Summarising entire topics in diagrams and achieving that 7 in IB Biology? This isn’t clickbait, and in fact it has been proven that drawing diagrams outperforms other conventional learning methods. This blog post will go in-depth into what drawings are really useful to summarise a large amount of information in a fun and visually appealing style!
The Basics of Drawing in Biology
Before we dive into actually drawing, it’s important to understand the basics that will help create clear and informative visuals.
- Essential drawing tools
- Paper: pens/pencils, coloured pencils/highlighters, and ruler.
- iPad: an app where you can incorporate your drawings into your notes (e.g. Goodnotes)
- Fundamental drawing techniques
- Line consistency
- Proportions
- Labelling
Understanding Biological Drawings
There are three clear components to making a good biological drawing:
- Accuracy – if your drawings are too inaccurate you may propagate misunderstandings
- Clarity – make sure you can understand your drawing when you come back to it
- Proper labelling – label components so you are actually learning
If you master these three things you’re all set! Although, you can add the following to enhance your drawings and make them more visually appealing:
- Shading/colouring in – to distinguish parts of diagrams
- Arrows – showing movement in biological processes
- Effective annotations – summarise key functions near the structure
Applying Drawings to IB Biology
NOTE: These drawings apply to the new IB Biology syllabus (SL and HL) (first assessment May 2025), UNLESS OTHERWISE STATED.
To avoid this blogpost being ridiculously long, I will explain in-depth my process for the first diagram, and then provide a list of drawings I suggest you do for each topic. I will occasionally include drawings to provide a visual cue of what yours could look like.
Unit 1 – Biomolecules
The first diagram you should be drawing is of a water molecule (see Figure 1 below for an example).
I identified the syllabus content statements I could include in this diagram, and found a way to visualise these – for example A1.1.2, drawing the hydrogen bonds as a result of the polar covalent bonds within the water molecules. Personalise your drawings too – for me I found it helpful to put the example of the transpiration stream (capillary action), and you can add your own personal touches!
For the rest of unit 1 I suggest incorporating the following as diagrams:
- Monomeric subunits for carbohydrates, lipids, nucleic acids, and proteins.
- DNA vs RNA
- Monosaccharide cyclisation
- Types of fatty acids
- Dipeptide formation
Unit 2 - Cells
SL & HL
- Prokaryotic cell structure
- Eukaryotic cell structure (plant and animal) including organelles
- Fluid-mosaic model (phospholipid bilayer with membrane proteins), with different types of membrane transport
HL Only
- AHL Organelles (additional information on the nucleus, ribosomes, mitochondria, chloroplast, Golgi apparatus, and vesicles)
- AHL Cell membranes (additional information on cholesterol, ion channels, and carrier proteins)
Unit 3 – Metabolism
SL & HL
- Enzymes (lock and key model)
- Temp, pH, and substrate concentration graphs
It may seem a bit silly to do something as basic as these graphs, but drawing them (not just looking at them) and labelling them helps you cement them in your mind, and understand the concept more.
- Cell respiration
- Photosynthesis (independent and dependent reactions)
- Absorption spectrum
HL Only
- AHL Enzymes (enzyme, feedback, and suicide inhibition)
- AHL Respiration (glycolysis, link reaction, Krebs cycle, electron transport chain, and mitochondria)
- AHL Photosynthesis (chemiosmosis, cyclic photophosphorylation, and non-cyclic photophosphorylation, Calvin cycle, and chloroplast)
Unit 4 – Genetics
SL & HL
- Transcription
- Translation
HL Only
- AHL Transcription (gene sequences, and RNA processing)
- AHL Translation
- AHL Protein structure
- AHL Epigenetics tags
- AHL Regulatory control
Unit 5 – Heredity
SL & HL
- DNA replication
Mitosis vs meiosis (diagrams for both)
The reason for this diagram instead of one on the iPad was that this was part of my notes from IBDP – you can clearly see all my labelling, all my visuals, colours, consistency in shapes and lines etc
- Punnett squares (incl. sex determination)
- Pedigree charts
HL Only
- AHL DNA Replication (incl. Okazaki fragments)
- AHL Gene linkage (dihybrid cross, recombinants, and test crosses)
Unit 6 – Equilibrium
SL & HL
- Nerve signalling
- Hormone signalling
- Brain structure
HL Only
- AHL Systems Communication (neurotransmission, and transmembrane receptors)
- AHL Viruses (structure of viruses, and lytic/lysogenic cycle of a virus)
- AHL Cancer (cell cycles including cyclins)
Unit 7 – Body Systems
SL & HL
- Lungs (incl. zoomed-in portion of alveoli facilitating gas exchange, and notes on the muscles of ventilation)
- Blood vessels (table comparing function, pressure diameter, wall thickness, elastic fibres, and valves)
- Immunity (pathogen, antigen, antibody, clonal selection, and immunological memory)
- Neurons (incl. resting and action potentials, and synaptic transfer)
- Gametes (diagrams for both)
- Gonads (diagrams for both)
- Menstrual cycle
HL Only
- AHL Lungs (incl. pneumocytes (you can add this to your SL diagram of the lungs), graphs of haemoglobin (incl. foetal haemoglobin and bohr shift),
- AHL Heart (stages in the cardiac cycle)
- AHL Nerves (depolarisation and repolarisation,
- AHL Gonads
- AHL Muscles
- AHL Kidney
Unit 7 – Plant Systems
- Plant structure (leaves, roots, stems)
- Transpiration (stomata)
- Xylem
- Flower structure
HL Only
- AHL Phloem
Unit 8 – Biodiversity
- Taxonomy
Unit 9 – Nutrition
- Modes of nutrition
- Pyramid of energy
- Nutrient cycling
- Carbon cycle
Unit 10 – Ecology
I did not identify any significant diagrams to create pertaining to Unit 10 – Ecology, however, this doesn’t mean that diagrams won’t help you personalise your learning and revision experiences.
Unit 11 – Human Impacts
- Greenhouse effect
- Ocean acidification
Final Tips for Success
- Practise regularly – the more you draw, the better your drawings will become, the easier it will be for you to learn, and the more information you will recall.
- Compare your diagrams – check your accuracy according to other diagrams online or in textbooks.
- Make it enjoyable – add your own personal touches to engage yourself with your drawing and study as much as possible!
FAQs
Do I need to be good at art to create useful biological drawings in IB Biology?
Absolutely not! I have never been particularly artistic, but after doing a lot of drawings over the IBDP for biology and other subjects, my skills developed and refined. I started off bad at drawing, and so you definitely don’t need to be good!
What are common mistakes to avoid in biological drawings in IB Biology?
Some common mistakes include using wonky, uneven, or broken lines, incorrect proportions, missing labels, inaccurate structures, and overcomplicated shading. Of course, we can’t be perfect, and my drawings in this blog post weren’t perfect, but in general, they should be easy to read and understand.
Where can I find good references for biological drawings?
There are so many useful resources – your textbook, bioninja (the new version), academic papers, and even google images have so many different forms of the same diagram that you can take aspects from and combine them into your own, personalised diagram.
Want personalised study guidance to help drastically improve your marks? A private tutor can make the biggest difference!
This article was written by KIS Academics Tutor Johnny Turner. Johnny is studying a Bachelor of Music (Jazz Performance) (Advanced) at the University of Adelaide and looks to study biochemistry or biomedicine in the future. He tutors various SACE and IB subjects, including biology, English, Spanish, and music. You can view Johnny’s profile here and request him as a tutor.
