AQA GCSE BIOLOGY 8461/1H PAPER 1
HIGHER TIER PAPER & MARK SCHEME
CERTIFICATION SCRIPT 2026 QUESTIONS
WITH SOLUTIONS GRADED A+
◍ What affects the rate of diffusion?.
Answer: Concentration gradient - the steeper the gradient, the faster the
rateTemperature - the higher the temperature, the faster the rate (the
particles have more energy thus move around faster)Surface area - the larger
it is, the faster the rateDiffusion distance - the shorter the distance, the faster
the rate
◍ What conditions do bacteria need to divide?.
Answer: 1) Warm environment2) Lots of nutrients
◍ Using glucose in plants - stored as oils or fats.
Answer: Glucose is turned into lipids for storing in seeds
◍ Investigating the Effect of Sugar Solutions on Plant Tissue - Method.
Answer: 1) Cut up a potato into identical cylinders, and get some beakers
with different sugar solutions in them: one should be pure water & another
should be a very concentrated sugar solution2) Measure the mass of the
cylinders, then leave one cylinder in each beaker for 24 hours3) Take them
out, dry them with a paper towel & measure their masses again4) If the
cylinders have drawn in water by osmosis, they'll have increased in mass. If
water has been drawn out, they'll have decreased in mass5) The dependent
variable is the chip mass & the independent variable is the concentration of
the sugar solution. All other variables must be kept the same
◍ What is metabolism?.
, Answer: The sum of all the reactions that happen in a cell or in the body
◍ What does a nucleus do?.
Answer: It contains genetic material and controls the activities of the cell
◍ Changes as a result of human interaction.
Answer: 1. Global warming and climate change - now working to maintain
rainforest2. Acid rain - now reducing water pollution and monitoring pH3.
Pollution from farms and factories - now conservation measures such as
replanting hedgerows and woodlands, restricting access to sites of special
scientific interest
◍ What is a tissue?.
Answer: A tissue is a group of similar cells that work together to carry out a
particular function
◍ What does the rectum do?.
Answer: It stores faeces
◍ Guard cells.
Answer: Control the opening and closing of the stomataThey don't open up
at night as there is no sunlight
◍ What are organs?.
Answer: Organs are groups of tissues that work together to perform certain
functions
◍ Cilia as a defence.
Answer: Hair-like structures which waft the mucus up to the back of your
throat where it can be swallowed (and used to trap pathogens)
◍ Smoking as a risk factor.
Answer: Causes cardiovascular disease, lung disease and lung cancer. It
damages the walls of arteries and the cells in the lining of the lungs
◍ Examples of functional adaptations.
Answer: Processes inside body like metabolism and reproduction - e.g.
delayed implantation of embryos, reduced sweating, organisms in extreme
, winter temperatures produce a chemical in cells which acts as an antifreeze
◍ What is the name of the substance when a substrate fits into the enzyme's
active site?.
Answer: Enzyme substrate complex
◍ Exposure to radiation as a risk factor.
Answer: Cancer can be caused by exposure to ionising radiation, a
carcinogen (something that causes cancer)
◍ What do the salivary glands do?.
Answer: They produce amylase in the saliva
◍ Describe each stage of mitosis.
Answer: Prophase - The chromosomes shorten and duplicateMetaphase -
The chromosomes line up on the equator of the cellAnaphase - The
chromosomes are pulled to the opposite ends of the cell. The chromatids are
now known as daughter cells.Telophase - New membranes form around the
daughter nuclei which becomes the nuclei of the two new cells - the nucleus
has divided. The cytoplasm and cell membrane divide to create two
daughter cells.
◍ How are fish adapted for gas exchange?.
Answer: -Each gill is made up of lots of gill filaments which create a large
surface area for the exchange of gases-Gill filaments are covered in lamellae
which increase the surface even more-The lamellae have lots of blood
capillaries to speed up diffusion-The lamellae have a thin surface layer of
cells to minimise the diffusion distance-Blood flows through the lamellae
one way and water flows over in the opposite direction which maintains a
higher concentration gradient between the blood and the water-The
concentration of oxygen in the water is always higher than that in the blood
to maximise the amount of oxygen diffusion from the water into the blood
◍ Describe the 4 trophic levels.
Answer: Level 1. Producers - plants and algae make their own foodLevel 2.
Primary consumers - herbivores eat plants/algaeLevel 3. Secondary
, consumers - carnivores eat herbivoresLevel 4. Tertiary consumers -
carnivores eat other carnivores
◍ What are tumour markers?.
Answer: Antigens on the cell membranes of cancer cells that aren't found on
normal body cells
◍ What do veins do?.
Answer: -Capillaries join up to form veins-The blood is at low pressure in
the veins so the walls aren't as thick as an artery's-They have the biggest
lumen to help the blood flow despite the lower pressure-They have valves to
help keep the blood flowing in the right direction
◍ Common symptoms of plant diseases.
Answer: 1) Stunted growth2) Abnormal growths e.g. lumps3) Spots on the
leaves4) Malformed stems or leaves5) Patches of decay (rot)6)
Discolouration
◍ Hairs and mucus as a defence.
Answer: In your nose, they trap particles that contain pathogens
◍ What is therapeutic cloning?.
Answer: An embryo could be made to have the same genetic information as
the patientThe stem cells produced from it would also contain the same
genes - they wouldn't be rejected by the patient's body if used to replace
faulty cells
◍ What is osmosis?.
Answer: Osmosis is the passive movement of water molecules through a
partially permeable cell membrane from an area of high water concentration
to an area of low water concentration
◍ What does the pancreas do?.
Answer: It produces amylase, protease and lipase then releases them into the
small intestine
◍ Anaerobic respiration equation - animals.
