Skip to content
Try on iPad

Cell recognition and the immune system: AQA A‑Level Biology questions

Every AQA A-Level Biology exam question on 3.2.4 Cell recognition and the immune system, 2016–2025, with its mark scheme and examiner’s report.

Find questions1,383
Calculations

1,383 questions

  1. Q04.3

    June 2025 · Paper 3

    2 marks3.2.4 Cell recognition and the immune system
    The whole paper ↗
    June 2025 Paper 3, question 04.3: Antibodies are proteins produced and secreted by plasma cells. Once activated, a single B cell divides and produces 4000 plasma cells. Each one of these plasma

  2. Q04.4

    June 2025 · Paper 3

    3 marks3.2.4 Cell recognition and the immune system
    The whole paper ↗
    June 2025 Paper 3, question 04.4: Scientists investigated the effect of age on the immune response in healthy female mice. The scientists used the following method. 1. Infected a large number of

  3. Q08.1

    June 2025 · AS Paper 2

    3 marks3.2.4 Cell recognition and the immune system
    The whole paper ↗
    June 2025 AS Paper 2, question 08.1: A scientist concluded that other infections are more likely to develop in this person after 11 years. Use the data in Table 4 and your own knowledge of the immu

  4. Q01.1

    June 2024 · Paper 3

    3 marks3.2.4 Cell recognition and the immune system
    The whole paper ↗
    June 2024 Paper 3, question 01.1: In the following passage, each numbered space can be filled with a biological term. Each type of cell has specific molecules on its (1) that identify it. An ant

  5. Q01.2

    June 2024 · Paper 3

    1 mark3.2.4 Cell recognition and the immune system
    The whole paper ↗
    June 2024 Paper 3, question 01.2: There is currently no effective vaccine available for HIV. Suggest one reason why. [1 mark]

  6. Q01.3

    June 2024 · Paper 3

    2 marks3.2.4 Cell recognition and the immune system
    The whole paper ↗
    June 2024 Paper 3, question 01.3: Table 1 shows the action of two antibiotics. Table 1 Antibiotic Action of antibiotic Ciprofloxacin Causes double-stranded DNA to break apart Penicillin Prevents

  7. Q03.1

    June 2024 · AS Paper 1

    4 marks3.2.4 Cell recognition and the immune system
    The whole paper ↗
    June 2024 AS Paper 1, question 03.1: Describe how viruses are replicated. [4 marks]

  8. Q03.2

    June 2024 · AS Paper 1

    1 mark3.2.4 Cell recognition and the immune system
    The whole paper ↗
    June 2024 AS Paper 1, question 03.2: A scientist investigated the effect of a virus species on a bacterial culture. The scientist: • mixed a diluted sample of the virus with a bacterial culture in

  9. Q03.3

    June 2024 · AS Paper 1

    1 mark3.2.4 Cell recognition and the immune system
    The whole paper ↗
    June 2024 AS Paper 1, question 03.3: Predict the appearance of the Petri dish if the incubation was extended by a few more hours. [1 mark]

  10. Q07.1

    June 2024 · AS Paper 1

    2 marks3.2.4 Cell recognition and the immune system
    The whole paper ↗
    June 2024 AS Paper 1, question 07.1: A drug is delivered to diseased body cells by a monoclonal antibody. The monoclonal antibody is attached to a drug to form an antibody–drug complex (ADC). Figur

  11. Q07.2

    June 2024 · AS Paper 1

    4 marks3.2.4 Cell recognition and the immune system
    The whole paper ↗
    June 2024 AS Paper 1, question 07.2: Scientists used a clinical trial to test an ADC designed to treat people diagnosed with the cancer, Hodgkin lymphoma (HL). In the clinical trial, the patients w

  12. Q02.4

    June 2024 · AS Paper 2

    2 marks3.2.4 Cell recognition and the immune system
    The whole paper ↗
    June 2024 AS Paper 2, question 02.4: There are four main blood groups in the human ABO blood group system. Table 1 shows the basis on which each of these blood groups is classified. Table 1 ABO blo

