B3 Exam Tips Feedback from the examiners The examiner says…

This candidate did not receive any marks. The sex chromosomes have to be included on a genetic diagram for sex linked genetic disorders.

This candidate was only awarded one mark for oxygen levels as they have not explained that oxygen is needed for aerobic respiration

This candidate was only awarded one mark as enzymes do not denature at low temperatures in a fermenter.

Full marks awarded for explaining that temperature must be controlled to prevent enzymes denaturing at high temperatures.

This candidate was only awarded one mark for detecting cancer cells. Treating cancer cells and treating blood clots are not medical diagnoses. Ensure your responses are answering the question.

This candidate was not awarded any marks as they did not clarify how the brain size and height had changed.

One mark was awarded for suggesting that immunisations can cause side effects. The idea that it may not work is not a correct reason for deciding not to immunise a child

A better answer is: A very small amount of children can be allergic and children may suffer from mild symptoms of the disease. This answer states the possibility of an allergic reaction and clearly clarified that the child may get a mild form of the disease they were being immunised against.

This short response accurately describes two conditions needed for the rapid growth of bacteria. Don’t use unnecessary words!

This answer highlights the misconception that crops are being used for biofuels rather than food production and was not awarded any marks

A 2 mark answer is: An advantage of using plants to make biofuels is that we will not run out of biofuels because plants are renewable as they can be grown easily. This explains the advantage of biofuels being renewable and links this to the idea that they can be easily re-grown.

Make sure that if you are going to write X and Y that you make them clear so that the marker is in no doubt as to which one you mean.

No marks awarded here as the question clearly states 'other than a nutritional benefit', and this answer is clearly nutritional. Watch out for these questions that state 'other than...'Check that your answer is not in conflict with this type of instruction

This candidate did not receive the mark because they have referred to predators eating the plant. What should they have written?

This candidate was awarded the mark and has used appropriate scientific terminology.

This is an excellent answer which makes reference to the idea that producing food using micro- organisms can be done quickly, independent of climate and using waste products from other processes.

Make sure that both parts of a question are answered in detail. If the question states more than one (as in this question where it says 'conditions), make sure that you talk about more than one in your answer.

Focus on what the question is asking rather than just putting down everything you know about a subject. Always show your working! Ensure you answer all parts of the question to maximise your marks. Be careful not to say two opposite statements in the same answer. Do not be afraid to use the information you have been given as part your answer. Always read the question correctly to ensure that you are answering the question that is being asked rather than one you would like to be asked.

GCSE Biology B3 Higher June 2014 Paper summary Based on their performance on this paper, candidates are offered the following advice: always show the workings when doing calculations as a mark can be awarded for errors carried forward in this case check the number of marks given for the question and ensure that they have included enough facts to match the mark awarded be sure that you are giving scientific information and not a vague statement, which may not be worthy of credit when a question asks candidates to use ‘explain’ as the command word plan the structure of the answer before starting to write when tackling the extended answers to ensure that the answer shows clarity of writing and flows, while remembering that accurate spelling and grammar in these questions is also important use all the information given in the question to help them construct their answer but avoid just repeating the information which has already been given ensure that statements are comparative when the command word ‘compare’ is used in the question avoid vague answers which will not gain credit and candidates should ensure their answer includes a good level of scientific detail

GOOD LUCK FROM ALL THE SCIENCE TEACHERS AND TECHNICIANS