Edexcel IGCSE Biology Paper 1 questions
and 100% verified answers 2025
What are the characteristics of living things? - Answer Move, respire, sensitivity, grow, respire, excrete,
nutrition, control
Describe eukaryotic cells
Example - Answer Complex large cell
Contain Nucleus
Any mammal/insect cell
Describe prokaryotic cells
Example - Answer Small simple cell
No nucleus
Floating DNA
Amoeba/Chlorella
Animal cell:
Structure
Carbohydrate store
Example - Answer Multicellular
Contain: No cell wall
Store carbs as Glycogen
Any mammal/insect
Plant cell:
Structure
Carbohydrate store
Example - Answer Cell wall, vacuole, chloroplasts
Store carbs as starch or sucrose
,Beans/maize
Fungi:
Structure
Feeding method
Store carbohydrates
Example - Answer Body called mycelium made up of hyphae (thread like structures)
Cell walls made of chitin
Saprotrophic nutrition - release enzymes into surroundings to dissolve food
Store carbs as glycogen
Yeast
Describe the levels of organization - Answer Organelle, cell, tissue, organ, organ system
What is the function of the mitochondria? - Answer cellular respiration for energy
function of ribosomes - Answer protein synthesis
function of chloroplast - Answer Contains chlorophyll which absorbs light energy for photosynthesis
function of vacuole - Answer Stores water, salts, proteins and carbs and provides structure
Define pathogen - Answer disease causing organism
Describe viruses
Example - Answer small cells, can only reproduce in living cells, no cellular structure, protein coat and
contain DNA or RNA
HIV
, Describe bacteria - Answer single celled, no nucleus, contain circular chromosomes of DNA, contain
plasmids (extra bits of DNA)
Lactobacillus
Define cell differentiation - Answer the process by which cells become specialized in structure and
function
Structure and elements in carbohydrates - Answer Carbon, Hydrogen, Oxygen
Starch/Glycogen
Structure and elements in lipids - Answer Carbon, Hydrogen, Oxygen
fatty acids and glycerol
Structure and elements in proteins - Answer Carbon, Hydrogen, Oxygen, Nitrogen
Amino acids
How to test for starch - Answer addition of Iodine (orange) reacts with starch to produce brown/blue
color
How to test for lipids - Answer Add drops of Sudan III
Shake
Red lipids settle on top
How to test for proteins - Answer Biuret test
Add biuret solution and shake
blue -> pink if present
How to make a food sample - Answer Break food in pestle and mortar
stir with distilled water
filter solution to remove solids
and 100% verified answers 2025
What are the characteristics of living things? - Answer Move, respire, sensitivity, grow, respire, excrete,
nutrition, control
Describe eukaryotic cells
Example - Answer Complex large cell
Contain Nucleus
Any mammal/insect cell
Describe prokaryotic cells
Example - Answer Small simple cell
No nucleus
Floating DNA
Amoeba/Chlorella
Animal cell:
Structure
Carbohydrate store
Example - Answer Multicellular
Contain: No cell wall
Store carbs as Glycogen
Any mammal/insect
Plant cell:
Structure
Carbohydrate store
Example - Answer Cell wall, vacuole, chloroplasts
Store carbs as starch or sucrose
,Beans/maize
Fungi:
Structure
Feeding method
Store carbohydrates
Example - Answer Body called mycelium made up of hyphae (thread like structures)
Cell walls made of chitin
Saprotrophic nutrition - release enzymes into surroundings to dissolve food
Store carbs as glycogen
Yeast
Describe the levels of organization - Answer Organelle, cell, tissue, organ, organ system
What is the function of the mitochondria? - Answer cellular respiration for energy
function of ribosomes - Answer protein synthesis
function of chloroplast - Answer Contains chlorophyll which absorbs light energy for photosynthesis
function of vacuole - Answer Stores water, salts, proteins and carbs and provides structure
Define pathogen - Answer disease causing organism
Describe viruses
Example - Answer small cells, can only reproduce in living cells, no cellular structure, protein coat and
contain DNA or RNA
HIV
, Describe bacteria - Answer single celled, no nucleus, contain circular chromosomes of DNA, contain
plasmids (extra bits of DNA)
Lactobacillus
Define cell differentiation - Answer the process by which cells become specialized in structure and
function
Structure and elements in carbohydrates - Answer Carbon, Hydrogen, Oxygen
Starch/Glycogen
Structure and elements in lipids - Answer Carbon, Hydrogen, Oxygen
fatty acids and glycerol
Structure and elements in proteins - Answer Carbon, Hydrogen, Oxygen, Nitrogen
Amino acids
How to test for starch - Answer addition of Iodine (orange) reacts with starch to produce brown/blue
color
How to test for lipids - Answer Add drops of Sudan III
Shake
Red lipids settle on top
How to test for proteins - Answer Biuret test
Add biuret solution and shake
blue -> pink if present
How to make a food sample - Answer Break food in pestle and mortar
stir with distilled water
filter solution to remove solids
