Planning and Implementing Practical Work | OCR A-Level Biology B (Advancing Biology) (H422)
Planning and Implementing Practical Work
- 46 questions
- 3 subtopics
- Practical skills, examined on all three papers
- Component 01, Component 02 and Component 03
Planning and Implementing Practical Work is examined in all three written papers — the specification states that Components 01, 02 and 03 can each assess content from any of the five modules, so nothing is confined to one paper.
It covers Designing an investigation and controlling variables, choosing apparatus and judging whether a method will work and Implementing: apparatus, units and recording results.
Sample questions from Planning and Implementing Practical Work
Answer each one closed book first, then open the answer.
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Designing an investigation and controlling variables
Why is a buffer solution added to an enzyme reaction mixture?
Show the answer
It resists changes in pH, so pH cannot act as a second variable affecting the activity of the enzyme. -
Designing an investigation and controlling variables
What is meant by a null hypothesis?
Show the answer
It is the statement that there is no significant difference, or no association, between the variables being investigated. -
Choosing apparatus and judging whether a method will work
State the apparatus you would use to hold a reaction mixture at 35 °C.
Show the answer
A thermostatically controlled water bath, with a thermometer in the mixture to confirm the temperature. -
Choosing apparatus and judging whether a method will work
Explain why a method should specify how long apparatus is left to equilibrate before readings begin.
Show the answer
Readings taken before the apparatus has reached a steady temperature or pressure record the equilibration rather than the variable being investigated. -
Implementing: apparatus, units and recording results
Give the unit in which the rate of oxygen uptake measured in a respirometer is usually expressed.
Show the answer
It is expressed as a volume per unit mass per unit time, for example cm³ g⁻¹ min⁻¹. -
Implementing: apparatus, units and recording results
Which type of graph is appropriate for showing the mean height of plants grown in four different soil types?
Show the answer
A bar chart, because the independent variable is categoric.
The 3 subtopics
One subtopic is one session. Work down the list.
| Subtopic | What it covers | Questions |
|---|---|---|
| Designing an investigation and controlling variables | Recall questions on independent, dependent and control variables, holding temperature and pH constant in enzyme work, control experiments, continuous and categoric variables, repeats and ranges, null hypotheses, preliminary experiments, allowing for individual differences between subjects, and validity. | 16 |
| Choosing apparatus and judging whether a method will work | Recall questions on the resolution of instruments and choosing pipettes, gas syringes, colorimeters, water baths and data loggers, setting a sensible range, adjusting a reaction that is too fast, reproducibility and equilibration, preliminary trials, assembling a potometer, and writing a safe method. | 14 |
| Implementing: apparatus, units and recording results | Recall questions on units and conversions for concentration, volume, length and rate, expressing respirometer rates per gram, heading and ordering results table columns, consistent decimal places, raw and processed data, choosing bar charts, line graphs or scattergrams, and reading burettes and menisci. | 16 |
How the guide is worked
Answering a question from memory stores it far better than reading the answer again. The guide runs that as a fixed procedure on one subtopic at a time, about twenty minutes a session.
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Step 1 · Closed book
Cover the answers. Work through one subtopic and write down what you can. Leave blanks where you have nothing.
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Step 2 · Open book
Go back to the top. Read each printed answer and write it out in full, including the ones you had right.
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Step 3 · Closed book again
Same questions, same order, from memory. The gap between pass one and pass three is the session result.
Read the full method, the return schedule and the research behind it.
Nearby topics
OCR A-Level Biology B (Advancing Biology) Active Recall Guide
Every topic, not just this one. 2,895 questions with their answers.