Examiners' Report June 2016 GCE Biology 8BN0 01

Examiners’ Report
June 2016
GCE Biology 8BN0 01

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June 2016
Publications Code 8BN0_01_1606_ER
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© Pearson Education Ltd 2016
2 GCE Biology 8BN0 01

Introduction
The paper was the first of the new specification and tested the knowledge, understanding
and application of material from the topics 'Lifestyle, health and risk' and 'Genes and
health'. The range of questions provided ample opportunity for candidates to demonstrate
their grasp of these topics.
The paper appears to have worked well with nearly all questions achieving the full spread
of marks. Very few questions were left blank and there was no evidence in the majority of
papers that candidates had insufficient time to complete the paper. For example, nearly all
candidates wrote lengthy answers to the last question on the paper.
It was evident that some areas of the specification are better understood than others. The
application of knowledge regarding transcription and translation, protein structure and
mutations proved more challenging, catching out some who had learnt a particular stock
answer and were not able to apply their knowledge to the given scenario and information.
A significant issue for some candidates on the paper was not reading the question carefully
and, in particular, not taking careful note of the command words in the questions. For
example, an 'explain' question often had answers which just described and a 'compare and
contrast' question often had just a description answer instead of a comparative answer.
It was pleasing to see such large numbers of excellent responses which were clear and
comprehensive, answered the question asked and showed a good use of technical terms and
application of relevant biological knowledge.
GCE Biology 8BN0 01 3

Question 1 (a)
This question was generally answered very well, with nearly all candidates correctly
determining the parent’s genotype from the information given in the question. The majority
of candidates drew a genetic diagram to show the correct offspring genotypes, enabling
them to give the correct answer. A minority of candidates did not draw a correct genetic
diagram and therefore lost a mark.
Examiner Comments Examiner Tip
This response has clearly identified the parental To demonstrate that you understand genetic
genotypes and carried out the genetic cross crosses it is always good practice to fully
correctly using a Punnett square to show the label everything.
genotypes of the offspring to gain the first mark.
They have gone on to give the correct answer and
gained the second mark.

It is good practice to state the
This is an example of a response where the candidate
phenotypes of the offspring.
has correctly drawn a genetic diagram showing the
parental and offspring genotypes to gain one mark.
However, they have given an incorrect probability
even though it is clear they knew that a homozygous
recessive child would have the disorder.

Question 1 (b)
This was a straight-forward question but it was disappointingly answered by a significant
number of candidates. Some did not pick up on the information about 11 weeks in the stem
of the question and gave the incorrect answer of amniocentesis. Other candidates did not
gain the mark due to incorrect spelling.
Examiner Comments
This is an example of a correct response.
Examiner Comments
This is an example of an incorrect response.

This is an example of where a candidate has Be careful when spelling scientific terminology.
lost the mark due to incorrect spelling.

Question 1 (c)
This question gained a full range of marks, with nearly 60% scoring 2 or 3 marks.
Almost all candidates recognised that this test would increase the risk of miscarriage. A
pleasing majority of candidates were able to explain that the test was not always accurate
and false positives or false negatives could occur. However, fewer candidates were able to
explain that the inaccuracy of a false positive could lead to the termination of a healthy
foetus.
A significant number of candidates recognised that there were ethical reasons involved, but
often referred to society as a whole and not to the parents and could not be awarded the
final marking point as a result.
This response scores 3 marks.
Examiner Comments
This response gained marking point two as an error carried

forward. They also successfully linked inaccuracies of a false
positive to a healthy foetus being aborted to gain marking
points one and three.

Examiner Comments
This response scores the most common marking point - that the
test increased the risk of miscarriage.

This response is an example of where the candidate When writing about ethical issues it is
has gained the last marking point in addition to the important to have the right context and be
first two marking points. specific in your answer.

