AQA GCSE BIOLOGY 8461/1H PAPER 1
HIGHER TIER CERTIFICATION SCRIPT 2026
QUESTIONS WITH SOLUTIONS GRADED A+
◍ What does a nucleus do?.
Answer: It contains genetic material and controls the activities of the cell
◍ Ecosystem.
Answer: The interaction of a community of living organisms with the
non-living parts of their environment
◍ What does cytoplasm do?.
Answer: It's a gel-like substance where most of the chemical reactions
happen. It contains enzymes that control these chemical reactions
◍ What does a cell membrane do?.
Answer: It holds the cell together and controls what goes in and out
◍ What do mitochondria do?.
Answer: These are where most of the reactions for aerobic respiration occur.
Respiration transfers energy that the cell needs to work
◍ Community.
Answer: The populations of different species or organisms that are all
interdependent in a habitat
◍ What do ribosomes do?.
Answer: This is where protein synthesis takes place - where proteins are
made in the cell
◍ What do cell walls do?.
Answer: They are made of cellulose and they support and strengthen the cell
◍ What does a vacuole do?.
, Answer: It contains cell sap and helps maintain the shape of the cell
◍ What do chloroplasts do?.
Answer: This is where photosynthesis occurs, which makes food for the
plant. They contain chlorophyll - a green pigment - which absorbs light
needed for photosynthesis
◍ What do bacterial cells contain?.
Answer: Cytoplasm, cell membrane, cell wall, flagella, ribosomes,
mitochondria, slime capsule, plasmids (small rings of DNA) and a single
circular strand of DNA that floats freely in the cytoplasm
◍ Habitat.
Answer: The environment in which an organism lives
◍ What do bacterial cells NOT contain?.
Answer: A nucleus
◍ Population.
Answer: The total number of organisms of the same species living in the
same geographical area
◍ What is the equation for magnification?.
Answer: Image size divided by actual size
◍ What is differentiation?.
Answer: The process by which a cell changes to become specialised for its
job
◍ What are undifferentiated cells called?.
Answer: Stem cells
◍ What are sperm cells specialised for and how are they specialised?.
Answer: Reproduction - they transport the male DNA to the female DNA-It
has a flagella and a streamlined head to help it swim towards the egg-There
are lots of mitochondria in the cell to provide the energy needed-It carries
enzymes in its head to help digest through the egg cell membranes
◍ What are nerve cells specialised for and how are they specialised?.
, Answer: Rapid signalling - they carry electrical signals from one part of the
body to another-They are long to cover more distance-They have branched
connections at their ends to connect to other nerve cells and form a network
throughout the body
◍ What are muscle cells specialised for and how are they specialised?.
Answer: Contraction - they need to contract quickly-They are long so they
have space to contract-They contain lots of mitochondria to generate the
energy needed for contraction
◍ What are root hair cells specialised for and how are they specialised?.
Answer: Absorbing water and minerals-They are cells on the surface of
plant roots which grow into long hairs that stick out into the soil-They have
a large surface area for absorbing water and mineral ions from the soil
◍ What are chromosomes?.
Answer: Coiled up lengths of DNA molecules that are found in the nuclei
◍ What do multicellular organisms use mitosis for?.
Answer: To grow or replace cells that have been damaged
◍ What are stem cells?.
Answer: They are undifferentiated cells that divide to produce lots more
undifferentiated cells. They then differentiate into different types of cell
◍ Interdependence.
Answer: The way in which each species within a community depends on
other species for food, shelter, pollination, seed dispersal etc
◍ Where are stem cells found?.
Answer: In early human embryos or the bone marrow of adults
◍ Competition.
Answer: The process by which living organisms compete with each other for
limited resources (such as food, light or reproductive partners)
◍ What do embryonic stem cells do?.
Answer: 1) Used to replace faulty cells in sick people - insulin-producing
, cells for diabetes and nerve cells for paralysed spinal injuries2) Used to
replace faulty blood cells
◍ What is diffusion?.
Answer: Diffusion is the movement of particles from an area of high
concentration to an area of low concentration
◍ Name the substances that can diffuse through cell membranes.
Answer: Glucose, water, oxygen and amino acids
◍ Name two substances that can't diffuse through cell membranes.
Answer: Protein and starch
◍ 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 are the two main differences between active transport and diffusion?.
Answer: Active transport uses energy whereas diffusion doesn't. Active
transport goes against the concentration gradient whereas diffusion goes
along it
◍ Adaptations of Exchange Surfaces.
Answer: 1) Large surface area - lots of substances can diffuse at once2) Lots
of blood vessels - to get stuff into and out of the blood quickly3) Thin
membrane - short distance for substances to diffuse4) Often ventilated - air
moves in & out
◍ Give two ways that the villi in the small intestine are adapted for absorbing
digested food.
Answer: 1) A single layer of surface cells2) A very good blood supply to
assist quick absorption
◍ Explain how the leaves are adapted to maximise the amount of carbon
dioxide that gets into their cells.
