AQA GCSE Biology Paper 1 Foundation June 2025 question paper 8461/1F

This question is about cells.

Figure 1 shows an animal cell seen through a microscope.

What is part X in Figure 1 ?

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Name one structure found in the nucleus.

Name one cell part that is found in a plant cell but is not found in an animal cell.

Root hair cells are found in plants.

Which substance do root hair cells absorb from the soil?

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A sperm cell is a specialised cell.

What is the function of a sperm cell?

Draw one line from each specialised cell to the type of organism where the specialised cell is found.

The cell membrane controls which substances move into and out of cells.

Which two processes move substances into and out of cells?

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Table 1 shows substances that are exchanged between the blood and muscle cells.

Complete Table 1 to show the direction of movement of each substance.

Tick () one box in each row.

A student investigated the effect of temperature on the rate of photosynthesis in pondweed. Figure 2 shows how the student set up the apparatus.

This is the method used.

1. Prepare six tubes of pondweed as shown in Figure 2.

2. Place one tube into each of six water baths set at different temperatures.

3. Wait two minutes.

4. Measure the time taken for each piece of pondweed to release 10 bubbles.

What is the independent variable in the investigation?

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Table 2 shows the results.

Complete the sentences.

Choose answers from the box.

Describe the effect of increasing temperature on the time taken for the pondweed to release 10 bubbles.

Calculate the rate of photosynthesis at 50 °C.

Use the equation:

Use Table 2.

Give your answer to 1 decimal place.

Which temperature had the fastest rate of photosynthesis?

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Table 2 is repeated below.

The student repeated the investigation at 80 °C.

What would be the time taken for the pondweed to release 10 bubbles at 80 °C?

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Which two factors could affect the rate of photosynthesis in this investigation?

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Blood contains different types of cell.

Complete the sentences.

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White blood cells defend the body against

Some white blood cells release chemicals that neutralise toxins. These chemicals

Figure 3 shows a white blood cell.

The image of the white blood cell in Figure 3 is magnified 4000 times.

Calculate the real width of the white blood cell.

Complete the following steps.

Measure width W in millimetres (mm).

Convert your measurement to micrometres (µm).

1 millimetre (mm) = 1000 micrometres (µm).

Calculate the real width of the white blood cell.

Use the equation:

Table 3 shows information about different types of blood vessel.

The width of a red blood cell is 8 µm.

Figure 4 shows red blood cells in one type of blood vessel.

Which type of blood vessel is shown in Figure 4 ?

Use Table 3.

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Explain why arteries need to have thick walls.

Use Table 3.

Coronary arteries in the heart can become narrowed.

What happens inside coronary arteries to cause them to become narrowed?

Explain why narrowed coronary arteries can be dangerous.

Treatments are available for some cardiovascular diseases.

Draw one line from each cardiovascular disease to a treatment for the disease.

Why is coronary heart disease described as a ‘non-communicable disease’?

A student investigated the effect of antibiotics on the growth of bacteria.

The student prepared an agar gel plate.

Figure 5 shows some of the equipment the student used.

Describe a method the student could use to:

• prepare a sterile agar gel plate

• grow an uncontaminated sample of bacteria on the agar gel plate.

Use the equipment in Figure 5 in your answer.

The student used an agar gel plate to test three antibiotics, A, B and C.

Figure 6 shows how the agar gel plate was set up.

The student incubated the agar gel plate at 25 °C.

Why should the temperature not be higher than 25 °C?

What was the purpose of the paper disc soaked in water?

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The student removed the agar gel plate from the incubator after 48 hours.

Antibiotic A was the most effective at killing the bacteria. Antibiotic C was the least effective at killing the bacteria.

Figure 7 shows the results for the disc soaked in antibiotic B.

Complete Figure 7 to show the results you would expect.

You should:

• draw a ring around the disc soaked in antibiotic A

• draw a ring around the disc soaked in antibiotic C.

The student repeated the investigation with antibiotic D.

The bacteria were resistant to antibiotic D.

What effect would antibiotic D have had on the bacteria?

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Plants and animals have adaptations that help them survive.

A stingray is an animal that lives in the sea. Seagrass is a plant that grows on the sea floor.

Figure 8 shows a stingray swimming above seagrass.

Draw one line from each adaptation of seagrass to how the adaptation helps the seagrass survive.

In the stingray, gas exchange takes place in the gills.

Name the organs where gas exchange takes place in humans.

Gills are adapted to maximise gas exchange.

Which two features of gills help to maximise gas exchange?

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Stingrays rest on the sea floor.

Table 4 shows information about the metabolic rate of a stingray.

Calculate how many times greater the metabolic rate of the stingray is when swimming compared with when resting.

Give your answer to the nearest whole number.

When the metabolic rate of the stingray increases, the rate of aerobic respiration in the stingray increases.

Complete the word equation for aerobic respiration.

Choose answers from the box.

Explain why the rate of respiration in the stingray increases when the stingray starts to swim.

Some plants can use anaerobic respiration.

Which two substances are produced during anaerobic respiration in plants?

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Measles is an infectious disease caused by a pathogen.

What type of pathogen causes measles?

Give one way measles is spread from one person to another person.

One symptom of measles is pain.

In adults, aspirin can be used to treat the pain.

Which plant did aspirin originate from?

Give one other symptom of measles.

Do not refer to pain in your answer.

The spread of measles can be reduced by vaccination.

Explain why vaccinating large numbers of children helps to reduce the spread of the measles pathogen in the population.

Figure 9 shows information about the severity of measles infection in vaccinated and unvaccinated children.

There were 240 children in the survey.

Calculate how many unvaccinated children had a severe measles infection.

Use Figure 9.

It is recommended that all children are given a measles vaccination.

Give evidence from Figure 9 to support the recommendation.

Include data from Figure 9 in your answer.

Eating too much carbohydrate can cause obesity.

Name one disease that obesity is a risk factor for.

Table 5 shows information about sugar intake and obesity in different countries.

Complete Figure 10.

You should:

• label the y-axis

• add the scale for the y-axis

• plot the data for countries C, D, E, F and G from Table 5

• draw a line of best fit.

Countries A and B have been completed for you.

Figure 11 shows information about the relationship between sugar intake and tooth decay.

Name the type of graph shown in Figure 11.

What relationship is shown between the two variables in Figure 11 ?

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Sugars and starch are carbohydrates.

A student investigated the effect of temperature on the activity of amylase.

For each temperature, the student:

• mixed starch and amylase together

• added iodine solution after 5 minutes.

The iodine solution was yellow-brown before it was added to the mixture.

Table 6 shows the results.

Explain the results at 30 °C and at 90 °C.

How could the student change the investigation to find a more precise temperature that amylase works best at?

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Protease enzymes are involved in protein digestion.

Different types of protease enzyme are active in different organs of the digestive system.

Complete Table 7 to identify the organ where each protease enzyme is active.

A student investigated osmosis in pieces of potato.

This is the method used.

1. Cut a piece of potato into a cube.

2. Record the mass of the cube.

3. Place the cube into a beaker containing 0.4 mol/dm³ salt solution.

4. After some time, remove the cube and record the mass.

5. Calculate the change in the mass of the cube.

6. Repeat steps 1 to 5 using two more different concentrations of salt solution.

Evaluate the student’s method.

You should include how the student could improve the validity of their results.

Why would a potato cube placed into distilled water increase in mass?

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Active transport is another process used by potato cells.

Give one way active transport is different from osmosis.