Year 11 to Year 12 Transition Pack 2015
Biology
Name ………………………………….
Marks …………..
Grade …………..
(Total Marks 50)
A comparison between GCSE and GCE A-level.
In simple terms, there is no comparison! GCE A-levels are probably the hardest qualifications
you will ever do.
While there are relatively small advances between key stage 3 up to GCSE’s, there is a huge
leap from GCSE’s to GCE A-level. From GCE-level to degree is back to being a small advance.
In addition, the way you study changes. You have to be more responsible for your own
learning. At University there are no teachers to keep on at you to do your work. You either do it
yourself, or you fail, having probably run up a debt of several thousand pounds.
As a rule of thumb, if you are finding GCE A-levels easy, then you are not working hard enough!
Some successful strategies….
Your GCSE knowledge will be considered to be assumed knowledge i.e. you already know and
understand this knowledge completely. The aim is not to re-teach GCSE so that you finally
understand it; the aim is to use this knowledge as the starting point for a higher level.
Attending lessons is not enough. You will be expected to spend at least the same amount of
time studying Biology outside of timetabled lessons.
Notes that you take during lessons will not be sufficient. These notes will only provide a
framework. You will be expected to add to them and enhance them from your independent
study.
You should do as much background reading as possible. Subscribe to magazines or journals.
Utilise the magazines and journals available within the department. You will be expected to
provide evidence of your background reading.
Use the recommended Biology reference book. (This Biology book also contains a CD with
information on revision techniques – make sure you use this!)
What you shouldn’t do if you want to succeed!!
Do so little over the summer so that not only have you forgotten most of the Biology, you can
barely remember how to write!
Carry on working at the same rate as you did for your GCSE’s. It worked for them, so it is
bound to be OK for GCE A-levels. Use private study lessons for social time.
Get a part-time job and work all of the hours you can get; the money is really good for student
socials.
Give yourself a couple of months to ease yourself back into school work. After all, the exams
are not until June.
If you don’t understand something, just ignore it.
Never volunteer to answer a question. It’s just not cool and you look a fool if you get it wrong.
Knowledge to be consolidated.
Some work is outlined within this pack which is required to be completed over the course of the
summer. The purpose of this is to assess your practical and evaluating skills (including
preparation of tables and graphs) prior to your return in September. The practical skills will be
incorporated into exam questions.
From day 1 you will be:
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Tested on a regular basis
Required to submit your notes to regular inspection
Required to provide proof of independent study
Expected to actively participate in class and be questioned at random
Summer Tasks
1. Complete the Quantitative task on Diffusion that you started on
induction day
2. Complete the Evaluative task on Diffusion
3. Read through the Bio Factsheets on Water and Eukaryotic cells.
4. Answer the questions on cells.
5. Make revision notes as you will be tested on these topics in
September.
Course outline.
The course of study will be as follows:
AQA Advanced Subsidiary GCE in Biology (7401)
AQA Advanced GCE in Biology (7402)
Modular Examinations
There are 2 exams for AS-level biology and 3 for A2 Biology
AS Biology
Paper 1
Written exam 1h 30 min
Any AS content, including practical skills
Short-answer questions - 65 marks
Questions on a short comprehension passage – 10 marks
Total 75 marks – 50% AS
Paper 2
Written exam 1h 30 min
Any AS content, including practical skills
Short-answer questions - 65 marks
Structured prose question (describe) – 10 marks
Total 75 marks – 50% AS
A2 Biology
Three written exam papers of 2 h (total 6h)
AS Biology Topics
Cells
Organisms and exchange
Biological molecules
Genetic information, variation and relationships between organisms
Practical skills
Mathematical skills
A2 Biology Topics
Photosynthesis
Respiration
Homeostasis – blood glucose and kidneys
Genes and Biotechnology
Ecosystems
Plant and animal behaviour
The Effect of Temperature on diffusion
Quantitative assessment
Background
Diffusion into a cell can be modelled using coloured agar cubes and a decolourising liquid, such
as hydrochloric acid, that will diffuse into the agar. Agar can be coloured pink by staining with
phenolphthalein.
Introduction
For this Practical Task, you will investigate the effect of a range of temperatures on the
diffusion of hydrochloric acid into equal-sized agar cubes.
You are given full instructions for the practical procedure, which must be followed carefully.
Before you start any practical work, you are advised to read through the procedure and
study Table 1.
Materials
You are provided with the following materials:
• a block of stained agar 10 mm thick, on a tile
• hydrochloric acid (HCl ).
In addition, you should have access to the following materials:
• hot and cold water (a kettle).
Safety
The experiment must be carried out according to your Centre’s own safety policy.
Take care when handling the blade.
Hydrochloric acid is corrosive. Take care when handling hydrochloric acid.
Part 1
Procedure
1 Read steps 2 to 12 and study Table 1, then label the boiling tubes accordingly.
2 Using the sharp blade and the plastic grid supplied, cut 15 cubes from the stained agar. Each
cube should measure 10 mm × 10 mm × 10 mm.
3 Add hot water to the large beaker to create a water bath.
4 Using quantities of hot (from kettle) and cold water, maintain the temperature of the water bath
at 60 °C throughout steps 5 to 9.
5 Add 5 cm3 of HCl to three labelled boiling tubes, and then place the boiling tubes in the water
bath.
