13+ Common Entrance · Topic guide

Science: Full Practice Paper 4

Full Practice Paper 4 is a fourth complete practice paper in the style of 13+ Common Entrance Science, mixing Biology, Chemistry and Physics questions in one timed sitting so that pupils practise switching between subjects exactly as the real ISEB paper requires.

Year 7-8 (13+)ScienceISEB

Before you start

Make sure you're comfortable with these topics first:

Method

  1. Before starting, check how many marks the paper is worth in total and roughly how many minutes you have per mark, so you can pace yourself sensibly across all three subjects.
  2. Read each question twice before answering: once to understand what is being asked, and once to check exactly which command word (name, describe, explain, calculate) is used.
  3. Attempt questions in the order they appear rather than skipping around, but circle any question you are unsure of and return to it once you have completed the rest of the paper.
  4. For a calculation question, write the correct equation first, substitute the given values carefully with their units, and work through the arithmetic one line at a time.
  5. When converting between units (for example millimetres to metres, or grams to kilograms), write down the conversion factor you are using before multiplying or dividing, to avoid an easy slip.
  6. Before moving to the next question, glance back at your answer and check it is sensible: for example, a person's walking speed should be a few metres per second, not several hundred.

Worked example

A cyclist travels 3 km in 15 minutes at a steady speed. (a) Convert 3 km to metres and 15 minutes to seconds. (b) Use speed = distance / time to calculate the cyclist's average speed in metres per second.

  1. Convert the distance from kilometres to metres: 3 km = 3 x 1000 = 3000 m.
  2. Convert the time from minutes to seconds: 15 minutes = 15 x 60 = 900 s.
  3. Substitute these values into speed = distance / time: speed = 3000 / 900.
  4. Divide 3000 by 900 to find the speed: 3000 / 900 = 3.33 m/s (to 2 decimal places).
  5. Final answer: (a) 3000 m and 900 s; (b) average speed = 3.3 m/s (to 2 significant figures).

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.Show answer

Answer: Transpiration.

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Q2A solid is heated until it turns directly into a gas without becoming a liquid first. Name this change of state.Show answer

Answer: Sublimation.

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Q3State the unit used to measure electric current.Show answer

Answer: The ampere (amp), symbol A.

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Q4Name the two products of photosynthesis.Show answer

Answer: Glucose and oxygen.

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Q5A trolley of mass 2 kg is raised to a height of 5 m. Use GPE = mass x gravitational field strength x height (g = 10 N/kg) to calculate its gravitational potential energy.Show answer

Answer: 100 J (GPE = 2 x 10 x 5 = 100 J).

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Q6State whether respiration in muscle cells during hard exercise, when oxygen supply cannot keep up with demand, is aerobic or anaerobic.Show answer

Answer: Anaerobic respiration.

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Q7Name the group in the periodic table that contains helium, neon and argon.Show answer

Answer: Group 0 (the noble gases).

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Exam-style questions

Written in the style of a 13+ Common Entrance exam paper, with a full mark scheme.

Q1[5 marks]

A ball of mass 0.5 kg is dropped from a height of 4 m above the ground and falls freely, with air resistance ignored (use g = 10 N/kg). (a) Calculate the gravitational potential energy (GPE) the ball has before it is dropped, using GPE = mass x g x height. (b) State how much kinetic energy the ball has just before it hits the ground, and explain your reasoning. (c) Use kinetic energy = 1/2 x mass x speed^2 to calculate the ball's speed just before it hits the ground.

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Q2[5 marks]

A simple food chain in a pond is: algae -> tadpole -> stickleback -> heron. (a) Name the producer in this food chain. (b) Name the primary consumer. (c) Explain what would most likely happen to the population of sticklebacks if the heron population increased sharply, and why.

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Free printable worksheet

Want more practice on paper? Download the science: full practice paper 4 worksheet pack - 17 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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