KS3 SCIENCE YEAR 9 FINAL TEST

KS3 Science Final Test

Congratulations on completing all your Key Stage 3 assignments!

Final test guidance

Format: You should complete the final test on this paper, scan it in and submit it, ideally as a single
document. You should write in pen, in the spaces allowed on the question paper.
Timing: We would like you to approach this as a timed test. Please allow yourself 1 hour and 30
minutes to complete this test. Try to answer every question in this time. If you have time left over,
use it to check your work through.
Resources: You should complete this test without making reference to your course book or notes.

Preparation: Before you begin this assignment, please ensure that you have revised all of the topics
in Year 9 and completed your end-of-course review, including the Skype with your tutor.

Good luck!

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KS3 SCIENCE YEAR 9 FINAL TEST

1. The diagram shows a plant cell.

a) Give the name of part A.

______________________

Give the function of part A.

___________________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________

(2 marks)

b) Give the name of part E.

______________________

Give the function of part E.

___________________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________

(2 marks)

c) Give the letters of two parts that are present in plant cells but not in animal cells.

_______ and ________

(2 marks)

d) How can you tell that the cell above is from a leaf and not from a root?

_______________________________________________________________

(1 mark)

(Total 7 marks)

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KS3 SCIENCE YEAR 9 FINAL TEST

2. The drawing below shows a space buggy on the surface of Mars.

a) The distance between Earth and Mars is 192 000 000 km.
It took a spacecraft 200 days to take the buggy from Earth to Mars.
Calculate the speed at which the spacecraft travelled. Give the unit.

___________________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________

(2 marks)

b) The weight of the buggy was 105N on Earth and 40N on Mars.
Why was the weight of the buggy less on Mars than on Earth?

___________________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________

(1 mark)

c) The buggy uses solar panels to generate electrical energy.

The solar panels generate less electrical energy on Mars than on Earth. Give a reason why.

___________________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________

(1 mark)

d) The weight of the buggy was 40N on Mars.

When the buggy landed on Mars it rested on an area of 0.025m2.
Calculate the pressure exerted by the buggy on the surface of Mars. Give the unit.

___________________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________

(2 marks)

(Total 6 marks)

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KS3 SCIENCE YEAR 9 FINAL TEST

3. Michelle added some universal indicator solution to four liquids.

Michelle uses the pH chart to fill in her table of results.

a) The table below shows some of Michelle’s results.

Complete Michelle’s table of results below. Use the pH chart to help you.

Colour of universal indicator

Liquid pH
solution

Milk Green

Rain water 5

Hydrochloric acid red

Bleach 11

(2 marks)

b) Explain why using acids can be dangerous.

___________________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________

(1 mark)

c) Michelle measured the pH of some milk stored at room temperature for five days.
The graph of Michelle’s results is shown below. One of the axes has been labelled.

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KS3 SCIENCE YEAR 9 FINAL TEST

i. Write the axis label for the graph at X.

(1 mark)

ii. Use the graph. How does the pH of the milk change over the five days?

________________________________________________________________________

(1 mark)

(Total 5 marks)

4. The dentist’s leaflet below shows how plaque causes tooth decay.

a)

i. Explain how reducing the amount of plaque can reduce tooth decay. Use the leaflet to
help you.

_______________________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________

(2 marks)

ii. Using an alkaline toothpaste also reduces tooth decay. Give the reason for this.

_______________________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________

(1 mark)

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KS3 SCIENCE YEAR 9 FINAL TEST

b) A group of boys wanted to find out how well plaque is removed by brushing teeth.
Every day, before they brushed their teeth, the boys chewed a tablet that stains plaque red.
Explain why the boys looked at their teeth before and after brushing.

___________________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________

(1 mark)

c) The diagram below shows teeth with the plaque stained.

The boys used a grid drawn on clear plastic to measure the area of the plaque on their teeth.

i. Grid B is better than grid A for measuring the area of plaque.

Why is a grid with smaller squares better for measuring the area of plaque?

_______________________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________

(1 mark)

ii. The squares on grid B represent 1 mm2.

Use grid B to estimate the area of the tooth covered by plaque.

________ mm2

(1 mark)

(Total 6 marks)

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KS3 SCIENCE YEAR 9 FINAL TEST

5. Susan has a small fan to keep herself cool.

When she switches it on, a motor turns the blades to blow air.

a) The diagrams below show the symbols for a battery, a motor and a switch.