6 Leave until the temperature of the HCl reaches the temperature of the water bath.
7 Place one agar cube into each of three empty labelled boiling tubes, being careful not to
break up the cubes. You can use the glass rod, if necessary, to very gently nudge the cubes
down to the bottom of the tubes.
8 Carefully pour one tube of HCl into one of the tubes containing an agar cube. Place the tube
containing the agar cube and HCl into the water bath. Immediately start the timer and time how
long it takes for the pink colour to disappear (i.e. for the cube of agar to turn completely
colourless).
You do not have to wait for the pink colour to disappear before starting the next tube. If you do
choose to observe more than one tube at a time, leave the timer running and make a note of the
start time and end time for each tube.
9 Repeat step 8 for the other two tubes.
10 Record your results in seconds in Table 1 on page 4.
11 Repeat steps 4 to 10 using a water bath at 50 °C. You can re-use the boiling tubes that
contained HCl in step 5.
12 Repeat steps 4 to 10 using a water bath at 40 °C. You can re-use the boiling tubes that
contained HCl in step 5.
13 Repeat steps 4 to 10 using a water bath at 30 °C. You can re-use the boiling tubes that
contained HCl in step 5.
Table 1
Part 2
You will need your completed Task sheet from Part 1 of this Practical Task.
1 Using the data you recorded in Table 1 in Part 1 of the Task, calculate the mean time taken
for the pink colour to disappear at each temperature.
Prepare a table to write your answers in (Table 2) below.
Table 2
[2]
2 Your processed data in Table 2 can be used to estimate the mean time that it would take
for the pink colour to disappear at 45 °C.
(a) Use your processed data to draw an appropriate graph on the graph paper provided on
the next page
[4]
(b) Use your graph to estimate the mean time that it would take for the pink colour to disappear
at 45 °C.
mean time = .............................................. s [1]
3
Describe and explain, using your graph, the relationship between temperature and
diffusion of the acid.
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The Effect of Temperature on diffusion
Evaluative assessment
A student carried out the same procedure as you did with the agar cubes:
The student obtained the following data:
In the procedure that you carried out:
1 Identify three key factors that affect the rate of diffusion that were controlled
For each factor, state how the factor was controlled.
Factor 1
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How factor was controlled
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Factor 2
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How factor was controlled
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Factor 3
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How factor was controlled
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[6]
2 In carrying out the procedure, the student used a stopwatch to measure the time.
Fig. 1 shows the time taken for the pink colour to disappear in tube 1 at 50 °C.
State two reasons why this time was recorded correctly as 126 seconds in Table 1
1 ...................................................................................................................................
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2
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[2]
The student evaluated the procedure on the Specimen Experiment Sheet. An extract from the
student’s evaluation is given below.
In order to improve the experiment I would carry out more repeats and I would do more
temperatures. I would also use a cork borer and a ruler to get the cubes. I would keep one
example of a clear cube next to the water bath to compare with. I would also change the
apparatus and not use a 50 cm3 measuring cylinder.
3 Select, from the changes suggested by the student in the paragraph above, one modification
that would improve accuracy and one modification that would improve reliability.
Accuracy
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Reliability
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[2]
Small multicellular organisms take up oxygen and other substances by diffusion.
Fig. 2 is a diagram of a small multicellular organism, the beadlet anemone, Actinia equina.
4 Suggest two reasons why agar cubes are not a good model for studying diffusion in living
organisms such as the beadlet anemone.
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[2]
5 Discuss three ethical issues associated with extending an investigation of this type to a living
organism.
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[3]
The student processed the data in Table 1, calculating the range and standard deviation for
the results obtained at each temperature. The student recorded the ranges and standard
deviations in Table 2 below.
6 (a) Explain how the standard deviation may give an indication of the reliability of a set of data.
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[2]
(b) How could the reliability of a mean be shown for a data point on a graph?
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[1]
7 Following an evaluation of the procedure and the data in Tables 1 and 2, the student
concluded that:
It is not possible to say that the rate of diffusion increases with an increase in
temperature from 20 °C to 30 °C. However, at higher temperatures it can be said
that an increase in temperature will speed up the rate of diffusion.
Comment on the validity of this conclusion.
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[2]
Example results for practical – use these for Table 1
Time taken (s)
Temperature ºC
Tube 1
Tube 2
Tube 3
60
164
172
169
50
253
239
247
40
270
268
281
30
312
309
313
Cell Practice Questions
1. Outline the similarities between chloroplasts and mitochondria
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[3]
2. The diagram shows a generalised eukaryotic cell
Identify structure:
(i)
A .................................................................................................................................
(ii)
B .................................................................................................................................
(iii)
C .................................................................................................................................
[3]
3. Explain how the structure of each of the following organelles aids its function:
(i)
chloroplast
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(ii)
mitochondrion
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[6]
4. Complete the following table by filling in the blanks [7]
Organelle
Structure/Features
Function
(i) .......................................
Flattened cisternae
Carbohydrate and lipid
metabolism
(ii) .......................................
Internal membranes greatly
folded into cristae
Increases surface area for
(iv) ......................................
(iii) ......................................
Pores normally blocked by an
RNA/protein complex
(v) .......................................
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Chloroplast
Thylakoid membranes stacked (vi) .......................................
into grana
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Rough endoplasmic reticulum
Flattened interconnecting sacs (vii) ......................................
covered in ribosomes
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