AQA GCSE BIOLOGY HIGHER TIER
PAPER 1H FINAL TEST 2026
QUESTIONS WITH CORRECT
ANSWERS GRADED A+
◍ What is homeostasis?.
Answer: The maintenance of a constant internal environment.
◍ What is a stimulus?.
Answer: A change in your environment than requires a response. e.g Light,
sound, touch, pressure, pain, chemical or temperature.
◍ What do the receptors do?.
Answer: Detect the stimulus or change in environment.
◍ GCSE.
Answer: General Certificate of Secondary Education
◍ What happens after the receptors?.
Answer: Receptors send messages to the CNS via the sensory neurone.
◍ Biology.
Answer: Study of living organisms
◍ Higher Tier.
Answer: Advanced level of examination
◍ What makes up the central nervous system?.
Answer: The brain or spinal cord
◍ What is an effector?.
Answer: Muscles or glands that bring about a response.
,◍ Paper 1H.
Answer: First paper of the higher tier
◍ Ruler.
Answer: Tool for measuring lengths
◍ What do the muscles and glands do in response to stimuli?.
Answer: Muscles contract and glands secrete chemical
substances(hormones).
◍ What is a sensory neurone?.
Answer: A neurone that carry information from the receptors to the CNS.
◍ What is a relay neurone?.
Answer: Neurones that carry impulses from the sensory neurone to the
motor neurone.
◍ Scientific calculator.
Answer: Device for complex calculations
◍ What is a motor neurone?.
Answer: Neurones that carry information from the CNS to the effectors.
◍ Examiner.
Answer: Person assessing the paper
◍ What is the nervous system?.
Answer: It is a system that allows you to react to your surroundings.
◍ How do signals travel across a synapse?.
Answer: The chemical or neurotransmitter diffuses across the synapse and
binds to a complementary receptor on the neurone (postsynaptic). This
causes an electrical impulse to travel down the next neurone.
◍ What is a synapse?.
Answer: A gap between two neurones.
◍ Independent variable.
Answer: Variable manipulated by the researcher
,◍ What is the thermoregulatory centre of the brain?.
Answer: Near the hypothalamus, monitors the temperature of blood.
◍ Salt concentration.
Answer: Amount of salt in a solution
◍ Percentage increase in mass.
Answer: Change in mass relative to the starting mass
◍ Describe the stages in a reflex arc..
Answer: Stimulus->Receptor->sensory neurone->CNS (relay neurone) ->
motor neurone -> effector -> response
◍ Mean percentage change in mass.
Answer: Average percentage change across multiple samples
◍ Name responses that reduce body temperature..
Answer: Hairs lie flat, sweat and blood vessels get wider(vasodilation)
◍ What happens during vasodilation?.
Answer: The blood vessels supplying the skin dilate (widen). This helps to
transfer energy to the environment.
◍ Name responses that increase body temperature..
Answer: Hairs stand up, no sweat, shivering and blood vessels
constrict(vasoconstriction)
◍ What happens during vasoconstriction?.
Answer: The blood vessels supplying the skin constrict to close off the skins
blood supply.
◍ Concentration of salt solution.
Answer: Amount of salt dissolved in a solution
◍ Chloroplasts.
Answer: Cell organelles for photosynthesis
◍ What is the body's core temp?.
Answer: 37 degrees Celsius
, ◍ Mitochondria.
Answer: Cell organelles for energy production
◍ What are hormones?.
Answer: Chemical messengers that travel in the blood to target organs.
◍ Compare and Contrast the endocrine (hormone) system and the nervous
system..
Answer: Nervous is faster acting than the endocrine system.Hormones have
longer lasting effects compared to electrical impulses. Nerves act on a very
specific area whereas hormones act more general.
◍ Plant cells.
Answer: Cells found in plants
◍ What does the thyroid gland do?.
Answer: Produces thyroxine which is involved in regulating metabolism.
◍ What do the adrenal glands do?.
Answer: Produce adrenaline which is used to prepare the body for fight or
flight.
◍ Fungal cells.
Answer: Cells found in fungi
◍ Genetic information.
Answer: Instructions stored in DNA
◍ Cell membrane.
Answer: Controls substance movement in/out of cell
◍ What is the role of the pancreas?.
Answer: Produces glucagon and insulin which are involved in regulating
glucose levels in the blood.
◍ Name the hormone that is released if blood sugar is too high..
