Edexcel GCSE Biology, Foundation tier sample questions and answers (1BI0)
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45 sample questions and answers
Taken from every topic of Edexcel GCSE Biology, Foundation tier, specification 1BI0. The full guide has 1,218.
Paper 1, Paper 2
Key Concepts in Biology
160 questions in the guide, across 10 subtopics. More from this topic
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Eukaryotic and prokaryotic cells
Explain why muscle cells contain very large numbers of mitochondria.
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Mitochondria are the site of aerobic respiration, and contracting muscle needs a large and continuous supply of energy. -
Specialised cells and their adaptations
Explain why the nucleus of a sperm cell is haploid.
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It carries only one set of chromosomes, so that fertilisation restores the full number rather than doubling it. -
Microscopes and magnification calculations
Explain how improvements in microscope technology have changed our understanding of cells.
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Greater magnification and resolution revealed organelles that were previously invisible, which allowed scientists to work out what each one does. -
Size, scale and units in cell biology
A student estimates that a cell is 5 times the width of a neighbouring cell that measures 12 µm. What is the estimated width of the larger cell?
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It is about 60 µm, because 12 µm multiplied by 5 gives 60 µm. -
Enzyme action and denaturation
Why is the mechanism of enzyme action described as a lock and key model?
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Only one substrate fits the active site, in the same way that only one key fits a particular lock.
Paper 1
Cells and Control
112 questions in the guide, across 8 subtopics. More from this topic
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Mitosis and the cell cycle
Where do the chromosomes move to during metaphase?
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They line up across the middle of the cell, attached to spindle fibres. -
Why mitosis matters: growth, repair and cancer
Why are offspring produced by asexual reproduction genetically identical to their parent?
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They are made by mitosis, which produces cells with exactly the same chromosomes as the parent cell. -
Growth, differentiation and percentile charts
In which parts of an animal's body does cell division take place during growth?
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Throughout the body, rather than only in special growth regions as in a plant. -
Stem cells and their use in medicine
What is a meristem?
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A region at the tip of a plant shoot or root containing unspecialised cells that keep dividing. -
The structure and function of the brain
Which part of the brain coordinates movement and balance?
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The cerebellum.
Paper 1
Genetics
142 questions in the guide, across 11 subtopics. More from this topic
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Asexual and sexual reproduction
Explain why a new disease can wipe out an entire population of asexually produced organisms.
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Every individual is genetically identical, so if one is susceptible to the pathogen they all are. -
Meiosis and the formation of gametes
How does the chromosome number of a cell made by meiosis compare with that of the parent cell?
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Each daughter cell has half the number of chromosomes of the parent cell. -
DNA structure, genes and the genome
What type of bond holds a pair of bases together across the two strands?
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Weak hydrogen bonds hold each base pair together. -
Extracting DNA from fruit
Why is salt added to the mixture when extracting DNA from fruit?
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The salt makes the DNA molecules stick together so they can be seen. -
Mendel's work and the inheritance of blood groups
Explain why inheritance was so difficult to understand before Mendel's time.
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Nobody knew that chromosomes, genes or DNA existed, so there was no known mechanism for passing characteristics on.
Paper 1
Natural Selection and Genetic Modification
103 questions in the guide, across 9 subtopics. More from this topic
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Darwin, Wallace and the theory of evolution
Name the book, published in 1859, in which Darwin set out the theory of evolution by natural selection.
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On the Origin of Species. -
Natural selection and antibiotic resistance
Explain how natural selection can eventually give rise to a new species.
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If two populations become separated and face different conditions, different alleles are selected in each until the two groups can no longer breed together to give fertile offspring. -
Fossil evidence for human evolution
How old is the fossil skeleton known as Lucy, and which species does it belong to?
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It is about 3.2 million years old and belongs to Australopithecus afarensis. -
Stone tool evidence for human evolution
Describe the stone tools being made about 300 000 years ago.
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Flint was worked into a wider range of shaped tools, including pointed flakes used as spear tips, scrapers and knives. -
The pentadactyl limb and the three domains
Explain why unrelated species would not be expected to share the pentadactyl bone arrangement.
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If each limb had arisen separately purely to suit its own function, there would be no reason for them all to use the same bones in the same pattern.
Paper 1
Health, Disease and the Development of Medicines
183 questions in the guide, across 12 subtopics. More from this topic
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Health, disease and susceptibility
Describe the difference between a communicable and a non-communicable disease.
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A communicable disease can be passed from one organism to another, while a non-communicable disease cannot be transmitted. -
Pathogens and common infections
Describe two symptoms of malaria.