Question 2 (a) (i)
This was a relatively straight-forward question requiring candidates to extract two numbers
from the graph and use them to calculate a rate. A significant number gave an answer which
was a rate per 2 minutes. It was disappointing to see that a large number of candidates
either did not state a unit or did not give a correct unit.
Examiner Comments
This is an example of a response which scores full marks. The candidate

extracts the correct data from the graph. They perform the correct calculation
to get the answer of 125. They also adapt the units from the graph to write
the correct unit.

This is an example of an answer which gain If the answer line does not give a unit then it
1 mark for the correct answer but does not is always a good idea to write the correct unit
give the correct unit. Therefore the second next to your answer.
mark is not awarded.

This is an example of an answer where the
Always make sure you copy information
candidate gives a unit in addition to the
correctly.
correct answer. However, they do not give the
correct unit as they have written 'mol' instead
of 'nmol'. Hence they score only 1 mark.

Question 2 (a) (ii)
This question highlighted that many candidates are confused between a control and a
controlled variable. Many candidates described ways that variables such as temperature
should be controlled instead of understanding that in order to see if CVX had any effect
on thrombin production they needed to compare the results with blood that had not been
treated with CVX.
Examiner Comments
This is an example of a response where the candidate has confused

control with controlled variables.
Examiner Comments
This is not a suitable control and therefore scores 0 marks.

Examiner Comments
This response correctly identifies a suitable control for this

investigation and explains that it would provide a comparison
Question 2 (b)
This question required candidates to analyse the data provided in order to write an answer
which linked the data about thrombin production to the effect on blood clotting in the stem
of the question.
Nearly all candidates were able to identify that there was increased thrombin production
as CVX concentration increases and therefore gained the first mark. However, not many
candidates were able to link this to increased fibrin production or increased blood clotting
and therefore did not gain the fifth or sixth marking point.
A large number of candidates were able to identify that there was no significant difference
between the control and 0.5ng cm-3 as the error bars overlapped.

Examiner Comments
This response identifies the effect of increasing the concentration of CVX on the rate of thrombin
production and successfully links this to the effect on rate of blood clotting and therefore gains the
first and last marking points.
They also identify that there was little difference between the control and 0.5 ng cm-3 and state that
the SD bars are overlapping.
Therefore this response scores 4 marks.

Examiner Comments
This response clearly links the data to the effect of CVX on the rate of blood
clotting. They gain the first and last marking points in the first sentence,
followed by the third marking point in the next sentence.
This candidate is nearly awarded the fifth marking point but does not state
that more fibrin would be produced or that fibrin would be produced more
quickly.
This response gains 3 marks.

This is an example of a response where the candidate Read your answer and check if it fully
links increased CVX concentrations to increased answers the question asked.
thrombin production. They are not able to make the
link between the rate of thrombin production and the
rate of blood clotting to answer the question more fully.

Question 2 (c)
This question required candidates to apply their knowledge and understanding of mutations
and protein structure to this situation of blood clotting.
Most candidates recognised that the active site of the enzyme would change, but were
not always specific in their use of language to explain why this would cause problems in
the formation of enzyme-substrate complexes. Only a minority of candidates were able to
link this reduction in enzyme-substrate formation to a specific effect on the blood clotting
cascade.
It was surprising that fewer candidates were able to relate a different amino acid sequence
to having different R groups in different places or then extend this to explain the effect this
would have on the secondary and tertiary structure of the protein.
This response scores zero marks.
This is an example of the most common reason Be specific about the terminology you use to
why candidates did not gain the third marking answer questions.
point.

Examiner Comments
This is an example of a response where the candidate has not applied
their knowledge and understanding to explain why there would be
difficulties with blood clotting.

Examiner Comments
This response gains marking points one and three. Although they know that the
bonding could change they do not relate this back to a change in the primary
structure. They also do not link the fact that the active site would change to a possible
role in the blood clotting cascade.

