Practical questions
During the GCSE Biology course you will complete practical activities from eight Practical Activity Groups (PAGs).
The exams will include questions about some of these experiments. You may also be asked to apply what you know to unfamiliar practical contexts, which will draw on your practical knowledge and understanding.
You could be asked to:
- write or identify a hypothesis or prediction that could be tested in an experiment
- name equipment and measuring instruments, and describe what they do and how they are used
- identify factors that must be controlled, and explain why
- describe how to work safely
- process data by doing calculations and representing it graphically
- identify patterns and trends in data
- evaluate the accuracy, repeatability and reproducibility of data, and identify possible errors and anomalous results
- suggest improvements to methods
- interpret data and draw conclusions from it
Practical questions will appear throughout both exams papers (Breadth and Depth), and at both Foundation Tier and Higher Tier. Practical questions could be multiple-choice or free-response, and could include calculations. A six-mark question could be asked in a practical context, so practice writing in detail about the practical work you have done.
It's important to look back at your lab book or your notes from the practical activities you have done when revising for your exams.
These questions have been written by Bitesize consultants as suggestions to the types of questions that may appear in an exam paper.
Sample question 1 - Foundation
Question
A student is investigating the process of mitosis with a microscope.
The hazard warning label on the chromosome stain they use states:
- may cause skin irritation
- may cause eye irritation
- may be harmful if swallowed
- non-flammable
Suggest three safety precautions they should take. [3 marks]
- They should avoid contact with hands/skin. They could also wear gloves.
- They should wear safety googles.
- They should wash their hands after handling the bottle or slide.
Sample question 2 - Foundation
Question
Describe how to prepare a slide of stained onion epidermal tissue.
[4 marks]
(Four from):
- Take an onion bulb and remove one of the leaves.
- Peel a piece of inner epidermis from the leaf using forceps.
- Trim the piece of epidermis and place in one drop of water on a microscope slide.
- Lower a coverslip on top, taking care not to trap any air bubbles.
- Place one drop of iodine solution (stain) next to the coverslip.
- Draw the iodine solution under the slide by placing a piece of filter paper on the other side of the coverslip.
Sample question 3 - Higher
Question
Describe how you would set up a microscope to examine a prepared slide under high power. [6 marks]
- Select the lower power objective.
- Move the stage as close to the objective as possible.
- Place the prepared slide on the stage.
- Focus away from the slide, using the coarse focusing adjustment, until the specimen is in focus.
- Move the high power objective in line with the slide.
- Use the fine focusing adjustment to bring the specimen back into focus.
- If the specimen cannot be brought back into focus, refocus under low power and repeat stages 5 to 6.
Sample question 4 - Higher
Question
Describe two advantages of light microscopes over electron microscopes. [2 marks]
(Two from):
- Light microscopes are cheaper.
- They are smaller and easier to transport.
- They can be used to view living specimens.
