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Variation and evolution: AQA GCSE Biology questions

Every AQA GCSE Biology exam question on 4.6.2 Variation and evolution, 2018–2025, with its mark scheme and examiner’s report.

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1,505 questions

  1. Q04.3

    June 2025 · Paper 2 Higher

    4 marks4.6.2 Variation and evolution
    The whole paper ↗
    June 2025 Paper 2 Higher, question 04.3: Describe how scientists can transfer the gene for hGH from human cells to bacterial cells. Use information from Figure 4. [4 marks]

  2. Q04.4

    June 2025 · Paper 2 Higher

    2 marks4.6.2 Variation and evolution
    The whole paper ↗
    June 2025 Paper 2 Higher, question 04.4: Growth hormone (GH) can be extracted from the urine of farm animals. It is better to use hGH made by genetic engineering than to use GH from the urine of farm a

  3. Q06.8

    June 2025 · Paper 2 Higher

    2 marks4.6.1 Reproduction4.6.2 Variation and evolution
    The whole paper ↗
    June 2025 Paper 2 Higher, question 06.8: Describe two advantages of sexual reproduction for the survival of strawberry plants. [2 marks] 1 2

  4. Q08.4

    June 2025 · Paper 2 Higher

    2 marks4.2.2 Animal tissues, organs and organ systems4.6.2 Variation and evolution
    The whole paper ↗
    June 2025 Paper 2 Higher, question 08.4: The fur on the nose, ears and feet of Himalayan rabbits is white for the first four weeks of life. Explain what causes the fur to be white in the first four wee

  5. Q03.7

    June 2025 · Paper 2 Foundation

    1 mark4.6.1 Reproduction4.6.2 Variation and evolution
    The whole paper ↗
    June 2025 Paper 2 Foundation, question 03.7: Give one advantage of reproducing sexually. [1 mark]

  6. Q03.8

    June 2025 · Paper 2 Foundation

    1 mark4.6.1 Reproduction4.6.2 Variation and evolution
    The whole paper ↗
    June 2025 Paper 2 Foundation, question 03.8: Give one advantage of reproducing asexually. [1 mark]

  7. Q05.3

    June 2025 · Paper 2 Foundation

    1 mark4.6.2 Variation and evolution
    The whole paper ↗
    June 2025 Paper 2 Foundation, question 05.3: Sometimes a change occurs in the sequence of the compounds A, C, G and T in the DNA. What name is given to a change in DNA? [1 mark] Tick () one box. Different

  8. Q01.1

    June 2024 · Paper 2 Higher

    1 mark4.6.2 Variation and evolution
    The whole paper ↗
    June 2024 Paper 2 Higher, question 01.1: What is a mutation? [1 mark]

  9. Q01.2

    June 2024 · Paper 2 Higher

    3 marks4.6.2 Variation and evolution4.6.3 The development of understanding of genetics and evolution
    The whole paper ↗
    June 2024 Paper 2 Higher, question 01.2: Describe the process of natural selection. [3 marks]

  10. Q01.3

    June 2024 · Paper 2 Higher

    1 mark4.6.2 Variation and evolution4.6.3 The development of understanding of genetics and evolution
    The whole paper ↗
    June 2024 Paper 2 Higher, question 01.3: Which scientists suggested the theory of evolution by natural selection? [1 mark] Tick () one box. Alexander Fleming and Carl Woese Alfred Wallace and Alexande

  11. Q09.2

    June 2024 · Paper 2 Higher

    2 marks4.6.2 Variation and evolution
    The whole paper ↗
    June 2024 Paper 2 Higher, question 09.2: Suggest two reasons why some people are concerned about the use of GM soya bean plants. Do not refer to ethical concerns or religion in your answer. [2 marks] 1

  12. Q02.6

    June 2024 · Paper 2 Foundation

    1 mark4.6.2 Variation and evolution4.7.1 Adaptations, interdependence and competition
    The whole paper ↗
    June 2024 Paper 2 Foundation, question 02.6: 32 thousand years ago, humans hunted other animals for food. Wolves also hunted other animals for food. Suggest one reason why wolves began to follow groups of