HIGHER TIER PAPER & MARK SCHEME
CERTIFICATION SCRIPT 2026 QUESTIONS
WITH SOLUTIONS GRADED A+
◍ What affects the rate of diffusion?.
Answer: Concentration gradient - the steeper the gradient, the faster the
rateTemperature - the higher the temperature, the faster the rate (the
particles have more energy thus move around faster)Surface area - the larger
it is, the faster the rateDiffusion distance - the shorter the distance, the faster
the rate
◍ What conditions do bacteria need to divide?.
Answer: 1) Warm environment2) Lots of nutrients
◍ Using glucose in plants - stored as oils or fats.
Answer: Glucose is turned into lipids for storing in seeds
◍ Investigating the Effect of Sugar Solutions on Plant Tissue - Method.
Answer: 1) Cut up a potato into identical cylinders, and get some beakers
with different sugar solutions in them: one should be pure water & another
should be a very concentrated sugar solution2) Measure the mass of the
cylinders, then leave one cylinder in each beaker for 24 hours3) Take them
out, dry them with a paper towel & measure their masses again4) If the
cylinders have drawn in water by osmosis, they'll have increased in mass. If
water has been drawn out, they'll have decreased in mass5) The dependent
variable is the chip mass & the independent variable is the concentration of
the sugar solution. All other variables must be kept the same
◍ What is metabolism?.
, Answer: The sum of all the reactions that happen in a cell or in the body
◍ What does a nucleus do?.
Answer: It contains genetic material and controls the activities of the cell
◍ Changes as a result of human interaction.
Answer: 1. Global warming and climate change - now working to maintain
rainforest2. Acid rain - now reducing water pollution and monitoring pH3.
Pollution from farms and factories - now conservation measures such as
replanting hedgerows and woodlands, restricting access to sites of special
scientific interest
◍ What is a tissue?.
Answer: A tissue is a group of similar cells that work together to carry out a
particular function
◍ What does the rectum do?.
Answer: It stores faeces
◍ Guard cells.
Answer: Control the opening and closing of the stomataThey don't open up
at night as there is no sunlight
◍ What are organs?.
Answer: Organs are groups of tissues that work together to perform certain
functions
◍ Cilia as a defence.
Answer: Hair-like structures which waft the mucus up to the back of your
throat where it can be swallowed (and used to trap pathogens)
◍ Smoking as a risk factor.
Answer: Causes cardiovascular disease, lung disease and lung cancer. It
damages the walls of arteries and the cells in the lining of the lungs
◍ Examples of functional adaptations.
Answer: Processes inside body like metabolism and reproduction - e.g.
delayed implantation of embryos, reduced sweating, organisms in extreme
, winter temperatures produce a chemical in cells which acts as an antifreeze
◍ What is the name of the substance when a substrate fits into the enzyme's
active site?.
Answer: Enzyme substrate complex
◍ Exposure to radiation as a risk factor.
Answer: Cancer can be caused by exposure to ionising radiation, a
carcinogen (something that causes cancer)
◍ What do the salivary glands do?.
Answer: They produce amylase in the saliva
◍ Describe each stage of mitosis.
Answer: Prophase - The chromosomes shorten and duplicateMetaphase -
The chromosomes line up on the equator of the cellAnaphase - The
chromosomes are pulled to the opposite ends of the cell. The chromatids are
now known as daughter cells.Telophase - New membranes form around the
daughter nuclei which becomes the nuclei of the two new cells - the nucleus
has divided. The cytoplasm and cell membrane divide to create two
daughter cells.
◍ How are fish adapted for gas exchange?.
Answer: -Each gill is made up of lots of gill filaments which create a large
surface area for the exchange of gases-Gill filaments are covered in lamellae
which increase the surface even more-The lamellae have lots of blood
capillaries to speed up diffusion-The lamellae have a thin surface layer of
cells to minimise the diffusion distance-Blood flows through the lamellae
one way and water flows over in the opposite direction which maintains a
higher concentration gradient between the blood and the water-The
concentration of oxygen in the water is always higher than that in the blood
to maximise the amount of oxygen diffusion from the water into the blood
◍ Describe the 4 trophic levels.
Answer: Level 1. Producers - plants and algae make their own foodLevel 2.
Primary consumers - herbivores eat plants/algaeLevel 3. Secondary
, consumers - carnivores eat herbivoresLevel 4. Tertiary consumers -
carnivores eat other carnivores
◍ What are tumour markers?.
Answer: Antigens on the cell membranes of cancer cells that aren't found on
normal body cells
◍ What do veins do?.
Answer: -Capillaries join up to form veins-The blood is at low pressure in
the veins so the walls aren't as thick as an artery's-They have the biggest
lumen to help the blood flow despite the lower pressure-They have valves to
help keep the blood flowing in the right direction
◍ Common symptoms of plant diseases.
Answer: 1) Stunted growth2) Abnormal growths e.g. lumps3) Spots on the
leaves4) Malformed stems or leaves5) Patches of decay (rot)6)
Discolouration
◍ Hairs and mucus as a defence.
Answer: In your nose, they trap particles that contain pathogens
◍ What is therapeutic cloning?.
Answer: An embryo could be made to have the same genetic information as
the patientThe stem cells produced from it would also contain the same
genes - they wouldn't be rejected by the patient's body if used to replace
faulty cells
◍ What is osmosis?.
Answer: Osmosis is the passive movement of water molecules through a
partially permeable cell membrane from an area of high water concentration
to an area of low water concentration
◍ What does the pancreas do?.
Answer: It produces amylase, protease and lipase then releases them into the
small intestine
◍ Anaerobic respiration equation - animals.
