Using the Earth's resources and obtaining potable water: AQA GCSE Combined Science questions

Every AQA GCSE Combined Science exam question on 5.10.1 Using the Earth's resources and obtaining potable water, 2018–2025, with its mark scheme and examiner’s report.

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3,069 questions

Q03.1
June 2025 · Chemistry Paper 2 Higher
1 mark5.7.1 Carbon compounds as fuels and feedstock 5.10.1 Using the Earth's resources and obtaining potable water
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Q06.1
June 2025 · Chemistry Paper 2 Higher
5 marks5.3.2 Use of amount of substance in relation to masses of pure substances 5.10.1 Using the Earth's resources and obtaining potable water
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Q06.2
June 2025 · Chemistry Paper 2 Higher
1 mark5.3.2 Use of amount of substance in relation to masses of pure substances 5.10.1 Using the Earth's resources and obtaining potable water
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Q06.3
June 2025 · Chemistry Paper 2 Higher
3 marks5.10.1 Using the Earth's resources and obtaining potable water 5.10.2 Life cycle assessment and recycling
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Q06.4
June 2025 · Chemistry Paper 2 Higher
2 marks5.10.1 Using the Earth's resources and obtaining potable water
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Q04.1
June 2025 · Chemistry Paper 2 Foundation
1 mark5.10.1 Using the Earth's resources and obtaining potable water
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Q04.2
June 2025 · Chemistry Paper 2 Foundation
1 mark5.10.1 Using the Earth's resources and obtaining potable water
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Q04.3
June 2025 · Chemistry Paper 2 Foundation
3 marks5.10.1 Using the Earth's resources and obtaining potable water
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Q04.4
June 2025 · Chemistry Paper 2 Foundation
4 marks5.10.1 Using the Earth's resources and obtaining potable water
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Q06.1
June 2024 · Chemistry Paper 2 Higher
1 mark5.10.1 Using the Earth's resources and obtaining potable water
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Q06.2
June 2024 · Chemistry Paper 2 Higher
2 marks5.10.1 Using the Earth's resources and obtaining potable water
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Q06.3
June 2024 · Chemistry Paper 2 Higher
2 marks5.10.1 Using the Earth's resources and obtaining potable water
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Q06.4
June 2024 · Chemistry Paper 2 Higher
2 marks5.10.1 Using the Earth's resources and obtaining potable water
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Q06.5
June 2024 · Chemistry Paper 2 Higher
2 marks5.10.1 Using the Earth's resources and obtaining potable water
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Q06.6
June 2024 · Chemistry Paper 2 Higher
3 marks5.10.1 Using the Earth's resources and obtaining potable water
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Q06.7
June 2024 · Chemistry Paper 2 Higher
3 marks5.10.1 Using the Earth's resources and obtaining potable water
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Q04.1
June 2024 · Chemistry Paper 2 Foundation
1 mark5.10.1 Using the Earth's resources and obtaining potable water
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Q04.2
June 2024 · Chemistry Paper 2 Foundation
2 marks5.10.1 Using the Earth's resources and obtaining potable water
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Q04.3
June 2024 · Chemistry Paper 2 Foundation
1 mark5.10.1 Using the Earth's resources and obtaining potable water
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Q04.4
June 2024 · Chemistry Paper 2 Foundation
1 mark5.10.1 Using the Earth's resources and obtaining potable water
