Science: Full Practice Paper 10
Full Practice Paper 10 is a further complete practice paper in the 13+ Common Entrance Science style, mixing Biology, Chemistry and Physics questions together in one timed sitting, the way ISEB actually sets its papers, rather than testing one subject on its own.
Method
- Before starting, glance through the whole paper to see roughly how the marks are spread across biology, chemistry and physics, so you are not surprised by a long, heavily-weighted question near the end.
- Answer short recall questions (define, name, state) quickly and in order, since they carry marks just like longer questions but should not use up time better spent on calculations.
- For any data table or graph, identify the units in the column headings or axis labels before answering, and always include the correct unit in a numerical answer.
- For a calculation, write the equation you are using on its own line before substituting numbers, since a correct method can still gain marks even if the final figure is wrong.
- If a question describes an investigation, answer any variables or fair-test parts using the general working-scientifically approach, not subject-specific facts, since these marks test the skill rather than the topic.
- When a question uses the word 'explain', give a reason or mechanism, not just a description of what happens, since 'explain' answers are marked on the linking reasoning.
- In your final few minutes, check that every question has an answer and that each numerical answer includes its correct unit.
Worked example
A pupil uses a metre ruler as a lever, pivoted at its centre, to balance a 200 g mass placed 30 cm from the pivot. She hangs an unknown mass at a point 25 cm from the pivot on the other side, and the ruler balances exactly. (a) Use the principle of moments (mass1 x distance1 = mass2 x distance2, since both masses are on Earth) to calculate the unknown mass. (b) State the unit of a moment.
- Set up the balance equation using the known mass and distance: 200 x 30 = unknown mass x 25.
- Calculate the left-hand side first: 200 x 30 = 6000.
- Divide by the known distance on the other side to find the unknown mass: 6000 / 25.
- Final answer: (a) unknown mass = 240 g; (b) the unit of a moment is the newton metre (N m).
Practice questions
Type your answer and press Check to be marked straight away, or reveal the answer and mark yourself.
Q1Name the process by which plants lose water vapour from their leaves through tiny pores called stomata.Show answer
Answer: Transpiration.
Q2State whether burning magnesium ribbon in air to form magnesium oxide is a physical change or a chemical change, and give a reason.Show answer
Answer: A chemical change, because a new substance (magnesium oxide) is formed, and it cannot easily be changed back into magnesium ribbon.
Q3A ray of light travels from air into a glass block and bends towards the normal at the boundary. Name this effect.Show answer
Answer: Refraction.
Q4Name the process by which cells release energy from glucose using oxygen.Show answer
Answer: (Aerobic) respiration.
Q5A solution turns universal indicator paper red. State whether the solution is acidic, neutral or alkaline.Show answer
Answer: Acidic.
Q6A cyclist travels 300 m in 25 s. Calculate her average speed.Show answer
Answer: 12 m/s (300 / 25 = 12).
Q7Name the type of blood vessel that carries blood away from the heart under high pressure.Show answer
Answer: Arteries.
Q8State the name given to a substance that speeds up a chemical reaction without being permanently used up itself.Show answer
Answer: A catalyst.
Exam-style questions
Written in the style of a 13+ Common Entrance exam paper, with a full mark scheme.
A ball of mass 0.5 kg is lifted to a height of 2 m above the ground. Take gravitational field strength g = 10 N/kg. (a) Use gravitational potential energy (GPE) = mass x g x height to calculate the GPE gained by the ball. (b) State the main energy transfer that takes place as the ball falls back down to the ground. (c) State one energy store to which the ball's kinetic energy is mainly transferred at the instant it lands and stops moving.
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A student has a mixture of sand and salt dissolved together in water. Describe, step by step, how she could obtain (a) dry sand and (b) dry salt crystals from this mixture.
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Free printable worksheet
Want more practice on paper? Download the science: full practice paper 10 worksheet pack - 20 pages of exam-style questions with a full mark scheme. One email opens every download in this browser for 14 days - no account, no card. Print it for personal and classroom use.
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