  13. Q02.5

    June 2024 · AS Paper 2

    1 mark3.2.4 Cell recognition and the immune system
    The whole paper ↗
    June 2024 AS Paper 2, question 02.5: Using Table 1, give the blood groups of people who could accept a donation of blood group O without causing agglutination of the donated red blood cells. [1 mar

  14. Q08.1

    June 2024 · AS Paper 2

    2 marks3.2.4 Cell recognition and the immune system
    The whole paper ↗
    June 2024 AS Paper 2, question 08.1: Failure to thoroughly wash the well in Step 4 can result in a false positive. Explain why. [2 marks]

  15. Q08.2

    June 2024 · AS Paper 2

    1 mark3.2.4 Cell recognition and the immune system
    The whole paper ↗
    June 2024 AS Paper 2, question 08.2: A false positive can be produced if a person has been infected by another bacterium that causes a disease called syphilis. Suggest why. [1 mark]

  16. Q08.3

    June 2024 · AS Paper 2

    2 marks3.2.4 Cell recognition and the immune system
    The whole paper ↗
    June 2024 AS Paper 2, question 08.3: A false negative in this test is often produced if a person is tested within 2 weeks of being infected with B. burgdorferi. Explain why. [2 marks]

  17. Q08.4

    June 2024 · AS Paper 2

    4 marks3.2.4 Cell recognition and the immune system
    The whole paper ↗
    June 2024 AS Paper 2, question 08.4: Sometimes, symptoms of Lyme disease can persist for 6 months following antibiotic treatment. This condition is known as Post-Treatment Lyme Disease Syndrome (PT

  18. Q04.2

    June 2023 · Paper 1

    3 marks3.2.4 Cell recognition and the immune system
    The whole paper ↗
    June 2023 Paper 1, question 04.2: The scientists suggest that the anti-toxin antibody could be given to some patients as a form of passive immunity. Use Figure 4 to suggest how this passive immu

  19. Q09.1

    June 2023 · Paper 1

    2 marks3.2.4 Cell recognition and the immune system
    The whole paper ↗
    June 2023 Paper 1, question 09.1: Suggest what is on the test at line T and explain what causes the line to appear in a positive test. [2 marks]