Question 3 (a) (ii)
This question enabled candidates to demonstrate their scientific recall as it was a straight-
forward question requiring a description of the role of carrier proteins.
Many candidates could recall that carrier proteins were involved in both facilitated diffusion
and active transport. However, a minority of these candidates did not fully explain the
function of the carrier proteins in these processes and therefore did not gain more than 2
marks.
Some candidates only described the role of carrier proteins in one of these processes
and could therefore not score more than 3 marks. It was important for candidates to be
specific with their terminology for marking point 2, as the use of the word particles was not
sufficient.
A minority of candidates described the role of both carrier and channel proteins which was
not what the question asked.
This is a well written and concise response which When describing the function you need to
covered every marking point to gain full marks. describe what they do and how they do it.

This is an example of a response where the If a question is worth 4 marks like this one
candidate has only recognised the role of carrier think if you should be writing about more
proteins in facilitated diffusion of large molecules. than one function.
They have not mentioned active transport or
concentration gradients and therefore gain 2
marks.
Examiner Comments
This response gains all three possible marking points for facilitated diffusion.
As they do not describe the role of carrier proteins in active transport, they
gain 3 marks overall.

Question 3 (b)
This question was based on the beetroot core practical and it identified the candidates who
had been given the opportunity to carry out the core practical and were also encouraged to
write it up using correct terminology and precise details.
It was clear that many candidates had experienced this core practical as they were able
to write detailed methodology of how to carry out the practical and often gained marking
points 3 and 4 in the process.
However, a significant number of candidates were unable to apply this to the context
of investigating age of cabbage leaves. When this was attempted, candidates often did
not write the specific details that would enable them to gain further marking points. For
example, they would comment that different ages would be used without thinking of a
suitable range to use.

This response gains full marks. They clearly
Always think about suitable ranges for
identify a suitable range for the independent
the independent variable and explain how
variable, describe how another suitable variable
variables should be controlled.
has been controlled, state the colorimeter method
for measuring permeability and state that repeats
should be done at each age.
They nearly gain marking point 2 as well.

`
This is an example of a response where the candidate Look at the context of the question and
has not related the core practical to the context of the relate your knowledge to it.
question and refers to beetroot and not cabbage.
They are also not specific about the range for the IV or
how variables have been controlled.

Question 4 (a) (ii)
This was answered well by the vast majority of candidates. However, a small number did not
read the question correctly and did not give their answer to one decimal place.
`
This is an example of where the candidate has not Always check if the question states how
read the question correctly and has given their many decimal places to give answers to.
answer to an incorrect number of decimal places. Sometimes it is stated but sometimes it
Therefore they do not gain the second mark. can be inferred, e.g. in tables this can be
However, they gain the first mark for inserting the shown by the format of other numbers.
given numbers correctly into the equation.

Examiner Comments
This is an example of a response which gains full marks. The

candidate calculates the BMI correctly and gives it to the
required number of decimal places.

Question 4 (a) (iii)
It was pleasing to see that the vast majority of candidates could correctly analyse the
data to identify a correlation between the number of risk factors and deaths due to CVD.
A significant majority were also able to recognise that deaths due to CVD were higher for
diabetics than non-diabetics.
Examiner Comments
This is an example of a response which gains full marks as the candidate

correctly identify the effect of the number of additional risk factors on
deaths due to CVD for people with and without diabetes.

Here, the candidate does not fully explain that there is Make sure you have analysed all the
a correlation between the number of risk factors and data for trends.
deaths due to CVD. They have also not recognise that
the data shows that deaths due to CVD are higher for
diabetics than non-diabetics.

Question 4 (b)
Most candidates had few difficulties in explaining that antihypertensive drugs would have
the effect of lowering blood pressure. However, many candidates then went into detail
explaining how all these different drugs worked which did not answer the question. Some
candidates correctly linked lower blood pressure to the reduced risk of endothelium damage,
but didn't specify arteries. Fewer candidates gained the fourth and final mark as they tended
to repeat the information from the stem and refer to reduced risk of atherosclerosis instead.
This response does not answer the question Make sure you answer the question being
asked and scores 0 marks. asked. This question was asking about the role
of drugs and not diet.

