D2.2.2 (HL)—Regulation of transcription
Transcription is regulated by DNA binding proteins, promoters, enhancers, repressors, chromatin state and chemical signals in living cells and tissues.
- Syllabus
- First assessment 2025
- Objective
- D2.2.2
- Level
- HL
Exam analysis
Chance of appearing6%of analysed past papers
Latest appearanceMay 2025
Most common paperPaper2
Typical marks1–7
Common command terms
- Suggest
- Explain
Scoring notes
- Common mistake
- Treating promoters as translation start sites instead of RNA polymerase binding regions.
Recent exam appearances
May 2025Paper2 ["HL"] · TZ19(c)[ 7 ]D2.2.2 (HL)—Regulation of transcription
November 2022Paper2 ["HL"] · TZ04(d)[ 3 ]D2.2.2 (HL)—Regulation of transcription
May 2022Paper1 ["HL"] · TZ227[ 1 ]D2.2.2 (HL)—Regulation of transcription
May 2021Paper2 ["HL"] · TZ27(c)[ 7 ]D2.2.2 (HL)—Regulation of transcription
May 2017Paper2 ["HL"] · TZ28(c)[ 8 ]D2.2.2 (HL)—Regulation of transcription
Practice this objective
Coverage 2014–2025 · Updated 16 Jul 2026
Concept essentials
- Promoters help position RNA polymerase for transcription.
- Transcription factors can activate or repress gene expression.
- Enhancers and silencers alter transcription rate.
- Chromatin structure and epigenetic marks affect access to DNA.