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Paper 6 styleExtended

Paper 6 style: alternative to practical

Forty original marks of written practical-style questions — food tests, osmosis, enzyme experiments, photosynthesis, transpiration, limewater, yeast, germination and sampling — with mark schemes for every part.

Modelled on Cambridge IGCSE Biology Paper 6 (Alternative to Practical). These are original QuizQuip questions written against the 0610 syllabus — not Cambridge past-paper questions.

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Total marks
40
Time
1 h
Format
3 MCQ + 3 structured
Covers
Practical skills across the 0610 syllabus: food tests, osmosis, enzymes, photosynthesis, transpiration, breathing, yeast, germination and sampling

Set

The paper and mark scheme

Question paper

Paper 6 style practice paper

40 marks · 1 h · 6 pages

3 multiple-choice questions and structured questions with answer lines. Practical skills across the 0610 syllabus: food tests, osmosis, enzymes, photosynthesis, transpiration, breathing, yeast, germination and sampling.

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Mark scheme

PRO

Paper 6 style practice paper — mark scheme

Answers · Marking points · 4 pages

Model answers with a mark for each creditworthy point — for marking at home or in class.

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Coverage

Topics in this paper

How to use

Work through it like the real exam

  1. 1Print the paper, or open the PDF and write your answers on paper.
  2. 2Set a timer and work without notes — the real thing is timed and closed-book.
  3. 3Mark your work with the mark scheme, one point at a time.
  4. 4Redo every question you lost marks on, then revise that topic.

Preview

The opening questions

Section A: Practical skills questions[20 marks]

Answer all questions in the spaces provided.

  1. 1

    A student tests four unknown food solutions, P, Q, R and S, using iodine solution, Benedict’s solution, Biuret solution and ethanol.

    1. (a)

      Copy and complete the table by naming the food tested by each reagent and its positive result: iodine solution; Benedict’s solution; Biuret solution; ethanol.

      [4]
    2. (b)

      State two safety precautions the student should take when heating Benedict’s solution.

      [2]
  2. 2

    A student investigates osmosis using strips of potato. Five identical strips are weighed, then each is placed in a sugar solution of a different concentration for one hour, then blotted dry and re-weighed.

    1. (a)

      Explain why the strips are blotted dry before re-weighing.

      [1]
    2. (b)

      In the 0.4 mol per dm³ solution, a strip loses 0.6 g (from 5.0 g). Calculate the percentage change in mass.

      [2]
    3. (c)

      Explain, in terms of water potential, why the strips gain mass in dilute solutions but lose mass in concentrated solutions.

      [3]
    4. (d)

      State the solution concentration at which the strips would show no change in mass, and explain why.

      [1]
  3. 3

    A student investigates the effect of temperature on the activity of the enzyme pectinase in producing apple juice.

    1. (a)

      Describe how the student should carry out this investigation, including two variables that must be controlled.

      [4]
    2. (b)

      The results show the most juice at 40 °C and very little at 60 °C. Explain these results.

      [3]
Open the full paper

Revision

Before you sit the paper

  • Revise every topic this paper covers, using the free notes pages.
  • Do the quick quiz on each topic and note where you lose marks.
  • Practise the topical questions with the mark schemes.
  • Read the command words: state, describe, explain, calculate.

Tips

Exam tips

Marks come from key words

  • Give the number of marks’ worth of points the question asks for.
  • Quote the equation, substitute the values, then give the answer with its unit.
  • Check every quantity is in SI units before you substitute.
  • In Paper 6-style questions, write the observation, not the conclusion.

Questions

About the Paper 6 style

What is the Alternative to Practical paper testing?

Written practical skills: describing methods, identifying variables, predicting and explaining results, handling data (means, percentages, estimates) and evaluating experiments — without doing the experiments live.

How should I answer "design an experiment" questions?

Change one variable, control everything else, state what you measure and when, and use identical setups that differ only in the factor being tested. Add a control where one exists (e.g. boiled enzyme, plain water).

Is QuizQuip connected to Cambridge?

No. Cambridge IGCSE and Cambridge are trademarks of Cambridge University Press & Assessment. QuizQuip is independent — not affiliated with, endorsed by, or connected to Cambridge. All our questions are original material written against the published 0610 syllabus.