The photograph shows a red blood cell in part of a blood clot.

The fibres labelled X are produced

1 in the early stages of the clotting process.

(a) Suggest how the fibres labelled X help in blood clot formation.

(1)

(b) The average diameter of a real red blood cell is 0.008 millimetres.
On the photograph, the diameter of the red blood cell is 100 millimetres.

Use the formula to calculate the magnification of the photograph.

Diameter on photograph = Real diameter × Magnification

Magnification =
(2)

(c) Some blood capillaries have an internal diameter of approximately 0.01 millimetres.

(i) Use information given in part (b) to explain why only one red blood cell at a time can
pass through a capillary.

(1)

Page 1 of 17
 (ii) Explain the advantages of red blood cells passing through a capillary one at a time.

(3)
(Total 7 marks)

(a) How many pairs of chromosomes are there in a body cell of a human baby?
2

(1)

(b) Place the following in order of size, starting with the smallest, by writing
numbers 1 – 4 in the boxes underneath the words.

(1)

(c) For a baby to grow, its cells must develop in a number of ways.

Explain how each of the following is part of the growth process of a baby.

(i) Cell enlargement

(1)

(ii) The process of cell division by mitosis

(3)

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 (d) Why is cell specialisation (differentiation) important for the development and growth of a
healthy baby from a fertilised egg?

(2)
(Total 8 marks)

The diagram shows a plant leaf during photosynthesis.

3

(a) Name:

(i) gas X;

(ii) gas Y.
(2)

(b) Why is sunlight necessary for photosynthesis?

(1)

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 (c) Some of the sugars produced by photosynthesis are stored as starch in the roots.
Explain, as fully as you can, why it is an advantage to the plant to store carbohydrate as
starch rather than as sugar.

(3)
(Total 6 marks)

Plants need chemical energy for respiration and for active transport.
4
(i) Write a balanced chemical equation which represents the process of respiration in plants.

(2)

(ii) Describe the process of active transport in the root hair cells of plants.

(3)
(Total 5 marks)

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 Plant roots obtain some of their mineral salts from the soil by active transport.
5
What is involved in active transport?

(Total 4 marks)

A cook prepares a fresh fruit salad by cutting up a variety of fruits and placing them in a bowl with
6 layers of sugar in between. After two hours the fruit is surrounded by syrup (concentrated sugar
solution).

Explain, as fully as you can, why syrup (concentrated sugar solution) was produced after
two hours.

(Total 4 marks)

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 (a) The diagrams show what happens to the shape of a plant cell placed in distilled water.
7

(i) Explain why the cell swells and becomes turgid. Name the process involved.

(2)

(ii) Give one feature of the cell wall which allows the cell to become turgid.

(1)

(b) Describe the change which will occur if a piece of peeled potato is placed in a concentrated
sugar solution and explain why this change occurs.

(3)
(Total 6 marks)

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 The diagram shows how an immature egg could be used either to produce cells to treat some
8 human diseases or to produce a baby.

Scientists may be allowed to use this technique to produce cells to treat some human diseases,
but not to produce babies.

Using information from the diagram, suggest an explanation for this.

(Total 4 marks)

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9 Some students set up an experiment using osmosis to find the concentration of sucrose solution
in potato cell sap. They used discs of potato cut to the same size and weighing approximately 10
gms. The discs were put into each of five beakers.

(a) (i) After two hours they reweighed the discs after carefully blotting them first. Why did
the students blot the potato before weighing it?

(1)

(ii) Their results are shown in the table below.

Beaker 1 Beaker 2 Beaker 3 Beaker 4 Beaker 5

Final mass in g 13.0 12.2 9.0 7.9 7.3

Initial mass in g 10.0 10.6 10.0 10.1 10.4

The students calculated the % gain or loss in mass of potato. Complete this table of
results for Beakers 2, 4 and 5.

Beaker 1 Beaker 2 Beaker 3 Beaker 4 Beaker 5

13 – 10.0 = 3.0 9.0 – 10.0 =

–1.0

= –10%

Gain in mass = 30% Loss in mass =

10%

(3)

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(b) (i) Draw a graph of % Gain or Loss in mass against sucrose concentration.

(3)

(ii) Use the graph to find the concentration of potato cell sap.

Concentration of cell sap = % sucrose solution

(1)

(iii) Explain in terms of osmosis how you chose this value.

(2)
(Total 10 marks)

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 The table shows the concentrations of some mineral ions in the cells of a pond plant and in the
10 surrounding pond water.

Concentration in mmol per dm3

Potassium Calcium Sulphate

Plant cells 49.0 7.0 7.0

Pond water 0.5 0.7 0.4

(i) The plant cells would not have been able to absorb these mineral ions from the pond water
by diffusion. Explain why not.

(2)

(ii) Suggest a process which would allow these ions to be absorbed from the pond water by
the plant cells.

