises glucose to make ATP, the cell's energy currency, and the course gives the total yield as 36 ATP per glucose.
- Catabolism, anabolism and ATP
- Oxidation, reduction, NAD and FAD
- Glycolysis and its yield
- Acetyl CoA and the Krebs cycle
- Electron transport and chemiosmosis
- Substrate-level and oxidative phosphorylation
Kidney Structure, Filtration and the RAAS
Nephron structure, filtration forces, GFR regulation and the renin pathwayEach kidney holds about a million nephrons, and each nephron begins with a renal corpuscle where blood is filtered across fenestrated endothelium, basement membrane and podocyte slits only 6 to 9 nm wide.
- Kidney functions and internal structure
- Nephron: renal corpuscle and tubule
- The three-layer filtration membrane
- GFR and net filtration pressure
- Myogenic and tubuloglomerular autoregulation
- Sympathetic control of renal blood flow
Tubular Transport, Fluid Balance and Acid-Base Control
Segment transport, ADH and aldosterone, fluid compartments, buffers and pH disordersFiltration makes a large volume of filtrate; the tubule decides what the body keeps.
- PCT, nephron loop, DCT and collecting duct
- ADH, aldosterone, angiotensin II and ANP
- Renal threshold and glycosuria
- Intracellular and extracellular fluid
- Water gains, losses and osmosis
- Buffers, lungs and kidneys in pH control
Reproductive Systems, Pregnancy and Development
Gametogenesis, ovarian and uterine cycles, fertilisation, pregnancy hormones and labourThe reproductive chapter links endocrine control to the making of gametes and the course of a pregnancy.
- Male reproductive tract and accessory glands
- Spermatogenesis, nurse cells and Leydig cells
- Oogenesis and follicle development
- Ovarian and uterine cycles
- Fertilisation, implantation and the placenta
- Hormones and maternal changes in pregnancy
You begin with the nervous system: the brain and spinal cord, reflex arcs, receptors and sensory and motor pathways, the autonomic nervous system and the special senses of vision and hearing. The endocrine block follows, from hormone classes and second messengers to the hypothalamus and pituitary, the thyroid and parathyroid glands, the adrenal glands and the pancreas.
The integumentary system comes next, covering skin structure, glands, wound healing, burns and thermoregulation, and then the lymphatic system with innate and adaptive immunity.
The second half of the semester turns to energy metabolism, from glycolysis to the electron transport chain, then the renal system, with filtration, tubular transport, fluid balance and acid-base control, and finally the reproductive system, pregnancy and development.
Most content arrives as online videos on weekly pages, supported by two-hour workshops for practicals, tutorials and group work and by a weekly lectorial that works through clinical cases and possible exam questions. Feedback is the idea that ties the systems together: nearly every question can be answered by naming the stimulus, the receptor, the control centre, the effector and the response that restores the variable.
This guide follows the course order, explains each mechanism in plain language, works a model answer for every chapter and closes each chapter with original practice questions sized like the short answers the course uses.
Worked example · free
Net filtration pressure when glomerular pressure falls
- +1Write the relationship: net filtration pressure equals glomerular hydrostatic pressure minus capsular hydrostatic pressure minus blood colloid osmotic pressure.
- +1Before the bleed: 55 - 15 - 30 = 10 mmHg, a small net push of fluid out of the glomerulus.
- +1After the bleed: 45 - 15 - 30 = 0 mmHg, so filtration effectively stops and GFR falls well below its average of 125 mL/min.
- +1Low afferent pressure and sympathetic activity release renin; angiotensin II constricts vessels including the efferent arteriole and triggers aldosterone, ADH and thirst.
Key terms
- Homeostasis
- The maintenance of a stable internal environment, such as body temperature or blood calcium, by feedback control.
- Negative feedback
- A control loop in which the response reduces the change that triggered it, returning a variable toward its set level.
- Reflex arc
- The pathway from receptor through afferent neuron, integrating centre and efferent neuron to an effector.
- Dual innervation
- Supply of one organ by both autonomic divisions with opposing effects, which gives precise control.
- Second messenger
- An intracellular signal such as cAMP that relays the effect of a water-soluble hormone bound at the cell surface.
- Parathyroid hormone
- The hormone from parathyroid chief cells that raises blood calcium through bone, kidney and calcitriol.
- Thermoreceptor
- A receptor that detects temperature, located in the skin and centrally in the hypothalamus.
