Science: Full Practice Paper 12
Full Practice Paper 12 is another complete practice paper in the 13+ Common Entrance Science style, mixing Biology, Chemistry and Physics questions in one timed sitting so pupils practise switching subject as ISEB's real papers require.
Before you start
Make sure you're comfortable with these topics first:
Method
- Read every question fully, including any data table or diagram, before writing an answer, since a command word later in a question sometimes changes what is actually being asked.
- For sound and wave questions, remember that sound travels as a longitudinal wave and needs a medium (solid, liquid or gas) to travel through, unlike light, which can travel through a vacuum.
- When a question refers to elements, compounds or the periodic table, use the given chemical symbol or formula to work out the answer rather than guessing from the substance's everyday name.
- For photosynthesis questions, name both raw materials (carbon dioxide and water) and both products (glucose and oxygen), and state that light energy is needed, since a partial answer usually earns only partial marks.
- Show full working for any calculation involving the wave speed equation (wave speed = frequency x wavelength) or similar equations, substituting values on their own line before working out the final answer.
- Where a question asks you to compare two results or two experiments, write your answer as a direct comparison (using words such as 'more than' or 'faster than') rather than describing each result on its own.
- Leave a minute at the end to check that any answer requiring a named structure, organ or substance actually gives a specific name, rather than a vague description.
Worked example
A sound wave has a frequency of 200 Hz and a wavelength of 1.7 m. (a) Use wave speed = frequency x wavelength to calculate the speed of the sound wave. (b) State the unit of frequency.
- Write down the equation: wave speed = frequency x wavelength.
- Substitute the values given: wave speed = 200 x 1.7.
- Calculate the answer: 200 x 1.7 = 340.
- Final answer: (a) wave speed = 340 m/s, which matches the typical speed of sound in air; (b) the unit of frequency is hertz (Hz).
Practice questions
Type your answer and press Check to be marked straight away, or reveal the answer and mark yourself.
Q1State whether sound can travel through a vacuum (empty space), and give a reason.Show answer
Answer: No, because sound needs particles of a medium to vibrate, and a vacuum contains no particles.
Q2Using the periodic table, state whether the element chlorine (Cl) is a metal or a non-metal.Show answer
Answer: A non-metal.
Q3Write the word equation for photosynthesis.Show answer
Answer: Carbon dioxide + water, using light energy, produces glucose + oxygen.
Q4A sound wave has a high frequency. State whether this means it has a high pitch or a low pitch.Show answer
Answer: A high pitch.
Q5State the number of protons found in an atom of oxygen, given that oxygen's atomic number is 8.Show answer
Answer: 8.
Q6Name the green pigment found in chloroplasts that absorbs light energy for photosynthesis.Show answer
Answer: Chlorophyll.
Q7A student shouts and hears an echo 0.6 s later off a distant wall. Given the speed of sound in air is 340 m/s, calculate the total distance travelled by the sound (there and back).Show answer
Answer: 204 m (340 x 0.6 = 204).
Q8State whether elements in the same group of the periodic table have similar or very different chemical properties.Show answer
Answer: Similar chemical properties.
Exam-style questions
Written in the style of a 13+ Common Entrance exam paper, with a full mark scheme.
A gardener grows tomato plants in a greenhouse and measures the rate of photosynthesis at different light intensities, keeping temperature and carbon dioxide concentration constant. Light intensity (units): 10, 20, 30, 40. Rate of photosynthesis (arbitrary units): 5, 10, 15, 15. (a) Describe the pattern shown by the results. (b) Explain, in terms of limiting factors, why the rate of photosynthesis stops increasing between light intensities of 30 and 40 units. (c) Suggest one change the gardener could make to try to further increase the rate of photosynthesis at a light intensity of 40 units.
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The element sodium (Na) is in Group 1 of the periodic table, and the element potassium (K) is also in Group 1, directly below sodium. (a) State one way in which the chemical properties of sodium and potassium are likely to be similar. (b) Sodium reacts vigorously with water, producing hydrogen gas and an alkaline solution. Predict, giving a reason based on their position in the periodic table, whether potassium would react more or less vigorously with water than sodium.
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Free printable worksheet
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