(1)
(Total 3 marks)

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Mark schemes
(a) hold cells together or prevent flow of cells or trap cells
1 1

(b) 12500
if correct answer, ignore working / lack of working

for 1 mark

ignore any units

2

(c) (i) size RBC approximately same size capillary or

no room for more than one cell or
only one can fit or
RBC is too big
allow use of numbers
do not accept capillaries are narrow
1

(ii) more oxygen released (to tissues) or

more oxygen taken up (from lungs)
1

and any two from:

• slows flow or more time available

• shorter distance (for exchange) or close to cells / capillarywall

• more surface area exposed

2
[7]

(a) 23
2 1

(b) chromosome nucleus gene cell

2 3 1 4
1

(c) (i) any one from

(cells which are bigger) take up more space

(cells) have to get bigger or mature to divide

1

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 (ii) chromosomes duplicate or
make exact copies of self
accept forms pairs of chromatids
1

nuclei divide
accept chromatids or
chromosomes separate
1

identical (daughter) cells formed

accept for example, skin cells make
more skin cells or cells are clones
1

(d) any two from

Differentiation mark
babies need or are made of different types of cells or cells that have
different functions
accept different cells are needed
for different organs

Division or specialisation mark

as fertilised egg starts to divide each cell specialises to form a part of the body
accept specialised cells make
different parts of the body

Growth mark
specialised cells undergo mitosis to grow further cells
accept cells divide or reproduce
to form identical cells
2
[8]

(a) (i) carbon dioxide / CO2 (reject CO)

3
(ii) oxygen / O2 / O (water vapour neutral)
for 1 mark each
2

(b) (provides) energy

for one mark
1

(c) starch insoluble therefore water not taken in by osmosis

or
sugar is soluble / has small molecules may diffuse out therefore lost
(ignore ref. to cells bursting)

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 or
starch has large molecules
cannot diffuse therefore retained
for 1 mark each
3
[6]

(i) C6H12O6 + 6O2 → 6CO2 + 6H2O

4
energy is neutral
1

formulae all correct

with no omissions / deletions

correctly balanced
credit 1 mark if the answer is the exact
reverse of an incorrect answer for (a)
1

(ii) and three from

take up of (soluble) substances / ions against the concentration gradient

or when the concentration (of the
substance / ions) is greater inside the
cell / cytoplasm than outside it

through the (semi-permeable) (cell) membrane energy from mitochondria

or energy from respiration
not just energy
3
[5]

Page 13 of 17
 any four from
5
molecules / ions
do not credit mineral salts
move(d) through / across the cell

wall / membrane

against (a / the) concentration

gradient

by a series of chemical

reactions

(because) diffusion cannot occur

energy (required)

(supplied by) respiration

oxygen required for respiration (to occur)

[4]

ideas that
6 sugar has dissolved in moisture (on surface of fruit)
this solution more concentrated than solution inside fruit
osmosis / diffusion movement of water out of fruit
through partially permeable membrane (of fruit cells)
any four for 1 mark each

allow explanations in terms of concentrations of water molecules for full marks

[4]

(a) (i) water (molecules) enter(s) (the cell)

7
or water (molecules) pass(es) through the (semi-permeable) cell
membrane
1

by osmosis
or because the concentration of water is
greater outside (the cell than inside it
the vacuole)
accept because of the concentration
gradient provided there is no contradiction
1

Page 14 of 17
 (ii) any one from

(it is) elastic

(it is) strong

(it is fully) permeable (to water)

or water can pass through it
do not credit semi-permeable
do not credit cell membrane is semi-permeable
1

(b) (the piece of) potato shrinks

or loses its turgor
or becomes flabby
or becomes flaccid
or plasmolysis occur
or cytoplasm pulls away from the cell wall

(because) concentration of sugar

or because concentration of water
1

(solution) is greater than concentration inside the cell / vacuole

inside the cell / vacuole is greater than concentration (of water)
outside
1

water is drawn out of the cell

1
[6]

Page 15 of 17
 any four from:
8
• cells used to treat diseases do not go on to produce a baby

• produces identical cells for research

• cells would not be rejected

• allow cells can form different types of cells

• (immature) egg contains only genetic information / DNA /

genes / chromosomes from mother or there is only one parent

• asexual / no mixing of genetic material / no sperm involved /

no fertilisation or chemical causes development

• baby is a clone

• reference to ethical / moral / religious issues

allow ethically wrong
NB cloning is illegal gains 2 marks
ignore unnatural

• risk of damage to the baby

in correct context
[4]

(a) (i) change in weight was due to changes in potato

9 or osmosis or not due to outside liquid
ignore ‘to make fair test’
1

(ii) beaker 2 = 15.1(%) gain

allow 15%
1

beaker 4 = 21.8(5) loss

not 21.7
allow –22%
if no minus or no ‘loss’ checkgraph
1

beaker 5 = 29.8(%) loss

allow –30%
1

Page 16 of 17
 (b) (i) both axes correct values
and scales > ½ of each axis
ignore lack of minus signs on vertical axis
1

points correct
< ½ square
allow answers in (a)(ii)
1

line correct
allow curve of best fit which can miss 10, 15
or straight lines between points
do not allow one straight line or sketched line
bar graph zero marks
1

(ii) point where line crosses axis (eg 15-16% sucrose)

allow point from candidate’s graph ( 0.5%)
1

(iii) any two from:

looking for understanding that water in equilibrium

no change in mass

not net movement of water

or water entry and exit are equal

because sucrose solution same

concentration as cell sap or sucrose has
same water potential as cell contents
allow because the concentrations are the same (inside and out)
2
[10]

(i) in diffusion: material moves high to low concentration

10 1

here: concentration in cells > concentration in water or

uptake is against the concentration gradient or by diffusion ions would move out
1

(ii) active transport / active uptake

1
[3]

Page 17 of 17