What do the Grade 9 Biology cards cover?

26 cards across 6 chapters of the national textbook: Introduction to Biology, Characteristics and classification of organisms, Cells, Reproduction, Human health, nutrition and diseases and Ecology. You can take any chapter one card at a time on the page itself.

Is there a national exam in Grade 9?

No. Ethiopia sets national exams in Grade 6, Grade 8 and Grade 12 only. These cards are for your school's own exams, and for the national exam that comes a few years later.

Where do these cards come from?

They are drafted from Grade 9 Biology, the Ministry of Education textbook for this grade. A second pass that cannot see the chapter then re-derives every formula, constant and table row, and anything it cannot confirm is held back instead of published.

Yes. Every card here is free to read and the printable sheet is free to download. Neither needs an account.

When was this last checked?

6 September 2026. Cards arrive chapter by chapter, and the line under each one says when that card was last read through.

Free short notes and revision cards

Grade 9 Biology

Grade 9 Biology on Temari has 26 revision cards, arranged by the chapters of the Ethiopian national curriculum. Every card says when the rule applies, what each symbol in it stands for, and the mistake students most often make with it. They are free to read and need no account.

26
Cards: 6
Chapters: 2
Formulas: 17
Reference tables: Grade 9 Biology
Textbook: Free
Price: 6 September 2026
Last checked

Everything26Reference table17Common mistake4Formula2Rule2Method1

Introduction to Biology

Common Biology Laboratory ToolsReference tableAutoclave · Incubator · Petri dish · +3

Tool	Primary Function
Autoclave	Sterilizes equipment and kills bacterial spores using steam
Incubator	Maintains optimal temperature for microbial growth
Petri dish	Holds solid culture media such as agar
Slide and cover slip	Supports specimen and prevents drying during viewing
Dissecting kit	Holds tools required to cut and examine internal organs
Tongs	Lifts heated crucibles, beakers, and hot glassware

When you use it

Use this reference table to match laboratory equipment with their functions.

Watch out

Do not confuse an autoclave, which sterilizes at high heat, with an incubator, which maintains growth temperature.

Drafted from Grade 9 Biology, pages 1-18, then checked twice before it went up

Steps of the Scientific MethodMethod

When you use it

Use this sequence when planning an investigation or ordering the steps of scientific inquiry: Observation, Question, Hypothesis, Experiment, Conclusion, and Communication.

Watch out

A hypothesis must be proposed before the experiment is run, and it must be testable through repeatable testing.

Drafted from Grade 9 Biology, pages 1-18, then checked twice before it went up

Total Magnification of a Light MicroscopeFormula

M_{\text{total}} = M_{\text{eyepiece}} \times M_{\text{objective}}

M_{\text{total}} = M_{\text{eyepiece}} \times M_{\text{objective}}

$M_{\text{total}}$: Total magnification $1$
$M_{\text{eyepiece}}$: Magnification of the eyepiece lens $1$
$M_{\text{objective}}$: Magnification of the objective lens $1$

When you use it

Use this formula to calculate total magnification from the given ocular and objective lens powers.

Watch out

Total magnification is the product of eyepiece and objective magnifications, not their sum.

Drafted from Grade 9 Biology, pages 1-18, then checked twice before it went up

Using Coarse Adjustment on High PowerCommon mistake

When you use it

Use this rule when describing microscope focusing procedures.

Watch out

Never use the coarse adjustment knob under high power objectives. It moves the stage too far and can break the glass slide and the lens.

Drafted from Grade 9 Biology, pages 1-18, then checked twice before it went up

Characteristics and classification of organisms

Binomial Nomenclature RulesRule

When you use it

Use when writing or evaluating scientific names of organisms created under the Linnaean system.

Watch out

The genus name must always start with a capital letter while the specific epithet starts with a small letter. When handwritten they must be underlined, and when printed they must be italicized.