Answer: Insulin
◍ Cholesterol.
PAPER 1H FINAL TEST 2026
QUESTIONS WITH CORRECT
ANSWERS GRADED A+
◍ What is homeostasis?.
Answer: The maintenance of a constant internal environment.
◍ What is a stimulus?.
Answer: A change in your environment than requires a response. e.g Light,
sound, touch, pressure, pain, chemical or temperature.
◍ What do the receptors do?.
Answer: Detect the stimulus or change in environment.
◍ GCSE.
Answer: General Certificate of Secondary Education
◍ What happens after the receptors?.
Answer: Receptors send messages to the CNS via the sensory neurone.
◍ Biology.
Answer: Study of living organisms
◍ Higher Tier.
Answer: Advanced level of examination
◍ What makes up the central nervous system?.
Answer: The brain or spinal cord
◍ What is an effector?.
Answer: Muscles or glands that bring about a response.
,◍ Paper 1H.
Answer: First paper of the higher tier
◍ Ruler.
Answer: Tool for measuring lengths
◍ What do the muscles and glands do in response to stimuli?.
Answer: Muscles contract and glands secrete chemical
substances(hormones).
◍ What is a sensory neurone?.
Answer: A neurone that carry information from the receptors to the CNS.
◍ What is a relay neurone?.
Answer: Neurones that carry impulses from the sensory neurone to the
motor neurone.
◍ Scientific calculator.
Answer: Device for complex calculations
◍ What is a motor neurone?.
Answer: Neurones that carry information from the CNS to the effectors.
◍ Examiner.
Answer: Person assessing the paper
◍ What is the nervous system?.
Answer: It is a system that allows you to react to your surroundings.
◍ How do signals travel across a synapse?.
Answer: The chemical or neurotransmitter diffuses across the synapse and
binds to a complementary receptor on the neurone (postsynaptic). This
causes an electrical impulse to travel down the next neurone.
◍ What is a synapse?.
Answer: A gap between two neurones.
◍ Independent variable.
Answer: Variable manipulated by the researcher
,◍ What is the thermoregulatory centre of the brain?.
Answer: Near the hypothalamus, monitors the temperature of blood.
◍ Salt concentration.
Answer: Amount of salt in a solution
◍ Percentage increase in mass.
Answer: Change in mass relative to the starting mass
◍ Describe the stages in a reflex arc..
Answer: Stimulus->Receptor->sensory neurone->CNS (relay neurone) ->
motor neurone -> effector -> response
◍ Mean percentage change in mass.
Answer: Average percentage change across multiple samples
◍ Name responses that reduce body temperature..
Answer: Hairs lie flat, sweat and blood vessels get wider(vasodilation)
◍ What happens during vasodilation?.
Answer: The blood vessels supplying the skin dilate (widen). This helps to
transfer energy to the environment.
◍ Name responses that increase body temperature..
Answer: Hairs stand up, no sweat, shivering and blood vessels
constrict(vasoconstriction)
◍ What happens during vasoconstriction?.
Answer: The blood vessels supplying the skin constrict to close off the skins
blood supply.
◍ Concentration of salt solution.
Answer: Amount of salt dissolved in a solution
◍ Chloroplasts.
Answer: Cell organelles for photosynthesis
◍ What is the body's core temp?.
Answer: 37 degrees Celsius
, ◍ Mitochondria.
Answer: Cell organelles for energy production
◍ What are hormones?.
Answer: Chemical messengers that travel in the blood to target organs.
◍ Compare and Contrast the endocrine (hormone) system and the nervous
system..
Answer: Nervous is faster acting than the endocrine system.Hormones have
longer lasting effects compared to electrical impulses. Nerves act on a very
specific area whereas hormones act more general.
◍ Plant cells.
Answer: Cells found in plants
◍ What does the thyroid gland do?.
Answer: Produces thyroxine which is involved in regulating metabolism.
◍ What do the adrenal glands do?.
Answer: Produce adrenaline which is used to prepare the body for fight or
flight.
◍ Fungal cells.
Answer: Cells found in fungi
◍ Genetic information.
Answer: Instructions stored in DNA
◍ Cell membrane.
Answer: Controls substance movement in/out of cell
◍ What is the role of the pancreas?.
Answer: Produces glucagon and insulin which are involved in regulating
glucose levels in the blood.
◍ Name the hormone that is released if blood sugar is too high..
Answer: Insulin
◍ Cholesterol.
