GCSE Combined Science Foundation Paper 1
Covers Cell Biology, Organisation, Infection and Response and 9 more.
Questions
Question 1 [2 marks]
Forces
Newton's First Law of Motion describes the motion of an object when the forces acting on it are balanced or unbalanced.
State Newton's First Law of Motion.
Question 2 [3 marks]
Energy
Energy is conserved in any change involving energy transfer.
State what is meant by the conservation of energy, and describe what eventually happens to energy that is dissipated (wasted).
Question 3 [3 marks]
Bonding, Structure and the Properties of Matter
Metals have a giant structure held together by metallic bonding.
Give three properties of metals that can be explained by metallic bonding.
Question 4 [4 marks]
Atomic Structure and the Periodic Table
Before the discovery of the electron, atoms were thought to be tiny spheres that could not be divided.
Describe the plum pudding model of the atom, and describe how the results of the alpha particle scattering experiment led scientists to replace it with the nuclear model.
Question 5 [4 marks]
Chemical Changes
Acids react with metal carbonates in neutralisation reactions.
State the three products formed in the general reaction between an acid and a metal carbonate, and describe a test that could be used to confirm the identity of one of these products.
Question 6 [4 marks]
Infection and Response
Rose black spot is a fungal disease that affects plants, causing purple or black spots on leaves.
Describe how rose black spot is spread between plants, and describe two ways it can be treated or controlled.
Question 7 [4 marks]
Electricity
A resistor at constant temperature and a filament lamp are both circuit components whose resistance can be investigated.
Describe how the resistance of a resistor at constant temperature changes as the current through it increases, and describe how the resistance of a filament lamp changes as the current through it increases.
Question 8 [4 marks]
Cell Biology
A student views a cheek cell using a light microscope. The actual width of the cell is 0.05 mm. The width of the cell in the micrograph image is 20 mm.
Calculate the magnification of the image. Use magnification = image size / actual size.
Question 9 [4 marks]
Organisation
A student investigates the effect of temperature on the activity of amylase, using iodine solution to test for starch.
At 35 degrees C, the starch was fully broken down in 40 seconds.
Calculate the rate of this reaction in s^-1. Use rate = 1 / time (s).
Question 10 [4 marks]
Chemical Changes
A solution of hydrochloric acid has a pH of 2.
State whether this solution is acidic, neutral or alkaline.
The concentration of H+ ions in the solution is then decreased by a factor of 100 through dilution. Calculate the new pH of the solution, explaining your reasoning using the pH scale.
Question 11 [4 marks]
Atomic Structure and the Periodic Table
An ion of oxygen, O2-, has a mass number of 16 and an atomic number of 8.
State the number of protons, neutrons and electrons in this ion of oxygen.
Question 12 [5 marks]
Particle Model of Matter
A rectangular block of wood measures 20 cm by 10 cm by 5 cm and has a mass of 750 g.
Calculate the density of the wood, in kg/m^3.
Question 13 [5 marks]
Bioenergetics
Metabolism is the sum of all the chemical reactions in the body.
Describe three examples of metabolic reactions that take place in cells, and state what is meant by the term 'metabolism'.
Question 14 [5 marks]
Quantitative Chemistry
A student needs to make 2.0 dm^3 of a potassium nitrate solution with a concentration of 0.5 mol/dm^3.
Relative formula mass of KNO3 = 101.
Calculate the mass of potassium nitrate needed to make this solution.
Question 15 [5 marks]
Organisation
A potometer is used to measure the rate of water uptake by a leafy shoot.
In still air, the air bubble in the capillary tube moves 6.0 cm in 5 minutes.
In front of a fan, the air bubble moves 15.0 cm in 5 minutes.
Calculate the percentage increase in the rate of water uptake caused by the fan.