Drafted from Grade 9 Biology, pages 19-43, then checked twice before it went up

Five Kingdom ClassificationReference tableMonera · Protista · Fungi · +2

Kingdom	Cell Type	Body Organization	Nutrition	Cell Wall
Monera	Prokaryotic	Unicellular	Autotrophic or Heterotrophic	Present (non-cellulose)
Protista	Eukaryotic	Unicellular or Multicellular	Autotrophic or Heterotrophic	Present in some, absent in others
Fungi	Eukaryotic	Mostly multicellular	Heterotrophic (absorptive)	Present (chitin)
Plantae	Eukaryotic	Multicellular	Autotrophic (photosynthetic)	Present (cellulose)
Animalia	Eukaryotic	Multicellular	Heterotrophic (ingestive)	Absent

When you use it

Use to compare the five kingdoms of life based on cell structure, body organization, nutrition, and cell wall composition.

Watch out

Fungi do not ingest food like animals. They secrete enzymes and absorb nutrients externally, and their cell walls contain chitin, not cellulose.

Drafted from Grade 9 Biology, pages 19-43, then checked twice before it went up

Major Plant DivisionsReference tableBryophytes · Gymnosperms · Angiosperms

Group	Vascular Tissue	Seeds	Flowers and Fruits
Bryophytes	Absent	Absent	Absent
Gymnosperms	Present	Present (naked seeds)	Absent
Angiosperms	Present	Present (enclosed in fruit)	Present

When you use it

Use to distinguish the main groups of the plant kingdom based on vascular tissue, seed formation, and flowers.

Watch out

Gymnosperms possess seeds but do not form flowers or fruits. Angiosperms are the only group that forms flowers and fruits.

Drafted from Grade 9 Biology, pages 19-43, then checked twice before it went up

Taxonomic HierarchyReference tableDomain · Kingdom · Phylum / Division · +5

Rank	Definition	Gelada Example
Domain	Broadest category above kingdom	Eukarya
Kingdom	Taxon of similar phyla	Animalia
Phylum / Division	Taxon of similar classes	Chordata
Class	Taxon of similar orders	Mammalia
Order	Taxon of similar families	Primate
Family	Taxon of similar genera	Cercopithecidae
Genus	Taxon of similar species	Theropithecus
Species	Organisms that interbreed to produce fertile offspring	Theropithecus gelada

When you use it

Use when arranging taxonomic ranks from domain down to species or classifying Ethiopian organisms.

Watch out

Plant taxonomists use the term Division instead of Phylum. For species, members must be capable of producing fertile offspring.

Drafted from Grade 9 Biology, pages 19-43, then checked twice before it went up

Virus Kingdom PlacementCommon mistake

When you use it

Use when identifying why viruses are excluded from the five-kingdom classification system.

Watch out

Do not classify viruses into any of the five kingdoms. Viruses lack cellular structure, cannot grow, respire, or replicate on their own, and require a living host cell.

Drafted from Grade 9 Biology, pages 19-43, then checked twice before it went up

Cells

Cellular Transport MechanismsReference tableDiffusion · Osmosis · Active transport

Transport Mechanism	Concentration Gradient	Energy (ATP) Required	Example
Diffusion	High to low concentration	No	Oxygen entering cells
Osmosis	High water to low water concentration	No	Water entry into plant roots
Active transport	Low to high concentration	Yes	Sodium-potassium pump

When you use it

Use to classify how substances cross cell membranes based on gradient direction and energy input.

Watch out

Active transport moves substances against the concentration gradient and always requires respiratory energy.

Drafted from Grade 9 Biology, pages 44-73, then checked twice before it went up

Osmotic Effects on Plant Versus Animal CellsCommon mistake

When you use it

Use when predicting the physical response of cells placed in hypotonic, isotonic, or hypertonic solutions.

Watch out

Plant cells do not burst in hypotonic solutions because the rigid cellulose cell wall exerts wall pressure, making the cell turgid. Animal cells lack a cell wall and burst (lysis).

Drafted from Grade 9 Biology, pages 44-73, then checked twice before it went up

Plant and Animal Cell DifferencesReference tableCell wall · Chloroplast · Vacuole · +1

Organelle or Structure	Plant Cell	Animal Cell
Cell wall	Present (Cellulose)	Absent
Chloroplast	Present	Absent
Vacuole	Large and permanent	Small and temporary
Centrioles	Absent	Present

When you use it

Use to distinguish plant and animal cells under a microscope or identify cell-specific organelles.

Watch out

Mitochondria and plasma membranes exist in both plant and animal cells, not only in animal cells.

