Skip to content
Try on iPad

Evolution may lead to speciation: AQA A‑Level Biology questions

Every AQA A-Level Biology exam question on 3.7.3 Evolution may lead to speciation, 2016–2025, with its mark scheme and examiner’s report.

Find questions1,383
Calculations

1,383 questions

  1. Q09.1

    June 2025 · AS Paper 1

    1 mark3.7.3 Evolution may lead to speciation
    The whole paper ↗
    June 2025 AS Paper 1, question 09.1: Penicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (PRSA) have evolved by natural selection (lines 1–2). Name the type of natural selection. [1 mark]

  2. Q09.2

    June 2025 · AS Paper 1

    3 marks3.7.3 Evolution may lead to speciation
    The whole paper ↗
    June 2025 AS Paper 1, question 09.2: By the late 1960s, more than 80% of S. aureus were resistant to penicillin (lines 3–4). Explain why. [3 marks]

  3. Q10.1

    June 2024 · Paper 2

    2 marks3.7.3 Evolution may lead to speciation
    The whole paper ↗
    June 2024 Paper 2, question 10.1: The wall gecko shows phenotypic diversity (lines 1–2). Suggest two factors that have resulted in this phenotypic diversity. [2 marks] 1 2

  4. Q10.2

    June 2024 · Paper 2

    2 marks3.7.3 Evolution may lead to speciation
    The whole paper ↗
    June 2024 Paper 2, question 10.2: The ability of diurnal geckos to change skin colour (lines 7–8) is advantageous. Explain why. [2 marks]

  5. Q10.3

    June 2024 · Paper 2

    5 marks3.7.3 Evolution may lead to speciation
    The whole paper ↗
    June 2024 Paper 2, question 10.3: The scientists concluded that it was probable that disruptive selection was leading to sympatric speciation in the wall gecko. Use the information in the passag

  6. Q05.3

    June 2024 · Paper 3

    2 marks3.7.3 Evolution may lead to speciation
    The whole paper ↗
    June 2024 Paper 3, question 05.3: The frequency of LS is higher in the Faroe Islands than globally. Suggest and explain one reason why. [2 marks]

  7. Q03.4

    June 2023 · Paper 1

    1 mark3.7.3 Evolution may lead to speciation
    The whole paper ↗
    June 2023 Paper 1, question 03.4: There are an estimated 229 million cases of human malaria worldwide per year. 94% of these cases are found in Africa, but are not caused by P. vivax. P. vivax d

  8. Q03.5

    June 2023 · Paper 1

    4 marks3.7.3 Evolution may lead to speciation
    The whole paper ↗
    June 2023 Paper 1, question 03.5: In Africa today, most of the human population are resistant to malaria caused by P. vivax. Use your knowledge of natural selection to explain why this resistanc

  9. Q05.3

    June 2023 · Paper 2

    5 marks3.7.3 Evolution may lead to speciation
    The whole paper ↗
    June 2023 Paper 2, question 05.3: Variation in flower colour is considered one of the factors involved in the evolution of the following two species of monkeyflower. • Erythranthe lewisii (Great

  10. Q06.3

    June 2023 · AS Paper 2

    4 marks3.7.3 Evolution may lead to speciation
    The whole paper ↗
    June 2023 AS Paper 2, question 06.3: Mammals feed their young on milk. CEL digests the triglycerides in milk. The ability to produce CEL occurred due to a gene mutation. Describe how natural select

  11. Q05.1

    June 2022 · Paper 2

    3 marks3.7.3 Evolution may lead to speciation
    The whole paper ↗
    June 2022 Paper 2, question 05.1: Using Figure 2, give three conclusions you can make about the distribution of these lemur species. [3 marks] 1 2 3

  12. Q05.2

    June 2022 · Paper 2

    5 marks3.7.3 Evolution may lead to speciation
    The whole paper ↗
    June 2022 Paper 2, question 05.2: Using all the information, suggest how speciation happened to produce two species of lemur. [5 marks]

  13. Q05.6

    June 2022 · Paper 3

    2 marks3.7.3 Evolution may lead to speciation
    The whole paper ↗
    June 2022 Paper 3, question 05.6: A journalist published the following summary of these results. ‘The more recently a shade-tolerant plant species evolved, the greater the concentration of poiso