- Antigen presentation
- The display of an antigen bound to an MHC molecule on a cell surface so that a T cell can recognise it.
- Oxidative phosphorylation
- ATP production driven by the electron transport chain and the proton gradient across the inner mitochondrial membrane.
- Net filtration pressure
- The balance of glomerular hydrostatic pressure against capsular hydrostatic and blood colloid osmotic pressures.
- Renal threshold
- The plasma level above which a filtered substance such as glucose starts to show up in urine.
- Corpus luteum
- The structure formed from the ruptured follicle after ovulation, which secretes progesterone and estrogen.
- Buffer system
- A set of chemicals that resists a change in pH immediately but does not remove acid or base from the body.
BIOL1019 FAQ
How is Human Physiology 101 assessed?
The course site lists a Nervous System Practical Report worth 10% in Week 2, a Group Research Project oral presentation worth 20% in Week 10, two closed-book tests worth 10% each in Weeks 8 and 12, and an End-of-Semester Exam worth 50%. The University's course page groups the same weights as multiple choice questions, exam, and report and assignment.
What do I know about the final exam?
The final exam is worth half the grade, is invigilated and closed book, and covers all topics taught in Semester 2. It is completed individually and generative AI is not allowed. The course states that detailed information about format and timing will be published on the course site, and the exam period runs from 16 to 29 November 2026.
What happens in the two tests?
Each test runs inside your scheduled workshop through Respondus LockDown Browser and mixes multiple choice, reading and short answer items on every topic. Test 1 lasts 75 minutes and covers the nervous system and special senses, endocrine, integumentary, and lymphatics and immunity. Test 2 lasts 45 minutes and covers metabolism, the renal system and the reproductive system.
What should I do before the Week 2 practical?
Complete and commit the pre-practical activity in Lt before your workshop starts. The practical studies nervous system reflexes with a tendon-hammer biosensor, and students who skip the pre-practical activity, or who arrive more than 20 minutes late, face a 50% deduction from the group's practical mark.
How does the group research project work?
Groups design and run an experiment on a health issue, take part in a compulsory group experiment in Week 5, and present their research and results in the Week 10 workshop. The presentation lasts about 15 minutes, including questions, and slides must be submitted 48 hours before the session, with late submissions losing 10% per day.
How much study does the course expect each week?
As a 6-unit course, it expects an average of 15 hours of productive study a week. That time covers the online videos on each week's key concepts pages, preparation for the two-hour workshop, the weekly lectorial and your own revision, so falling behind on the videos quickly compounds.
Why do questions keep asking about more than one system?
The course learning outcomes stress regulation through feedback and the integrative nature of body systems. Thermoregulation needs the skin and the nervous system, calcium balance needs the parathyroid glands, bone, kidney and gut, and fluid balance joins the kidney to the hypothalamus and adrenal glands, so strong answers name every system involved.
Questions students ask in each BIOL1019 chapter
- What is the difference between a tract and a nerve?
- A tract is a bundle of axons inside the central nervous system that shares an origin and a destination, such as an ascending tract carrying sensation to the brain. A nerve is a bundle of axons in the peripheral nervous system. The optic nerve is the one exception the lectures point out, because it lies within the CNS. Chapter 01 · Brain, Spinal Cord and Reflexes
- Why do we stop noticing a smell after a few minutes?
- Smell fades through central adaptation: sensory nuclei along the pathway inside the CNS are inhibited, so less information reaches awareness even though the receptors are still being stimulated. This differs from peripheral adaptation, where the receptor itself becomes less sensitive, as phasic thermoreceptors do when you enter a cool room. Chapter 02 · Receptors and Nervous System Pathways
- Why is the adrenal medulla described as part of the sympathetic system?
- The adrenal medulla behaves as a modified sympathetic ganglion. Sympathetic preganglionic fibres stimulate it directly, and instead of passing the signal to a postganglionic neuron, it releases noradrenaline and adrenaline into the blood, so the fight or flight response is spread through the body as a hormonal signal as well as a neural one. Chapter 03 · The Autonomic Nervous System
- Why is the fovea where we see most clearly?
- Cones are densely clustered in the fovea at the centre of the macula lutea, and cones provide colour and fine detail. The sharpest image is therefore formed there, which is why you look directly at text to read it. Rods, which are highly light-sensitive but give black and white vision, are more important away from the centre. Chapter 04 · Special Senses: Eye and Ear
- Why does the course compare the endocrine and nervous systems?