Drafted from Grade 9 Biology, pages 44-73, then checked twice before it went up

Postulates of Cell Theory and Key ScientistsRule

When you use it

Use when stating the core principles of cell theory or identifying the historical contributions of early cell biologists.

Watch out

Robert Hooke observed and named cork cells in 1665, but Schleiden (plants, 1838), Schwann (animals, 1839), and Virchow (pre-existing cells, 1856) formulated the cell theory.

Drafted from Grade 9 Biology, pages 44-73, then checked twice before it went up

Prokaryotic and Eukaryotic CellsReference tableNucleus · Membrane-bound organelles · Ribosomes · +2

Feature	Prokaryotic Cell	Eukaryotic Cell
Nucleus	Absent	Present
Membrane-bound organelles	Absent	Present
Ribosomes	Relatively small	Relatively large
DNA organization	Circular plasmids, no proteins	Linear strands with proteins
Cell wall	Peptidoglycan	Cellulose in plants, absent in animals

When you use it

Use to compare structural complexity and distinguish bacteria from plant and animal cells.

Watch out

Ribosomes are present in both prokaryotes and eukaryotes. Do not list ribosomes as membrane-bound organelles.

Drafted from Grade 9 Biology, pages 44-73, then checked twice before it went up

Cell organelles and what each one doesReference tableNucleus · Mitochondrion · Ribosome · +5

Organelle	What it does
Nucleus	Holds the chromosomes (DNA) and controls the cell's activities, directing which proteins are made.
Mitochondrion	Site of aerobic respiration, where most of the cell's ATP is released. Plant cells hold mitochondria just as animal cells do.
Ribosome	Site of protein synthesis. Found free in the cytoplasm or attached to the rough endoplasmic reticulum.
Endoplasmic reticulum (ER)	A network of membrane channels that carries materials through the cell. Rough ER carries ribosomes and handles proteins; smooth ER has no ribosomes and makes lipids.
Golgi apparatus	Modifies, sorts and packages the proteins arriving from the ER into vesicles, for use inside the cell or for secretion.
Lysosome	A sac of digestive enzymes that breaks down worn out cell parts, food particles and invading bacteria.
Chloroplast	Contains chlorophyll and is the site of photosynthesis. Plant and algal cells have it, animal cells never do, and even in a plant the cells that never meet light, such as root cells, have none.
Vacuole	In a plant cell one large permanent vacuole stores cell sap, and its water pressure keeps the cell turgid. Animal cells have small temporary vacuoles.

When you use it

Use when a question names an organelle and asks for its job, or describes a job and asks which organelle does it. It also settles which parts a plant cell and an animal cell share when you are asked to compare the two.

Watch out

Students write that a plant cell has chloroplasts instead of mitochondria, then answer that a plant respires in its chloroplast. A plant cell has both. It respires in its mitochondria day and night, exactly as an animal cell does, while the chloroplast works only in the light and only the green cells that reach the light carry one at all. If a question asks which organelle a plant cell and an animal cell share, mitochondrion, nucleus, ribosome and cell membrane are all correct; chloroplast, cell wall and the large vacuole are not.

Reproduction

Common Sexually Transmitted InfectionsReference tableTrichomoniasis · Chlamydia · Gonorrhea · +2

STI Name	Causative Pathogen	Pathogen Type	Curable with Antibiotics
Trichomoniasis	Trichomonas vaginalis	Protozoan	No (uses antiprotozoal drugs)
Chlamydia	Chlamydia trachomatis	Bacterium	Yes
Gonorrhea	Neisseria gonorrhoeae	Bacterium	Yes
Syphilis	Treponema pallidum	Bacterium	Yes
HIV/AIDS	Human Immunodeficiency Virus	Virus	No (managed with antiretroviral drugs)

When you use it

Use when identifying causative agents, pathogen classes, and treatment mechanisms of STIs.

Watch out

Antibiotics cure bacterial STIs like syphilis and gonorrhea, but they have no effect on viral infections like HIV.

Drafted from Grade 9 Biology, pages 74-102, then checked twice before it went up

Contraceptive Protection vs STI ProtectionCommon mistake

When you use it

Use when evaluating the function, effectiveness, and limitations of different family planning methods.

Watch out

Hormonal pills, injections, implants, IUDs, diaphragms, and surgical sterilizations prevent pregnancy but provide zero protection against STIs. Only abstinence and latex condoms protect against both.

