GCSE BIOLOGY (9–1): HIGHER TIER
ACTUAL EXAM PAPER 2026 QUESTIONS
WITH ANSWERS GRADED A+
◍ What are the two types of microscopes?.
Answer: Light MicroscopeElectron Microscope
◍ What is the magnifying power of a light microscope?.
Answer: x 2,000
◍ Cell structure.
Answer: Animal, plant, and bacterial cells have distinct structures, including
cell membranes, cytoplasm, and organelles.
◍ What is the magnifying power of an electron microscope?.
Answer: x 2,000,000
◍ What is the resolving power?.
Answer: The ability to distinguish between two separate points
◍ What is the resolving power of light microscopes?.
Answer: 200 nm
◍ What is the resolving power of electron microscopes?.
Answer: 0.2 nm
◍ What are the advantages of light microscopes?.
Answer: 1. living samples2. can view samples in colour
◍ What are the disadvantages of electron microscopes?.
Answer: 1. dead samples2. samples in black and white
◍ What can they do with electron microscopes to make them coloured?.
Answer: Dye them or colour them in
,◍ How do you work out magnification?.
Answer: Image size / Object size
◍ How do you work out image size?.
Answer: Magnification x Object size
◍ Mitosis.
Answer: A process of cell division that results in two identical daughter
cells, important for growth and repair.
◍ How do you work out object size?.
Answer: Image size / Magnification
◍ How do you convert cm to mm?.
Answer: x 10
◍ How do you convert um (micrometres) to mm?.
Answer: / 1000
◍ How do you convert mm to um (micrometres)?.
Answer: x 1000
◍ What does an animal cell contain?.
Answer: Cytoplasm, Nucleus, Ribosomes, Mitochondrion, Cell Membrane
◍ Where is the nucleus located in an animal cell?.
Answer: The centre
◍ What does the nucleus do?.
Answer: It controls the activities of the cell
◍ What is the role of the cytoplasm?.
Answer: Where chemical reactions take place
◍ Does an animal cell have a cell wall?.
Answer: No, it does not
◍ What is the role of the cell membrane?.
Answer: Controls the ENTRY and EXIT of SUBSTANCES inside the cell
, ◍ What is the role of mitochondria/on?.
Answer: Creates energy by aerobic respiration
◍ What does aerobic respiration mean?.
Answer: It requires oxygen
◍ What is the role of ribosomes?.
Answer: Where protein synthesis takes place
◍ What kind of shape is a plant cell?.
Answer: Rectangular
◍ What kind of shape is an animal cell?.
Answer: Circular
◍ What does a plant cell contain?.
Answer: Chloroplast Starch grain Cell MembraneCell
WallNucleusMitochondrionCytoplasm
◍ What is the role of the cell wall?.
Answer: Supports and protects the cell
◍ What is the role of the vacuole?.
Answer: contains cell sap
◍ Why is a plant cell rectangular?.
Answer: Due to the cell wall - strong
◍ Where is the nucleus placed in a plant cell?.
Answer: In one corner/side
◍ What is the role of chloroplasts?.
Answer: Full of a pigment called chlorophyllThis is where photosynthesis
takes place
◍ What are bacteria responsible for?.
Answer: Diseases such as tuberculosis, cholera.
◍ What does a bacterial cell contain?.
ACTUAL EXAM PAPER 2026 QUESTIONS
WITH ANSWERS GRADED A+
◍ What are the two types of microscopes?.
Answer: Light MicroscopeElectron Microscope
◍ What is the magnifying power of a light microscope?.
Answer: x 2,000
◍ Cell structure.
Answer: Animal, plant, and bacterial cells have distinct structures, including
cell membranes, cytoplasm, and organelles.
◍ What is the magnifying power of an electron microscope?.
Answer: x 2,000,000
◍ What is the resolving power?.
Answer: The ability to distinguish between two separate points
◍ What is the resolving power of light microscopes?.
Answer: 200 nm
◍ What is the resolving power of electron microscopes?.
Answer: 0.2 nm
◍ What are the advantages of light microscopes?.
Answer: 1. living samples2. can view samples in colour
◍ What are the disadvantages of electron microscopes?.
Answer: 1. dead samples2. samples in black and white
◍ What can they do with electron microscopes to make them coloured?.
Answer: Dye them or colour them in
,◍ How do you work out magnification?.
Answer: Image size / Object size
◍ How do you work out image size?.
Answer: Magnification x Object size
◍ Mitosis.
Answer: A process of cell division that results in two identical daughter
cells, important for growth and repair.
◍ How do you work out object size?.
Answer: Image size / Magnification
◍ How do you convert cm to mm?.
Answer: x 10
◍ How do you convert um (micrometres) to mm?.
Answer: / 1000
◍ How do you convert mm to um (micrometres)?.
Answer: x 1000
◍ What does an animal cell contain?.
Answer: Cytoplasm, Nucleus, Ribosomes, Mitochondrion, Cell Membrane
◍ Where is the nucleus located in an animal cell?.
Answer: The centre
◍ What does the nucleus do?.
Answer: It controls the activities of the cell
◍ What is the role of the cytoplasm?.
Answer: Where chemical reactions take place
◍ Does an animal cell have a cell wall?.
Answer: No, it does not
◍ What is the role of the cell membrane?.
Answer: Controls the ENTRY and EXIT of SUBSTANCES inside the cell
, ◍ What is the role of mitochondria/on?.
Answer: Creates energy by aerobic respiration
◍ What does aerobic respiration mean?.
Answer: It requires oxygen
◍ What is the role of ribosomes?.
Answer: Where protein synthesis takes place
◍ What kind of shape is a plant cell?.
Answer: Rectangular
◍ What kind of shape is an animal cell?.
Answer: Circular
◍ What does a plant cell contain?.
Answer: Chloroplast Starch grain Cell MembraneCell
WallNucleusMitochondrionCytoplasm
◍ What is the role of the cell wall?.
Answer: Supports and protects the cell
◍ What is the role of the vacuole?.
Answer: contains cell sap
◍ Why is a plant cell rectangular?.
Answer: Due to the cell wall - strong
◍ Where is the nucleus placed in a plant cell?.
Answer: In one corner/side
◍ What is the role of chloroplasts?.
Answer: Full of a pigment called chlorophyllThis is where photosynthesis
takes place
◍ What are bacteria responsible for?.
Answer: Diseases such as tuberculosis, cholera.
◍ What does a bacterial cell contain?.