In the space below, draw a series circuit diagram for the fan using these symbols.

(3 marks)

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KS3 SCIENCE YEAR 9 FINAL TEST

b)

i. Which part provides energy for the circuit?

________________________________

(1 mark)

ii. Some of this energy is used to turn the blades. The rest of the energy is wasted.
Complete the sentence below. Choose words from the list.

chemical heat light sound

When the blades are turning, energy is wasted as ___________ energy and __________
energy.

(2 marks)

c) Susan built a circuit using a battery, a motor and a switch. She closed the switch to turn the
motor on.

i. Susan added a bulb to the circuit. The current in the circuit decreased.
How did this affect the motor?

_______________________________________________________________________

(1 mark)

ii. Susan removed the motor from the circuit. The current in the circuit increased.
How did this affect the bulb?

_______________________________________________________________________

(1 mark)

(Total 8 marks)

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KS3 SCIENCE YEAR 9 FINAL TEST

6. The diagram below shows a baby in its mother’s uterus.

a) What is the normal length of pregnancy in humans?

________ months

(1 mark)

b)

i. What is the function of the amniotic fluid around the baby?

_______________________________________________________________________

(1 mark)

ii. As the baby is born, it is pushed out of the mother’s body.

Look at the diagram above. What happens in the wall of the uterus to push the baby
out?

_______________________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________

(1 mark)

c) How does a baby get oxygen from its mother while it is inside its mother’s uterus?

___________________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________

(1 mark)

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KS3 SCIENCE YEAR 9 FINAL TEST

d) The diagram below shows a section through the mother’s lungs.

From which labelled part is oxygen absorbed into the blood?

__________________

(1 mark)

(Total 5 marks)

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KS3 SCIENCE YEAR 9 FINAL TEST

7. The diagram shows a ray of light hitting the surface of a mirror made from thick glass.

The incident ray is both reflected and refracted.

a)

i. Give the letters of the two reflected rays.

_____ and _____

ii. Give the letter of one refracted ray.

_____

(3 marks)

b) The incident ray is brighter than ray A. Give one reason for this.

___________________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________

(1 mark)

(Total 4 marks)

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KS3 SCIENCE YEAR 9 FINAL TEST

8. The drawings show part of a farmland food chain.

a) A pyramid of numbers represents the number of organisms at each stage in a food chain.
On each line by the pyramid of numbers below, write the name of the correct organism from
the food chain above.

(1 mark)

b) Partridges feed mainly on insects and wild plants (weeds).

Some farmers spray their crops with chemicals to kill insects and weeds.
How would this affect the number of foxes?

___________________________________________________________________________

Explain your answer.

___________________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________

(2 marks)

c) Partridges build their nests on the ground among plants. They lay up to 18 eggs in the nest.
Suggest why partridges need to lay so many eggs.

___________________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________

(1 mark)

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KS3 SCIENCE YEAR 9 FINAL TEST

d) Some farmers leave a strip of land around the edge of each field which they do not spray
with chemicals.
Suggest two reasons why this will lead to an increase in the number of partridges on these
farms.

1._________________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________

2.__________________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________

(2 marks)

(Total 6 marks)

9. In the eighteenth century, scientists had different ideas about what happens when metals burn
in air.

a) Imagine you want to investigate the ideas of Priestley and Lavoisier. Assume you have been
given three pieces of different metals. In a laboratory, metals are heated to high
temperatures in crucibles.

You would also have access to all the usual laboratory equipment.
In your plan you must give:

• The one factor you would change as you carry out your investigation (the
independent variable);

• one factor you would observe or measure to collect your results (the dependent
variable);

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KS3 SCIENCE YEAR 9 FINAL TEST

• one of the factors you would keep the same as you carry out your investigation;

• the evidence that would support Lavoisier’s idea.

___________________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________

(4 marks)

b) In the box below, draw and label a table you could use to record your results.

(2 marks)

(Total 6 marks)

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KS3 SCIENCE YEAR 9 FINAL TEST

10. The drawings show Sofia taking part in four different sports.

The table below shows the average energy needed for each sport for one hour.

a)

i. Sofia plays football for two hours each week. She also goes bowling for two hours each
week. Explain why Sofia uses up her food reserves more quickly when playing football
rather than when bowling.

__________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________

(1 mark)

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KS3 SCIENCE YEAR 9 FINAL TEST

ii. Athletes should not drink alcohol before taking part in sport.
Give two effects of alcohol which would affect an athlete’s performance.