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All 81 questions on Using the Earth's resources and obtaining potable water, as a list

June 2025, Chemistry Paper 2 Higher, Q03.1 (1 mark): What is meant by a ‘finite’ resource? [1 mark]
June 2025, Chemistry Paper 2 Higher, Q06.1 (5 marks): In one year, a manufacturer sold 2.48 million of this type of smartphone. Calculate the total mass of gold contained in 2.48 million of these smartphones. Give
June 2025, Chemistry Paper 2 Higher, Q06.2 (1 mark): What is the total number of gold atoms in one of this type of smartphone? The Avogadro constant = 6.02 × 1023 per mole [1 mark] Tick () one box. 2.87 × 10–28 1
June 2025, Chemistry Paper 2 Higher, Q06.3 (3 marks): The materials in printed circuit boards can be recycled. Bioleaching is one method used to extract gold from printed circuit boards. Describe how bioleaching is
June 2025, Chemistry Paper 2 Higher, Q06.4 (2 marks): Copper is also extracted using bioleaching. Copper can also be extracted from low-grade ores using phytomining. Phytomining has not been widely used to extract
June 2025, Chemistry Paper 2 Foundation, Q04.1 (1 mark): What is meant by ‘potable water’? [1 mark] Tick () one box. Water from the ground Water that is pure Water that is safe to drink
June 2025, Chemistry Paper 2 Foundation, Q04.2 (1 mark): Waste water needs treatment before the water is put back into rivers and the sea. The first stage of waste water treatment is to pass the waste water through me
June 2025, Chemistry Paper 2 Foundation, Q04.3 (3 marks): One sheep produces 4.5 kg of wool. 50 g of wool is needed to make a hat. Calculate the number of hats that can be made from the wool of one sheep. 1 kg = 1000 g
June 2025, Chemistry Paper 2 Foundation, Q04.4 (4 marks): Table 4 gives information about poly(propene) and wool. Table 4 Poly(propene) Wool Source of material Crude oil Sheep Level of insulation High Medium Cost Low H
June 2024, Chemistry Paper 2 Higher, Q06.1 (1 mark): Give one disadvantage of using distillation to produce potable water. [1 mark]
June 2024, Chemistry Paper 2 Higher, Q06.2 (2 marks): Describe one other method to produce potable water from sea water. [2 marks]
June 2024, Chemistry Paper 2 Higher, Q06.3 (2 marks): Explain how repeating steps 4 and 5 would improve this method. [2 marks]
June 2024, Chemistry Paper 2 Higher, Q06.4 (2 marks): The total mass of dissolved solids in a 100 cm3 sample of sea water is 3.50 g. The percentage of sodium chloride in the dissolved solids is 77.8%. Calculate the
June 2024, Chemistry Paper 2 Higher, Q06.5 (2 marks): One method of producing copper from low-grade copper ores is by using bacteria. The bacteria produce leachate solutions that contain copper compounds. Give two
June 2024, Chemistry Paper 2 Higher, Q06.6 (3 marks): Describe how the metal compounds are obtained from the plants. [3 marks]
June 2024, Chemistry Paper 2 Higher, Q06.7 (3 marks): Nickel is produced by phytomining. One hectare of plants produces 215 kg of nickel. Determine the area required to produce 750 kg of nickel. Give your answer in
June 2024, Chemistry Paper 2 Foundation, Q04.1 (1 mark): What name is given to water that is safe to drink? [1 mark] Tick () one box. Ground water Potable water Waste water
June 2024, Chemistry Paper 2 Foundation, Q04.2 (2 marks): Water is sterilised to make the water safe to drink. Which two of the following are used to sterilise drinking water? [2 marks] Tick () two boxes. Carbon dioxi
June 2024, Chemistry Paper 2 Foundation, Q04.3 (1 mark): Which is the most suitable equipment to measure 100 cm3 of water? [1 mark] Tick () one box. Beaker Conical flask Measuring cylinder
June 2024, Chemistry Paper 2 Foundation, Q04.4 (1 mark): Table 3 shows the results. Table 3 Type of water Mass in grams Evaporating basin Evaporating basin and dissolved solids Dissolved solids River 112.1 113.1 1.0 S
