Pearson Edexcel International GCSE in Biology · 4BI1 · Free · no account needed
The Menstrual Cycle — exam questions
9 original Incandio exam-style questions on the Menstrual Cycle, 19 marks, about 19 minutes of writing. Each one carries the command word, the tariff and the specification statement it assesses, exactly as a paper presents them. This is an original Incandio practice question, written to reflect the structure and demands of the qualification. It is not an official Pearson Edexcel past-paper question.
This is the practice set for The Menstrual Cycle — the lesson that teaches it. Read the lesson first if the idea is new; come here when you want to find out whether you can turn it into marks. Completely free, no account needed to read.
What these questions ask of you
6 command words run through this set, and on Pearson Edexcel International GCSE Biology each one means something precise. Answering the wrong command is the commonest way a candidate who understands the lesson still loses the mark.
- Which (1 mark)
- one option chosen from the set given
- State (1 mark)
- one precise fact, no justification
- Give (1–2 marks)
- a short factual answer drawn from recall or from the data
- Describe (2–4 marks)
- developed, linked statements of WHAT happens — no reason required, but detail is Misread as: giving one bare statement where the tariff asked for a developed account
- Explain (2–4 marks)
- a causal chain — WHY it happens, each link a separate marking point Misread as: describing what happens without giving the reason it happens
- Suggest (1–3 marks)
- a plausible answer applying taught biology to a situation not taught
Assessed on Paper 1 (4BI1/1B) and Paper 2 (4BI1/2B), against AO1, AO2, AO3.
Where these sit in the specification
Pearson Edexcel International GCSE Biology (4BI1) — statements 3.10 · 3.9. Incandio is aligned to this specification; it is not published by, endorsed by or affiliated with Pearson, and it reproduces none of Pearson's wording.
The 9 questions
Answer them on paper, then open the lesson's exam practice to have them marked. The mark scheme, the accepted and rejected answers and the annotated model answer are in Incandio and are not printed here — an answer beside its question is not practice.
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Figure 1 — the concentration of oestrogen in the blood across one 28-day cycle. Plotted as a line; the graph is drawn in Incandio and the readings are below. Day of cycle Oestrogen concentration / arbitrary units 1 4 5 6 9 18 12 41 14 24 18 20 22 23 26 9 28 4 Figure 2 — the concentration of progesterone in the blood across the same cycle. Plotted as a line; the graph is drawn in Incandio and the readings are below. Day of cycle Progesterone concentration / arbitrary units 1 2 5 2 9 3 12 3 14 5 18 27 22 38 26 12 28 3 (a)
(1)Give
Give the day on which the oestrogen concentration in Figure 1 is highest.
Figure 1 — the concentration of oestrogen in the blood across one 28-day cycle. Plotted as a line; the graph is drawn in Incandio and the readings are below. Day of cycle Oestrogen concentration / arbitrary units 1 4 5 6 9 18 12 41 14 24 18 20 22 23 26 9 28 4 Figure 2 — the concentration of progesterone in the blood across the same cycle. Plotted as a line; the graph is drawn in Incandio and the readings are below. Day of cycle Progesterone concentration / arbitrary units 1 2 5 2 9 3 12 3 14 5 18 27 22 38 26 12 28 3 (b)
(3)Explain
Explain what the oestrogen peak just before day 14 leads to.
Figure 1 — the concentration of oestrogen in the blood across one 28-day cycle. Plotted as a line; the graph is drawn in Incandio and the readings are below. Day of cycle Oestrogen concentration / arbitrary units 1 4 5 6 9 18 12 41 14 24 18 20 22 23 26 9 28 4 Figure 2 — the concentration of progesterone in the blood across the same cycle. Plotted as a line; the graph is drawn in Incandio and the readings are below. Day of cycle Progesterone concentration / arbitrary units 1 2 5 2 9 3 12 3 14 5 18 27 22 38 26 12 28 3 (c)
(2)Suggest
Suggest how Figure 2 would differ if an embryo had implanted during this cycle.
Figure 1 — the concentration of oestrogen in the blood across one 28-day cycle. Plotted as a line; the graph is drawn in Incandio and the readings are below. Day of cycle Oestrogen concentration / arbitrary units 1 4 5 6 9 18 12 41 14 24 18 20 22 23 26 9 28 4 Figure 2 — the concentration of progesterone in the blood across the same cycle. Plotted as a line; the graph is drawn in Incandio and the readings are below. Day of cycle Progesterone concentration / arbitrary units 1 2 5 2 9 3 12 3 14 5 18 27 22 38 26 12 28 3 (Total for Question 1 = 6 marks)
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(1)Which
Which hormone causes ovulation?
Hormone A FSH B LH C oestrogen D progesterone (Total for Question 2 = 1 mark)
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(1)State
State the effect of oestrogen on the lining of the uterus.
(Total for Question 3 = 1 mark)
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(1)Give
Give the day of a 28-day cycle on which ovulation usually occurs.
(Total for Question 4 = 1 mark)
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(4)Describe
Describe the roles of FSH, LH, oestrogen and progesterone across one menstrual cycle.
(Total for Question 5 = 4 marks)
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(3)Explain
Explain why the lining of the uterus breaks down at the end of a cycle in which no embryo has implanted.
(Total for Question 6 = 3 marks)
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(3)Suggest
A contraceptive pill contains progesterone and keeps its concentration in the blood high throughout the cycle. Suggest why this prevents pregnancy.
(Total for Question 7 = 3 marks)
Have them marked, then defend the answer
Practice tells you the mark; teaching it back tells you whether you understand it. On Incandio a topic counts as mastered only once you have taught it and defended it.
- Mark these questions — 9 questions, marked on Incandio against the authored scheme, with the mistake you actually made named.
- Teach it — explain the Menstrual Cycle to Ember, an AI pupil who does not have it yet and asks the awkward question.
- Defend it — argue it against Ernest Starling over three rounds, marked against descriptors you can read first.
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Back to the lesson
- The Menstrual Cycle — Four hormones, two organs and one repeating question — should the uterus lining be built up, held, or let go?
- All of Incandio Biology · Incandio Exam Practice