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Edexcel GCSE Biology

Topic questions Human physiology Blood

Blood

13 questions · 130 marks · about 2.5 hours

Blood questions

Edexcel 1BI0 Blood 13 questions

Paper 2 June 2025 Higher tier, Question 8 12 marks

Also involves Response to exercise

(a)

Figure 14 is a diagram of the human heart.

Figure for question 8
(a)(i)

Which chambers of the heart contain only oxygenated blood?

Question 8, shown as an image
[1]
Reveal mark scheme Mark scheme for question 8(a)(i)
(a)(ii)

The heart has a valve called the bicuspid valve between chamber Q and chamber R.

Explain the role of this valve.

[2]
Reveal mark scheme Mark scheme for question 8(a)(ii)
(b)

Explain why heart rate increases during exercise.

[3]
Reveal mark scheme Mark scheme for question 8(b)
(c)
(c)(i)

Every person has a maximum heart rate.

Figure 15 shows how different types of activity affect a person’s heart rate and the type of respiration they are using during that activity.

Figure for question 8

A person had a maximum heart rate of 190 beats per minute. Calculate the heart rate of this person when they are jogging.

Give your answer to 3 significant figures.

[3]
Reveal mark scheme Mark scheme for question 8(c)(i)
(c)(ii)

Erythrocytes (red blood cells) transport oxygen to respiring cells.

Explain how erythrocytes (red blood cells) are adapted to carry and release oxygen.

[3]
Reveal mark scheme Mark scheme for question 8(c)(ii)

Paper 2 June 2024 Foundation tier, Question 8 11 marks

(a)

The heart pumps blood.

Explain why the wall of the left ventricle of the heart is thicker than the wall of the right ventricle of the heart.

[2]
Reveal mark scheme Mark scheme for question 8(a)
(b)

A centrifuge can be used to separate the different parts of human blood.

Figure 12 shows blood separated into different parts.

Figure for question 8
(b)(i)

Name part X.

[1]
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(b)(ii)

Which substance, needed for cellular respiration, is carried by red blood cells?

Question 8, shown as an image
[1]
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(b)(iii)

Name two types of white blood cell.

[2]
Reveal mark scheme Mark scheme for question 8(b)(iii)
(c)
(c)(i)

When a person donates blood, 470 cm3 of blood is removed from their body.

Red blood cells make up 44% by volume of the blood.

Calculate the volume of red blood cells in 470 cm3 of donated blood.

Give your answer to the nearest whole number.

[3]
Reveal mark scheme Mark scheme for question 8(c)(i)
(c)(ii)

Before donating blood, a person has a small blood sample taken to check that the blood is healthy.

State two precautions a doctor should take when collecting this sample.

[2]
Reveal mark scheme Mark scheme for question 8(c)(ii)

Paper 2 June 2024 Higher tier, Question 2 9 marks

2 A centrifuge can be used to separate the different parts of human blood. Figure 1 shows blood separated into different parts.

Figure for question 2
(a)
(a)(i)

(a) (i) Name part X.

[1]
Reveal mark scheme Mark scheme for question 2(a)(i)
(a)(ii)

(ii) Which substance, needed for cellular respiration, is carried by red blood cells?

Question 2, shown as an image
[1]
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(a)(iii)

(iii) Name two types of white blood cell.

[2]
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(b)
(b)(i)

(b) (i) When a person donates blood, 470 cm3 of blood is removed from their body. Red blood cells make up 44 % by volume of the blood. Calculate the volume of red blood cells in 470 cm3 of donated blood. Give your answer to the nearest whole number.

[3]
Reveal mark scheme Mark scheme for question 2(b)(i)
(b)(ii)

(ii) Before donating blood, a person has a small blood sample taken to check that the blood is healthy. State two precautions a doctor should take when collecting this sample.

[2]
Reveal mark scheme Mark scheme for question 2(b)(ii)

Paper 2 June 2024 Higher tier, Question 10 11 marks

Also involves The kidney and the urinary system · Ultrafiltration and selective reabsorption · Water and nitrogen balance

(a)

10 (a) Figure 11 shows the location of the liver and kidneys in the human body.

Figure for question 10

(Source: © Magic mine/Shutterstock)

Figure 11

(a)(i)

(i) The liver breaks down substances in the body to form waste products. Which row of the table is correct?

Figure for question 10
[1]
Reveal mark scheme Mark scheme for question 10(a)(i)
(a)(ii)

(ii) State how the waste products travel from the liver to the kidneys.

[1]
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(b)

(b) A scientist investigated the effect of a high-protein, low-carbohydrate diet on a person’s body. The scientist measured the concentration of substances found in the urine of a person on this diet (person A) and in the urine of a person not on this diet (person B). The results are shown in Figure 12.

Figure for question 10

Figure 12

(b)(i)

(i) Evaluate the results shown in Figure 12.

[3]
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(b)(ii)

*(ii) Explain how a nephron ensures that there is no protein and no glucose in the urine of person A.