  20. Q09.2

    June 2023 · Paper 1

    1 mark3.2.4 Cell recognition and the immune system
    The whole paper ↗
    June 2023 Paper 1, question 09.2: A line at C shows that the test has worked. Suggest one reason why a line at C shows the test has worked. [1 mark]
All 76 questions on Cell recognition and the immune system, as a list
  1. June 2025, Paper 3, Q04.3 (2 marks): Antibodies are proteins produced and secreted by plasma cells. Once activated, a single B cell divides and produces 4000 plasma cells. Each one of these plasma
  2. June 2025, Paper 3, Q04.4 (3 marks): Scientists investigated the effect of age on the immune response in healthy female mice. The scientists used the following method. 1. Infected a large number of
  3. June 2025, AS Paper 2, Q08.1 (3 marks): A scientist concluded that other infections are more likely to develop in this person after 11 years. Use the data in Table 4 and your own knowledge of the immu
  4. June 2024, Paper 3, Q01.1 (3 marks): In the following passage, each numbered space can be filled with a biological term. Each type of cell has specific molecules on its (1) that identify it. An ant
  5. June 2024, Paper 3, Q01.2 (1 mark): There is currently no effective vaccine available for HIV. Suggest one reason why. [1 mark]
  6. June 2024, Paper 3, Q01.3 (2 marks): Table 1 shows the action of two antibiotics. Table 1 Antibiotic Action of antibiotic Ciprofloxacin Causes double-stranded DNA to break apart Penicillin Prevents
  7. June 2024, AS Paper 1, Q03.1 (4 marks): Describe how viruses are replicated. [4 marks]
  8. June 2024, AS Paper 1, Q03.2 (1 mark): A scientist investigated the effect of a virus species on a bacterial culture. The scientist: • mixed a diluted sample of the virus with a bacterial culture in
  9. June 2024, AS Paper 1, Q03.3 (1 mark): Predict the appearance of the Petri dish if the incubation was extended by a few more hours. [1 mark]
  10. June 2024, AS Paper 1, Q07.1 (2 marks): A drug is delivered to diseased body cells by a monoclonal antibody. The monoclonal antibody is attached to a drug to form an antibody–drug complex (ADC). Figur
  11. June 2024, AS Paper 1, Q07.2 (4 marks): Scientists used a clinical trial to test an ADC designed to treat people diagnosed with the cancer, Hodgkin lymphoma (HL). In the clinical trial, the patients w
  12. June 2024, AS Paper 2, Q02.4 (2 marks): There are four main blood groups in the human ABO blood group system. Table 1 shows the basis on which each of these blood groups is classified. Table 1 ABO blo
  13. June 2024, AS Paper 2, Q02.5 (1 mark): Using Table 1, give the blood groups of people who could accept a donation of blood group O without causing agglutination of the donated red blood cells. [1 mar
  14. June 2024, AS Paper 2, Q08.1 (2 marks): Failure to thoroughly wash the well in Step 4 can result in a false positive. Explain why. [2 marks]
  15. June 2024, AS Paper 2, Q08.2 (1 mark): A false positive can be produced if a person has been infected by another bacterium that causes a disease called syphilis. Suggest why. [1 mark]
  16. June 2024, AS Paper 2, Q08.3 (2 marks): A false negative in this test is often produced if a person is tested within 2 weeks of being infected with B. burgdorferi. Explain why. [2 marks]
  17. June 2024, AS Paper 2, Q08.4 (4 marks): Sometimes, symptoms of Lyme disease can persist for 6 months following antibiotic treatment. This condition is known as Post-Treatment Lyme Disease Syndrome (PT
  18. June 2023, Paper 1, Q04.2 (3 marks): The scientists suggest that the anti-toxin antibody could be given to some patients as a form of passive immunity. Use Figure 4 to suggest how this passive immu
  19. June 2023, Paper 1, Q09.1 (2 marks): Suggest what is on the test at line T and explain what causes the line to appear in a positive test. [2 marks]
  20. June 2023, Paper 1, Q09.2 (1 mark): A line at C shows that the test has worked. Suggest one reason why a line at C shows the test has worked. [1 mark]
  21. June 2023, Paper 1, Q09.3 (2 marks): Suggest why the fused cells allow continuous production of monoclonal antibodies. [2 marks]
  22. June 2023, Paper 1, Q09.4 (1 mark): Evaluate the ethics of the production process shown in Figure 12. [1 mark] DO NOT WRITE ON THIS PAGE ANSWER IN THE SPACES PROVIDED
  23. June 2023, Paper 1, Q09.5 (3 marks): The scientists recommend that the new test is used for the identification of dengue fever in all countries around the