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Repeating episodes of fever and shivering, and tiredness caused by the destruction of red blood cells. -
Sexually transmitted infections
Explain why Chlamydia is often passed on without the infected person realising.
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Many people who have it show no symptoms, so they do not know they are infected and continue to pass it on. -
How plants defend themselves and how plant disease is detected
Name the plant chemical that led to the painkiller aspirin.
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Salicylic acid, found in willow bark. -
The immune system, immunisation and herd immunity
Compare the primary and secondary immune responses.
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The secondary response begins much sooner and produces far more antibodies than the primary response.
Paper 2
Plant Structures and Their Functions
117 questions in the guide, across 9 subtopics. More from this topic
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Photosynthesis as an endothermic reaction
Explain why animals depend on photosynthetic organisms for their food.
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Animals cannot make their own food, so they must obtain it by eating producers or by eating other animals that ate producers. -
Limiting factors in photosynthesis
Explain why the rate of photosynthesis stops rising when light intensity is increased beyond a certain point.
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Light is no longer the factor in shortest supply, so something else such as carbon dioxide concentration or temperature is holding the rate back. -
Light intensity and the rate of photosynthesis
Explain why the pondweed is left for a few minutes after the lamp is moved before any bubbles are counted.
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It gives the plant time to settle at the new light intensity, so the reading measures the rate at that intensity. -
Root hair cells, xylem and phloem
Explain how having a thin surface layer helps a root hair cell absorb substances.
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The short distance to cross means water and mineral ions enter the cell quickly. -
Transpiration and translocation
Explain how guard cells open a stoma.
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The guard cells take in water by osmosis and become turgid, and their change of shape pulls the pore between them open.
Paper 2
Animal Coordination, Control and Homeostasis
121 questions in the guide, across 9 subtopics. More from this topic
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Hormones, endocrine glands and homeostasis
Which organ lying behind the stomach releases hormones that control blood glucose?
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The pancreas. -
The menstrual cycle and its hormones
Describe what happens to the lining of the uterus between about day five and day fourteen of the menstrual cycle.
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It is repaired and grows thicker, building up a layer rich in blood vessels. -
Hormonal and barrier contraception
Name three ways of giving hormonal contraception other than a daily pill.
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By injection, by an implant placed under the skin, or by a patch worn on the skin. -
Homeostasis and thermoregulation
Explain what happens to an animal cell when the blood plasma around it becomes too concentrated.
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Water moves out of the cell by osmosis, so the cell shrinks and shrivels and cannot work properly. -
Controlling blood glucose, and type 1 diabetes
Which organ is the body's main store of glycogen?
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The liver.
Paper 2
Exchange and Transport in Animals
128 questions in the guide, across 10 subtopics. More from this topic
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Why multicellular organisms need exchange surfaces
State why mineral ions must be transported to cells.
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Cells need mineral ions to build substances such as haemoglobin and to keep their chemical processes working. -
Alveoli and gas exchange
Explain how the thickness of an alveolus wall helps gas exchange.
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The wall is only one cell thick, giving a very short diffusion distance so gases cross quickly. -
Rate of diffusion and Fick's law
Suggest why the lining of the small intestine is folded into millions of villi.
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The folding gives a very large surface area, so digested food is absorbed much faster. -
The blood and its components
Explain why a mature red blood cell has no nucleus.
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Losing the nucleus leaves more room for haemoglobin, so the cell can carry more oxygen. -
Arteries, veins and capillaries
Explain how the narrow lumen of an artery suits its function.
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A narrow lumen helps to keep the blood pressure high as blood is carried to the organs.
Paper 2
Ecosystems and Material Cycles
152 questions in the guide, across 12 subtopics. More from this topic
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Levels of organisation and interdependence
Place the terms community, individual organism, ecosystem and population in order from the smallest level of organisation to the largest.
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Individual organism, then population, then community, then ecosystem. -
Abiotic and biotic factors in a community
State three things that animals in a habitat compete for.
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Food, water and territory or mates. -
Sampling with quadrats and transects
What is a belt transect?
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A belt transect is a line laid across a habitat along which quadrats are placed to record how the species present change with distance. -
Estimating population size from field data
Explain why a population size worked out from quadrat data is only an estimate.
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Only a small fraction of the area is actually counted, and that sample may not exactly match the whole site. -
Human impact on ecosystems and biodiversity
What is eutrophication?
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Eutrophication is the enrichment of water with nutrients such as nitrates, which causes excessive growth of algae.
Edexcel GCSE Biology, Foundation tier Active Recall Guide
The other 1,173 questions, with the answers printed after each section.