Practice · AQA Combined Science 8464 · Biology Paper 1
GCSE biology cells questions: AQA Combined Science worked practice
Six exam-style questions on cell biology, Foundation and Higher. Each part is marked and shows the worked answer.
1 of 6
5 marksFoundation and Higher4.1.1.2 Animal and plant cells4.1.1.1 Eukaryotes and prokaryotes
AQA Trilogy 8464
Spec and skills
Paper scope: B1
Spec 4.1.1.2
Spec 4.1.1.1
Original practice question
Answer and supported method checks
A student looks at a leaf cell from a moss plant and a bacterial cell under a microscope.
How answer checking works
Fixed rules check calculations, units and supported phrases. A wording match is a guide to the scheme, not an examiner grade. Compare uncertain points with the scheme.
.1
Which structure controls which substances enter and leave the moss cell?
[1 mark]
.2
Give two ways the genetic material in the bacterial cell is different from the genetic material in the moss cell.
[2 marks]
.3
The moss cell is 0.1 mm long. The bacterial cell is 2 µm long.
Calculate how many times longer the moss cell is than the bacterial cell.
[2 marks]
5 marksFoundationRequired practical 014.1.1.2 Animal and plant cells4.1.1.5 Microscopy
AQA Trilogy 8464
Spec and skills
Paper scope: B1
Spec 4.1.1.2
Spec 4.1.1.5
Original practice question
Answer and supported method checks
A student prepares a slide of onion skin cells to look at under a light microscope.
She peels a thin layer of skin from inside an onion, lays it flat on a microscope slide in a drop of iodine solution, and lowers a cover slip on top.
She then takes a photograph of the slide through the microscope. Figure 1 shows one cell in the printed photograph.
nucleus45 mmMagnification of the photograph ×150
.1
Suggest why the student used a thin layer of onion skin.
[1 mark]
.2
Give the reason for adding iodine solution.
[1 mark]
.3
Which objective lens should the student use first to find the cells?
[1 mark]
.4
The magnification of the photograph in Figure 1 is ×150.
The cell is 45 mm long in the photograph.
Calculate the real length of the cell in micrometres (µm).
Use the equation:
real size =magnificationimage size
[2 marks]
5 marksFoundation and Higher4.1.1.3 Cell specialisation
AQA Trilogy 8464
Spec and skills
Paper scope: B1
Spec 4.1.1.3
Original practice question
Answer and supported method checks
A normal sperm cell has 80 mitochondria. An abnormal sperm cell has only 20 mitochondria but an undamaged tail.
.1
Calculate the percentage reduction in mitochondria.
[2 marks]
.2
Explain why the abnormal sperm may be less likely to reach an egg.
[3 marks]
8 marksHigherRequired practical 014.1.1.2 Animal and plant cells4.1.1.5 Microscopy
AQA Trilogy 8464
Spec and skills
Paper scope: B1
Spec 4.1.1.2
Spec 4.1.1.5
Original practice question
Answer and supported method checks
A student is asked to observe cheek cells and produce a scientific drawing of them. A cheek cell is an animal cell.
.1
Describe how the student should prepare a slide of cheek cells and use a light microscope to produce a labelled scientific drawing of the cells.
Include how the student should work out and record the magnification the cells were viewed at.
[6 marks]
.2
Another student labelled a cell wall on his drawing of a cheek cell. He said the cell wall controls what enters the cell.
Explain why he is wrong.
[2 marks]
4 marksHigher4.1.2.2 Mitosis and the cell cycle
AQA Trilogy 8464
Spec and skills
Paper scope: B1
Spec 4.1.2.2
Original practice question
Answer and supported method checks
A student looked at a stained onion root tip under a microscope. She counted 400 cells. 16 of the cells were in mitosis (their chromosomes were being pulled apart).
One complete cell cycle in these cells takes 20 hours. The percentage of cells in mitosis shows the percentage of the cell cycle time spent in mitosis.
.1
Calculate the percentage of cells that were in mitosis.
[1 mark]
.2
Calculate how long the cells spend in mitosis in each cell cycle. Give your answer in minutes.
[2 marks]
.3
Suggest why the student counted cells from several different parts of the root tip, rather than from one small area.
[1 mark]
8 marksFoundation and Higher4.1.3.1 Diffusion4.1.3.3 Active transport
AQA Trilogy 8464
Spec and skills
Paper scope: B1
Spec 4.1.3.1
Spec 4.1.3.3
Original practice question
Answer and supported method checks
A student models a small organism as a cube with sides 3 cm long.
.1
Calculate the total surface area of the cube.
[2 marks]
.2
Calculate the volume of the cube.
[1 mark]
.3
Calculate the surface area to volume ratio of the cube.
[1 mark]
.4
A larger organism has a smaller surface area to volume ratio.
Explain why a large multicellular organism needs exchange surfaces and a transport system.
[2 marks]
.5
Explain why root hair cells need energy to take in mineral ions from the soil.
Magnification = size of image ÷ size of real object. Convert both sizes to the same unit first: 1 mm = 1000 µm.
What is the difference between eukaryotic and prokaryotic cells?
Eukaryotic cells (animal and plant) have a nucleus. Prokaryotic cells (bacteria) are much smaller, have no nucleus, and their DNA is a single loop, sometimes with small rings called plasmids.
Which required practicals are in the cells topics?
Two of the seven Combined Science biology practicals: using a light microscope to observe and draw cells, and investigating osmosis in plant tissue. Both can be examined on either tier.