Examiner Comments
This response does not gain either of the first two marking points as they do not state
the effect on blood pressure or the endothelium of the artery. However, they correctly
identify a reduced risk of an inflammatory response and formation of an atheroma and
therefore score 2 marks.

Examiner Comments
This response makes it clear that antihypertensives would reduce blood

pressure (1 mark), has stated the converse to the second marking point,
referred to reduced risk of inflammatory response (1 mark) and atheroma
formation (1 mark).

Question 5 (a)
It was surprising that very few candidates could compare and contrast the molecular
structures of globular and fibrous proteins. Many candidates who did understand what was
meant by molecular structures lost marks by not being comparative in their answers. They
would, for example, state that globular had hydrophilic groups on the outside without going
on to describe the same aspect for fibrous proteins.
Many incorrectly described the different functions of these proteins, referring to the
structural role of fibrous proteins for example.
Another common mistake was to list examples of each type of protein, for example
haemoglobin and keratin without describing their structure.
This question provided many examples of how marks were lost due to vague answers that
failed to address the question.
This clearly written and succinct answer gains Comparing and contrasting means you need to
2 marks for comparing the overall shape and make comparative statements. Make sure you
bonds found in the molecules. They gain a say similarities and differences.
further mark for correctly stating that fibrous
have secondary structures whereas globular
have tertiary.

Examiner Comments
Here the candidate understands what is meant by the phrase 'molecular

structures', but incorrectly names bonds holding the primary, secondary
and tertiary structures and therefore gains no marks.

This is an example of a response where the Check what specific part of your
candidate states some comparative features of knowledge you should use to answer a
globular and fibrous proteins but does not link these question.
characteristics to the molecular structures. They also
name some proteins which is also not credit worthy.
This response gains 0 marks.

Examiner Comments
This answer gains 2 marks for comparing the overall structures and bonding of the
two types of proteins.
Although the candidate comments on the properties of solubility and insolubility,
they do not relate this to the molecular structure and where the hydrophilic/
hydrophobic groups could be found.

Question 5 (b)
It was clear to see that many candidates understand the processes of transcription and
translation as there were some very detailed descriptions of these processes.
The majority of candidates either ignored, or did not grasp, the subtleties of the question
however, and did not relate these processes to the transcription of the specific gene and
resulting production of a specific sequence of amino acids for the protein mentioned in the
question. Therefore they did not gain the first or last marking point.
A large majority of candidates were not specific enough in their use of relevant terminology
and this prevented the awarding of marks. For example they just referred to nucleotides
being used in transcription instead of RNA nucleotides. A minority stated that DNA
nucleotides were used.
Another common point that was missed by candidates was that tRNA molecules attach to a
specific amino acid.

Examiner Comments
This answer is an example of a response where the candidate describes

some aspects of transcription and translation, but without the required
level of detail to gain more than 1 mark.

This is a good answer which scores 4 marks Underlining key parts of the question can help
for a detailed description of transcription and you to focus on what is needed to answer the
translation. However they do not relate these question.
processes enough to the synthesis of the
protein from the stem of the question to gain
the fifth marking point.

Question 6 (a) (ii)
This was a straight-forward question asking how enzymes leave the cells of the pancreas
and small intestine. It was pleasing to see so many candidates being able to apply their
knowledge from specification point 2.4 to this context. However, there were a minority of
candidates who gave incorrectly spelt answers or gave incorrect answers such as diffusion
and endocytosis.
Examiner Comments
This is an example of a correct answer which gains the mark.
Examiner Comments
This is an example of an incorrect answer given by a minority of

candidates.