  14. Q08.1

    June 2022 · AS Paper 2

    1 mark3.7.3 Evolution may lead to speciation
    The whole paper ↗
    June 2022 AS Paper 2, question 08.1: The scientist concluded that the mean number of spots on the guppies changed in this fish tank because the brightly coloured stones had affected the behaviour o

  15. Q08.2

    June 2022 · AS Paper 2

    2 marks3.7.3 Evolution may lead to speciation
    The whole paper ↗
    June 2022 AS Paper 2, question 08.2: Suggest: • a further investigation the scientist could do to confirm that the brightly coloured stones had affected guppy behaviour • a null hypothesis for the

  16. Q08.3

    June 2022 · AS Paper 2

    4 marks3.7.3 Evolution may lead to speciation
    The whole paper ↗
    June 2022 AS Paper 2, question 08.3: The scientist repeated the investigation of guppy breeding in an identical fish tank, but added predators of the guppies into the fish tank at the fourth genera

  17. Q10.1

    November 2021 · Paper 2

    4 marks3.7.3 Evolution may lead to speciation
    The whole paper ↗
    November 2021 Paper 2, question 10.1: Lake Malawi in East Africa has more species of fish than any other lake in the world (line 1). Suggest and explain how this speciation may have occurred. [4 mar

  18. Q06.3

    November 2021 · AS Paper 2

    4 marks3.7.3 Evolution may lead to speciation
    The whole paper ↗
    November 2021 AS Paper 2, question 06.3: Alcohol is toxic to fruit flies. Suggest and explain why the frequency of the ADF allele changed during the 45 generations. [4 marks]

  19. Q06.4

    November 2021 · AS Paper 2

    1 mark3.7.3 Evolution may lead to speciation
    The whole paper ↗
    November 2021 AS Paper 2, question 06.4: Identify the type of selection investigated in the 45 generations of fruit fly reproduction. Tick () one box. [1 mark] No selection Directional selection Rando

