AQA GCSE BIOLOGY 8461/1H PAPER 1
HIGHER TIER PAPER & MARK SCHEME
PRACTICE EXAMINATION 2026
QUESTIONS WITH ANSWERS GRADED A+
◍ What are the 3 ways in which fossils are formed?.
Answer: - from preservation in places where no decay happens- from
gradual replacement by minerals- from casts and impressions
◍ How are fossils formed from casts and impressions?.
Answer: - sometimes, fossils are formed when an organism is buried in a
soft material like clay, the clay later hardens around it and the organism
decays, leaving a cast of itself, e.g. animal burrows or plant roots- thinks
like footprints can be pressed into these materials when soft, leaving an
impression when it hardens
◍ What two factors can lead to speciation?.
Answer: - isolation - natural selection
◍ What is a yeast cell an example of?.
Answer: a single cell organism
◍ How do you make a stem cell.
Answer: Take nuclei out of a egg cell take nuclei from the patients cell and
insert into empty egg egg starts to develop into a embryo.
◍ Where is lipase made?.
Answer: - pancreas - small intestine
◍ How does Youre immune system protect you.
Answer: Consumes pathogens- white blood cells will engulf any dangers
Produces antitoxins- counteracts toxins that bacteria produce Produce
, antibodies- recognise pathogens faster
◍ What is an organ system?.
Answer: a group of organs working together to perform a particular
function, e.g. the digestive system breaks down food
◍ Describe the respiratory system.
Answer: Air goes in through mouth or nose into the trachea then into
bronchus into bronchiole into the alveoli. Diaphragm moves up and down to
let air in and out
◍ What is mitosis an example of?.
Answer: - asexual reproduction- the offspring have exactly the same genes
as the parent, so there's no variation
◍ What is the definition of diffusion?.
Answer: the SPREADING OUT of PARTICLES from an area of HIGH
CONCENTRATION to an area of LOW CONCENTRATION orthe NET
MOVEMENT of PARTICLES down a CONCENTRATION GRADIENT
◍ What four things is the energy released from respiration used for?.
Answer: - to building larger molecules from smaller ones (e.g. proteins from
amino acids)- in animals, allowing muscles to contract (allows movement)-
in mammals and birds the energy is used to maintain body temperature -
Plants: build sugars, nitrates, other nutrients into amino acids, which are
then built up into proteins
◍ Why is starch good for storing in plants?.
Answer: starch is insoluble which makes it much better for storing than
glucose - a cell with lots of glucose in would draw in loads of water and
swell up
◍ Which enzymes are produced in the small intestine?.
Answer: - amylase - protease - lipase
◍ How do muscles store glucose?.
Answer: as glycogen
, ◍ Digestive system- small intestine.
Answer: Moves glucose etc to blood. Large surface area
◍ What does the large intestine do?.
Answer: absorbs water from undigested food leaving faeces
◍ What do enzymes act as?.
Answer: biological catalysts- they speed-up reactions
◍ What does phloem do.
Answer: Carey's ions and food in downwards direction fro leaf to roots for it
to be stored eg. In potatoes
◍ What are examples of big molecules (in digestion)?.
Answer: starch, proteins and fats- they're too big to pass through the walls of
the digestive system
◍ Photosynthesis balanced equation.
Answer: 6H2O + 6CO2 + 602 + C6H1206
◍ What is meant by 'reproducible'?.
Answer: if the investigation is repeated by another person or by using
different equipment or techniques, and the same results are obtained
◍ Light and photosynthesis- heat from the lamp is a source of error, how could
you avoid this.
Answer: Place a glass screen in front of beaker do the light gets through but
the heat doesn't
◍ If a cell has flagella...
Answer: it must be able to move, e.g. sperm cells
◍ How can a child get polydactyly?.
Answer: - can be inherited if just one parent carries the defective gene- the
parent that has the defective allele will be a sufferer too since the allele is
dominant
◍ What is respiration (endo or exo).
