9A Mark Scheme – Steps

Quick Quiz
Answers
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 4th One of: black/dark hair; lobed ears 1 mark
b 4th One of: freckles; chin shape; nose shape 1 mark
3 a 3rd temperature 1 mark
b 1st the colour of its fur 1 mark
c 1st the store of fat in its humps 1 mark
d 2nd to stop them sinking into the sand 1 mark
4 a 4th A hunting 1 mark
b 4th D swimming 1 mark
5 a 4th  Type B carrots are longer than Type A 2 marks – 1 for each point
carrots.
6th  There is more variation in the lengths of
carrots of Type A than of Type B.
b 3rd One of: environmental factors; inheritance 1 mark
c 3rd B normal distribution 1 mark
6 a 5th 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 5th B Maggots like damp and dark places best. 1 mark
c 4th 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 6th Following parts of table are ticked: 3 marks – 1 mark for each
6th number of piercings: Environmental, fully correct row in the
6th Discontinuous table
blood group: Inherited, Discontinuous
height: Inherited, Environmental, Continuous

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 9A Mark Scheme – Steps

Question Part Step Answer Mark scheme

8 9th Expected answer is: 2 marks – 1 mark for each
9th  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 6th overfishing, pollution 1 mark
(Accept: acid rain (although this was not a
factor))
10 a 6th 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 5th 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 6th B nucleus 1 mark
b 6th A DNA 1 mark
c 6th  they come from an organism’s parents 2 marks – 1 mark for each
6th  they contain genetic information/genes for point
characteristics
12 8th 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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 9A Mark Scheme – Steps

Final Step Calculation

Marks Step
1–3 Below 1st
4 1st
5–7 2nd
8–11 3rd
12–15 4rd
16–19 5th
20–23 6th
24–25 7th
26–27 8th
28–30 9th

End of Unit Test Mark Scheme Higher (H)

Question Part Step Answer Mark scheme
1 6th Following parts of table are ticked: 3 marks – 1 mark for each
6th number of piercings: Environmental, fully correct row in the
6th Discontinuous table
blood group: Inherited, Discontinuous
height: Inherited, Environmental, Continuous
2 a 5th B Maggots like damp and dark places best. 1 mark
b 4th 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 6th overfishing, pollution 1 mark
(Accept: acid rain (although this was not a
factor))
4 a 6th 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 5th 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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 9A Mark Scheme – Steps

Question Part Step Answer Mark scheme

5 9th Expected answer is: 2 marks – 1 mark for each
9th  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 8th 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 6th B nucleus 1 mark
b 6th A DNA 1 mark
c 6th  they come from an organism’s parents 2 marks – 1 mark for each
6th  they contain genetic information/genes for point
characteristics
d 8th  46 chromosomes found in sperm- and 2 marks – 1 mark for each
8th 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 5th 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 3rd normal distribution 1 mark
b 10th  bigger beaks are better for crushing bigger 4 marks – 1 mark for each
10th seeds point
10th  during the drought there was less to eat and
10th 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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 9A Mark Scheme – Steps

Final Step Calculation

Marks Step Marks Step Marks Step
1 Below 3rd 10–13 6th 23–26 10th
2–3 3rd 14–16 7th
4–6 4th 17–19 8th
7–9 5th 20–22 9th

Quick Check answers

Topic Step Answers
9Aa 5th–6th 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 5th–7th 1 Student’s own responses.
5th–7th 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 5th–6th 1 The likelihood of something happening.
WS 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 5th–8th Student’s own concept maps.
9Ad 5th–7th 1 Student’s 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
hits Earth
 atmosphere  lack of sunlight for  die due to
photosynthesis lack of food

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 9A Mark Scheme – Steps

Topic Step 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 7th–9th Student’s 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.
9Ae 7th–9th We can see natural selection occurring.
Lit Peppered moths are usually pale but occasional ones are dark. In the nineteenth
century, the dark form became much more common in polluted areas because the
pale ones could easily be seen by birds and eaten.
The dark form was always there and people just hadn’t noticed that there were so
many of them.
But studies in the twentieth century have shown that the pale form has become much
more common again, since factories have stopped producing so much pollution.
Changes in the numbers of the different forms of moth are clearly matched to
changes in conditions in the ecosystem, and so this remains an excellent example of
natural selection.
We can see natural selection occurring.
Finches with medium-sized beaks generally eat medium-sized seeds. In 1977 there
was a drought on the islands. The plants produced fewer but larger seeds. Finches
with slightly bigger beaks than other members of the species survived better because
they could eat these larger seeds.
The finches with the slightly bigger beaks were just those that had become fatter than
the others in a previous year and so could survive the lack of food. They may just
have become fatter because they had found a really good source of seeds that other
birds hadn’t found.
But in 1984 and 1985, there were heavy rains and the seeds produced by the plants
were small and soft. The numbers of birds with the slightly bigger beaks decreased
but those with slightly smaller beaks were better able to feed on these smaller seeds
and so survived.
The fact that changes in the finch population are clearly matched to changes in
conditions in the ecosystem shows that natural selection is occurring.

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