Drafted from Grade 9 Biology, pages 74-102, then checked twice before it went up

Hormonal Control of the Menstrual CycleReference tableFSH · Estrogen · LH · +1

Hormone	Secreted By	Primary Function in Menstrual Cycle
FSH	Pituitary gland	Stimulates follicle growth and estrogen secretion
Estrogen	Ovarian follicle	Thickens uterine endometrium and triggers LH surge
LH	Pituitary gland	Triggers ovulation and converts ruptured follicle to corpus luteum
Progesterone	Corpus luteum	Maintains thickened uterine lining for embryo implantation

When you use it

Use when tracing the roles and sequence of pituitary and ovarian hormones during the female reproductive cycle.

Watch out

Ovulation is directly triggered by the surge in LH, not by FSH or progesterone.

Drafted from Grade 9 Biology, pages 74-102, then checked twice before it went up

Types of Asexual ReproductionReference tableBinary/Multiple Fission · Fragmentation · Budding · +2

Mode	Key Mechanism	Organism Examples
Binary/Multiple Fission	Parent divides into two or more equal daughter cells	Bacteria, Malarial parasites
Fragmentation	Parent breaks into pieces that regenerate into complete bodies	Spirogyra, Worms
Budding	Parent divides unequally by forming an outgrowth or bud	Yeast, Hydra
Vegetative Propagation	New plant grows from vegetative parts like runners, rhizomes, tubers	Strawberry, Couch grass, Potato
Parthenogenesis	Unfertilized egg develops directly into an adult organism	Honeybee drones, Whiptail lizard

When you use it

Use when identifying or comparing the different mechanisms of asexual reproduction in organisms.

Watch out

Budding produces unequal daughter units, whereas binary fission divides the parent into approximately equal parts.

Drafted from Grade 9 Biology, pages 74-102, then checked twice before it went up

Human health, nutrition and diseases

Body Mass IndexFormula

\text{BMI} = \frac{m}{h^2}

\text{BMI} = \frac{m}{h^2}

$m$: Body mass $kg$
$h$: Height $m$

When you use it

Use this to calculate a person's body mass index and classify their weight category from their body mass and height.

Watch out

Height must be converted to metres before squaring, not left in centimetres. Athletes with high muscle mass can register a high BMI without excess body fat.

Drafted from Grade 9 Biology, pages 103-136, then checked twice before it went up

Forms of UndernutritionReference tableWasting · Stunting · Underweight

Condition	Diagnostic Definition	Underlying Cause
Wasting	Low weight-for-height	Recent and severe food shortage or illness
Stunting	Low height-for-age	Chronic or recurrent undernutrition
Underweight	Low weight-for-age	Combined acute and chronic nutritional deficit

When you use it

Use this to distinguish between the anthropometric measures used to diagnose child undernutrition.

Watch out

Wasting compares weight against height (acute), whereas Stunting compares height against age (chronic).

Drafted from Grade 9 Biology, pages 103-136, then checked twice before it went up

Nutrients and Deficiency DiseasesReference tableProtein · Carbohydrate · Vitamin C · +3

Nutrient	Rich Food Sources	Main Role	Deficiency Disease
Protein	Meat, fish, eggs, soya, milk	Growth and tissue repair	Kwashiorkor
Carbohydrate	Potato, wheat, maize, rice, bread	Primary source of energy	Marasmus
Vitamin C	Oranges, lemons, citrus fruits	Tissue repair and wound healing	Scurvy
Vitamin D	Fish oil, milk, butter, sunlight	Absorption of calcium and bone formation	Rickets
Iron	Liver, red meat, eggs, Tikur teff	Hemoglobin synthesis in red blood cells	Anemia
Calcium	Milk, cheese, green vegetables	Bone, tooth structure and muscle contraction	Rickets and weak bones

When you use it

Use this table to match dietary nutrients with their essential biological functions and specific deficiency disorders.

Watch out

Do not confuse Kwashiorkor (protein deficiency, causes abdominal and leg swelling) with Marasmus (energy and carbohydrate deficiency, causes extreme wasting and an old-looking face).

