Pearson Edexcel International GCSE in Biology · 4BI1 · Free · no account needed
Levels of Organisation — exam questions
11 original Incandio exam-style questions on Levels of Organisation, 23 marks, about 23 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 Levels of Organisation — 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
7 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
- Name (1–2 marks)
- the correct term, spelled recognisably
- 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.
Where these sit in the specification
Pearson Edexcel International GCSE Biology (4BI1) — statements 2.2 · 2.3 · 2.1. 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 11 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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Table 1 — the numbers of two organelles counted in three human cell types. Cell type Mitochondria per cell Ribosomes per cell Heart muscle cell about 5000 about 3 million Skin cell about 200 about 2 million Mature red blood cell 0 0 (a)
(1)Give
Give the cell type in Table 1 with the highest rate of aerobic respiration.
Table 1 — the numbers of two organelles counted in three human cell types. Cell type Mitochondria per cell Ribosomes per cell Heart muscle cell about 5000 about 3 million Skin cell about 200 about 2 million Mature red blood cell 0 0 (b)
(2)Explain
Explain the difference in the number of mitochondria between the heart muscle cell and the skin cell.
Table 1 — the numbers of two organelles counted in three human cell types. Cell type Mitochondria per cell Ribosomes per cell Heart muscle cell about 5000 about 3 million Skin cell about 200 about 2 million Mature red blood cell 0 0 (c)
(3)Suggest
A mature red blood cell has no nucleus and no mitochondria. Suggest one advantage and one consequence of this, using Table 1.
Table 1 — the numbers of two organelles counted in three human cell types. Cell type Mitochondria per cell Ribosomes per cell Heart muscle cell about 5000 about 3 million Skin cell about 200 about 2 million Mature red blood cell 0 0 (Total for Question 1 = 6 marks)
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(1)Which
Which organelle is the site of aerobic respiration?
Organelle A ribosome B chloroplast C mitochondrion D vacuole (Total for Question 2 = 1 mark)
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(1)Name
Name the cell structure that controls which substances enter and leave the cell.
(Total for Question 3 = 1 mark)
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(1)State
State the function of the ribosomes in a cell.
(Total for Question 4 = 1 mark)
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(2)Give
Give the five levels of organisation in a multicellular organism, starting with the smallest.
(Total for Question 5 = 2 marks)
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(3)Describe
Describe the functions of the nucleus, the cell wall and the permanent vacuole.
(Total for Question 6 = 3 marks)
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(2)Explain
Explain why the stomach is described as an organ rather than as a tissue.
(Total for Question 7 = 2 marks)
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(3)Suggest
A cell taken from the lining of the pancreas is packed with ribosomes and has an unusually large nucleus. Suggest what this cell's main function is.
(Total for Question 8 = 3 marks)
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(4)Explain
Explain what is meant by the levels of organisation in a multicellular organism, using the stomach as your example.
(Total for Question 9 = 4 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 — 11 questions, marked on Incandio against the authored scheme, with the mistake you actually made named.
- Teach it — explain Levels of Organisation to Ember, an AI pupil who does not have it yet and asks the awkward question.
- Defend it — argue it against Robert Hooke over three rounds, marked against descriptors you can read first.
Completely free. No subscriptions, no paywalls, no account needed to start.
Back to the lesson
- Levels of Organisation — From organelle to organism — the five-step ladder that every later topic in biology is built on.
- All of Incandio Biology · Incandio Exam Practice