AQA GCSE BIOLOGY HIGHER TIER
PAPER 1H ACTUAL EXAM PAPER 2026
QUESTIONS WITH ANSWERS GRADED
A+
◍ What are cells?.
Answer: Cells are the basic units of structure and function in living things
◍ What is a eukaryotic cell?.
Answer: cell that has a nucleus and organelles
◍ Specialised Cells.
Answer: sperm, nerve and muscle cells
◍ Tissues.
Answer: a group of cells with a similar structure and function that all work
together to do a job
◍ Where are eukaryotic cells found?.
Answer: plants, animals, fungi, protists
◍ Organs.
Answer: a group of tissues which work together to perform a specific
function
◍ Organ Systems.
Answer: a group of organs that work together to do a specific job
◍ Organism.
Answer: a group of organ systems working together
◍ Enzymes.
Answer: Catalysts for chemical reactions in living things
,◍ Lock and Key Theory.
Answer: Theory of enzyme catalysis stating that the active site's structure is
complementary to the structure of the substrate.
◍ What is the size of a eukaryotic cell?.
Answer: 10-100 micrometers
◍ What are prokaryotic cells?.
Answer: bacterial cells
◍ Denaturing.
Answer: changing the conformation of a protein through, pH, temperature,
or salt concentration changes
◍ How do Enzymes Work.
Answer: the enzymes pass out of cells into the digestive systemthey come
into contact with food moleculesthey catalyse the breakdown of large
insoluble food molecules into smaller soluble molecules
◍ Amylase.
Answer: produced in the salivary glands and the pancreasa carbohydrase
that breaks down starch into maltose
◍ What is the size of a prokaryotic cell?.
Answer: 0.1-5.0 micrometers in size
◍ Protease.
Answer: produced in the stomach, pancreas and small intestinebreaks down
proteins into amino acids
◍ What are the key features of a prokaryotic cell?.
Answer: Plasmids, no mitochondria, no chloroplasts, single DNA loop
◍ What are plasmids?.
Answer: Small, circular DNA molecules found in bacteria
◍ What are plasmids used for?.
Answer: They replicate and move between cells so that genetic information
, can be shared.
◍ Lipase.
Answer: produced in the pancreas and small intestinebreaks down lipids into
fatty acids and glycerol
◍ Bile.
Answer: a liquid made in the liver and stored in the gall bladderalkaline to
neutralise hydrochloric acid inside the stomachit emulsifies fat to form small
droplets
◍ What is Blood.
Answer: a tissue made of plasma
◍ Where is the genetic material stored in a prokaryotic cell?.
Answer: It is stored in a single DNA loop inside then cytoplasm.
◍ Three components of Blood.
Answer: red blood cells, white blood cells, platelets
◍ What structures can be found in a eukaryotic cell but not in a prokaryotic
cell?.
Answer: Mitochondria, chloroplasts and nucleus
◍ Red Blood Cells.
Answer: contain haemoglobin to carry oxygen from the lungs to the tissues
and cellsdoes not contain a nucleusvery small so they can fit through
capillariesare shaped like biconcave discs, giving them a large surface area
◍ What are the 5 subcellular structures in the animal cell?.
Answer: Cell membrane, nucleus, cytoplasm, mitochondria and ribosomes.
◍ White Blood Cells.
Answer: help protects the body against infectioncan change shape, so they
can squeeze in and out of blood vessels into the tissues or surround and
engulf microorganisms
◍ What are the subcellular structures in a plant cell?.
Answer: Permanent vacuole, chloroplasts and rigid cell wall
, ◍ What is the plant cutting example?.
Answer: -Cut off a small section of a plant stem and plant it.-Some cells in
the plant stem are able to differentiate to create new root tissue.-This allows
a whole new plant to grow
◍ What is cell differentiation?.
Answer: The process in which cells become specialized.
◍ Platelets.
Answer: fragments of cells that collect at wounds and trigger blood clotting
◍ Arteries.
Answer: take blood away from the heartthick walls made from muscle and
fibres
◍ Capillaries.
Answer: allows substances needed by the cells to pass out of the
bloodallows substances produced by the cells to pass into the bloodnarrow,
thin walled blood vessels
◍ What does specialisation mean?.
Answer: When a cell develops new sub-cellular structures to let it perform a
specific function.
◍ Veins.
Answer: take blood from organs to heartthinner walls and valves to prevent
backflow
◍ The Heart.
Answer: pumps blood around the body in a double circulatory system
◍ The 4 Chambers of the Heart.
Answer: right atrium, right ventricle, left atrium, left ventricle
◍ Left and Right Atria.
Answer: receive blood from the veins
◍ Left and Right Ventricles.