Question 6 (a) (iii)
This question wanted candidates to explain why hydrolysis of lipids resulted in a decrease
in pH. Over 60% of candidates did not answer this question correctly which was very
disappointing.
Only a fifth of candidates correctly related the production of fatty acids to the decrease of
pH.
The most common incorrect type of response focused on the role of the water molecules in
hydrolysis.
Another reason why candidates lost a mark was by referring to the small intestine becoming
more acidic instead of using the stem of the question and referring to a decrease in pH of
the small intestine.
Examiner Comments
This is an example of the most common incorrect response,

where the candidate has focused on the use of water molecules
in hydrolysis instead of the effect of the products.
Examiner Comments
This is an example of a clear and succinct answer which gains

full marks.

Question 6 (b)
Many candidates failed to assemble all of the information they had been provided with to
answer Q6(b). The question clearly referred to the triglyceride diagram they had been given
in Q6(a). Candidates were expected to recognise that this was a saturated triglyceride and
apply this to the context of combining with protein to form a lipoprotein. As it was saturated,
candidates were expected to conclude that an LDL would be formed and extend this to the
effect that this would have on blood cholesterol levels.
However, it was clear that the link to the diagram had not been made by many candidates.
Therefore they did not gain the first marking point.
Many candidates gave good explanation of the roles of both HDL's and LDL's and the
subsequent effects on each on the blood cholesterol levels. In such cases the candidates
were limited to gaining just 1 mark, either marking point 4 or 5.

This candidate has failed to state that the Always remember to set the scene and state
triglyceride was saturated and so does not gain the obvious.
marking point 1. However they correctly go on to
say that an LDL would be produced and that the
blood cholesterol level would rise. They also give a
correct explanation as to why the level would rise
and gain 3 marks.
This response does not make reference to either a

Use the number of marks as a guide as to
saturated triglyceride or a low density lipoprotein
how many points you should make in your
and therefore does not gain marking points 1 or 2.
answer.
They do however, correctly state that the blood
cholesterol levels would increase but do not go on
to explain why.

.
Examiner Comments
This candidate correctly states that the triglyceride in the

diagram was saturated and then goes on to explain why the LDL
would cause blood cholesterol levels to rise to gain full marks.

Question 6 (d) (i)
In this question it was clear that a significant number of candidates did not understand the
mathematical terminology of either 'ratio' or 'simplest form'. It is important for centres to
look at what Level 2 mathematics (and above) is included in the new specification.
In addition, some candidates did not read the question correctly and did not give a ratio
for amylose : amylopectin. They used the 51.9 from the table instead of calculating the
percentage of amylopectin in cassava.
This is an example where a candidate either Read the question and make sure you are
does not read the information above the table, extracting the correct data from the table.
or does not understand the question. They
have calculated the ratio of amylose to the
percentage of starch hydrolysed after 4 hours.
Therefore they score 0 marks.

Examiner Comments
This is an example of a response where the candidate works out that if 20% of the
starch is amylose, then 80% must be amylopectin. They then simplify the ratio
correctly to 1:4 to gain the mark.

Question 6 (d) (ii)
This question differentiated well between candidates with roughly the same proportion
gaining marks from 0 to 4.
The command word used here was 'explain'. It was therefore expected that their answers
contained elements of reasoning or justification of the trend they identified.
The majority of candidates were able to correctly identify that as the proportion of amylose
in starch decreased, the percentage of starch hydrolysed increased. Fewer candidates were
able to apply their biochemical understanding to this context to explain why.
The most common explanation mark was marking point 3 for stating that amylose is
unbranched/amylopectin is branched but less than 40% of candidates could explain how this
structure affected the rate of hydrolysis.
Examiner Comments
This is an example of a response which gains full marks. The candidate correctly identifies the trend
in the data and explains it using correct biological knowledge.

This is an example of a type of response given Read the question with care and decide what
by nearly a fifth of candidates. They correctly aspects of your knowledge would be relevant
identify the trend shown by the data to gain the to apply.
first marking point but do not go on to explain
this relationship.
Question 7 (a) (i)

This question was answered correctly by 90% of candidates. A minority did not gain the
mark as they gave an incorrect response such as ribosomes, or spelt nucleus incorrectly e.g.
nuclease. As this was another biological word, credit could not be given.
Examiner Comments
This is an example of the correct answer.