[6]
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Paper 2 June 2022 Foundation tier, Question 2 8 marks

(a)

2 (a) Blood contains red blood cells, white blood cells, plasma and platelets.

(a)(i)

(i) Draw one straight line from each part of the blood to its function.

part of the blood function

Figure for question 2 Figure for question 2 Figure for question 2 Figure for question 2 Figure for question 2

Figure 2 shows some red blood cells.

Figure for question 2

(Source: © SciePro/Shutterstock)

Figure 2

[2]
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(a)(ii)

(ii) State two features that can be seen in the red blood cells in Figure 2.

[2]
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(b)

(b) Lymphocytes are white blood cells that produce large amounts of protein.

(b)(i)

(i) Which organelle is needed to produce large amounts of protein?

Question 2, shown as an image

A small lymphocyte has a diameter of 10 µ m (micrometres). A microscope magnifies this lymphocyte 400 times.

[1]
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(b)(ii)

(ii) Calculate the diameter of the image of the lymphocyte seen using this microscope.

image size..............................................................

[2]
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(b)(iii)

(iii) How many micrometres are in 1 mm (millimetre)?

Question 2, shown as an image
[1]
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Paper 2 June 2022 Higher tier, Question 10 12 marks

Also involves The kidney and the urinary system

(a)

10 (a) When training, an athlete noticed some types of T‑shirts became wetter and heavier due to sweating. This athlete has three T‑shirts, each made of a different material. Devise a method this athlete could use to find the best T‑shirt for training.

[3]
Reveal mark scheme Mark scheme for question 10(a)
(b)

(b) Athletes often eat a high protein diet.

(b)(i)

(i) Which is the test and result for a food containing protein?

Question 10, shown as an image
[1]
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(b)(ii)

(ii) Digested protein is absorbed in the small intestine by diffusion. Figure 15 shows part of the small intestine.

Figure for question 10

(Source: © Science Photo Library C047/6177)

Figure 15

Using Figure 15 and Fick’s law, explain the effect of the villi on the rate of diffusion.

[3]
Reveal mark scheme Mark scheme for question 10(b)(ii)
(b)(iii)

(iii) Digested protein enters the blood as amino acids. State which component of the blood transports amino acids.

[1]
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(c)

(c) Explain how high levels of amino acids in the blood cause a high concentration of urea in urine.

[4]
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Paper 2 November 2021 Foundation tier, Question 1 8 marks

Figure 1 shows human blood seen using a light microscope.

Figure for question 1
(a)(i)

The organelle labelled X controls the activities of the white blood cell.

What is the name of organelle X?

Question 1, shown as an image
[1]
Reveal mark scheme Mark scheme for question 1(a)(i)
(a)(ii)

Use words from the box to complete the sentences.

Figure for question 1

Red blood cells contain the substance........ .

Blood plasma is a........ .

[2]
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(a)(iii)

Describe two ways that white blood cells protect the body from disease.

[2]
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(b)

Figure 2 shows a white blood cell on a 100 µ m scale.

Figure for question 1

State the width of the white blood cell.

[1]
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(c)

Figure 1 shows human blood seen using a light microscope.

Explain why using an electron microscope shows the structures in the white blood cells more clearly.

[2]
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Paper 2 November 2021 Higher tier, Question 5 9 marks

Figure 9 shows the structure and actual size of red blood cells (erythrocytes).

Figure for question 5

red blood cells side view of red blood cell (cut)

(Source: © N.Vinoth Narasingam/Shutterstock)

Figure 9

(a)(i)

Calculate the image size of the top view of this red blood cell if this cell is

Question 5, shown as an image

Give your answer in mm.

[2]
Reveal mark scheme Mark scheme for question 5(a)(i)
(a)(ii)

Explain how the shape of a red blood cell is related to its function.

[3]
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(a)(iii)

State the role of haemoglobin inside the red blood cell.

[1]
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(b)

Some blood transfusions contain red blood cells.

Red blood cells are stored in a solution containing 5.0% glucose and 0.9% salt.

Explain why red blood cells cannot be stored in pure water.

[3]
Reveal mark scheme Mark scheme for question 5(b)

Paper 2 November 2020 Foundation tier, Question 2 9 marks

Also involves Trophic levels

The animal shown in Figure 3 is a tick burrowing into the skin of a human.

Figure for question 2
(a)

Use words from the box to complete the sentences.

Figure for question 2
(a)(i)

The tick burrows into the skin to obtain........ .

[1]
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(a)(ii)

When a tick burrows into human skin the tick benefits but the human is harmed.

This means that ticks are classed as........ .

[1]
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(b)

When skin is cut a blood clot forms.

Which part of the blood starts the clotting process?

Question 2, shown as an image
[1]
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(c)

Figure 4 shows a bird called an oxpecker eating ticks that are living on a zebra.

Figure for question 2
(c)(i)

Name the type of relationship where both the oxpecker and the zebra benefit.

