9

Mark Scheme
A

Quick Quiz
Answers Marks
Topic Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4

9Aa C A B D

9Ab A C D C

9Ac C A B C

9Ad C B A A

9Ae D C B D

End of Unit Test Mark Scheme Standard (S)

Question Part Step Answer Mark scheme
1 1st the place where an organism lives 1 mark
2 a 1st one of: black/dark hair; lobed ears 1 mark
b 1st one of: freckles; chin shape; nose shape 1 mark
3 a 1st temperature 1 mark
b 1st the colour of its fur 1 mark
c 2nd the store of fat in its humps 1 mark
d 3rd to stop them sinking into the sand 1 mark
4 a 2nd A hunting 1 mark
b 2nd D swimming 1 mark
5 a 1st  Type B carrots are longer than Type A 2 marks – 1 for each point
carrots.
2nd  There is more variation in the lengths of
carrots of Type A than of Type B.
b 3rd One of: physical environmental/abiotic factors; 1 mark
inherited factors
c 6th B normal distribution 1 mark
6 a 2nd Correctly drawn bars: 3 maggots in dry and 1 mark – both bars must
dark; 6 maggots in damp and dark be correct for the mark
b 4th B Maggots like damp and dark places best. 1 mark
c 5th It helps them to find their food (inside bodies of 1 mark
dead animals).
(Accept: their food is found in these conditions;
to prevent them from becoming dehydrated; to
hide from predators.)
7 4th Following parts of table are ticked: 3 marks – 1 mark for each
number of scars: Environmental, Discontinuous fully correct row in the
blood group: Inherited, Discontinuous table
height: Inherited, Environmental, Continuous

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Mark Scheme
A

Question Part Step Answer Mark scheme

8 4th Expected answer is: 2 marks – 1 mark for each
 lack of photosynthesis (caused by dust point
stopping sunlight reaching the Earth)
 not enough food/energy to support the other
organisms in the food chains.
(Accept: answers based on other hypotheses
based on their merits (e.g. dust blocking
sunlight and causing a fall in temperatures
resulting in slow photosynthesis, or plants
being covered in dust and so slowing
photosynthesis).)
9 a 5th The other fish competed with the blue pike for 1 mark
resources/food/shelter.
(Accept: other fish could have been predators
of the pike, or other fish gave the pike
diseases.)
b 4th overfishing, pollution 1 mark
(Accept: acid rain (although this was not a
factor).)
10 a 4th One of: 1 mark – an idea must be
 setting up a nature reserve to ensure that accompanied by an
the habitat is preserved explanation for the mark
 banning the hunting of red pandas to make
sure that more of them survive and
reproduce
 setting up a breeding programme to
increase their numbers.
(Accept other answers on their merits but each
idea must be accompanied by an explanation.)
b 6th One of: to stop other animals/plants/organisms 1 mark
in the same food web becoming endangered/
extinct; to ensure the survival of species that
may be of use to humans in the future.
11 a 5th B nucleus 1 mark
b 5th A DNA 1 mark
c 6th  they come from an organism’s parents 2 mark – 1 mark for each
 they contain genetic information/genes for point
characteristics
12 6th Deer mice that happen to be darker but live in 1 mark
sandy-coloured soils are more likely to be
spotted and eaten by predators.
(Accept explanations in terms of the dark mice
surviving better on the darker-coloured soils.)

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 9
Mark Scheme
A

Final Step Calculation

Marks Step
0–7 1st or below
8–9 2nd
10–11 3rd
12–15 4th
16–21 5th
22–25 6th
26+ 7th

End of Unit Test Mark Scheme Higher (H)

Question Part Step Answer Mark scheme
1 4th Following parts of table are ticked: 3 marks – 1 mark for each
number of scars: Environmental, fully correct row in the
Discontinuous table
blood group: Inherited, Discontinuous
height: Inherited, Environmental, Continuous
2 a 4th B Maggots like damp and dark places best. 1 mark
b 5th It helps them to find their food (inside bodies of 1 mark
dead animals).
(Accept: their food is found in these conditions;
to prevent them from becoming dehydrated; to
hide from predators.)
3 a 5th The other fish competed with the blue pike for 1 mark
resources/food/shelter.
(Accept: other fish could have been predators
of the pike, or other fish gave the pike
diseases.)
b 4th overfishing, pollution 1 mark
(Accept: acid rain (although this was not a
factor).)
4 a 4th One of: 1 mark – an idea must be
 setting up a nature reserve to ensure that accompanied by an
the habitat is preserved explanation for the mark
 banning the hunting of red pandas to make
sure that more of them survive and
reproduce
 setting up a breeding programme to
increase their numbers.
(Accept other answers on their merits but each
idea must be accompanied by an explanation.)
b 6th One of: to stop other animals/plants/organisms 1 mark
in the same food web becoming endangered/
extinct; to ensure the survival of species that
may be of use to humans in the future.