Question 7 (b) (i)
This question was testing specification points 2.8 and 2.13. Candidates are expected to
know the meaning of certain terminology encountered in the course. As the specification
stated the definition of a gene, it was disappointing that the majority of candidates did not
gain this mark.
This is an example of a response which has all Learn the meanings of terms as stated in the
the required components and therefore scores specification.
full marks.
Examiner Comments
This response does not gain the mark as they do not refer to a
polypeptide or protein.

Examiner Comments
This candidate is confused between amino acids and bases.

They have also do not refer to a polypeptide or protein.

Question 7 (c)
This question was answered poorly with 80% of candidates gaining half marks or less.
Marks were more commonly awarded for the substitution of a base explanation than for the
deletion of a base explanation.
Many did refer to the idea that substituting a base may result in the same amino acid being
coded for, but then failed to explain why this may have been the case.
With respect to the deletion of a base concept, the main mark awarded was for a reference
to a frame shift.
Marking point 2 was very rarely awarded.
This question provided many examples of how marks were lost due to vague answers that
failed to address the question.
Examiner Comments
This response gains full marks as they correctly stated and

explained points for each type of mutation.

This is an example of a response where the Make sure you are explaining information you
candidate gains just 1 mark for correctly stating have been given and not just repeating it.
that deletion of a base could cause a frameshift.
They have just repeated information from the
question stem for the substitution concept and
therefore gain no additional marks.

Question 8 (b) (i)
This question was designed to test the candidates’ knowledge of the structure of the heart
and provide the context for the rest of the question. It was surprising that the majority
of candidates did not recognise that the aorta and pulmonary artery were attached to the
wrong ventricles.
The most common incorrect answer focused on the fact that the pulmonary vein was not
shown, even though the openings were clearly visible in the atria.
Examiner Comments
This is the most common incorrect response.
Examiner Comments
This candidate identifies the blood vessels that are causing a

problem but gives an incorrect explanation.

Examiner Comments
The mark is awarded here for recognising that the aorta and
pulmonary arteries are connected to the wrong ventricles,
although the terminology isn't as precise as it should be.

Question 8 (b) (ii)
It was surprising that very few candidates could explain why the hole in the heart would
allow the survival of the baby. The question proved to be a very good differentiator between
candidates.
This question needed the candidates to recognise that there would be mixing between the
deoxygenated blood in one ventricle and the oxygenated blood in the other. As the aorta is
leaving the right ventricle, it would be carrying deoxygenated blood.
Therefore the candidates were expected to recognise that the mixing of blood between the
two ventricles would have allowed the aorta to carry some oxygenated blood to the body
cells. A minority of candidates were able to extend their answer to explain why this oxygen
was needed by the body cells.
A common incorrect response was to say that the hole would allow leakage of blood from
the heart.
Examiner Comments
This is one of the rare responses which gain all 3 marks.

The candidate correctly recognises the importance of the hole in the heart to allow some
oxygenated blood to be transported to body cells. They also extend their answer to say
that the oxygen was needed for respiration.

Examiner Comments
Another excellent answer which gains all 3 marks.

Examiner Comments
This candidate does not recognise the importance of the hole

in the heart with regards to the delivery of oxygen to respiring
body cells and therefore gains 0 marks.

This response gains the first 2 marking points as they
Think about why molecules are
correctly identify the importance of the hole in the heart at
needed by body cells.
allowing oxygenated blood to be transported to body cells.
However they do not explain the importance of this oxygen.