June 2024, Chemistry Paper 2 Foundation, Q04.5 (2 marks): Identify the variables used in the investigation. Draw one line from each variable to the example of the variable. [2 marks]
June 2024, Chemistry Paper 2 Foundation, Q04.6 (3 marks): Complete Figure 3. You should: • complete the scale for the y-axis • plot the data from Table 4 as a bar chart. [3 marks] Figure 3
June 2023, Chemistry Paper 2 Higher, Q04.1 (1 mark): The method used by the student did not give valid results. Describe one improvement the student could make to obtain valid results. [1 mark]
June 2023, Chemistry Paper 2 Higher, Q04.2 (2 marks): Table 2 shows the results. Table 2 Mass of dissolved solids in grams Type of water Test 1 Test 2 Test 3 Mean Distilled water 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 Sea water 0.30
June 2023, Chemistry Paper 2 Higher, Q04.7 (2 marks): Another stage in the production of potable water is filtering. Explain why potable water contains dissolved solids after filtering. [2 marks]
June 2023, Chemistry Paper 2 Foundation, Q01.1 (1 mark): Crude oil is a finite resource. What is a finite resource? [1 mark] Tick () one box. A limited resource A renewable resource A sustainable resource
June 2023, Chemistry Paper 2 Foundation, Q03.1 (1 mark): Give one safety precaution the student should take. [1 mark]
June 2023, Chemistry Paper 2 Foundation, Q03.2 (2 marks): The method used did not give valid results. Which two improvements could the student make to give valid results? [2 marks] Tick () two boxes. Heat until the ma
June 2023, Chemistry Paper 2 Foundation, Q03.3 (1 mark): A different student used a method which gave valid results. Table 2 shows the results. Table 2 Mass of dissolved solids in grams Type of water Test 1 Test 2 Tes
June 2023, Chemistry Paper 2 Foundation, Q03.4 (1 mark): Why is potable water sterilised? [1 mark] Tick () one box. To improve the taste To kill bacteria To remove dissolved solids
June 2023, Chemistry Paper 2 Foundation, Q03.7 (4 marks): Compare the effects of adding fluoride ions to drinking water on tooth decay in people between the ages of 25 and 74. Use data from Figure 6. [4 marks]
June 2023, Chemistry Paper 2 Foundation, Q03.8 (1 mark): Student A says that water companies should add fluoride ions to all drinking water. Student B disagrees. Suggest one reason why Student B may think that fluorid
June 2022, Chemistry Paper 2 Higher, Q02.1 (6 marks): Water that is safe to drink is called potable water. Compare how easily potable water can be obtained from: • waste water (sewage) • ground water (fresh water).
June 2022, Chemistry Paper 2 Higher, Q02.2 (1 mark): Which process can be used to produce potable water from salty water? [1 mark] Tick () one box. Distillation Electrolysis Filtration Sterilisation
June 2022, Chemistry Paper 2 Higher, Q04.5 (6 marks): Window frames can be manufactured from wood or from plastic. Table 2 shows data from a life cycle assessment (LCA) for a wooden window frame and a plastic windo
June 2022, Chemistry Paper 2 Higher, Q05.4 (3 marks): Describe how bioleaching is used to extract copper from low grade ores. [3 marks]
June 2022, Chemistry Paper 2 Higher, Q05.5 (4 marks): Phytomining uses plants to extract nickel from low grade ores. The plants contain 0.792% nickel by mass. The plants are burned to produce ash. The ash from thes
June 2022, Chemistry Paper 2 Foundation, Q02.5 (3 marks): Figure 4 shows the relative amount of electricity generated from different fuel sources in the UK from 2012 to 2018. Figure 4 Describe what happens to the amoun
June 2022, Chemistry Paper 2 Foundation, Q07.1 (6 marks): Water that is safe to drink is called potable water. Compare how easily potable water can be obtained from: • waste water (sewage) • ground water (fresh water).
