OCR GCSE Biology A: Hormones in contraception and fertility treatment, and plant hormones (J247) – 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 statements B3.2e to B3.2i of module B3.2 in OCR GCSE (9-1) Gateway Science Biology A (J247), specification Version 4.0 (August 2026), for first assessment in 2018. Questions labelled Higher Tier only draw on B3.2f, B3.2i, or the gibberellin and ethene part of B3.2h, which are in bold in the specification. The others suit both tiers. Learn the content from the study guide or the revision notes. Course pages: OCR GCSE Biology hub | checklist | free 10-minute diagnostics.

Questions

1. The combined contraceptive pill contains two hormones. Name them and explain how the pill prevents an egg being released. [3]

2. A clinic records the outcomes of two contraceptive methods over one year (typical use).

Method	Number of users	Pregnancies
A	500	30
B	320	48

(a) Calculate the number of pregnancies per 100 users for each method. [2] (b) Method B is used by 800 women in another town. Predict how many pregnancies would be expected in a year. [1] (c) Suggest one reason why a method used correctly every time may be much more effective than the same method in typical use. [1]

3. Evaluate the use of the combined pill and the copper coil (a non-hormonal method) for a woman who wants to avoid pregnancy for the next few years. [6]

4. A couple use the contraceptive implant. Explain why they may still be advised to use condoms. [2]

5. (Higher Tier only) Explain how FSH, LH and progesterone may be used in IVF treatment. [4]

6. (Higher Tier only) A clinic reports IVF results. Women under 35: 210 cycles, 63 live births. Women aged 40 and over: 180 cycles, 27 live births. (a) Calculate the percentage success rate per cycle for each group. [2] (b) State the difference between the two rates, using the correct unit. [1] (c) Give two disadvantages of IVF treatment. [2]

7. A seedling grows in a box with a window on one side. After two days the shoot has bent towards the window. Explain this response, using the word auxin. [4]

8. Five seedlings are lit from one side for a day. The table shows the mean bending angle for each treatment.

Treatment	Mean bending angle (degrees)
Tip intact	41
Tip removed	2
Tip covered with foil cap	3
Foil collar around the stem below the tip	39

(a) The five readings for the tip-intact group were 44, 38, 42, 40 and 41. Show that the mean is 41. [1] (b) Describe what the results show about the tip. [2] (c) Explain why the foil collar had almost no effect. [2]

9. A shoot and a root are placed horizontally in a dark cupboard. (a) In the shoot, the lower side lengthened by 5.4 mm and the upper side by 3.6 mm. Calculate the percentage by which the lower side grew more than the upper. [2] (b) In the root, the lower side lengthened by 2.1 mm and the upper side by 3.5 mm. Calculate the percentage by which the lower side grew less than the upper. [2] (c) Explain how the same hormone causes the shoot to curve up and the root to curve down. [2]

10. (Higher Tier only) A student puts unripe bananas in a paper bag alone and unripe bananas in a second bag with one ripe apple. The bananas alone take 6 days to ripen. The bananas with the apple take 4 days. (a) Calculate the percentage decrease in ripening time. [2] (b) Name the plant hormone responsible and explain the result. [2] (c) State one other effect of this hormone on a plant. [1]

11. (Higher Tier only) Gardeners and farmers use plant hormones in several ways. A cereal field has 36 broad-leaved weeds per m² before spraying with a synthetic auxin and 9 per m² afterwards. The cereal crop is not harmed. (a) Calculate the percentage decrease in weeds. [2] (b) Explain why the weedkiller kills the weeds but not the crop. [2] (c) A gardener dips 60 cuttings in rooting powder and 45 root. Another 60 cuttings, not dipped, give 18 that root. Calculate the percentage rooting in each group and state the hormone in the powder. [3] (d) Describe how gibberellin or auxin can be used to produce seedless fruit. [2]

Answers

1. Oestrogen and progesterone [1]. They hold back FSH secretion by the pituitary gland [1], so follicles do not mature and no egg is released [1]. [3] Examiner insight: Naming FSH as the hormone being inhibited turns a vague “stops eggs” answer into an explanation, and a list of effects with no link to FSH is likely to stay at the descriptive level.

2. (a) A: 30 ÷ 500 × 100 = 6 per 100 [1]. B: 48 ÷ 320 × 100 = 15 per 100 [1]. [2] (b) 800 × 15 ÷ 100 = 120 pregnancies [1]. [1] (c) Typical use includes mistakes such as forgetting pills or condoms that slip [1]. [1] Examiner insight: Convert both methods to the same base, per 100, before comparing; raw counts are misleading because the numbers of users differ.

3. Combined pill: effective when taken correctly, but typical-use failure is around 9 per 100 because pills are missed [1]; may cause side effects such as headaches or mood changes, and a small increased risk of blood clots [1]. Copper coil: fewer than 1 pregnancy per 100 [1]; no hormones and nothing to remember daily, so suits long-term use [1]; may cause heavier periods and needs fitting by a professional [1]. Neither gives protection from infection. A reasoned judgement, such as the coil being more reliable over several years for someone who may miss pills [1]. [6] Examiner insight: A long answer that lists points for one method only has no balance; a reasoned judgement that refers back to the woman’s situation is what separates the top of the range from a list of facts.

