Edexcel International GCSE Biology 4BI1: Reproduction – Practice Questions

These are original questions written for Marlbridge, for revision and practice on this content. They are not reproduced past-paper questions, and they do not replicate the exam’s exact structure, question count or mark tariffs – examination boards hold copyright in their own papers. Use these alongside the official past papers from your board or school.

These questions cover sub-topic 3(a), Reproduction (points 3.1–3.13), of the Pearson Edexcel International GCSE Biology (4BI1) specification, Issue 3, for the June and November series examined under Issue 3. The course is untiered and a calculator may be used on both papers. Question 10 tests the bold B statement 3.10B and is labelled “Paper 2 only”.

Learn the content first in the study guide and the revision notes. For a different set of questions across all of Topic 3, try the Topic 3 practice set. The course hub is Edexcel IGCSE Biology and the printable checklist lists every point.

Questions

1. State two differences between sexual and asexual reproduction. [2]

2. Describe what happens from fertilisation in a human to the formation of an embryo. [3]

3. The table describes two flowers, P and Q.

Feature	Flower P	Flower Q
Petals	Large and red	None
Nectar	Present	Absent
Anthers	Inside the flower	Hanging outside on long filaments
Stigma	Small and sticky, inside the flower	Feathery, outside the flower

(a) Identify the wind-pollinated flower. Give two pieces of evidence from the table. [3] (b) Explain why flower Q produces far more pollen than flower P. [2]

4. A pollen grain lands on the stigma of a flower of the same species.

(a) Describe how the male nucleus reaches and fertilises the female nucleus. [3] (b) State what each of these structures develops into after fertilisation: the ovule; the ovary. [2]

5. (calculator allowed) A student put 50 mung bean seeds on damp cotton wool in each of four dishes and kept each dish at a different temperature. After four days she counted the seeds that had germinated.

Temperature (°C)	5	15	25	35
Seeds germinated	0	21	46	43

(a) Calculate the percentage germination at 15 °C and at 25 °C. [2] (b) Give two variables the student should have kept the same. [2] (c) Explain why no seeds germinated at 5 °C. [2] (d) Suggest how the student could make her results more reliable. [1]

6. (calculator allowed) The dry mass of 10 germinating maize seedlings was measured every two days.

Day	0	2	4	6	8	10
Dry mass (g)	2.40	2.25	2.05	1.92	2.10	2.46

(a) Calculate the percentage decrease in dry mass between day 0 and day 6. [2] (b) Explain why the dry mass decreased between day 0 and day 6. [3] (c) Explain why the dry mass increased after day 6. [2]

7. (calculator allowed) A gardener took 80 cuttings from one geranium plant. She dipped 40 in rooting powder and left 40 untreated. After three weeks, 34 treated and 18 untreated cuttings had grown roots.

(a) Calculate the percentage of cuttings that grew roots in each group. [2] (b) Explain the difference between the two groups. [2] (c) State why the gardener removed the lower leaves from each cutting. [1] (d) Strawberry plants reproduce by runners. Give one similarity and one difference between reproduction by runners and by cuttings. [2]

8. Explain how each structure is adapted for its function.

(a) The testes are held in the scrotum. [2] (b) Glands add fluid to sperm. [1] (c) The oviduct. [2] (d) The cervix. [1]

9. This question is about the hormones oestrogen and progesterone.

(a) Describe the role of oestrogen in the menstrual cycle. [2] (b) Explain why menstruation begins when the progesterone concentration falls. [2] (c) State the structure in the ovary that makes progesterone after ovulation. [1] (d) Give one secondary sexual characteristic caused by oestrogen and one caused by testosterone. [2]

10. (Paper 2 only) FSH and LH control the ovary.

(a) Name the gland that secretes FSH and LH. [1] (b) Describe two roles of FSH. [2] (c) The LH concentration of a woman peaks on day 13 of her cycle. State what happens next and why. [2] (d) Explain why a second egg does not normally mature in the same cycle. [2]

11. An embryo develops in the uterus, attached to the placenta and surrounded by amniotic fluid.

(a) Describe how the embryo obtains glucose and amino acids from its mother. [3] (b) Explain two features of the placenta that make exchange efficient. [4] (c) Explain how amniotic fluid protects the embryo. [2]

Answers

1. Any two: sexual needs two parents, asexual one [1]; sexual involves gametes and fertilisation, asexual does not / sexual produces variation, asexual produces genetically identical offspring [1] Examiner insight: Each point must state both sides, or be clearly comparative; “asexual has one parent” alone may not get the mark if the other half is missing.

2. The nucleus of a sperm fuses with the nucleus of an egg [1]; forming a zygote [1]; the zygote divides repeatedly by mitosis to form a ball of cells that develops into the embryo [1] Examiner insight: “Sperm joins egg” is often too vague; the fusion of nuclei is the creditworthy idea.

3. (a) Q [1]; any two from: no petals / no nectar / anthers outside the flower on long filaments / feathery stigma outside the flower [1] [1] (b) Pollen is carried randomly by the wind, so most never reaches a stigma [1]; producing large amounts increases the chance that some pollen lands on a stigma [1] Examiner insight: In (a), the identification mark stands alone, but evidence must come from the table; general facts about wind pollination not in the table are not credited.