  13. Q02.7

    June 2024 · Paper 2 Foundation

    2 marks4.6.2 Variation and evolution
    The whole paper ↗
    June 2024 Paper 2 Foundation, question 02.7: Some wolves are more aggressive than other wolves. Describe how selective breeding of wolves could produce a domestic animal that is less aggressive than the wo

  14. Q03.1

    June 2024 · Paper 2 Foundation

    1 mark4.6.2 Variation and evolution
    The whole paper ↗
    June 2024 Paper 2 Foundation, question 03.1: and 03.2. 0 3 . 1 Which part of the virus is put into the yeast cell? [1 mark]

  15. Q03.2

    June 2024 · Paper 2 Foundation

    1 mark4.6.2 Variation and evolution
    The whole paper ↗
    June 2024 Paper 2 Foundation, question 03.2: Which part of the virus is made by the yeast cell? [1 mark]

  16. Q03.3

    June 2024 · Paper 2 Foundation

    1 mark4.6.2 Variation and evolution
    The whole paper ↗
    June 2024 Paper 2 Foundation, question 03.3: A long time ago, vaccines were made in a different way. The virus was heated to stop it reproducing. The vaccine contained whole viruses. Why might the vaccine

  17. Q03.5

    June 2024 · Paper 2 Foundation

    1 mark4.6.2 Variation and evolution4.7.5 Food production
    The whole paper ↗
    June 2024 Paper 2 Foundation, question 03.5: Suggest one advantage of using glyphosate on fields where GM maize is growing. [1 mark]

  18. Q03.6

    June 2024 · Paper 2 Foundation

    1 mark4.6.2 Variation and evolution4.7.3 Biodiversity and the effect of human interaction on ecosystems
    The whole paper ↗
    June 2024 Paper 2 Foundation, question 03.6: Suggest one problem of using glyphosate on fields where GM maize is growing. Do not refer to cost in your answer. [1 mark]

  19. Q07.1

    June 2024 · Paper 2 Foundation

    1 mark4.6.2 Variation and evolution
    The whole paper ↗
    June 2024 Paper 2 Foundation, question 07.1: Tube 1 contains no chemical Q. Tube 1 is a control. Why did the gardener include tube 1 in the investigation? [1 mark]

