GCSE Biology Paper 2-Style Practice: Foundation

Set

The paper and mark scheme

Question paper

Paper 2-style practice paper

100 marks · 1 h 45 min · 12 pages

10 multiple-choice questions and structured questions with answer lines. Chapters 11–18: homeostasis and the nervous system, hormonal control and blood glucose, reproduction and DNA, inheritance and variation, evolution and classification, and ecosystems and material cycles.

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Mark scheme

PRO

Paper 2-style practice paper — mark scheme

Answers · Marking points · 6 pages

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

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Coverage

Chapters in this paper

How to use

Work through it like the real exam

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

Preview

The opening questions

Section A: Multiple-choice questions[10 marks]

Choose one answer for each question. Each question is worth 1 mark.

1
Homeostasis means keeping the conditions inside the body
1. Aidentical to the outside world
2. Bcompletely frozen
3. Cchanging constantly with the weather
4. Dsteady and balanced
( )
2
A reflex action is
1. Aa decision made by the conscious brain
2. Brapid and automatic
3. Calways painful
4. Dlearned from parents
( )
3
The central nervous system consists of
1. Athe brain and spinal cord
2. Bsensory neurons only
3. Call the muscles
4. Dthe skin and eyes
( )
4
Insulin lowers blood glucose by making the liver
1. Arelease glucagon
2. Bbreak down glycogen
3. Cstore glucose as glycogen
4. Dmake more blood
( )

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Revision

Before you sit the paper

Revise every chapter this paper covers, using the free notes pages.
Do the quick quiz on each chapter and note where you lose marks.
Practise the topical questions with the mark schemes.
Practise the required practicals: method, variables, controls and typical results are examined every year.
Calculators are allowed on every biology paper — the maths is magnification, rates, percentage change, means and probabilities, so practise each chapter’s worked examples.

Tips

Exam tips

Method marks are real marks

Write the equation first, then substitute — method marks are awarded for correct steps even with a slip in the arithmetic.
Convert before you calculate: mm to µm, g to kg, minutes to seconds.
Quote a sensible unit with every final answer, and give answers the accuracy asked for, typically 2 or 3 significant figures.
In explain questions, name the biology (structure, process, hormone, organism) before describing the outcome.
For 6-markers, plan two sides or a clear sequence, use the data given, and finish with a linked conclusion.

Questions

About the Paper 2-style (Foundation)

Which chapters does this set cover?

Chapters 11–18 of the QuizQuip GCSE Biology course: the nervous system, hormonal control, reproduction, inheritance, evolution and classification, and ecosystems.

Is this a real exam paper?

No — it is an original QuizQuip practice set written in the style of a real Paper 2 at Foundation tier. It is not an AQA, Pearson Edexcel or OCR past paper, and QuizQuip is not affiliated with or endorsed by any awarding body.

How long should I spend on it?

About 105 minutes for 100 marks — roughly a minute per mark, the same pace as the real GCSE Biology papers.

Where are the answers?

A full mark scheme with creditable points follows each question, and every multiple-choice option comes with an explanation.

Is there a Higher version?

Yes — see the Paper 2-style Higher set, which adds Higher-only statements such as protein synthesis, ADH and speciation.

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