[1]
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(c)(ii)

Zebras eat grass.

Complete the food chain that includes zebras, ticks, oxpeckers and grass.

[2]
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(d)

Figure 5 shows the maximum numbers of oxpeckers observed on four types of mammal.

Figure for question 2
(d)(i)

Describe the difference in the maximum number of oxpeckers on the white rhino and on the hippo.

[2]
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(d)(ii)

Give one reason why more oxpeckers were observed on giraffes than on zebras.

[1]
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Paper 2 November 2020 Higher tier, Question 6 9 marks

(a)

Figure 11 shows the time taken for blood to clot at different temperatures.

Figure for question 6
(a)(i)

Draw a graph to show the data in Figure 11.

Figure for question 6
[3]
Reveal mark scheme Mark scheme for question 6(a)(i)
(a)(ii)

Give two safety precautions that should be used when handling blood samples.

[2]
Reveal mark scheme Mark scheme for question 6(a)(ii)
(b)(i)

Which part of the blood causes blood to start clotting?

Question 6, shown as an image
[1]
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(b)(ii)

Give one advantage of a blood clot forming.

[1]
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(c)

Explain how one structure of a vein helps the blood return to the heart.

[2]
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Paper 2 June 2019 Foundation tier, Question 9 13 marks

Also involves Seed germination

(a) A student investigated respiration in three different organisms.

Red hydrogencarbonate indicator was placed in each of three test tubes.

Gauze was placed in each test tube to hold the organisms.

In test tube 1 the student placed four germinating peas.

In test tube 2 the student placed four dried peas.

In test tube 3 the student placed four mealworms.

Bungs were added to each of the test tubes.

The three test tubes were left for one hour.

The equipment used is shown in Figure 16.

Figure for question 9

test tube 1 test tube 2 test tube 3

Figure 16

(a)
(a)(i)

State two ways this method could be improved to make the results for these three organisms more comparable.

[2]
Reveal mark scheme Mark scheme for question 9(a)(i)
(a)(ii)

Describe a suitable control for this investigation.

[2]
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(b)

Hydrogencarbonate indicator changes from red to yellow when more carbon dioxide is present.

The results for this investigation are shown in Figure 17.

organismscolour of hydrogencarbonate indicator
germinating peasyellow
dried peasred
mealwormsyellow
Question 9, shown as an image
(b)(i)

Explain why the result for the germinating peas is different from the result for the dried peas.

[2]
Reveal mark scheme Mark scheme for question 9(b)(i)
(b)(ii)

How was the carbon dioxide produced in this investigation?

Question 9, shown as an image
[1]
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(c)

*(c) Carbon dioxide is carried in blood plasma.

Human blood also contains red blood cells and white blood cells.

Explain how the structure of red blood cells and white blood cells is related to their function.

[6]
Reveal mark scheme Mark scheme for question 9(c)

Paper 2 June 2019 Higher tier, Question 6 10 marks

Also involves The kidney and the urinary system · Water and nitrogen balance

(a) A person had symptoms including difficulty passing urine, aching in the lower abdomen, constant thirst and fainting.

A sample of their urine was tested. The results are shown in Figure 8.

Figure for question 6
(a)
(a)(i)

A doctor analysed the results and asked the person to have further tests for type 2 diabetes.

Give a reason why the doctor came to this conclusion.

[1]
Reveal mark scheme Mark scheme for question 6(a)(i)
(a)(ii)

Explain why the doctor also concluded that the person had a kidney infection.

[2]
Reveal mark scheme Mark scheme for question 6(a)(ii)
(b)

Describe how a student could test a sample of urine for the presence of protein.

[2]
Reveal mark scheme Mark scheme for question 6(b)
(c)

Describe the route taken by urine from the kidney until it leaves the body.

[3]
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(d)

Urine contains urea.

State how urea is formed in the human body.

[2]
Reveal mark scheme Mark scheme for question 6(d)

Paper 2 June 2018 Foundation tier, Question 1 9 marks

Also involves Developing new medicines

Insulin is produced by an endocrine gland and is transported in the blood.

(a)
(a)(i)

Which row shows the endocrine gland and the target organs for insulin?

Figure for question 1
[1]
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(a)(ii)

Which part of the blood transports insulin to its target organs?

Question 1, shown as an image
[1]
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(b)

Figure 1 shows the blood glucose and blood insulin concentration for a healthy person during one day.

Figure for question 1

The blood glucose concentration increases after a meal.

Explain why the blood glucose concentration then decreases.

[2]
Reveal mark scheme Mark scheme for question 1(b)
(c)

State one cause of type 1 diabetes.

[1]
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(d)

Explain how controlling the diet can be used to treat type 2 diabetes.

[2]
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(e)

A scientist is planning to test a new treatment for type 2 diabetes.

She selects 300 volunteers who have type 2 diabetes.

State two other factors that the scientist should consider when selecting the 300 volunteers.

[2]
Reveal mark scheme Mark scheme for question 1(e)

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