1. _____________________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________

2. _____________________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________

(2 marks)

b) Some athletes take glucose tablets before a 100 metre race.

They can also obtain glucose from starch in their diet.
A starch molecule is made up of many glucose molecules joined together as shown below.

In the digestive system, starch is broken down into glucose:

An athlete can obtain energy more quickly by eating glucose rather than starch.
Explain why.

___________________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________

(1 mark)

(Total 4 marks)

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KS3 SCIENCE YEAR 9 FINAL TEST

11.

a) The diagram shows a sperm cell. Sperm cells are adapted for fertilisation.

Sperm cells use their tails to swim towards an ovum (egg). Give one other way the sperm
cell is adapted for fertilisation.

___________________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________

(1 mark)

b) The diagrams below show two other cells.

i. Look at the diagrams above.

What is the difference between the location of the genetic material in the bacterium
and in the cell from the lining of the intestine?

_______________________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________

(1 mark)

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KS3 SCIENCE YEAR 9 FINAL TEST

ii. What is the function of the genetic material in a cell?

_______________________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________

(1 mark)

c) Cells in the lining of the intestine are adapted to absorb digested food.
How does the folded membrane of these cells enable them to absorb the maximum amount
of digested food?

___________________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________

(1 mark)

d) A group of cells in the lining of the intestine is a tissue.

Why is a number of sperm cells not a tissue?

___________________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________

(1 mark)

(Total 5 marks)

12. The drawing below shows a gemstone set in a gold ring.

Crystals of gemstones are found in different rocks.

a) There are three groups of rocks:

igneous metamorphic sedimentary

i. Crystals can be found in rocks that have been changed into different rocks by high
temperature and high pressure.
Which group of rocks is formed in this way?

_________________________

(1 mark)

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KS3 SCIENCE YEAR 9 FINAL TEST

ii. Crystals can be found in rocks formed by the cooling of hot magma.
Which group of rocks is formed in this way?

_________________________
(1 mark)

b) How does the rate at which magma cools affect the size of the crystals formed?

___________________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________

(1 mark)

c) Gemstones called rubies are made from an aluminium compound with the formula Al2O3.
The chemical symbol for aluminium is Al.

i. Give the name of the element that is combined with aluminium in this compound.

___________________
(1 mark)

ii. Suggest the name of the compound with the formula Al2O3.

______________________________________________________________

(1 mark)

iii. How many atoms are there in the formula Al2O3.

_________
(1 mark)

d)

i. The gemstone in the drawing is set into a gold ring.

Gold is an element that is found in rocks. Gold is never combined with other elements.
Part of the reactivity series of metals is shown below.

More reactive: Aluminium

Zinc

Lead

Less reactive: Copper

Where should gold be placed in this reactivity series?

_______________________________________________________________________

(1 mark)

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KS3 SCIENCE YEAR 9 FINAL TEST

ii. The more reactive metals react with acids.

Complete the word equation for the reaction of zinc with hydrochloric acid.

zinc + hydrochloric acid à ______________________ + ________________________

(2 marks)

(Total 9 marks)

13. .

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KS3 SCIENCE YEAR 9 FINAL TEST

Jenny repeated her experiment. She pressed the spring down more each time. Her results
are shown in the graph below.

a) Use Jenny’s graph to complete the table below.

Distance the spring was Height the spring reached

pressed down (cm) (cm)

(1 mark)

b) Jenny said, ‘If I double the distance I press the spring down, the height it reaches will also
double.
How do the results show she was wrong?

___________________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________

(1 mark)

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KS3 SCIENCE YEAR 9 FINAL TEST

c)

i. When the spring is moving at B it has ________ kinetic energy and ________
gravitational potential energy.

ii. When the spring reaches C it has ________ gravitational potential energy and
__________ kinetic energy.

iii. Just before the spring stops at A, it has ________ kinetic energy and ________
gravitational potential energy.

(3 marks)

(Total 5 marks)

14. Kava is a drug. It dissolves in alcohol but not in water.

A scientist tested kava to see if it can reduce the human heart rate. Before testing the drug on
humans, she tested it on water fleas.

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KS3 SCIENCE YEAR 9 FINAL TEST

a) She gave two groups of water fleas a different treatment.