4. The implant gives no protection from sexually transmitted infections [1]; condoms act as a barrier and reduce the risk of infection [1]. [2] Examiner insight: “To be extra safe against pregnancy” is a weaker answer than naming infection, because the implant is already very effective at preventing pregnancy.

5. FSH and LH are given to stimulate several eggs to mature at once [1]. The eggs are collected and fertilised with sperm in a dish [1]. After embryos are placed in the uterus, progesterone may be given [1] to maintain the lining of the uterus so the embryo can implant [1]. [4] Examiner insight: Give each hormone its own job. A single sentence saying “hormones help the eggs” does not separate the roles.

6. (a) Under 35: 63 ÷ 210 × 100 = 30% [1]. 40 and over: 27 ÷ 180 × 100 = 15% [1]. [2] (b) 15 percentage points [1]. [1] (c) Any two: expensive; emotionally stressful; physically demanding; not guaranteed to work; risk of multiple births; ovarian overstimulation [2]. [2] Examiner insight: The difference between two percentages is in percentage points, and answering “15%” invites confusion with a relative change.

7. The shoot tip makes auxin [1]. Light from the window causes auxin to move to the shaded side [1]. The shaded cells lengthen more than the lit cells [1]. This uneven growth bends the shoot towards the light [1]. [4] Examiner insight: A chain of steps (auxin moves, cells elongate, shoot bends) is needed. “Auxin makes it grow towards the light” skips the middle steps.

8. (a) (44 + 38 + 42 + 40 + 41) ÷ 5 = 205 ÷ 5 = 41 [1]. [1] (b) With the tip removed or covered, bending is almost zero [1], so the tip is needed for the response (it detects light and produces the signal) [1]. [2] (c) The response depends on the tip detecting light and making auxin [1]; the collar is below the tip, so the tip still receives light and auxin can still reach the elongating cells [1]. [2] Examiner insight: Use the numbers from the table when drawing conclusions, comparing the 2 and 3 degrees with 41 degrees, rather than just saying “it did not bend”.

9. (a) (5.4 − 3.6) ÷ 3.6 × 100 [1] = 50% more [1]. [2] (b) (3.5 − 2.1) ÷ 3.5 × 100 [1] = 40% less [1]. [2] (c) Auxin collects on the lower side in both [1]. In the shoot it promotes elongation so the shoot curves up; in the root a high concentration inhibits elongation so the upper side grows more and the root curves down [1]. [2] Examiner insight: In both parts the change is divided by the upper-side value, so state which value you divided by. Dividing by the lower side gives a different percentage.

10. (a) (6 − 4) ÷ 6 × 100 [1] = 33% (33.3%) [1]. [2] (b) Ethene [1]. The ripe apple gives off ethene gas, which speeds ripening of the bananas [1]. [2] (c) Promotes the shedding of leaves [1]. [1] Examiner insight: A gas can pass through a paper bag, so naming ethene as a gas that spreads to the bananas is a stronger explanation than “the apple helps”.

11. (a) (36 − 9) ÷ 36 × 100 [1] = 75% [1]. [2] (b) The synthetic auxin makes broad-leaved plants grow too fast in an uncontrolled way, which kills them [1]; the cereal crop, a narrow-leaved plant, is largely unaffected, so the herbicide is selective [1]. [2] (c) Powder: 45 ÷ 60 × 100 = 75% [1]. Not dipped: 18 ÷ 60 × 100 = 30% [1]. The powder contains auxin [1]. [3] (d) Spray unpollinated flowers [1] with auxin or gibberellin, so the ovary develops into a fruit without fertilisation and with no seeds [1]. [2] Examiner insight: “Selective” means it affects one group and not another, so name both groups (broad-leaved weeds and narrow-leaved crop) rather than saying the weedkiller “targets weeds”.

Where marks are usually lost

• Saying the pill “stops periods” or “kills sperm” instead of naming FSH and the missing egg.
• Evaluating only one method, or listing facts without a judgement.
• Comparing counts of pregnancies without converting to per 100.
• Writing “percent” for a difference between two percentages.
• Describing IVF as injecting sperm into the woman.
• Explaining phototropism without saying auxin moves to the shaded side.
• Saying auxin has the same effect in roots and shoots.
• Not stating that ethene is a gas, so the explanation of how it reaches nearby fruit is missing.
• Using the wrong base in a percentage change: it is divided by the starting or comparison value.

Next steps

• Check the key points in the revision notes and re-read the study guide.
• Tick off statements on the printable checklist and see the OCR GCSE Biology hub.
• Try the free 10-minute diagnostics to find your weakest topics.
• Book a free trial class for help with any question here.

Official syllabus

OCR, GCSE (9-1) Gateway Science Biology A (J247), specification Version 4.0 (August 2026), for first assessment in 2018. Published by OCR.