PAPER 1H ACTUAL EXAM PAPER 2026
QUESTIONS WITH ANSWERS GRADED
A+
◍ What are cells?.
Answer: Cells are the basic units of structure and function in living things
◍ What is a eukaryotic cell?.
Answer: cell that has a nucleus and organelles
◍ Specialised Cells.
Answer: sperm, nerve and muscle cells
◍ Tissues.
Answer: a group of cells with a similar structure and function that all work
together to do a job
◍ Where are eukaryotic cells found?.
Answer: plants, animals, fungi, protists
◍ Organs.
Answer: a group of tissues which work together to perform a specific
function
◍ Organ Systems.
Answer: a group of organs that work together to do a specific job
◍ Organism.
Answer: a group of organ systems working together
◍ Enzymes.
Answer: Catalysts for chemical reactions in living things
,◍ Lock and Key Theory.
Answer: Theory of enzyme catalysis stating that the active site's structure is
complementary to the structure of the substrate.
◍ What is the size of a eukaryotic cell?.
Answer: 10-100 micrometers
◍ What are prokaryotic cells?.
Answer: bacterial cells
◍ Denaturing.
Answer: changing the conformation of a protein through, pH, temperature,
or salt concentration changes
◍ How do Enzymes Work.
Answer: the enzymes pass out of cells into the digestive systemthey come
into contact with food moleculesthey catalyse the breakdown of large
insoluble food molecules into smaller soluble molecules
◍ Amylase.
Answer: produced in the salivary glands and the pancreasa carbohydrase
that breaks down starch into maltose
◍ What is the size of a prokaryotic cell?.
Answer: 0.1-5.0 micrometers in size
◍ Protease.
Answer: produced in the stomach, pancreas and small intestinebreaks down
proteins into amino acids
◍ What are the key features of a prokaryotic cell?.
Answer: Plasmids, no mitochondria, no chloroplasts, single DNA loop
◍ What are plasmids?.
Answer: Small, circular DNA molecules found in bacteria
◍ What are plasmids used for?.
Answer: They replicate and move between cells so that genetic information
, can be shared.
◍ Lipase.
Answer: produced in the pancreas and small intestinebreaks down lipids into
fatty acids and glycerol
◍ Bile.
Answer: a liquid made in the liver and stored in the gall bladderalkaline to
neutralise hydrochloric acid inside the stomachit emulsifies fat to form small
droplets
◍ What is Blood.
Answer: a tissue made of plasma
◍ Where is the genetic material stored in a prokaryotic cell?.
Answer: It is stored in a single DNA loop inside then cytoplasm.
◍ Three components of Blood.
Answer: red blood cells, white blood cells, platelets
◍ What structures can be found in a eukaryotic cell but not in a prokaryotic
cell?.
Answer: Mitochondria, chloroplasts and nucleus
◍ Red Blood Cells.
Answer: contain haemoglobin to carry oxygen from the lungs to the tissues
and cellsdoes not contain a nucleusvery small so they can fit through
capillariesare shaped like biconcave discs, giving them a large surface area
◍ What are the 5 subcellular structures in the animal cell?.
Answer: Cell membrane, nucleus, cytoplasm, mitochondria and ribosomes.
◍ White Blood Cells.
Answer: help protects the body against infectioncan change shape, so they
can squeeze in and out of blood vessels into the tissues or surround and
engulf microorganisms
◍ What are the subcellular structures in a plant cell?.
Answer: Permanent vacuole, chloroplasts and rigid cell wall
, ◍ What is the plant cutting example?.
Answer: -Cut off a small section of a plant stem and plant it.-Some cells in
the plant stem are able to differentiate to create new root tissue.-This allows
a whole new plant to grow
◍ What is cell differentiation?.
Answer: The process in which cells become specialized.
◍ Platelets.
Answer: fragments of cells that collect at wounds and trigger blood clotting
◍ Arteries.
Answer: take blood away from the heartthick walls made from muscle and
fibres
◍ Capillaries.
Answer: allows substances needed by the cells to pass out of the
bloodallows substances produced by the cells to pass into the bloodnarrow,
thin walled blood vessels
◍ What does specialisation mean?.
Answer: When a cell develops new sub-cellular structures to let it perform a
specific function.
◍ Veins.
Answer: take blood from organs to heartthinner walls and valves to prevent
backflow
◍ The Heart.
Answer: pumps blood around the body in a double circulatory system
◍ The 4 Chambers of the Heart.
Answer: right atrium, right ventricle, left atrium, left ventricle
◍ Left and Right Atria.
Answer: receive blood from the veins
◍ Left and Right Ventricles.
