In this article, Wesley Hammond takes a look at the Leaving Cert Biology paper and breaks down exactly what you need to cover with tips on what to focus on and the depth required.
Leaving Certificate Biology
Exam Paper Layout
Leaving Certificate Biology: List of Topics
| Unit 1 | Unit 2 | Unit 3 |
| Scientific Method Characteristics of Life Food Ecology |
Cell Structure Cell Diversity Cell Division Enzymes Osmosis/Diffusion Photosynthesis Respiration DNA and RNA Genetic Crosses Variation and Evolution Genetic Engineering |
Monera (Bacteria) Fungi Protista (Amoeba) Viruses Blood The Heart Lymphatic System Human Breathing Human Digestion Homeostasis Excretion Nervous System The Senses Endocrine System Skeleton Human Defence System Human Reproduction Structure of a Plant Transport in a Plant Plant Responses Plant Reproduction Vegetative Propagation |
Layout of the LC Biology Exam Paper
Section A: Questions 1–6
In section A you will have one additional short question included. Students will be able to answer any five of six questions. Section A is worth 100 marks (25%).
- Two questions from Unit 1
- Two questions from Unit 2
- Two questions from Unit 3
Section B: Questions 7–9
Answer any two of three questions. Section B is worth 60 marks (15%).
Three questions from these 22 experiments
- To test for starch / To test for lipids / To test for proteins / To test for a reducing sugar
- To use simply keys to identify 5 fauna and 5 flora
- To use different apparatus to collect plants and animals
- To carry out a quantitative survey of plants / To carry out a quantitative survey of animals
- To investigate three abiotic factors
- To be familiar with and to use a light microscope
- To prepare a plant cell and examine using a light microscope / To prepare an animal cell and examine using a light microscope
- To isolate DNA from a plant tissue
- To investigate the effect of pH on enzyme activity
- To investigate the effect of temperature on enzyme activity
- To investigate the effect of heat denaturation on enzyme activity
- To prepare an enzyme immobilisation and examine its application
- To investigate the influence of light intensity or carbon dioxide on the rate of photosynthesis
- To prepare and show the production of alcohol using yeast
- To demonstrate osmosis
- To investigate the growth of leaf yeast using agar plates
- To prepare and examine a transverse section (TS) of a dicot stem
- To dissect and identify the parts of a heart
- To investigate the effect of exercise on the pulse rate / To investigate the effect of exercise on the breathing rate
- To investigate the effect of IAA growth regulator on plant tissue
- To investigate the effect of water, oxygen and temperature on germination
- To use starch agar or skimmed milk plates to show digestive activity during germination
Section C: Questions 10–15
Students will be able to answer any four of six questions. Section C is worth 240 marks (60%).
- One question from Unit 1
- Two questions from Unit 2
- Three questions from unit 3
In Questions 14 and 15 students will have a choice of three parts and to answer any two.
Suggestions for a Revision Schedule
Unit 1
Study all of Unit 1 (at least 25% of paper)
- Scientific Method, Characteristics of Life, Food and Ecology (at least 25% of paper)
Unit 2
Study all of Unit 2 (at least 40% of paper)
- Cell Structure, Cell Diversity and Diffusion/Osmosis
- Cell Division, Enzymes, Photosynthesis and Respiration (usually worth between 17% and 30% of paper)
- DNA and RNA, Genetic Crosses, Variation and Evolution, Genetic Engineering
Unit 3
Study all of Unit 3 (at least 55% of paper)
- Bacteria, Fungi, Protista
- Viruses, Human Defence, Lymphatic System, Blood
- The Heart, Human Digestion, Excretion, Human Breathing, Homeostasis
- Nervous System, The Senses, Endocrine System, Skeleton
- Human Reproduction, Plant Reproduction and Vegetative Propagation (usually worth between 10% and 20% of paper)
- Plant Structure, Plant Transport, Plant Responses
How important are definitions?
- Definitions are very important, as they have a major impact on your overall grade.
- Definitions are usually worth around 15–20% of the overall grade.
- You should approach studying the definitions by chapter. You need to have a list of all the definitions on an A4 sheet or on flash cards so you can continuously look over them whenever you have free time and not waste time trying to find them in a textbook.
How important is it to use questions from past papers?
