Year 11 Paper 1: Biology and Chemistry
Covers cell biology, organisation, infection and response, bioenergetics, atomic structure, bonding, quantitative chemistry and chemical changes.
Year 11 here means a typical teaching order, not a syllabus rule. No exam board defines what belongs to Year 11, and schools sequence the course differently. Check it against your own scheme of work before using it to decide what a class has covered.
Questions
Question 1 [2 marks]
Chemical Changes
Acids react with reactive metals, such as magnesium and zinc.
State the two products formed in the general reaction between an acid and a reactive metal.
Question 2 [3 marks]
Cell Biology
A plant cell contains a cell wall, a chloroplast and a permanent vacuole in addition to the structures found in an animal cell.
Describe the function of the cell wall, the chloroplast and the permanent vacuole in a plant cell.
Question 3 [3 marks]
Bioenergetics
Photosynthesis produces glucose, which a plant uses in several ways.
State three ways a plant uses the glucose produced during photosynthesis.
Question 4 [3 marks]
Organisation
The heart pumps blood around the body through a network of blood vessels.
State the name of the blood vessel that carries oxygenated blood from the heart to the body.
State the name of the heart chamber that this blood leaves from.
State one function of the valves in the heart.
Question 5 [3 marks]
Bonding, Structure and the Properties of Matter
An alloy is a mixture of a metal with one or more other elements.
Describe what an alloy is, and explain why alloys are usually harder than the pure metal they are made from.
Question 6 [4 marks]
Infection and Response
HIV is a virus that attacks cells of the human immune system.
Describe two ways HIV can be spread between people, and describe what happens if an HIV infection is left untreated and progresses to late-stage infection (AIDS).
Question 7 [4 marks]
Quantitative Chemistry
Calcium carbonate has the formula CaCO3.
Calculate the relative formula mass (Mr) of calcium carbonate, and calculate the percentage by mass of calcium in calcium carbonate. Relative atomic masses: Ca = 40, C = 12, O = 16.
Question 8 [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 9 [4 marks]
Quantitative Chemistry
A solution contains 0.05 moles of sodium hydroxide dissolved in 500 cm^3 of solution.
Calculate the concentration of the sodium hydroxide solution, in mol/dm^3.
Question 10 [5 marks]
Atomic Structure and the Periodic Table
Elements can be classified as metals or non-metals based on their physical properties.
Describe differences in the typical physical properties of metals compared with non-metals.
Question 11 [5 marks]
Cell Biology
A student observes an onion cell under a microscope at a magnification of x600.
The length of the cell in the image is 3.0 mm.
Calculate the actual (real) length of the cell, in micrometres. Use real size = image size / magnification.
Question 12 [5 marks]
Chemical Changes
Hydrochloric acid is a strong acid. Ethanoic acid is a weak acid.
A dilute solution of hydrochloric acid and a dilute solution of ethanoic acid have the same concentration.
Explain, in terms of ionisation, the difference between a strong acid and a weak acid, and state which of the two solutions would have the higher pH.
Question 13 [5 marks]
Cell Biology
A student investigates the effect of hydrogen peroxide concentration on the rate of the reaction catalysed by catalase in celery extract, measuring the volume of oxygen gas produced in 60 seconds.
Using 1% hydrogen peroxide, 18 cm^3 of oxygen gas is collected in 60 seconds. Using 3% hydrogen peroxide, 54 cm^3 of oxygen gas is collected in 60 seconds.
Calculate the percentage increase in the rate of reaction caused by using the higher concentration of hydrogen peroxide.
Question 14 [5 marks]
Organisation
Arteries and veins are both blood vessels, but have different structures adapted to their functions.
Describe three differences in the structure of arteries compared with veins, linking each to its function.
Question 15 [5 marks]
Chemical Changes
The method used to extract a metal from its ore depends on the metal's position in the reactivity series.
Describe how the reactivity of a metal determines the method used to extract it, including metals less reactive than carbon, metals more reactive than carbon, and metals found directly (native) in the Earth.