HIGHER TIER PAPER & MARK SCHEME
PRACTICE EXAMINATION 2026
QUESTIONS WITH ANSWERS GRADED A+
◍ What are the 3 ways in which fossils are formed?.
Answer: - from preservation in places where no decay happens- from
gradual replacement by minerals- from casts and impressions
◍ How are fossils formed from casts and impressions?.
Answer: - sometimes, fossils are formed when an organism is buried in a
soft material like clay, the clay later hardens around it and the organism
decays, leaving a cast of itself, e.g. animal burrows or plant roots- thinks
like footprints can be pressed into these materials when soft, leaving an
impression when it hardens
◍ What two factors can lead to speciation?.
Answer: - isolation - natural selection
◍ What is a yeast cell an example of?.
Answer: a single cell organism
◍ How do you make a stem cell.
Answer: Take nuclei out of a egg cell take nuclei from the patients cell and
insert into empty egg egg starts to develop into a embryo.
◍ Where is lipase made?.
Answer: - pancreas - small intestine
◍ How does Youre immune system protect you.
Answer: Consumes pathogens- white blood cells will engulf any dangers
Produces antitoxins- counteracts toxins that bacteria produce Produce
, antibodies- recognise pathogens faster
◍ What is an organ system?.
Answer: a group of organs working together to perform a particular
function, e.g. the digestive system breaks down food
◍ Describe the respiratory system.
Answer: Air goes in through mouth or nose into the trachea then into
bronchus into bronchiole into the alveoli. Diaphragm moves up and down to
let air in and out
◍ What is mitosis an example of?.
Answer: - asexual reproduction- the offspring have exactly the same genes
as the parent, so there's no variation
◍ What is the definition of diffusion?.
Answer: the SPREADING OUT of PARTICLES from an area of HIGH
CONCENTRATION to an area of LOW CONCENTRATION orthe NET
MOVEMENT of PARTICLES down a CONCENTRATION GRADIENT
◍ What four things is the energy released from respiration used for?.
Answer: - to building larger molecules from smaller ones (e.g. proteins from
amino acids)- in animals, allowing muscles to contract (allows movement)-
in mammals and birds the energy is used to maintain body temperature -
Plants: build sugars, nitrates, other nutrients into amino acids, which are
then built up into proteins
◍ Why is starch good for storing in plants?.
Answer: starch is insoluble which makes it much better for storing than
glucose - a cell with lots of glucose in would draw in loads of water and
swell up
◍ Which enzymes are produced in the small intestine?.
Answer: - amylase - protease - lipase
◍ How do muscles store glucose?.
Answer: as glycogen
, ◍ Digestive system- small intestine.
Answer: Moves glucose etc to blood. Large surface area
◍ What does the large intestine do?.
Answer: absorbs water from undigested food leaving faeces
◍ What do enzymes act as?.
Answer: biological catalysts- they speed-up reactions
◍ What does phloem do.
Answer: Carey's ions and food in downwards direction fro leaf to roots for it
to be stored eg. In potatoes
◍ What are examples of big molecules (in digestion)?.
Answer: starch, proteins and fats- they're too big to pass through the walls of
the digestive system
◍ Photosynthesis balanced equation.
Answer: 6H2O + 6CO2 + 602 + C6H1206
◍ What is meant by 'reproducible'?.
Answer: if the investigation is repeated by another person or by using
different equipment or techniques, and the same results are obtained
◍ Light and photosynthesis- heat from the lamp is a source of error, how could
you avoid this.
Answer: Place a glass screen in front of beaker do the light gets through but
the heat doesn't
◍ If a cell has flagella...
Answer: it must be able to move, e.g. sperm cells
◍ How can a child get polydactyly?.
Answer: - can be inherited if just one parent carries the defective gene- the
parent that has the defective allele will be a sufferer too since the allele is
dominant
◍ What is respiration (endo or exo).