4. (a) A pollen tube grows from the pollen grain down through the style [1]; into the ovary and into an ovule [1]; the male nucleus travels down the tube and fuses with the female nucleus [1] (b) Ovule → seed [1]; ovary → fruit [1] Examiner insight: Reversing ovule and ovary loses both marks in (b), so learn the pair as a fixed link.

5. (a) 15 °C: (21 ÷ 50) × 100 = 42% [1]; 25 °C: (46 ÷ 50) × 100 = 92% [1] (b) Any two: volume of water / species or age of seeds / number of seeds / light conditions / time before counting [1] [1] (c) Enzymes in the seed work very slowly at low temperature [1]; so stored food is not broken down or respired fast enough to release energy for growth [1] (d) Repeat each temperature several times and calculate a mean [1] Examiner insight: For (b), “the same amount of seeds” is accepted, but vague answers such as “same conditions” score zero; name the variable.

6. (a) Decrease = 2.40 − 1.92 = 0.48 g [1]; (0.48 ÷ 2.40) × 100 = 20% [1] (b) Stored starch is broken down by amylase to glucose [1]; glucose is used in respiration [1]; the seedling has no leaves yet / cannot photosynthesise, so the food used is not replaced [1] (c) Leaves have grown and begun photosynthesis [1]; glucose is made faster than it is used in respiration, so new tissue is built [1] Examiner insight: In (a), dividing by the final value (1.92) gives 25% and loses the accuracy mark; the denominator is always the starting value.

7. (a) Treated: (34 ÷ 40) × 100 = 85% [1]; untreated: (18 ÷ 40) × 100 = 45% [1] (b) Rooting powder contains plant hormones [1]; which stimulate root growth, so more treated cuttings formed roots [1] (c) To reduce water loss by transpiration [1] (d) Similarity: both are asexual / both give genetically identical plants [1]; difference: runners are a natural method, cuttings an artificial method done by people [1] Examiner insight: In (b), quoting the 40-percentage-point difference supports the answer but does not replace the explanation; the hormone idea is required.

8. (a) The scrotum holds the testes outside the body, where the temperature is slightly lower [1]; which suits sperm production [1] (b) The fluid provides nutrients for the sperm and a liquid to swim in [1] (c) It is lined with cilia [1]; which sweep the egg towards the uterus, and it is where fertilisation happens [1] (d) It is a ring of muscle that keeps the fetus in the uterus during pregnancy and widens at birth [1] Examiner insight: “Explain how adapted” questions need the feature and its link to the function; naming the structure’s job alone scores at most half.

9. (a) Oestrogen causes the uterus lining to repair [1]; and thicken after menstruation [1] (b) Progesterone maintains the uterus lining [1]; when it falls, the lining is no longer maintained and breaks down, leaving the body as menstruation [1] (c) The corpus luteum [1] (d) Oestrogen: breasts develop / hips widen / menstrual cycle begins [1]; testosterone: facial hair / deeper voice / muscle development / sperm production [1] Examiner insight: Swapping the roles of oestrogen (repair, thicken) and progesterone (maintain) is penalised, so use those exact verbs.

10. (a) The pituitary gland [1] (b) Causes an egg to mature in a follicle in the ovary [1]; stimulates the ovary to produce oestrogen [1] (c) Ovulation, the release of an egg from the ovary [1]; because the LH surge triggers it [1] (d) Oestrogen (and later progesterone) inhibits FSH secretion [1]; without FSH, no further eggs are stimulated to mature [1] Examiner insight: “The brain” is not accepted for (a); the named gland is needed.

11. (a) The mother’s blood brings glucose and amino acids to the placenta [1]; they diffuse across the thin barrier into the embryo’s blood [1]; and are carried to the embryo in the umbilical cord [1] (b) Villi give a large surface area [1]; so more diffusion can happen at once [1]; the barrier between the two bloods is thin [1]; so the diffusion distance is short [1] (also accept as a feature-and-explanation pair: rich blood supply on both sides, keeping a steep concentration gradient) (c) The fluid acts as a shock absorber [1]; cushioning the embryo against knocks and pressure [1] Examiner insight: In (a), saying the blood of mother and embryo mixes is a contradiction that loses credit; the substances cross by diffusion.

Where marks are usually lost

• Describing fertilisation as “sperm meets egg” without fusion of nuclei.
• Confusing pollination with fertilisation in flower questions.
• Answering flower questions with general knowledge rather than evidence from the table.
• Writing “ovary becomes seed”.
• Dividing by the final value in a percentage-change calculation.
• Missing respiration when explaining a fall in dry mass.
• Writing “same conditions” instead of naming control variables.
• Stating a structure’s job without its adaptation.
• Swapping the roles of oestrogen and progesterone.
• Putting the source of FSH and LH in the ovary.

Next steps

• Recap with the revision notes.
• Reread any weak section in the study guide.
• Review the whole of Topic 3 in the Topic 3 overview.
• Browse other topics on the Edexcel IGCSE Biology hub.
• Track coverage with the printable checklist.
• Try all free 10-minute diagnostics.
• Book a free trial class.

Official syllabus

Pearson Edexcel International GCSE in Biology (4BI1) specification, Issue 3, first examination June 2019, Pearson Education Limited – Topic 3, Reproduction and inheritance, sub-topic (a) Reproduction.