  24. June 2023, Paper 3, Q03.4 (2 marks): M. luteus is not resistant to chloramphenicol. Suggest two reasons why the bacteria were able to grow in the culture containing chloramphenicol. [2 marks] 1 2
  25. June 2023, Paper 3, Q06.1 (2 marks): Give two types of cell that can stimulate an immune response. [2 marks] 1 2
  26. June 2023, Paper 3, Q06.2 (1 mark): Suggest and explain one reason why olive oil was applied to the left ear of the mice. [1 mark]
  27. June 2023, Paper 3, Q06.3 (3 marks): Plot a suitable graph for mean increase in ear thickness for each group of mice in Table 2. Include the data for ± 2 standard deviations on your graph. [3 marks
  28. June 2023, Paper 3, Q06.4 (3 marks): What can you conclude about the effects of autoimmune disease on the cellular response and the humoral response in male and female mice? Use the data to justify
  29. June 2023, Paper 3, Q06.5 (4 marks): Some studies have shown that in humans, oestrogen has the opposite effect on two different autoimmune diseases. Oestrogen: • accelerates the progression of syst
  30. June 2023, AS Paper 1, Q02.4 (2 marks): Some strains of Streptococcus bacteria are more likely to cause lung disease than other strains. Strains that do not cause lung disease are quickly destroyed by
  31. June 2023, AS Paper 1, Q04.1 (3 marks): Calculate the volume of the naïve T cell shown in Figure 5. Then calculate how many times larger the activated helper T cell volume is compared with the naïve T
  32. June 2023, AS Paper 1, Q04.3 (1 mark): State one role of a helper T cell. [1 mark]
  33. June 2023, AS Paper 1, Q06.4 (4 marks): Human papilloma virus (HPV) is transmitted through sexual contact. More than 95% of cervical cancers (which only affect females) are due to HPV infection. HPV i
  34. June 2022, Paper 1, Q03.6 (3 marks): Scientists observed these APs on prokaryotes using a transmission electron microscope. They stained the APs using a monoclonal antibody with gold attached to it
  35. June 2022, Paper 1, Q04.1 (3 marks): Describe viral replication. [3 marks]
  36. June 2022, AS Paper 1, Q09.2 (3 marks): Explain how a fetus is protected against the pathogens that infect its mother during pregnancy (lines 5–6). Do not give details of an active immune response in
  37. June 2022, AS Paper 1, Q09.3 (2 marks): Suggest how vaccinating as many babies as possible protects the UK population against pathogens such as measles viruses and tetanus bacteria (lines 9–11). [2 ma
  38. June 2022, AS Paper 1, Q09.4 (1 mark): Suggest why there has been a recent increase in the number of children catching measles (lines 12–13). [1 mark]
  39. June 2022, AS Paper 1, Q09.5 (2 marks): Explain why giving children more than one tetanus vaccination develops good immunity against tetanus (lines 15–17). [2 marks]
  40. June 2022, AS Paper 2, Q03.3 (3 marks): The protein ZO-1 is found on the surface of ileum cells. A scientist used an anti-ZO-1 monoclonal antibody to identify ileum cells in a sample of intestine obse
  41. November 2021, Paper 1, Q07.1 (3 marks): ADCs are molecules made of a monoclonal antibody linked to a cancer drug. Figure 8 shows how an ADC enters and kills a tumour cell. The process of entering the
  42. November 2021, Paper 1, Q07.2 (2 marks): Some of the antigens found on the surface of tumour cells are also found on the surface of healthy human cells. Use this information to explain why treatment wi
  43. November 2021, Paper 1, Q07.3 (2 marks): Mice in Group H were injected with 2 mg kg–1 of monoclonal antibody. The monoclonal antibody was in a solution of concentration 500 mg dm–3 Calculate the volume
  44. November 2021, Paper 1, Q07.4 (1 mark): Suggest one reason why there are no data for Group G and Group H after day 8 [1 mark]
  45. November 2021, Paper 1, Q07.5 (2 marks): Suggest and explain two further investigations that should be done before this ADC is tested on human breast cancer patients. [2 marks] 1 2
  46. November 2021, Paper 3, Q02.1 (4 marks): Describe how the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) is replicated once inside helper T cells (TH cells). [4 marks]
  47. November 2021, Paper 3, Q02.2 (5 marks): Use the information given to evaluate the use of BSCT to treat HIV infections. [5 marks]
  48. November 2021, Paper 3, Q07.1 (25 marks): The importance of complementary shapes of molecules in organisms [25 marks] Or
  49. November 2021, AS Paper 1, Q02.2 (4 marks): Describe how HIV is replicated. [4 marks]
  50. November 2021, AS Paper 1, Q09.3 (3 marks): Describe how mice injected with human EPO produce anti-human EPO antibody (line 14). [3 marks]