- It will make you aware of certain keywords that might be expected in certain answers to gain full marks. You will also notice that you can gain full marks without always giving every single detail on the question asked.
- It is very important that past questions are continuously studied to improve your exam technique and the ability to interpret the more difficult questions.
Examples:
- 2020: What is the function of the myelin sheath? To insulate the impulses
- 2018: Explain the importance of the myelin sheath in the transmission of the impulse. It speeds up the transmission of the impulse.
NOTE: Be aware that a true or false short question in Section A, similar to the question below, has been asked numerous times in the past seven years.
Indicate whether the following statements are true or false by placing a tick (✔) in the appropriate box in each case.
| True | False | ||
| (a) | Spindle fibres contract during metaphase of mitosis. | ||
| (b) | Glucose is produced by yeast cells during fermentation | ||
| (c) | The process of translation results in a protein being made. | ||
| (d) | Prokaryotic cells contain a nucleus. | ||
| (e) | Darwin and Wallace proposed the Theory of Natural Selection. | ||
| (f) | A mutation to a cell’s DNA always has a negative impact for the cell. | ||
| (g) | The ribosome of the cell contains the chromosomes. |
Useful tips on exam paper:
- In Section B and C most correct points are worth 3 marks each.
- If a question is worth 12 marks, it will require 4 key points of information (if possible, try to give a few extra points).
Note: it is very disappointing if a student loses marks just because they didn’t provide enough key points.
- To achieve a high grade in the Leaving Certificate you must revise all topics thoroughly and include the more difficult areas of a topic.
- Diagrams are very important in the Biology exam. They are normally worth 9 marks (6 marks for diagram and 3 marks for labelling).
- Examiners do not like essay style answers in questions that require 4 or 5 key points. Examiners find it much easier to correct bullet point answers as they can find key points much easier.
- Remember spelling mistakes do not matter as long as it is obvious what you are trying to spell.
Some other instructions for the paper
- Write your answers in blue or black pen. You may use pencil for sketches, graphs and diagrams only.
- Anything written outside the answer areas may not be seen by the examiner, as the paper is scanned and presented to an examiner on a screen.
Marking Schemes
How the marking scheme can change
Marking schemes can sometimes vary depending on the difficulty of the paper. Below are some examples of past marking schemes for individual questions:
Marking scheme 2010
Question 1:
| 5(4) any FIVE points out of SIX | |
| (a) Small amount (needed) or indication of e.g. < 0.01% | |
| (b) e.g. Fe, Cu, Zn or other correct | |
| (c) Oil is liquid (at room temperature) or fat is solid or oils are unsaturated or explained | |
| (d) Fat-soluble Water-soluble |
(4, 2, 0) |
| (e) Fat (or lipid or oil) unit (or molecule) or glycerol and three fatty acids | |
| (f) Respiration or fermentation or glycolysis [allow digestion] |
What does 5(4) represent?
- All five answers are 4 marks each.
Marking scheme 2010
Question 4:
| 6 (3) + 2 | |
| (a) Cells with common function (or with common structure) | |
| (b) Dermal or ground or vascular (or xylem or phloem) or meristematic | |
| (c) Function relevant to tissue named in (b) | |
| (d) Epithelial or Muscular or Connective or Nervous or named example | |
| (e) Function relevant to tissue named in (d) | |
| (f) Cells grown on (or in) medium or cells grown outside organism | |
| (g) Appropriate application |
What does 6(3) + 2 represent?
- The first six correct answers are 3 marks each and the last correct answer is 2 marks.
Marking Scheme 2012
Question 4:
| 2(7) + 6(1) |
| (a) (i) Management of environment or management of species (or organism(s)) |
| (ii) To allow species to develop or (maintaining) biodiversity or prevent extinction or protection |
| (b) (i) Harmful addition to the environment (or named part of environment) |
| (ii) Pollutant: Any relevant pollutant |
| Effect: Must match pollutant |
| (iii) Matching control measure for pollutant from (ii) |
| (c) (i) Advantage: Amount of waste greatly reduced or useable heat or reduced landfill |
| (ii) Disadvantage: Harmful products |
What does 2(7) + 6(1) represent?
- The first two correct answers are 7 marks each and the last six correct answers are only 1 mark each.