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Mark Scheme
A

Question Part Step Answer Mark scheme

5 4th Expected answer is: 2 marks – 1 mark for each
 lack of photosynthesis (caused by dust point
stopping sunlight reaching the Earth)
 not enough food/energy to support the other
organisms in the food chains.
(Accept answers based on other hypotheses
based on their merits (e.g. dust blocking
sunlight and causing a fall in temperatures
resulting in slow photosynthesis, or plants
being covered in dust and so slowing
photosynthesis).)
6 6th Deer mice that happen to be darker but live in 1 mark
sandy-coloured soils are more likely to be
spotted and eaten by predators.
(Accept: explanations in terms of the dark mice
surviving better on the darker-coloured soils.)
7 a 5th B nucleus 1 mark
b 5th A DNA 1 mark
c 6th  they come from an organism’s parents 2 marks – 1 mark for each
 they contain genetic information/genes for point
characteristics
d 7th  46 chromosomes found in sperm- and 2 marks – 1 mark for each
egg-making cells and zygote point
 23 (or half the number of) chromosomes in
the sperm and egg cells (even if starting
number of chromosomes is incorrect).
e 6th C cell division 1 mark
f 7th Each gamete that is made contains a slightly 1 mark
different mix of chromosomes/genes/genetic
information from the parent.
8 a 6th normal distribution 1 mark
b 7th  bigger beaks are better for crushing bigger 4 marks – 1 mark for each
seeds point
 during the drought there was less to eat and
so greater competition between the birds
 birds that by chance had a slightly bigger
beak would be able to get more food than
those that had slightly smaller beaks
 the larger beaked birds would be more likely
to survive and reproduce and their offspring
would inherit the bigger beaks (the result of
which we see in the lower chart)
c 7th natural selection 1 mark
(Accept: ‘survival of the fittest’.)
(Do not accept: evolution.)

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 9
Mark Scheme
A

Final Step Calculation

Marks Step
0–5 3rd or below
6–8 4th
9–12 5th
13–16 6th
17–20 7th
21+ 8th

Quick Check answers

Quick Check Answers
9Aa Possible clues
Across:
3 Something required by an organism from its habitat to survive.
6 Another word for ‘features’.
9 A term for ‘non-living’.
Down:
1 Variables that affect organisms.
2 Sorting organisms into groups.
4 Differences between organisms.
5 Having values that can only be chosen from a certain set of values.
6 Having values that can be any number between two limits.
7 The surroundings of an organism.
8 A group of organisms that can breed with one another to produce offspring that
can also reproduce.
9Ab 1 Students’ own responses.
2 a Samantha: features from mother – unlobed ears, upturned nose; Features
from father – protruding chin, curly hair. Jeffrey: Features from mother –
straight hair, receding chin; Features from father – lobed ears, straight nose.
b environmental variation
c discontinuous (you can’t have half a filling)
d normal distribution
e another bell-shape but shifted to the right
9Ab WS 1 The likelihood of something happening.
2 a 1/2 0.5 50%
b 1/6 0.17 17%
c 1/52 0.019 (or 0.2) 1.9% (or 2%)
d 11/100 0.11 11%
9Ac Students’ own concept maps.
9Ad 1 Students’ own flowcharts showing one theory for why the dinosaurs became
extinct in a series of clear steps, for example:

plants die due to dinosaurs

meteorite
 dust goes into  lack of sunlight for  die due to
hits Earth atmosphere
photosynthesis lack of food

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Mark Scheme
A

Quick Check Answers

2 a One of: to preserve organisms we might need in the future; to preserve
ecosystems; to preserve food webs; to keep the world beautiful.
b One of: nature reserves to protect organisms; zoos to make sure organisms
survive; gene banks to preserve cells, such as gametes, that could be used
to regenerate organisms if they become extinct. Note the need for an
explanation.
3 a Examples include: eyes on the side of its head – gave it all-round vision to
spot danger; long neck – allowed it to find leaves in a wide area around its
body and/or to see predators (when lifted) and/or to eat leaves higher off the
ground; large feet – to stop it sinking into the ground; long tail – for balance.
b The numbers may go down because the animals would lose too much heat.
The flaps of skin on the necks would transfer too much ‘heat’ to the
surroundings. Note the need for a fuller explanation of how the animals
would lose too much heat for the higher level.
c The numbers may go down because the animals would not get sufficient
energy from their food. The animals can only digest the soft leaves and the
tougher leaves would not be digested. Note the need for a fuller explanation
of why the new plants are unsuitable for the higher level.
9Ae Students’ own responses. Ensure that students phrase things in such a way that it
is obvious that the genetic variation already exists and is being selected by changes
in the environment. The environment does not cause the variations. Note also that
the ‘selection’ process usually occurs to a greater extent when there is an increase
in the death rate of an organism (e.g. due to a shortage of a resource, increase in
disease or predators) and some animals are by chance naturally better adapted to
get that resource (e.g. food) than others. They are then more likely to survive and
reproduce.

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