Model solutions
| Question 1[2 marks] | |
|---|---|
| Answer or working | Marks |
| salt as a product | B1 |
| hydrogen gas as a product | B1 |
| Final answer: salt + hydrogen | |
| Question 2[3 marks] | |
|---|---|
| Answer or working | Marks |
| the cell wall, made of cellulose, supporting and strengthening the cell | B1 |
| the chloroplast absorbing light energy to carry out photosynthesis | B1 |
| the permanent vacuole containing cell sap, helping to keep the cell rigid (turgid) | B1 |
| Final answer: Cell wall supports and strengthens the cell; chloroplast absorbs light for photosynthesis; vacuole contains cell sap and keeps the cell turgid | |
| Question 3[3 marks] | |
|---|---|
| Answer or working | Marks |
| glucose being respired to release energy | B1 |
| glucose being converted to starch for storage | B1 |
| glucose being combined with nitrate ions and used to make amino acids for proteins | B1 |
| Final answer: Respired for energy, stored as starch, and combined with nitrate ions to make amino acids for proteins | |
| Question 4[3 marks] | |
|---|---|
| Answer or working | Marks |
| aorta | B1 |
| left ventricle | B1 |
| valves preventing the backflow of blood | B1 |
| Final answer: Aorta; left ventricle; valves prevent backflow | |
| Question 5[3 marks] | |
|---|---|
| Answer or working | Marks |
| an alloy being a mixture of a metal with one or more other elements | B1 |
| the different-sized atoms in an alloy distorting the regular layers of metal ions | B1 |
| this making it harder for the layers to slide over each other, so alloys are harder than the pure metal | B1 |
| Final answer: An alloy is a metal mixed with other elements; different-sized atoms distort the layers, making it harder for them to slide, so alloys are harder | |
| Question 6[4 marks] | |
|---|---|
| Answer or working | Marks |
| HIV being spread by sexual contact | B1 |
| HIV being spread by the exchange of bodily fluids, such as sharing needles or from mother to baby | B1 |
| HIV attacking and destroying white blood cells of the immune system | B1 |
| stating that in late-stage infection (AIDS), the immune system is so damaged it can no longer deal with other infections or cancers | B1 |
| Final answer: HIV spreads by sexual contact and exchange of bodily fluids; it destroys white blood cells, and in AIDS the immune system can no longer fight other infections | |
| Question 7[4 marks] | |
|---|---|
| Answer or working | Marks |
| adding the relative atomic masses, 40 + 12 + (16 x 3) | M1 |
| Mr = 100 | A1 |
| (40 / 100) x 100 | M1 |
| 40% | A1 |
| Final answer: Mr = 100; 40% calcium by mass | |
| Question 8[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 9[4 marks] | |
|---|---|
| Answer or working | Marks |
| converting 500 cm^3 to dm^3, 500 / 1000 | M1 |
| using concentration = moles / volume | M1 |
| substituting 0.05 / 0.5 | M1 |
| 0.1 mol/dm^3 | A1 |
| Question 10[5 marks] | |
|---|---|
| Answer or working | Marks |
| metals conducting electricity well, while most non-metals do not | B1 |
| metals having high melting and boiling points, while non-metals often have low melting and boiling points | B1 |
| metals being malleable or ductile, while non-metals are often brittle when solid | B1 |
| metals being shiny (lustrous), while non-metals are often dull | B1 |
| metals making a ringing sound when hit (sonorous), while non-metals do not | B1 |
| Final answer: Metals conduct electricity, have high melting points, and are malleable, shiny and sonorous; non-metals are typically the opposite of each of these | |
| Question 11[5 marks] | |
|---|---|
| Answer or working | Marks |
| using real size = image size / magnification | M1 |
| substituting 3.0 / 600 | M1 |
| 0.005 mm | A1 |
| converting mm to micrometres by multiplying by 1000 | M1 |
| 5 micrometres | A1 |
| Final answer: 5 micrometres (0.005 mm) | |
| Question 12[5 marks] | |
|---|---|
| Answer or working | Marks |
| stating a strong acid ionises (dissociates) completely in water | B1 |
| stating a weak acid only partially ionises (dissociates) in water | B1 |
| stating the weak acid solution therefore has a lower concentration of H+ ions than the strong acid, at the same concentration | B1 |
| stating pH depends on the concentration of H+ ions in solution | B1 |
| stating the ethanoic acid (weak acid) solution has the higher pH | B1 |
| Final answer: A strong acid fully ionises in water; a weak acid only partially ionises, giving a lower H+ ion concentration. The ethanoic acid (weak acid) solution has the higher pH | |
| Question 13[5 marks] | |
|---|---|
| Answer or working | Marks |
| finding the rate with 1% hydrogen peroxide, 18 / 60 = 0.3 cm^3 per second | M1 |
| finding the rate with 3% hydrogen peroxide, 54 / 60 = 0.9 cm^3 per second | M1 |
| finding the increase in rate, 0.9 - 0.3 = 0.6 cm^3 per second | M1 |
| (0.6 / 0.3) x 100 | M1 |
| 200% | A1 |
| Final answer: 200% increase in the rate of reaction | |
| Question 14[5 marks] | |
|---|---|
| Answer or working | Marks |
| arteries having thick, muscular walls, while veins have thinner walls | B1 |
| arteries carrying blood at high pressure, needing thick walls to withstand this pressure | B1 |
| veins having valves, which prevent the backflow of low-pressure blood | B1 |
| veins having a wider lumen than arteries, which helps blood flow despite the low pressure | B1 |
| arteries having a narrower lumen relative to their wall thickness, helping to maintain high pressure | B1 |
| Final answer: Arteries have thick, muscular walls and a narrow lumen to withstand high pressure; veins have thinner walls, a wider lumen and valves to keep low-pressure blood moving one way | |
| Question 15[5 marks] | |
|---|---|
| Answer or working | Marks |
| metals less reactive than carbon, such as copper or iron, being extracted from their ores by reduction with carbon | B1 |
| stating the metal oxide loses oxygen (is reduced) as carbon, or carbon monoxide, removes it | B1 |
| metals more reactive than carbon, such as aluminium or sodium, not being extracted by reduction with carbon | B1 |
| stating these metals are instead extracted by electrolysis of a molten compound | B1 |
| very unreactive metals, such as gold, being so unreactive they are found directly (native) in the Earth, uncombined | B1 |
| Final answer: Metals less reactive than carbon are extracted by reduction with carbon; more reactive metals need electrolysis; very unreactive metals occur native | |