  51. November 2021, AS Paper 1, Q09.4 (3 marks): Describe the roles of anti-human EPO antibody and anti-mouse antibody with enzyme attached (lines 14−16) in producing a positive result for EPO in the ELISA tes
  52. November 2021, AS Paper 1, Q09.5 (1 mark): Some people object to using monoclonal antibodies in testing programmes. Use information in the passage to suggest why. [1 mark]
  53. November 2020, Paper 1, Q07.2 (3 marks): Some people eat red meat for many years without having any reaction, then have an allergic reaction to the alpha-gal in red meat. An allergic reaction is caused
  54. November 2020, Paper 1, Q07.3 (2 marks): A tick is a small animal that bites humans and feeds on their blood. This results in proteins from the tick saliva entering the human body. Scientists have sugg
  55. November 2020, Paper 1, Q07.4 (3 marks): Scientists took blood samples from one man over several weeks and measured the concentration of antibody in the man’s blood. During this time, the man had two t
  56. November 2020, Paper 3, Q03.4 (3 marks): Describe how the B lymphocytes of a frog would respond to vaccination against Ranavirus. You can assume that the B lymphocytes of a frog respond in the same way
  57. November 2020, AS Paper 1, Q03.1 (3 marks): Describe how a phagocyte destroys a pathogen present in the blood. [3 marks]
  58. November 2020, AS Paper 1, Q03.2 (2 marks): Give two types of cell, other than pathogens, that can stimulate an immune response. [2 marks] 1 2
  59. November 2020, AS Paper 1, Q03.3 (1 mark): Figure 2 shows the structure of an antibody. Figure 2 Label Figure 2 with an X to show where an antigen-antibody complex forms. [1 mark]
  60. November 2020, AS Paper 2, Q07.1 (3 marks): Explain how HIV affects the production of antibodies when AIDS develops in a person. [3 marks]
  61. November 2020, AS Paper 2, Q07.2 (5 marks): A scientist measured the effect of a drug on the number of T cells and the number of HIV particles in blood taken from a person with AIDS. The results are shown
  62. June 2019, AS Paper 2, Q04.1 (2 marks): Describe and explain the role of antibodies in stimulating phagocytosis. Do not include details about the process of phagocytosis. [2 marks]
  63. June 2019, AS Paper 2, Q04.2 (2 marks): The scientists discovered that the concentration of anti-meningitis antibody of the mouse labelled Z in Figure 4 decreased after the 3rd injection at a constant
  64. June 2019, AS Paper 2, Q04.3 (4 marks): Using Figure 4, what can you conclude about the effectiveness of each injection on the immune response of these mice? [4 marks]
  65. June 2019, AS Paper 2, Q04.4 (2 marks): The scientists hypothesised that memory B cells had formed in the mice 180 days after the 3rd injection. Suggest and explain a practical method the scientists c
  66. June 2017, AS Paper 1, Q10.1 (4 marks): Suggest and explain why AZT does not destroy HIV in the body but stops or slows the development of AIDS (lines 3–4). [4 marks] [ ]
  67. June 2017, AS Paper 1, Q10.2 (4 marks): Suggest and explain two advantages of using HAART (lines 7–9). [4 marks] Advantage 1 Advantage 2
  68. June 2016, AS Paper 2, Q07.2 (2 marks): People with the CCR5 mutation show a greater resistance to developing AIDS. Explain why. [2 mark
  69. Specimen, Paper 1, Q07.1 (2 marks): 1 2 5
  70. Specimen, Paper 1, Q07.2 (2 marks): The solution will remain yellow if a person is not infected with HIV. Explain why. [2 marks] 0 7 . 2
  71. Specimen, Paper 1, Q07.3 (2 marks): A mother who was infected with HIV gave birth to a baby. The baby tested positive using this test. This does not prove the baby is infected with HIV. Explain wh
  72. Specimen, Paper 1, Q07.4 (2 marks): 1 2 6
  73. Specimen, Paper 3, Q04.1 (2 marks): The doctors compared median survival times for patients in each group. How would you find the median survival time for a group of patients? [2 marks] 0 4 . 1
  74. Specimen, Paper 3, Q04.2 (1 mark): In many trials of new drugs, a control group of patients is given a placebo that does not contain any drug. The control group in this investigation had been tre
  75. Specimen, Paper 3, Q04.3 (4 marks): [ ]
  76. Specimen, Paper 3, Q04.4 (3 marks): [ ]

Questions, mark schemes and examiner’s reports are © AQA, from their published past papers. Plumi isn’t affiliated with any exam board. Want whole papers? Every AQA A-Level Biology paper.

Rather write your answers by hand on iPad? Plumi marks them against the same mark schemes.