Skip to content
Dabour HubLEARN · PRACTICE · EXPLORESign inStudent

9.2.6Exam Guidance and Skills

Questions with Specific Instructions — AQA A Level Biology 7402 Revision Notes & Topical Questions

5 min read 9 parts Lesson 12 of 13 1 quiz

📚 AQA A Level Biology 7402 Hub / Topical Revision
🩺
100% Curriculum Specification Match Lesson Doctor Verified
The only platform with 100% curriculum specification match and verified interactive question banks.
0%read
Lesson summary

9.2.6 Questions with Specific Instructions — AQA A Level Biology 7402 notes: Follow instructions that restrict how an answer must be given, such as use of data, number of points, drawing or extended-response levels.Some questions add an instruction beyond the command word, such a…

  • Exam-style question 1
  • Exam-style question 2
  • Level of response
  • Standard form
  • Significant figures
  • Extended response

Section 1 of 9Why instructions matter

Some questions add an instruction beyond the command word, such as "use the information in the table", "give your answer to two significant figures", "name one" or "in your answer, refer to named structures".

Why instructions matter
If you do not follow it, you cannot earn the mark, even if the biology is right.
Underlining these phrases before you begin makes it likely that you will meet them.

Section 2 of 9Common instructions and what to do

InstructionWhat it requires
Use the information in the figure / tableQuote values or refer to the pattern in the data in the answer
Give two / name oneGive exactly that number; extra answers may be ignored or may cancel
Show your workingWrite each step of a calculation; marks are given for the method
Give your answer in standard form / to 2 s.f.Use the required format for the final answer
Complete the table / label the diagramFill every box; use the terms shown on the specification
Draw a graph / sketchFollow the scale, labels and type of graph requested
In your answer, you should...The mark scheme includes a mark for this requirement, for example a logical sequence

Section 3 of 9Questions that ask you to use data

1
Refer to figures from the data, with units, in at least one sentence.
2
If asked to "compare", use both sets of data in each comparison and give the difference or ratio.
3
Where a calculation is needed, state the formula, show the substitution, and give the answer with units.
4
If asked for a conclusion, say what the data show, and relate it to the biology.

Section 4 of 9Lined space and mark allocation

The lines provided and the mark allocation are guides to the length of answer.

Lined space and mark allocation
Fewer lines than expected suggest that a short answer is appropriate; if you find you need many more lines, you have probably drifted from the question.
If you run out of space, continue in the additional pages and mark clearly where the answer continues.
If you want to change an answer, cross it out neatly and write the new one so that it can be read.

Section 5 of 9Worked example: a six-mark question and following the instruction on drawing and labelling

Suppose the question reads"Describe how a nerve impulse is passed from one neurone to another across a synapse. [6]" A top-level answer is a logical sequence.

1
An action potential arrives at the presynaptic knob, which causes voltage-gated calcium channels to open and calcium ions to diffuse in.
2
Calcium ions cause vesicles containing neurotransmitter to fuse with the presynaptic membrane, releasing neurotransmitter by exocytosis into the cleft.
3
The neurotransmitter diffuses across and binds to receptors on the postsynaptic membrane, opening sodium channels,
  • so sodium ions enter and the membrane depolarises.
4
If the threshold is reached, an action potential starts in the postsynaptic neurone.
5
The neurotransmitter is then broken down by an enzyme or taken back up, so the response stops.
6
Notice that the answer follows time order, uses terms such as exocytosis and depolarise correctly,
  • and includes both the start and the end of the process,
  • which is what a levels mark scheme rewards.

Where you are asked to draw, use a sharp pencil, draw large, avoid shading, and make label lines touch the structure and not cross each other.

Worked example: a six-mark question and following the instruction on drawing and labelling
Where a scale is given, calculate the size using it.
When completing a table, do not leave a box empty: a tick, a cross or a word is needed in each.
Do not write in the margin, as scanned papers may not show it.

Section 6 of 9Exam-style questions

  1. Use the information in the table to compare the number of stomata on the upper and lower surfaces of leaves in two species. Upper: species A 20, species B 100; lower: species A 280, species B 150 (per mm2). [3]3 marks

  2. A question says: 'Name one carbohydrate that is a storage polysaccharide in animals.' A student writes 'starch or glycogen'. Explain why this loses the mark. [1]1 mark

Section 7 of 9Key terms

TermMeaning
Level of responseMarking by overall quality rather than counting individual points
Standard formNumber written as a value between 1 and 10 times a power of ten
Significant figuresDigits that carry meaning in a number
Extended responseLonger answer worth several marks
Mark schemeDocument showing the points that earn marks
TerminologyCorrect scientific words for ideas and structures

Section 8 of 9Syllabus checklist

Questions worth 5 or 6 marks are often marked in levels.

1
Examiners look for the overall quality: the range of relevant points, the accuracy and the logical order, rather than a count of points.
2
To reach the top level: cover all parts of the question; use correct terminology; link cause and effect;
  • and organise the answer in a sensible order,
  • such as the order in which events occur.
3
Plan briefly in the margin: list the ideas needed, number them in sequence, and then write.
4
If the question asks you to "describe and explain", structure each paragraph as a statement of what happens followed by a reason.
5
If there is a bullet list of items to include, make sure every item is addressed.

Section 9 of 9Exam technique

1
Ignoring 'use the data' and answering from general knowledge.
2
Giving more answers than were asked for, including an incorrect one.
3
Not showing working in a calculation.
4
Writing an extended answer in random order with no plan.

Last updated: