PEARSON EDEXCEL · INTERNATIONAL GCSE · PAPER 2 QUESTION 1
Paper 2 practice: article questions
Paper 2 opens with a short science article that you read in the exam, with a number printed every five lines. The questions point you to lines, for example (lines 7 to 9). Some answers are in the article, but most marks come from explaining the biology behind it. Modular Unit 2 sets are worth 12 or 13 marks; linear Paper 2 sets are worth 14 to 18.
16 practice articles. Every article is an original illustrative text written for Scholar Lab: the biology is real, but the people, places, studies and figures are invented or rounded.
Your marks are saved only in this browser on this device. Written answers are never saved. Clearing your practice record on My progress also clears these marks.
Ecology and the environment
- When reefs turn whiteCoral and its algae, photosynthesis and respiration, global warming and food webs. Modular Unit 2 (4WBI2) style, 12–13 marks.13 marks · about 16 min · spec 4.28–4.39, 5.12–5.18B, 5.6–5.11BNot tried
- The engineers are backBeaver dams, abiotic factors, quadrat sampling, eutrophication and genetic variation. Linear Paper 2 (4BI1/2B) style, 14–18 marks.16 marks · about 19 min · spec 4.28–4.39, 5.1–5.5, 5.12–5.18BNot tried
- The toad that marched across a continentA failed biological control, natural selection at the invasion front and toxic prey. Modular Unit 2 (4WBI2) style, 12–13 marks.12 marks · about 14 min · spec 4.28–4.39, 5.1–5.5, 5.6–5.11B, 6.1–6.9BNot tried
Plants and food production
Plants
Genetics and food production
- A doomsday vault for seedsStoring seeds, germination, alleles from wild relatives and selective breeding. Modular Unit 2 (4WBI2) style, 12–13 marks.13 marks · about 16 min · spec 4.1–4.13, 4.14–4.27, 4.28–4.39, 6.10–6.16Not tried
- The banana that might disappearCloned Cavendish bananas, a soil fungus, the risk of no variation and genetically modified resistance. Modular Unit 2 (4WBI2) style, 12–13 marks.13 marks · about 16 min · spec 3.1–3.8B, 4.28–4.39, 5.12–5.18B, 6.10–6.16, 6.17B–6.20BNot tried
Human physiology
- A pancreas you can wearType 1 diabetes, insulin and blood glucose, digestion and absorption, and how a closed-loop system works. Linear Paper 2 (4BI1/2B) style, 14–18 marks.16 marks · about 19 min · spec 3.41–3.45BNot tried
- Surviving the heatThermoregulation in a heatwave: sweating, vasodilation, humidity, ADH and water balance. Modular Unit 2 (4WBI2) style, 12–13 marks.12 marks · about 14 min · spec 3.20–3.29B, 3.41–3.45BNot tried
- One bag, three livesBlood components, haemoglobin and iron, storing cells, clotting and why donors are always needed. Linear Paper 2 (4BI1/2B) style, 14–18 marks.15 marks · about 18 min · spec 3.9–3.19Not tried
- Three times a weekKidney failure, dialysis, diffusion across a partially permeable membrane and kidney transplants. Linear Paper 2 (4BI1/2B) style, 14–18 marks.16 marks · about 19 min · spec 3.20–3.29B, 3.9–3.19Not tried
Microorganisms and food production
Genetics
- A gene, a parasite and a cureSickle cell disease: a mutation, recessive inheritance, malaria and natural selection, and gene editing. Modular Unit 2 (4WBI2) style, 12–13 marks.13 marks · about 16 min · spec 3.9–3.19, 4.14–4.27, 4.28–4.39Not tried
- The bacteria that fought backAntibiotic resistance: mutation, natural selection, finishing the course and the search for new drugs. Modular Unit 2 (4WBI2) style, 12–13 marks.13 marks · about 16 min · spec 3.9–3.19, 4.28–4.39Not tried