scholarlab.KS5 Biology

COMMAND WORD · BIOLOGY

Assess

Weigh the factors that apply here, say which matter most, and give a judgement where the question needs one.

All command words

Writing frame

These factors. This one matters more, because of this evidence, and only within this limit.

What the parts mean

  • Factorsonly the factors this question gives you
  • Matters morethe one that carries more weight
  • Becausethe evidence for that weight
  • Limitwhat the evidence cannot show

How to build your answer

  1. 1Keep only the factors the stimulus actually shows.
  2. 2Say which one matters more.
  3. 3Tie that weight to the evidence, such as a steeper change.
  4. 4State one limit: what this evidence cannot prove.

Biology exemplar

Original question

An illustrative graph shows a larger change in relative risk when a cholesterol ratio changes than when LDL particle size changes. Assess which factor contributes more to the risk shown.

Left: relative risk of cardiovascular disease rises steeply as the cholesterol ratio increases from 2 to 8. Right: relative risk rises only slightly from small to large LDL particle size. The risk axes have no values or units.2345678Cholesterol ratioRelative risk of CVDLDL particle size (small → large)Relative risk of CVD
Illustrative graphs, not clinical data. The ratio line changes more than particle size.

Annotated answer

FactorsThe ratio and the particle size are both plotted. Matters moreOn this graph the ratio contributes more. BecauseIt is tied to the steeper change in relative risk. LimitThe graph does not show that either factor causes cardiovascular disease. The numbers are illustrative.

The labels match the frame. Read them in order. This is one accurate route, not the only one.

Exam habit

A list of factors is not an assessment until you say which matters more.

Common pitfall

Writing “LDL is bad and HDL is good, so lipoproteins cause heart disease”, with no comparison and no limit.

Exam-style question

6 marks

Based on a sample question

Mark points shown after marking

The graphs show how the relative risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD) changes with the blood cholesterol ratio and with LDL particle size.

Left: relative risk of cardiovascular disease rises steeply as the cholesterol ratio increases from 2 to 8. Right: relative risk rises only slightly from small to large LDL particle size. The risk axes have no values or units.2345678Cholesterol ratioRelative risk of CVDLDL particle size (small → large)Relative risk of CVD
Illustrative graphs, not clinical data.

Assess which factor contributes more to the risk of CVD. Use the graphs.

(6)

Total for this question: 6 marks

Answer discussion

The ratio is tied to the larger change in relative risk, so on these graphs it contributes more than particle size. The lines are associations in illustrative numbers. They do not show that either factor causes cardiovascular disease.

Where this comes from

Unit 1 sample paper. Question 8 (c) asks you to assess the contribution of lipoproteins to CVD risk, using the graphs. Sample assessment, not a live paper.

Sample paper WBI11/01, question 8 (c) (6 marks), 2017 sample assessment. Question page · Mark scheme page

Sources

Pearson Biology specification · Sample assessment PDF