- The two systems both regulate the body but in different ways. Nervous signals are direct, act close to where they are released and begin within milliseconds, while hormones travel in the blood, act on distant targets with receptors and take seconds to days to act but last longer. Expect a comparison question on mediators, targets, onset and duration. Chapter 05 · Hormones, the Hypothalamus and the Pituitary
- What causes Graves' disease?
- Graves' disease is a form of hyperthyroidism in which autoantibodies mimic TSH and stimulate the thyroid continuously. Because the stimulus does not depend on TSH, the normal negative feedback loop cannot switch secretion off, and excess T3 and T4 raise metabolic activity, producing weight loss, heat intolerance, nervousness, goitre and protruding eyes. Chapter 06 · Thyroid, Parathyroid, Adrenal Glands and Pancreas
- Why does it take about four weeks to replace the epidermis?
- New keratinocytes are produced by stem cells in the stratum basale and are pushed upward through the spinosum and granulosum, where they make keratin and begin to die, before reaching the stratum corneum and being shed. The course gives about four weeks for a cell to travel from the basale to the surface. Chapter 07 · The Integumentary System
- What is the difference between primary and secondary lymphoid organs?
- Primary lymphoid organs produce and mature lymphocytes: red bone marrow, where all lymphocytes originate and B and NK cells mature, and the thymus, where T cells mature and are selected for self-tolerance. Secondary organs, such as lymph nodes, the spleen and nodules like the tonsils and Peyer's patches, are where antigens are encountered and responses begin. Chapter 08 · Lymphatics and Innate Immunity
- How does a cytotoxic T cell kill its target?
- After recognising antigen on MHC class I and being activated and proliferating, an active cytotoxic T cell destroys the target in one of three ways: releasing perforin and enzymes that damage its membrane, stimulating the cell to undergo apoptosis, or releasing lymphotoxin that disrupts the cell's metabolism. Memory cytotoxic T cells remain for future exposures. Chapter 09 · Adaptive Immunity: T Cells, B Cells and Antibodies
- Why does glycolysis happen outside the mitochondria?
- The lectorial answer is that glucose is too large to enter the mitochondrion, so glycolysis runs in the cytoplasm and splits it into two pyruvate first. The pyruvate then moves into the mitochondrial matrix, where it is oxidised to acetyl CoA and enters the Krebs cycle when oxygen is available. Chapter 10 · Metabolism and Cellular Respiration
- Why does a small fall in blood pressure affect filtration so much?
- Net filtration pressure is only about 10 mmHg, the difference between glomerular hydrostatic pressure of about 55 mmHg and the opposing 15 and 30 mmHg. The opposing pressures do not fall with blood pressure, so a modest drop in glomerular pressure removes most of the net push, and GFR falls steeply unless the kidney compensates. Chapter 11 · Kidney Structure, Filtration and the RAAS
- Why can the kidney not simply pump water?
- Cells cannot actively transport water. Water moves only by osmosis, toward whichever compartment holds more effective solute, so the kidney controls water by moving solutes such as sodium and by changing how permeable segments are to water, for example through ADH acting on the collecting duct. Saying the kidney pumps water is a common error. Chapter 12 · Tubular Transport, Fluid Balance and Acid-Base Control
- How long are gametes viable around ovulation?
- The course gives the oocyte 12 to 48 hours and sperm 24 to 72 hours of viability. Fertilisation is therefore likely only when intercourse falls within roughly 3 days before ovulation or 24 hours after it. If fertilisation occurs, implantation follows 6 to 7 days after ovulation. Chapter 13 · Reproductive Systems, Pregnancy and Development
How to study for the exam
Work system by system, in the order the course teaches them, and build one page of notes for each that holds a labelled diagram, a control loop and a comparison table. Watch each week's videos early, then read the matching chapter here before the lectorial so that your questions are specific.
After each workshop, answer the chapter's practice questions without notes and mark them against the model answers, writing down the single idea you missed. Before Test 1, rehearse the nervous, endocrine, skin and immune chapters as timed short answers; before Test 2, do the same for metabolism, the kidney and reproduction, and practise the net filtration pressure and ATP counts until the arithmetic is automatic.
In SWOT VAC, from 9 to 15 November, switch to mixed practice: take a question from one system and explain how a second system is involved. Finish each revision session by drawing two pathways from memory, for example the reflex arc and the renin pathway, and checking every direction word against your notes.
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