Question 8 (b) (iii)
This was a level based question as required by the new specification. It required candidates
to fully analyse the data provided, both quantitative and qualitative, as well as the
knowledge from Q8(b)(i) and Q8(b)(ii) in order to assess the effect of the heart defect on
the rate of oxygen diffusion.
The question differentiated very well between the candidates. It showed that some
candidates failed to analyse the data provided and instead wrote about how the lungs are
adapted for gas exchange.
A minority of candidates misinterpreted the table of data provided and instead referred to
the volumes of blood entering the lungs which was not credit worthy.
Many candidates just used the data in the table to help them asses the effect of the heart
defect on rate of diffusion. Therefore they were limited to Level 1.
Where responses clearly used both pieces of quantitative data to calculate concentration
differences they were able to access Level 2 and above. Answers which also used the Fick's
law equation and information from Q8(b)(i) and Q8(b)(ii) accessed Level 3.

Examiner Comments
This response shows no evidence that the candidate analyses the data provided as there
is no mention of oxygen concentration in either the alveoli or the blood entering the lungs.
They incorrectly state that the surface area has decreased and relate this to the rate of
diffusion instead. Therefore it scores 0 marks.
Examiner Comments
If you are provided with data, look at it carefully to see what

information you can gain from it to use in your answer.

Examiner Comments
This candidate analyses the data provided to be able to make correct conclusions
as to the effect on the rate of diffusion between the alveoli and the blood in the
capillaries. They correctly use the data to calculate the concentration gradient
difference between the alveoli and the blood delivered from the two different
hearts.
The explanation does not show all the linkages and lines of scientific reasoning
that could be provided, e.g. Fick’s Law, and is therefore awarded the lower mark
in the band
Examiner Tip
Use all the information you have been provided with, both
quantitative and qualitative.

Examiner Comments
This response uses all of the information provided to explain why the
hole in the heart would result in a lower rate of diffusion. The candidate
accesses Level 3 and 5 marks as they are able to recognise that the
concentration difference is the only factor that is affecting the rate of
diffusion as the surface area and distance for diffusion are not affected.

Examiner Comments
This response uses all of the information provided to explain why the hole in the heart would result in
a lower rate of diffusion. The candidate accesses Level 3 and 6 marks as they are able to recognise
that the concentration difference is the only factor that is affecting the rate of diffusion as the surface
area and distance for diffusion are not affected. They link the mixing of the blood in the ventricles to
the oxygen concentration difference in the blood entering the lungs from the two hearts.
The candidate provides a well-developed and sustained line of reasoning in their answer which is
clear and logically structured.

Paper Summary
Based on their performance in this paper, candidates are offered the following advice:
• use appropriate biological terminology, use glossaries both online and in text books
• when describing practical procedures include sufficient detail so that someone else could
follow your instructions to repeat the same experiment and collect valid data
• when describing the measurement or control of variables be specific about what is to be
measured, e.g. volume or mass. Do not use vague terminology such as 'amount'
• read the questions carefully and take into account the command words as well as the
context given. Do not try and make a mark scheme you have learnt from a previous
paper fit a different question with different command words and a different context
• use all of the information provided in the question to help you with your answer, e.g.
diagrams, graphs and tables of data
• look at the mathematical content of the specification.

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Examiners' Report June 2016 GCE Biology 8BN0 01

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Examiners’ Report

GCE Biology 8BN0 01

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Examiner Comments Examiner Tip

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This is an example of a correct response.

Examiner Comments Examiner Tip

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This response gained marking point two as an error carried

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Examiner Comments Examiner Tip

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This is an example of a response which scores full marks. The candidate

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Examiner Comments Examiner Tip

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This is an example of a response where the candidate has confused

This is not a suitable control and therefore scores 0 marks.

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This response correctly identifies a suitable control for this

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Examiner Comments Examiner Tip

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Examiner Comments Examiner Tip

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Examiner Comments Examiner Tip

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This is an example of a response which gains full marks. The

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This is an example of a response which gains full marks as the candidate

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Examiner Comments Examiner Tip

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This response makes it clear that antihypertensives would reduce blood

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Examiner Comments Examiner Tip

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Here the candidate understands what is meant by the phrase 'molecular

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