B3 Exam Tips Feedback from the examiners The examiner says…

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 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 Foundation June 2013 Paper Summary Based on their performance on this paper, candidates are offered the following advice: Always provide calculations with any mathematical item. If the answer is incorrect then the calculation may be worthy of credit. Always note how many marks are available for the question. If there are two marks available, then the likelihood is that two separate points are expected. Understand that the word 'explain' means additional scientific information is needed that is linked to the answer given Use all the information given in the question and when asked to refer to this in their answers Draw curves or lines of best fit which pass through all the points where appropriate

GCSE Biology B3 Higher June 2013 Paper summary Based on their performance on this paper, candidates are offered the following advice: check the number of marks associated with graphical or table of data questions when tackling them and ensure that if 2 marks are awarded then two separate points about the graph or table of data are included 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 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 be careful to use the information you are given in answering the questions and use that information to exemplify your answer

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