  20. Q07.3

    June 2024 · Paper 2 Foundation

    1 mark4.6.2 Variation and evolution
    The whole paper ↗
    June 2024 Paper 2 Foundation, question 07.3: What was the best concentration of chemical Q for stimulating root growth? [1 mark] Tick () one box. 0.01 arbitrary units 0.1 arbitrary units 1 arbitrary unit
All 50 questions on Variation and evolution, as a list
  1. June 2025, Paper 2 Higher, Q04.3 (4 marks): Describe how scientists can transfer the gene for hGH from human cells to bacterial cells. Use information from Figure 4. [4 marks]
  2. June 2025, Paper 2 Higher, Q04.4 (2 marks): Growth hormone (GH) can be extracted from the urine of farm animals. It is better to use hGH made by genetic engineering than to use GH from the urine of farm a
  3. June 2025, Paper 2 Higher, Q06.8 (2 marks): Describe two advantages of sexual reproduction for the survival of strawberry plants. [2 marks] 1 2
  4. June 2025, Paper 2 Higher, Q08.4 (2 marks): The fur on the nose, ears and feet of Himalayan rabbits is white for the first four weeks of life. Explain what causes the fur to be white in the first four wee
  5. June 2025, Paper 2 Foundation, Q03.7 (1 mark): Give one advantage of reproducing sexually. [1 mark]
  6. June 2025, Paper 2 Foundation, Q03.8 (1 mark): Give one advantage of reproducing asexually. [1 mark]
  7. June 2025, Paper 2 Foundation, Q05.3 (1 mark): Sometimes a change occurs in the sequence of the compounds A, C, G and T in the DNA. What name is given to a change in DNA? [1 mark] Tick () one box. Different
  8. June 2024, Paper 2 Higher, Q01.1 (1 mark): What is a mutation? [1 mark]
  9. June 2024, Paper 2 Higher, Q01.2 (3 marks): Describe the process of natural selection. [3 marks]
  10. June 2024, Paper 2 Higher, Q01.3 (1 mark): Which scientists suggested the theory of evolution by natural selection? [1 mark] Tick () one box. Alexander Fleming and Carl Woese Alfred Wallace and Alexande
  11. June 2024, Paper 2 Higher, Q09.2 (2 marks): Suggest two reasons why some people are concerned about the use of GM soya bean plants. Do not refer to ethical concerns or religion in your answer. [2 marks] 1
  12. June 2024, Paper 2 Foundation, Q02.6 (1 mark): 32 thousand years ago, humans hunted other animals for food. Wolves also hunted other animals for food. Suggest one reason why wolves began to follow groups of
  13. June 2024, Paper 2 Foundation, Q02.7 (2 marks): Some wolves are more aggressive than other wolves. Describe how selective breeding of wolves could produce a domestic animal that is less aggressive than the wo
  14. June 2024, Paper 2 Foundation, Q03.1 (1 mark): and 03.2. 0 3 . 1 Which part of the virus is put into the yeast cell? [1 mark]
  15. June 2024, Paper 2 Foundation, Q03.2 (1 mark): Which part of the virus is made by the yeast cell? [1 mark]
  16. June 2024, Paper 2 Foundation, Q03.3 (1 mark): A long time ago, vaccines were made in a different way. The virus was heated to stop it reproducing. The vaccine contained whole viruses. Why might the vaccine
  17. June 2024, Paper 2 Foundation, Q03.5 (1 mark): Suggest one advantage of using glyphosate on fields where GM maize is growing. [1 mark]
  18. June 2024, Paper 2 Foundation, Q03.6 (1 mark): Suggest one problem of using glyphosate on fields where GM maize is growing. Do not refer to cost in your answer. [1 mark]
  19. June 2024, Paper 2 Foundation, Q07.1 (1 mark): Tube 1 contains no chemical Q. Tube 1 is a control. Why did the gardener include tube 1 in the investigation? [1 mark]
  20. June 2024, Paper 2 Foundation, Q07.3 (1 mark): What was the best concentration of chemical Q for stimulating root growth? [1 mark] Tick () one box. 0.01 arbitrary units 0.1 arbitrary units 1 arbitrary unit
  21. June 2024, Paper 2 Foundation, Q07.4 (1 mark): Give evidence from Figure 8 that a high concentration of chemical Q may be toxic to geranium plants. [1 mark]
  22. June 2024, Paper 2 Foundation, Q07.5 (4 marks): The gardener has four types of geranium plant: A, B, C and D. Plant A produces larger, more brightly-coloured flowers than any of the other plants. The gardener
  23. June 2024, Paper 2 Foundation, Q09.1 (1 mark): What is a mutation? [1 mark]
  24. June 2024, Paper 2 Foundation, Q09.2 (3 marks): Describe the process of natural selection. [3 marks]
  25. June 2024, Paper 2 Foundation, Q09.3 (1 mark): Which scientists suggested the theory of evolution by natural selection? [1 mark] Tick () one box. Alexander Fleming and Carl Woese Alfred Wallace and Alexande