Marking Scheme 2012
Question 5:
| 8 + 7 + 5(1) |
| (a) One seed leaf or one embryonic leaf |
| (b) Example of monocot |
| (c) Vascular bundles |
| (d) (i) More than one (vascular) bundle |
| (ii) Bundles scattered or described |
| (e) Parallel or described |
| (f) Reticulate or net or branched or described |
What does 8 + 7 + 5(1) represent?
- The first correct answer is 8 marks, the second correct answer is 7 marks, and the last five correct answers are only 1 mark each.
Marking Scheme 2015
Question 1:
| 10 + 7 + 3(1) i.e. best five answers from (a)–(f) |
| (a) Monosaccharides |
| (b) Digestion |
| (c) 6 |
| (d) Cellulose |
| (e) Starch |
| (f) Deoxyribose |
What does 10 + 7 + 3(1) represent?
- The first correct answer is 10 marks, the second correct answer is 7 marks, and the last three correct answers are only 1 mark each.
Marking Scheme 2015
Question 2:
| 8 + 7 + 5(1) |
| (a) All (individuals) get some of a (scarce) resource |
| (b) Water or minerals or space |
| (c) Water or mate(s) or shelter or territory (or space) |
| (d) Different food or feed on different parts of the plant |
| (e) (i) Frequency or cover or transect or quadrat |
| (ii) Throw (object) over shoulder (and place quadrat) or random numbers matched to a Grid |
| (iii) pH or temperature or air content or water content or mineral content or humus content or soil type or particle size or soil texture or soil microorganisms |
What does 8 + 7 + 5(1) represent?
- The first correct answer is 8 marks, the second correct answer is 7 marks, and the last five correct answers are only 1 mark each.
Marking Scheme 2015
Question 5:
| 8 + 8 + 4(1) |
| (a) (Equivalent to) 0.3–0.35 (% sucrose solution) |
| (b) They lost water / by osmosis / because sucrose was more concentrated Any Two |
| (c) Salting (or curing) meat (or fish) or making fruit products such as jam or use of sugar for (preserving) fruit |
|
(d) Water taken in / (water) into vacuole (or into cytoplasm) / protoplast (or membrane) presses against cell wall / wall prevents bursting Any Two |
What does 8 + 8 + 4(1) represent?
- The first correct answer is 8 marks, the second correct answer is 8 marks, and the last four correct answers are only 1 mark each.
Marking Scheme 2015
Question 7:
| 5 + 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| (a) (i) DNA and protein (ii) Non-coding (DNA) |
||||||||||||||||||||||||
| (b) + (c) 8 + 8 + 8(1) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
(b) (i)
|
(ii) Boil or heat to high temperature (≥ 60°C)
(iii) Negative result for named test for product or positive result for named test for substrate [must match enzyme or product in c (i) above]
(iv) To maintain (a constant) pH or to vary pH
What does 8 + 8 + 8(1) represent?
- The first correct answer is 8 marks, the second correct answer is 8 marks, and the last eight correct answers are only 1 mark each.
How marks are allocated in multi-part questions
Exam paper 2020
The question below has four parts:
- part (i) 3 marks
- part (ii) 6 marks
- part (iii) 3 marks
- part (iv) 12 marks
Why is part (iv) worth most marks? As they have asked you to outline the events.
Solutions:
(c) Answer the following questions in relation to the second stage of aerobic respiration.
(i) Name the 3‐carbon molecule which enters the mitochondrion.
(ii) Name the two carbon containing molecules produced when the 3‐carbon molecule at (i) above is broken down.
(iii) One of these carbon containing molecules formed at (ii) above enters a series of reactions. Name this series of reactions.
(iv) Outline the events that take place in the electron transport chain (system).
(24)
_________________________________________________________________________________
(c)
(i) Name the 3-Carbon molecule which enters the mitochondrion:
*Pyruvate (*Pyruvic acid) 3
(ii) Name the two products formed when the 3-Carbon molecule at (i) above is broken down:
*CO2 3
*Acetyl (Co A) 3
(iii) Name the series of reactions that take place:
Krebs Cycle 3
(iv) Outline the events that take place in the electron transport chain (system):
High energy electrons / pass along carriers / (electrons) lose energy / (used to) form ATP / from ADP and P / (electrons) combine with O2 and H+ / to form water.
Any four: 4(3)