June 2022, Chemistry Paper 2 Foundation, Q07.2 (1 mark): Which process can be used to produce potable water from salty water? [1 mark] Tick () one box. Distillation Electrolysis Filtration Sterilisation
November 2021, Chemistry Paper 2 Higher, Q03.4 (4 marks): Explain how distillation is used to obtain potable water from salty water. [4 marks]
November 2021, Chemistry Paper 2 Higher, Q03.5 (2 marks): Obtaining potable water from salty water is more expensive than obtaining potable water from ground water. Explain why. Refer to the processes used in both meth
November 2021, Chemistry Paper 2 Higher, Q04.1 (2 marks): Describe the trend shown by the graph in Figure 4. [2 marks]
November 2021, Chemistry Paper 2 Higher, Q04.2 (1 mark): Suggest one reason for the trend in Figure 4. [1 mark]
November 2021, Chemistry Paper 2 Higher, Q04.3 (1 mark): Suggest one reason why the trend cannot be used to accurately predict the future world production of copper. [1 mark]
November 2021, Chemistry Paper 2 Higher, Q04.4 (1 mark): High-grade copper resources are now difficult to find. Phytomining is used to extract copper from low-grade ores. There are five stages, A, B, C, D and E, in ph
November 2021, Chemistry Paper 2 Higher, Q04.5 (2 marks): Give two disadvantages of phytomining compared with traditional mining methods. Do not refer to cost in your answer. [2 marks] 1 2
November 2021, Chemistry Paper 2 Higher, Q05.5 (1 mark): The catalyst in a catalytic converter contains platinum. Platinum is a finite resource. What is meant by a ‘finite resource’? [1 mark]
November 2021, Chemistry Paper 2 Foundation, Q01.5 (1 mark): Name the process used to obtain solid sodium chloride from sodium chloride solution. [1 mark]
November 2021, Chemistry Paper 2 Foundation, Q01.6 (2 marks): Two processes used to obtain potable water from fresh water are: • filtering • sterilising. Give one reason why each process is used. [2 marks] Filtering Steril
November 2021, Chemistry Paper 2 Foundation, Q01.7 (1 mark): Which type of water is the easiest to obtain potable water from? [1 mark] Tick () one box. Ground water Salt water Waste water
November 2021, Chemistry Paper 2 Foundation, Q01.8 (1 mark): Which of the following is the first stage of waste water treatment? [1 mark] Tick () one box. Aerobic biological treatment of effluent Anaerobic digestion of s
November 2021, Chemistry Paper 2 Foundation, Q02.6 (1 mark): The catalyst in catalytic converters contains platinum. Platinum is an unreactive metal obtained from the Earth’s crust. Complete the sentence. Choose the answe
November 2021, Chemistry Paper 2 Foundation, Q05.1 (1 mark): Figure 4 shows the world population and the world production of copper between 1900 and 2020. Figure 4 How does the change in the world population compare with
November 2021, Chemistry Paper 2 Foundation, Q05.4 (2 marks): Copper is used to make coins. A coin of mass 8 g contains 75% copper. Calculate the mass of copper in the coin. [2 marks] Mass of copper = g
November 2020, Chemistry Paper 2 Higher, Q03.1 (2 marks): Waste water has harmful substances removed before being released into the environment. Complete the sentences. [2 marks] Agricultural waste water requires the r
November 2020, Chemistry Paper 2 Higher, Q03.2 (1 mark): How is sewage sludge treated before being released into the environment? [1 mark] Tick () one box. Aerobic biological treatment Anaerobic digestion Grit remova
November 2020, Chemistry Paper 2 Higher, Q04.1 (1 mark): What type of variable is the mass of dissolved solids? [1 mark] Tick () one box. Categoric Control Dependent Independent
November 2020, Chemistry Paper 2 Higher, Q04.2 (2 marks): The method produced an error in the mass recorded in step 4. Suggest what caused the error. How could the error be avoided? [2 marks] Error Avoided by
November 2020, Chemistry Paper 2 Higher, Q04.3 (2 marks): Calculate value X in Table 1. [2 marks] X = g