  26. June 2023, Paper 2 Higher, Q01.3 (1 mark): Scientists think the brambling and the bullfinch belong to different species. What evidence is used by scientists to classify the brambling and the bullfinch as
  27. June 2023, Paper 2 Higher, Q03.3 (1 mark): Scientists can grow genetically identical tomato plants using tissue culture. What is tissue culture? [1 mark]
  28. June 2023, Paper 2 Higher, Q03.4 (1 mark): Genetically identical tomato plants growing in the same garden do not all grow to the same height. Give one reason why. [1 mark]
  29. June 2023, Paper 2 Higher, Q03.7 (2 marks): Suggest two control variables the farmer should have used in this investigation. [2 marks] 1 2
  30. June 2023, Paper 2 Higher, Q03.8 (1 mark): Figure 5 shows mean values from 500 chickens of each variety. Give the reason the farmer used a large number of chickens. [1 mark]
  31. June 2023, Paper 2 Higher, Q03.9 (4 marks): The farmer wants to produce a new variety of chicken that is good for both meat production and egg production. Describe how selective breeding of chicken variet
  32. June 2023, Paper 2 Foundation, Q07.3 (1 mark): Scientists think the brambling and the bullfinch belong to different species. What evidence is used by scientists to classify the brambling and the bullfinch as
  33. June 2023, Paper 2 Foundation, Q09.3 (1 mark): Scientists can grow genetically identical tomato plants using tissue culture. What is tissue culture? [1 mark]
  34. June 2023, Paper 2 Foundation, Q09.4 (1 mark): Genetically identical tomato plants growing in the same garden do not all grow to the same height. Give one reason why. [1 mark]
  35. June 2023, Paper 2 Foundation, Q09.7 (2 marks): Suggest two control variables the farmer should have used in this investigation. [2 marks] 1 2
  36. June 2023, Paper 2 Foundation, Q09.8 (1 mark): Figure 16 shows mean values from 500 chickens of each variety. Give the reason the farmer used a large number of chickens. [1 mark]
  37. June 2023, Paper 2 Foundation, Q09.9 (4 marks): The farmer wants to produce a new variety of chicken that is good for both meat production and egg production. Describe how selective breeding of chicken variet
  38. November 2021, Paper 2 Higher, Q08.4 (3 marks): Without medical treatment, people with sickle cell anaemia are frequently ill and have a reduced life expectancy. The malarial parasite cannot live in the red b
  39. November 2021, Paper 2 Higher, Q09.3 (1 mark): Give evidence from Figure 17 that beak depth is an inherited characteristic. [1 mark]
  40. November 2021, Paper 2 Foundation, Q01.5 (2 marks): Which two of the following provide evidence for evolution? [2 marks] Tick () two boxes. Bacteria can become resistant to an antibiotic. Early forms of life liv
  41. November 2020, Paper 2 Higher, Q02.7 (1 mark): Suggest one reason why some people are concerned about the use of golden rice. [1 mark]
  42. November 2020, Paper 2 Higher, Q06.5 (6 marks): The eyes of some birds contain cells that detect ultraviolet (UV) light. UV light is reflected by some fruits and the urine of small mammals. Explain how birds
  43. November 2020, Paper 2 Foundation, Q03.8 (1 mark): A genetic disorder develops as a result of a change in a gene. What scientific term describes a change in a gene? [1 mark]
  44. November 2020, Paper 2 Foundation, Q09.7 (1 mark): Suggest one reason why some people are concerned about the use of golden rice. [1 mark]
  45. Specimen, Paper 2 Higher, Q03.1: Suggest two other reasons why people might selectively breed cats. [2 mar 1 2
  46. Specimen, Paper 2 Higher, Q03.2: Selective breeding could cause problems of inbreeding in cats. Describe one problem inbreeding causes. [1 ma
  47. Specimen, Paper 2 Higher, Q03.3 (4 marks): Many people have breathing problems because they are allergic to cats. The allergy is caused by a chemical called Fel D1. Different cats produce different amoun
  48. Specimen, Paper 2 Foundation, Q12.1: Suggest two other reasons why people might selectively breed cats. [2 mar 1 2
  49. Specimen, Paper 2 Foundation, Q12.2: Selective breeding could cause problems of inbreeding in cats. Describe one problem inbreeding causes. [1 ma 5
  50. Specimen, Paper 2 Foundation, Q12.3 (4 marks): Many people have breathing problems because they are allergic to cats. The allergy is caused by a chemical called Fel D1. Different cats produce different amoun

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