Drafted from Grade 9 Biology, pages 103-136, then checked twice before it went up

Ecology

Ecological InteractionsReference tableCompetition · Predation · Herbivory · +3

Interaction	Species 1	Species 2	Example
Competition	$-$	$-$	Weeds and garden plants
Predation	$+$	$-$	Hawk eating a mouse
Herbivory	$+$	$-$	Caterpillar eating a leaf
Parasitism	$+$	$-$	Tick feeding on a host
Mutualism	$+$	$+$	Acacia ants and acacia tree
Commensalism	$+$	$0$	Cattle egrets and grazing cattle

When you use it

Use when identifying the outcome of species interactions on both organisms in an ecosystem.

Watch out

In competition, both interacting species experience a negative effect because a shared limiting resource is restricted.

Drafted from Grade 9 Biology, page 137 onwards, then checked twice before it went up

Levels of Ecological OrganizationReference tableOrganism · Population · Community · +2

Level	Definition	Example
Organism	Individual living thing	A single carp
Population	Same species living in one area	All carp in a lake
Community	All interacting populations in an area	Fish, algae, and plants in a lake
Ecosystem	Community plus all abiotic factors	Living community, water, and sunlight in a lake
Biosphere	Global sum of all ecosystems	All zones on Earth supporting life

When you use it

Use when ordering ecological units from a single organism up to the global biosphere.

Watch out

A community contains only the living populations, whereas an ecosystem includes both living and non-living abiotic factors.

Drafted from Grade 9 Biology, page 137 onwards, then checked twice before it went up

Major Terrestrial BiomesReference tableTropical Rain Forest · Desert · Savanna · +2

Biome	Annual Precipitation	Key Physical Feature	Dominant Vegetation
Tropical Rain Forest	130 to 200 cm	Warm year-round, high diversity	Broad-leaf evergreen trees
Desert	Less than 10 cm	Extreme temperature variation	Succulents such as cacti and euphorbs
Savanna	30 to 50 cm	Long dry season, seasonal fires	Grasses and scattered fire-adapted trees
Boreal Forest (Taiga)	40 to 100 cm	Long cold winters, acidic soil	Coniferous trees like pine and spruce
Tundra	20 to 60 cm	Permafrost layer, short summer	Mosses, lichens, and dwarf shrubs

When you use it

Use when identifying terrestrial biomes by their precipitation range, climate characteristics, and plant types.

Watch out

Tundra has permanently frozen soil called permafrost, which prevents deep root growth and excludes large trees.

Drafted from Grade 9 Biology, page 137 onwards, then checked twice before it went up

Primary versus Secondary SuccessionReference tableStarting substrate · Pioneer species · Starting cause · +1

Feature	Primary Succession	Secondary Succession
Starting substrate	Bare rock or lava with no soil	Pre-existing soil present
Pioneer species	Lichens and mosses	Grasses and herbaceous plants
Starting cause	Volcanic island or glacial retreat	Abandoned farm, flood, or fire
Rate of recovery	Hundreds to thousands of years	Much faster recovery

When you use it

Use when determining how an ecosystem colonizes barren land compared to recovering after an environmental disturbance.

Watch out

Secondary succession starts with pre-existing soil, meaning it does not require lichens to weather rock into soil.

Drafted from Grade 9 Biology, page 137 onwards, then checked twice before it went up

The same subject in other years

An exam paper keeps asking for what the year below taught. Those cards are here too.

Your other Grade 9 subjects

Everything else in this year that has cards so far.

Questions students ask

What do the Grade 9 Biology cards cover?: 26 cards across 6 chapters of the national textbook: Introduction to Biology, Characteristics and classification of organisms, Cells, Reproduction, Human health, nutrition and diseases and Ecology. You can take any chapter one card at a time on the page itself.
Is there a national exam in Grade 9?: No. Ethiopia sets national exams in Grade 6, Grade 8 and Grade 12 only. These cards are for your school's own exams, and for the national exam that comes a few years later.
Where do these cards come from?: They are drafted from Grade 9 Biology, the Ministry of Education textbook for this grade. A second pass that cannot see the chapter then re-derives every formula, constant and table row, and anything it cannot confirm is held back instead of published.
Is this free?: Yes. Every card here is free to read and the printable sheet is free to download. Neither needs an account.
When was this last checked?: 6 September 2026. Cards arrive chapter by chapter, and the line under each one says when that card was last read through.

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