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Required practicals practiceFoundation and HigherNot yet teacher-reviewed

Required practicals practice: methods, variables, results and evaluation

Seventy original marks on the practicals examiners love: microscopy and osmosis, food tests and enzymes, pondweed and ruler drops and quadrats, salts and electrolysis, rates and chromatography, specific heat capacity, circuits, density, waves and infrared — with a full mark scheme.

In the style of The required practical skills examined across the GCSE Combined Science specifications (7 biology, 6 chemistry, 8 physics practicals). These are original QuizQuip questions written against the DfE GCSE combined science subject content — not AQA, Pearson Edexcel or OCR past-paper questions, and QuizQuip is not affiliated with any of the boards.

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Total marks
70
Time
1 h 20 min
Format
16 structured questions
Covers
The Combined Science practicals: microscopy, osmosis, food tests, enzymes and pH, photosynthesis light intensity, reaction time, quadrats, making salts, electrolysis, temperature changes, rates of reaction, chromatography, specific heat capacity, resistance, I–V characteristics, density, waves, and infrared emission/absorption

Set

The paper and mark scheme

Question paper

Required practicals practice paper

70 marks · 1 h 20 min · 9 pages

10 multiple-choice questions and structured questions with answer lines. The Combined Science practicals: microscopy, osmosis, food tests, enzymes and pH, photosynthesis light intensity, reaction time, quadrats, making salts, electrolysis, temperature changes, rates of reaction, chromatography, specific heat capacity, resistance, I–V characteristics, density, waves, and infrared emission/absorption.

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Mark scheme

PRO

Required practicals practice paper — mark scheme

Answers · Marking points · 5 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

  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 marking point at a time, including M marks for method.
  4. 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. 1

    In the microscopy practical, the cover slip is lowered slowly at an angle to

    1. Akill the cells
    2. Bdry the slide
    3. Cavoid trapping air bubbles
    4. Dspread the stain evenly
    ( )
  2. 2

    In the osmosis practical, potato cylinders lose mass in a solution that is

    1. Amore dilute than the cell sap
    2. Bpure water
    3. Cice cold
    4. Dmore concentrated than the cell sap
    ( )
  3. 3

    Benedict's solution heated with a food sample turns brick-red in the presence of

    1. Areducing sugars
    2. Bstarch
    3. Cprotein
    4. Dfat
    ( )
  4. 4

    In the amylase practical, iodine stops turning blue-black when

    1. Athe pH was too low
    2. Bthe starch has been digested — the end point
    3. Cthe enzyme has denatured
    4. Dthe tube leaks
    ( )
Open the full paper

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 — the maths spans all three sciences, 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, cm³ to dm³.
  • 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 science (structure, ion, force, equation) 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 Required practicals practice

Which practicals does this set cover?

All the GCSE Combined Science required practical activities: the seven biology practicals (microscopy, osmosis, food tests, enzymes, pondweed, reaction time, quadrats), the six chemistry practicals (salts, electrolysis, temperature changes, rates, chromatography and water/energy techniques) and the eight physics practicals (specific heat capacity, resistance, I–V characteristics, density, force–extension, acceleration, waves and infrared).

Is this a real exam paper?

No — it is an original QuizQuip practice set covering the practical skills examined by the real boards. It is not an AQA, Pearson Edexcel or OCR past paper or practical handbook, and QuizQuip is not affiliated with or endorsed by any awarding body.

How long should I spend on it?

About 80 minutes for 70 marks — slightly over a minute per mark, because practical questions reward full descriptions.

What should I be able to do for every practical?

Describe the method in order, name the independent/dependent/control variables, state the main risks and precautions, recall typical results, and suggest improvements — that structure earns the marks on every board.

Where are the answers?

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