Answer: 1) The exchange surface in a leaf is covered in stomata which the
HIGHER TIER CERTIFICATION SCRIPT 2026
QUESTIONS WITH SOLUTIONS GRADED A+
◍ What does a nucleus do?.
Answer: It contains genetic material and controls the activities of the cell
◍ Ecosystem.
Answer: The interaction of a community of living organisms with the
non-living parts of their environment
◍ What does cytoplasm do?.
Answer: It's a gel-like substance where most of the chemical reactions
happen. It contains enzymes that control these chemical reactions
◍ What does a cell membrane do?.
Answer: It holds the cell together and controls what goes in and out
◍ What do mitochondria do?.
Answer: These are where most of the reactions for aerobic respiration occur.
Respiration transfers energy that the cell needs to work
◍ Community.
Answer: The populations of different species or organisms that are all
interdependent in a habitat
◍ What do ribosomes do?.
Answer: This is where protein synthesis takes place - where proteins are
made in the cell
◍ What do cell walls do?.
Answer: They are made of cellulose and they support and strengthen the cell
◍ What does a vacuole do?.
, Answer: It contains cell sap and helps maintain the shape of the cell
◍ What do chloroplasts do?.
Answer: This is where photosynthesis occurs, which makes food for the
plant. They contain chlorophyll - a green pigment - which absorbs light
needed for photosynthesis
◍ What do bacterial cells contain?.
Answer: Cytoplasm, cell membrane, cell wall, flagella, ribosomes,
mitochondria, slime capsule, plasmids (small rings of DNA) and a single
circular strand of DNA that floats freely in the cytoplasm
◍ Habitat.
Answer: The environment in which an organism lives
◍ What do bacterial cells NOT contain?.
Answer: A nucleus
◍ Population.
Answer: The total number of organisms of the same species living in the
same geographical area
◍ What is the equation for magnification?.
Answer: Image size divided by actual size
◍ What is differentiation?.
Answer: The process by which a cell changes to become specialised for its
job
◍ What are undifferentiated cells called?.
Answer: Stem cells
◍ What are sperm cells specialised for and how are they specialised?.
Answer: Reproduction - they transport the male DNA to the female DNA-It
has a flagella and a streamlined head to help it swim towards the egg-There
are lots of mitochondria in the cell to provide the energy needed-It carries
enzymes in its head to help digest through the egg cell membranes
◍ What are nerve cells specialised for and how are they specialised?.
, Answer: Rapid signalling - they carry electrical signals from one part of the
body to another-They are long to cover more distance-They have branched
connections at their ends to connect to other nerve cells and form a network
throughout the body
◍ What are muscle cells specialised for and how are they specialised?.
Answer: Contraction - they need to contract quickly-They are long so they
have space to contract-They contain lots of mitochondria to generate the
energy needed for contraction
◍ What are root hair cells specialised for and how are they specialised?.
Answer: Absorbing water and minerals-They are cells on the surface of
plant roots which grow into long hairs that stick out into the soil-They have
a large surface area for absorbing water and mineral ions from the soil
◍ What are chromosomes?.
Answer: Coiled up lengths of DNA molecules that are found in the nuclei
◍ What do multicellular organisms use mitosis for?.
Answer: To grow or replace cells that have been damaged
◍ What are stem cells?.
Answer: They are undifferentiated cells that divide to produce lots more
undifferentiated cells. They then differentiate into different types of cell
◍ Interdependence.
Answer: The way in which each species within a community depends on
other species for food, shelter, pollination, seed dispersal etc
◍ Where are stem cells found?.
Answer: In early human embryos or the bone marrow of adults
◍ Competition.
Answer: The process by which living organisms compete with each other for
limited resources (such as food, light or reproductive partners)
◍ What do embryonic stem cells do?.
Answer: 1) Used to replace faulty cells in sick people - insulin-producing
, cells for diabetes and nerve cells for paralysed spinal injuries2) Used to
replace faulty blood cells
◍ What is diffusion?.
Answer: Diffusion is the movement of particles from an area of high
concentration to an area of low concentration
◍ Name the substances that can diffuse through cell membranes.
Answer: Glucose, water, oxygen and amino acids
◍ Name two substances that can't diffuse through cell membranes.
Answer: Protein and starch
◍ 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 are the two main differences between active transport and diffusion?.
Answer: Active transport uses energy whereas diffusion doesn't. Active
transport goes against the concentration gradient whereas diffusion goes
along it
◍ Adaptations of Exchange Surfaces.
Answer: 1) Large surface area - lots of substances can diffuse at once2) Lots
of blood vessels - to get stuff into and out of the blood quickly3) Thin
membrane - short distance for substances to diffuse4) Often ventilated - air
moves in & out
◍ Give two ways that the villi in the small intestine are adapted for absorbing
digested food.
Answer: 1) A single layer of surface cells2) A very good blood supply to
assist quick absorption
◍ Explain how the leaves are adapted to maximise the amount of carbon
dioxide that gets into their cells.
Answer: 1) The exchange surface in a leaf is covered in stomata which the