November 2020, Chemistry Paper 2 Higher, Q04.4 (2 marks): Which water sample has the greatest range of masses of dissolved solids? Give the reason for your answer. [2 marks] Water sample Reason
November 2020, Chemistry Paper 2 Higher, Q04.5 (4 marks): Water companies measure the volume of water used by households in cubic metres (m3). 25 cm3 of a different water sample contained 0.016 g of dissolved solids. C
November 2020, Chemistry Paper 2 Foundation, Q03.1 (1 mark): What is used to find the mass of the evaporating basin? [1 mark] Tick () one box. Balance Beaker Measuring cylinder Thermometer
November 2020, Chemistry Paper 2 Foundation, Q03.2 (1 mark): Suggest how this error affects the mass of the evaporating basin and contents. [1 mark]
November 2020, Chemistry Paper 2 Foundation, Q03.3 (1 mark): How can this error be corrected? [1 mark]
November 2020, Chemistry Paper 2 Foundation, Q03.4 (1 mark): Another error in the method is that not all the water was removed from the water sample. How can this error be corrected? [1 mark] Tick () one box. Add more bo
November 2020, Chemistry Paper 2 Foundation, Q03.5 (1 mark): The water in the water sample turns into steam. What is the name of this process? [1 mark] Another student did the experiment correctly with three water samples
November 2020, Chemistry Paper 2 Foundation, Q03.6 (1 mark): The range is the difference between the largest value and the smallest value. Which water sample has the greatest range of results? [1 mark] Tick () one box. A
November 2020, Chemistry Paper 2 Foundation, Q03.7 (2 marks): Calculate the mean mass X for water sample A. Use Table 2. [2 marks] X = g
November 2020, Chemistry Paper 2 Foundation, Q03.8 (1 mark): What is the dependent variable in this experiment? [1 mark] Tick () one box. Mass of dissolved solids Time taken for water to heat Type of water sample Volume
November 2020, Chemistry Paper 2 Foundation, Q03.9 (2 marks): A different water sample contains 3.6 g of dissolved solids in 150 cm3 Calculate the mass of dissolved solids in 25 cm3 of this sample. [2 marks] Mass = g
June 2019, Chemistry Paper 2 Higher, Q01.1 (1 mark): What do we call water that is safe to drink? [1 mark] Tick () one box. Desalinated Filtered Fresh Potable
June 2019, Chemistry Paper 2 Higher, Q01.3 (4 marks): Describe a method to determine the mass of dissolved solids in a 100 cm3 sample of river water. [4 marks]
June 2019, Chemistry Paper 2 Higher, Q01.5 (2 marks): A water company allows a maximum of 500 mg per dm3 of sulfate ions in drinking water. A sample of drinking water contains 44 mg per dm3 of sulfate ions. Calcula
June 2019, Chemistry Paper 2 Higher, Q04.1 (4 marks): Copper is extracted from low-grade ores by phytomining. Describe how copper metal is produced by phytomining. [4 marks]
June 2019, Chemistry Paper 2 Higher, Q04.5 (2 marks): Chemistry plays an important role in sustainable development. What is sustainable development? [2 marks]
June 2018, Chemistry Paper 2 Higher, Q03.1 (1 mark): Calculate mass X in Table 2 [1 mark] Mass X = g
June 2018, Chemistry Paper 2 Higher, Q03.2 (2 marks): 5 cm3 is a small volume of water for each experiment. Give one advantage and one disadvantage of using a larger volume. [2 marks] Advantage Disadvantage
June 2018, Chemistry Paper 2 Higher, Q03.3 (1 mark): Potable water is not pure water. Describe the difference between potable water and pure water. [1 mark]
June 2018, Chemistry Paper 2 Higher, Q03.4 (3 marks): Potable water is obtained from both groundwater and from sea water. Describe how groundwater and sea water are treated to produce potable water. [3 marks]
June 2018, Chemistry Paper 2 Higher, Q03.5 (2 marks): The percentage by mass of dissolved solids in a 6.50 g sample is 2.2% Calculate the mass of the dissolved solids. [2 marks] Mass of dissolved solids = g

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