Number of
Group Treatment
water fleas
One drop of kava
1 20
dissolved in alcohol
2 20 One drop of alcohol

• She placed the water fleas in a dish of water under the microscope

• She measured the heart rate of each water flea before the treatment

• She waited 30 seconds after the treatment was given and measured the heart rate again

• She calculated the average heart rate for each group

i. Why did the scientist measure the heart rate of the water fleas before the treatment?

_________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________

(1 mark)

ii. After giving the treatment, why did she wait for 30 seconds before measuring the heart
rate?

_________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________

(1 mark)

iii. How could the scientist increase the reliability of the investigation?

_________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________

(1 mark)

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KS3 SCIENCE YEAR 9 FINAL TEST

b) The results of the experiment are shown below.

i. How will the results from group 2 help in the experiment?

_________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________

(1 mark)

ii. How can the scientist use the results above to work out the effect of kava alone on the
average heart rate of water fleas?

_________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________

(1 mark)

c) From this experiment, why could she not be certain how kava will affect humans?

_____________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________

(1 mark)

(Total 6 marks)

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KS3 SCIENCE YEAR 9 FINAL TEST

15. Nina’s bicycle has a front lamp and a rear lamp. Both lamps are connected to the same battery.

a) The circuit diagram for the lamps is drawn below.

i. On the circuit diagram above, place a letter A to show the position of a switch to turn
only the front lamp on and off.

ii. On the circuit diagram above, place a letter B to show the position of a switch to turn
both lamps on and off at the same time.

(2 marks)

b) The bulb in the rear lamp gives out white light. White light is a mixture of all the colours of
light.

The plastic cover acts as a red filter. Red light passes through the filter.
What happens to the other colours that do not pass through?

_______________________________________________________________

(1 mark)

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KS3 SCIENCE YEAR 9 FINAL TEST

c) Nina replaces the battery with a generator called a dynamo. When Nina pedals her bicycle,
the back wheel turns the generator.
Complete the sentences below using words from the box.

As Nina pedals, ___________________ energy in her muscles is changed to kinetic energy.

When the generator turns, kinetic energy is changed to useful _______________ energy in

the wires. This energy in the wires is changed to useful _____________ energy in the bulb.

When the lamps are on, some of the energy in the bulb is wasted as ___________ energy.

(4 marks)

(Total 7 marks)

16. Zena has a model plane attached to a rod as shown below. The plane is balanced by a sliding
counterweight.

a) The rod is balanced horizontally

i. Calculate the turning moment produced by the counterweight about the pivot. Give the
unit.

_______________________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________

(2 marks)

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KS3 SCIENCE YEAR 9 FINAL TEST

ii. What is the turning moment produced by the plane about the pivot?

_______________________________________________________________________

(1 mark)

iii. Calculate the weight, W, of the plane.

_______________________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________

(1 mark)

b) There is a solar cell on the surface of the model plane. Zena connected the solar cell to the
motor of the plane. The plane moved in a circle around the pivot.
Part of the path of the plane was in a shadow. What happened to the speed of the plane as
it moved from bright light into low light in the shadow?

___________________________________________________________________________

Explain your answer.

___________________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________

(1 mark)

(Total 5 marks)

17. .

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KS3 SCIENCE YEAR 9 FINAL TEST

Joe tests the bridges by adding masses to them. He measures the distance from the bench to the
bottom of each bridge for different masses as shown.

a) Suggest two things Joe must do to make his test fair.

1. __________________________________________________________________

2. __________________________________________________________________

(2 marks)

Here are Joe’s results.

Mass added to bridge (g) Distance from bench to bottom of bridge (cm)
Bridge A Bridge B
0 7.2 7.2
100 7.1 7.0
200 7.0 6.5
250 6.8 6.1
300 3.0 5.6
350 0.0 5.0
b)

i. Joe put 325g on each bridge. Using the results table, estimate the distance from each
bridge to the bench.

Bridge A __________ cm Bridge B _____________ cm

(1 mark)

ii. Suggest what happened to bridge A when it was loaded with 350g.

_______________________________________________________________________

(1 mark)

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KS3 SCIENCE YEAR 9 FINAL TEST

c)
i. Which bridge would be better for carrying a 200g toy car?

_______

Explain your answer.

_______________________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________

(1 mark)

ii. Which bridge would be better for carrying a 300g toy car?

______

Explain your answer.

_______________________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________

(1 mark)

(Total 6 marks)

TOTAL FOR TEST 100 MARKS

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