Model solutions
| Question 1[2 marks] | |
|---|---|
| Answer or working | Marks |
| the object remaining at rest or moving at a constant velocity if the resultant force is zero | B1 |
| a resultant (unbalanced) force being needed to change an object's velocity or direction | B1 |
| Final answer: Object stays at rest or constant velocity unless acted on by a resultant force | |
| Question 2[3 marks] | |
|---|---|
| Answer or working | Marks |
| stating energy cannot be created or destroyed | B1 |
| stating energy can only be transferred, stored or dissipated, from one store to another | B1 |
| stating dissipated energy spreads out to the surroundings, becoming increasingly difficult to use for further useful work | B1 |
| Final answer: Energy cannot be created or destroyed, only transferred between stores; dissipated energy spreads out and becomes harder to use usefully | |
| Question 3[3 marks] | |
|---|---|
| Answer or working | Marks |
| good electrical conductivity, due to delocalised electrons | B1 |
| being malleable/ductile, as layers of ions can slide over each other | B1 |
| having high melting and boiling points, due to strong metallic bonds | B1 |
| Final answer: Good conductivity, malleable/ductile, high melting and boiling points | |
| Question 4[4 marks] | |
|---|---|
| Answer or working | Marks |
| describing the plum pudding model as a ball (sphere) of positive charge with negative electrons embedded in it | B1 |
| stating most alpha particles passed straight through the (gold) foil in the scattering experiment, showing atoms are mostly empty space | B1 |
| stating a small number of alpha particles were deflected or bounced back, showing the atom has a small, dense, positively charged nucleus | B1 |
| stating the nuclear model that replaced it has a small nucleus with electrons orbiting around it | B1 |
| Final answer: Plum pudding model: a ball of positive charge with electrons embedded in it. Alpha scattering showed atoms are mostly empty space with a small, dense, positive nucleus, leading to the nuclear model with electrons orbiting the nucleus | |
| Question 5[4 marks] | |
|---|---|
| Answer or working | Marks |
| salt as a product | B1 |
| water as a product | B1 |
| carbon dioxide gas as a product | B1 |
| stating the carbon dioxide can be tested by bubbling the gas through limewater, which turns cloudy (milky) | B1 |
| Final answer: salt + water + carbon dioxide; carbon dioxide turns limewater cloudy | |
| Question 6[4 marks] | |
|---|---|
| Answer or working | Marks |
| rose black spot being spread by water (rain splash) or by wind, carrying fungal spores | B1 |
| the disease causing leaves to turn yellow and drop early, reducing photosynthesis | B1 |
| it being controlled using fungicides | B1 |
| it being controlled by removing and destroying affected leaves | B1 |
| Final answer: Spread by water/wind-carried spores; controlled with fungicides or by removing and destroying affected leaves | |
| Question 7[4 marks] | |
|---|---|
| Answer or working | Marks |
| the resistance of a resistor at constant temperature staying constant as the current changes | B1 |
| the resistance of a filament lamp increasing as the current through it increases | B1 |
| stating this is because the temperature of the filament increases as more current flows | B1 |
| stating the resistance of a metal increases as its temperature increases, making it harder for the charge carriers to pass through | B1 |
| Final answer: A resistor's resistance stays constant with current; a filament lamp's resistance increases with current, because it heats up and a hotter metal has higher resistance | |
| Question 8[4 marks] | |
|---|---|
| Answer or working | Marks |
| using magnification = image size / actual size | M1 |
| substituting 20 / 0.05 | M1 |
| magnification = 400 | A1 |
| stating magnification has no unit, written as x400 | B1 |
| Final answer: x400 magnification | |
| Question 9[4 marks] | |
|---|---|
| Answer or working | Marks |
| using rate = 1 / time | M1 |
| substituting 1 / 40 | M1 |
| 0.025 | A1 |
| correct unit, s^-1 | B1 |
| Final answer: 0.025 s^-1 | |
| Question 10[4 marks] | |
|---|---|
| Answer or working | Marks |
| stating the solution is acidic | B1 |
| recognising a change of one pH unit represents a factor of 10 change in H+ concentration | M1 |
| recognising a factor of 100 is 10^2, so a change of 2 pH units | M1 |
| a new pH of 4 | A1 |
| Final answer: Acidic; new pH of 4 | |
| Question 11[4 marks] | |
|---|---|
| Answer or working | Marks |
| protons = atomic number = 8 | M1 |
| neutrons = mass number - atomic number, 16 - 8 | M1 |
| 8 neutrons | A1 |
| electrons = 10, since a 2- ion has 2 more electrons than protons | B1 |
| Final answer: 8 protons, 8 neutrons, 10 electrons | |
| Question 12[5 marks] | |
|---|---|
| Answer or working | Marks |
| volume = 20 x 10 x 5 | M1 |
| 1000 cm^3 | A1 |
| converting mass to kg (0.75 kg) and volume to m^3 (0.001 m^3) | M1 |
| density = mass / volume, 0.75 / 0.001 | M1 |
| 750 kg/m^3 | A1 |
| Question 13[5 marks] | |
|---|---|
| Answer or working | Marks |
| the conversion of glucose to starch, glycogen or cellulose | B1 |
| the formation of lipid molecules from glycerol and fatty acids | B1 |
| the breakdown of excess proteins to form urea for excretion | B1 |
| stating metabolism is the sum of all the chemical reactions in a cell or the body | B1 |
| stating these reactions build up (synthesise) or break down molecules the body needs | B1 |
| Final answer: Metabolism is the sum of all reactions in the body, including converting glucose to starch, forming lipids, and breaking down protein to urea | |
| Question 14[5 marks] | |
|---|---|
| Answer or working | Marks |
| using moles = concentration x volume | M1 |
| substituting 0.5 x 2.0 | M1 |
| 1.0 mol | A1 |
| mass = moles x relative formula mass, 1.0 x 101 | M1 |
| 101 g | A1 |
| Question 15[5 marks] | |
|---|---|
| Answer or working | Marks |
| finding the rate in still air, 6.0 / 5 = 1.2 cm per minute | M1 |
| finding the rate in front of the fan, 15.0 / 5 = 3.0 cm per minute | M1 |
| finding the increase in rate, 3.0 - 1.2 = 1.8 cm per minute | M1 |
| (1.8 / 1.2) x 100 | M1 |
| 150% | A1 |
| Final answer: 150% increase in the rate of water uptake | |