  20. Q10.4

    November 2020 · Paper 2

    2 marks3.7.3 Evolution may lead to speciation
    The whole paper ↗
    November 2020 Paper 2, question 10.4: Climatic change has reduced the survival rate of snowshoe hares in mountain habitats (lines 11−13). Suggest and explain how. [2 marks]
All 35 questions on Evolution may lead to speciation, as a list
  1. June 2025, AS Paper 1, Q09.1 (1 mark): Penicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (PRSA) have evolved by natural selection (lines 1–2). Name the type of natural selection. [1 mark]
  2. June 2025, AS Paper 1, Q09.2 (3 marks): By the late 1960s, more than 80% of S. aureus were resistant to penicillin (lines 3–4). Explain why. [3 marks]
  3. June 2024, Paper 2, Q10.1 (2 marks): The wall gecko shows phenotypic diversity (lines 1–2). Suggest two factors that have resulted in this phenotypic diversity. [2 marks] 1 2
  4. June 2024, Paper 2, Q10.2 (2 marks): The ability of diurnal geckos to change skin colour (lines 7–8) is advantageous. Explain why. [2 marks]
  5. June 2024, Paper 2, Q10.3 (5 marks): The scientists concluded that it was probable that disruptive selection was leading to sympatric speciation in the wall gecko. Use the information in the passag
  6. June 2024, Paper 3, Q05.3 (2 marks): The frequency of LS is higher in the Faroe Islands than globally. Suggest and explain one reason why. [2 marks]
  7. June 2023, Paper 1, Q03.4 (1 mark): There are an estimated 229 million cases of human malaria worldwide per year. 94% of these cases are found in Africa, but are not caused by P. vivax. P. vivax d
  8. June 2023, Paper 1, Q03.5 (4 marks): In Africa today, most of the human population are resistant to malaria caused by P. vivax. Use your knowledge of natural selection to explain why this resistanc
  9. June 2023, Paper 2, Q05.3 (5 marks): Variation in flower colour is considered one of the factors involved in the evolution of the following two species of monkeyflower. • Erythranthe lewisii (Great
  10. June 2023, AS Paper 2, Q06.3 (4 marks): Mammals feed their young on milk. CEL digests the triglycerides in milk. The ability to produce CEL occurred due to a gene mutation. Describe how natural select
  11. June 2022, Paper 2, Q05.1 (3 marks): Using Figure 2, give three conclusions you can make about the distribution of these lemur species. [3 marks] 1 2 3
  12. June 2022, Paper 2, Q05.2 (5 marks): Using all the information, suggest how speciation happened to produce two species of lemur. [5 marks]
  13. June 2022, Paper 3, Q05.6 (2 marks): A journalist published the following summary of these results. ‘The more recently a shade-tolerant plant species evolved, the greater the concentration of poiso
  14. June 2022, AS Paper 2, Q08.1 (1 mark): The scientist concluded that the mean number of spots on the guppies changed in this fish tank because the brightly coloured stones had affected the behaviour o
  15. June 2022, AS Paper 2, Q08.2 (2 marks): Suggest: • a further investigation the scientist could do to confirm that the brightly coloured stones had affected guppy behaviour • a null hypothesis for the
  16. June 2022, AS Paper 2, Q08.3 (4 marks): The scientist repeated the investigation of guppy breeding in an identical fish tank, but added predators of the guppies into the fish tank at the fourth genera
  17. November 2021, Paper 2, Q10.1 (4 marks): Lake Malawi in East Africa has more species of fish than any other lake in the world (line 1). Suggest and explain how this speciation may have occurred. [4 mar
  18. November 2021, AS Paper 2, Q06.3 (4 marks): Alcohol is toxic to fruit flies. Suggest and explain why the frequency of the ADF allele changed during the 45 generations. [4 marks]
  19. November 2021, AS Paper 2, Q06.4 (1 mark): Identify the type of selection investigated in the 45 generations of fruit fly reproduction. Tick () one box. [1 mark] No selection Directional selection Rando
  20. November 2020, Paper 2, Q10.4 (2 marks): Climatic change has reduced the survival rate of snowshoe hares in mountain habitats (lines 11−13). Suggest and explain how. [2 marks]
  21. November 2020, Paper 2, Q10.5 (4 marks): Snowshoe hares within a population moult at different times (line 15). Explain how this could ensure the survival of snowshoe hare populations in these mountain
  22. November 2020, Paper 3, Q01.2 (3 marks): Suggest and explain the advantage of this behaviour to the population of guppies. [3 marks]
  23. November 2020, Paper 3, Q01.3 (3 marks): Describe how the behaviour of female guppies could result in sympatric speciation. [3 marks]
  24. November 2020, AS Paper 1, Q08.1 (4 marks): Draw, on Figure 8, a suitable chart to show the distribution of birth mass for this population of babies. [4 marks] Figure 8
  25. November 2020, AS Paper 1, Q08.2 (2 marks): Babies with birth mass less than 2.5 kg are classified as low birth mass. Use information in Table 4 and the equation to calculate the number of babies born wit
  26. November 2020, AS Paper 1, Q08.3 (3 marks): State three conclusions that can be drawn from the data in Figure 9. [3 marks] 1 2 3
  27. June 2019, AS Paper 2, Q07.1 (2 marks): What type of selection were the scientists modelling in this investigation by putting back only the largest or only the smallest fish in Tank A and Tank C? Give
  28. June 2019, AS Paper 2, Q07.2 (2 marks): Explain the purpose of Tank B (on page 21). [2 marks]
  29. June 2019, AS Paper 2, Q07.3 (2 marks): Calculate the ratio of the mean mass of fish removed from Tank A (on page 21) to the mean mass of fish removed from Tank C (on page 21) at 1 year and at 4 years
  30. June 2019, AS Paper 2, Q07.4 (3 marks): Sea fishing is regulated in law. The size of the mesh used in some fishing nets is controlled so that small fish can escape but large fish are captured. This re
  31. June 2018, Paper 2, Q09.1 (4 marks): One hypothesis for LP in humans suggests that the selective pressure was related to some human populations farming cattle as a source of milk. Describe how farm
  32. June 2017, Paper 2, Q09.2 (5 marks): Lord Howe Island in the Tasman Sea possesses two species of palm tree which have arisen via sympatric speciation. The two species diverged from each other after
  33. June 2017, Paper 2, Q10.4 (2 marks): 1 0 Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is a non-reversible brain disorder that develops over a number of years. At the start of 2014 the number of Americans with AD was e
  34. June 2016, AS Paper 2, Q07.3 (2 marks): The frequency of the CCR5 mutation is highest in Europe. Scientists have collected data on the history and number of HIV infections in Europe. Using these data,
  35. Specimen, Paper 2, Q06.2 (4 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.