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Respiration: AQA GCSE Combined Science questions

Every AQA GCSE Combined Science exam question on 4.4.2 Respiration, 2018–2025, with its mark scheme and examiner’s report.

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3,069 questions

  1. Q01.3

    June 2025 · Biology Paper 1 Higher

    3 marks4.2.2 Animal tissues, organs and organ systems4.4.2 Respiration
    The whole paper ↗
    June 2025 Biology Paper 1 Higher, question 01.3: Heart muscle cells contain many mitochondria. Explain why heart muscle cells contain many mitochondria. [3 marks]

  2. Q05.1

    June 2025 · Biology Paper 1 Higher

    2 marks4.4.2 Respiration
    The whole paper ↗
    June 2025 Biology Paper 1 Higher, question 05.1: Some plants can respire anaerobically. Which are the two products of anaerobic respiration in plants? [2 marks] Tick () two boxes. Carbon dioxide Ethanol Gluco

  3. Q06.4

    June 2025 · Biology Paper 1 Higher

    2 marks4.2.2 Animal tissues, organs and organ systems4.4.2 Respiration
    The whole paper ↗
    June 2025 Biology Paper 1 Higher, question 06.4: Explain why a person with anaemia is likely to experience muscle fatigue. [2 marks]

  4. Q04.1

    June 2025 · Biology Paper 1 Foundation

    2 marks4.4.2 Respiration
    The whole paper ↗
    June 2025 Biology Paper 1 Foundation, question 04.1: Which two substances do muscles need during exercise? [2 marks] Tick () two boxes. Carbon dioxide Glucose Lactic acid Oxygen Urea

  5. Q04.2

    June 2025 · Biology Paper 1 Foundation

    2 marks4.4.2 Respiration
    Mark scheme (PDF)
    The whole paper ↗
    June 2025 Biology Paper 1 Foundation, question 04.2: How many minutes did person B exercise for? [2 marks] Number of minutes =

  6. Q04.3

    June 2025 · Biology Paper 1 Foundation

    3 marks4.4.2 Respiration
    The whole paper ↗
    June 2025 Biology Paper 1 Foundation, question 04.3: Calculate the percentage increase in heart rate for person B during the exercise. Use the equation: percentage increase = maximum heart rate – resting heart rat

  7. Q04.4

    June 2025 · Biology Paper 1 Foundation

    2 marks4.4.2 Respiration
    The whole paper ↗
    June 2025 Biology Paper 1 Foundation, question 04.4: A student stated: ‘Person B is fitter than person A.’ Give two pieces of evidence to support the student’s statement. Use Figure 8. [2 marks] 1 2

  8. Q04.5

    June 2025 · Biology Paper 1 Foundation

    3 marks4.4.2 Respiration
    The whole paper ↗
    June 2025 Biology Paper 1 Foundation, question 04.5: Complete the bar chart in Figure 9. You should: • use a suitable scale for the y-axis • plot the data from Table 5 • label each bar. [3 marks] Figure 9

  9. Q04.6

    June 2025 · Biology Paper 1 Foundation

    1 mark4.4.2 Respiration
    The whole paper ↗
    June 2025 Biology Paper 1 Foundation, question 04.6: The concentration of lactic acid in the blood of person A is proportional to the intensity of the exercise. Which symbol means ‘proportional to’? [1 mark] Tick

  10. Q05.3

    June 2025 · Biology Paper 1 Foundation

    3 marks4.2.2 Animal tissues, organs and organ systems4.4.2 Respiration
    The whole paper ↗
    June 2025 Biology Paper 1 Foundation, question 05.3: Heart muscle cells contain many mitochondria. Explain why heart muscle cells contain many mitochondria. [3 marks]

  11. Q06.4

    June 2025 · Biology Paper 2 Higher

    4 marks4.5.3 Hormonal coordination in humans4.4.2 Respiration
    The whole paper ↗
    June 2025 Biology Paper 2 Higher, question 06.4: In some people, glucagon is produced in smaller quantities than is needed. Explain why people who do not produce enough glucagon feel weak and tired. [4 marks]

  12. Q06.3

    June 2024 · Biology Paper 1 Higher

    4 marks4.2.2 Animal tissues, organs and organ systems4.4.2 Respiration
    The whole paper ↗
    June 2024 Biology Paper 1 Higher, question 06.3: Smoking can damage the lungs in different ways. Figure 6 shows alveoli from the lungs of two people. Figure 6 Person A and person B do the same exercise. Explai

  13. Q07

    June 2024 · Biology Paper 1 Higher

    6 marks4.2.2 Animal tissues, organs and organ systems4.4.2 Respiration
    The whole paper ↗
    June 2024 Biology Paper 1 Higher, question 07: Angina is a condition many people get as coronary heart disease (CHD) develops. Angina can cause chest pain and tiredness. People with angina are sometimes trea

  14. Q04.7

    June 2024 · Biology Paper 1 Foundation

    3 marks4.2.2 Animal tissues, organs and organ systems4.4.2 Respiration
    The whole paper ↗
    June 2024 Biology Paper 1 Foundation, question 04.7: A heart attack can happen when plaques block a coronary artery. During a heart attack muscle cells in the heart die. Explain how the blockage can lead to the de

  15. Q05.2

    June 2024 · Biology Paper 1 Foundation

    1 mark4.4.1 Photosynthesis4.4.2 Respiration
    The whole paper ↗
    June 2024 Biology Paper 1 Foundation, question 05.2: What is the chemical formula for glucose? [1 mark] Tick () one box. CO2 C6H12O6 H2O O2

  16. Q05.3

    June 2024 · Biology Paper 1 Foundation

    2 marks4.4.1 Photosynthesis4.4.2 Respiration
    The whole paper ↗
    June 2024 Biology Paper 1 Foundation, question 05.3: Give two ways plants use the glucose produced by photosynthesis. [2 marks] 1 2

  17. Q05.4

    June 2024 · Biology Paper 1 Foundation

    4 marks4.4.1 Photosynthesis4.4.2 Respiration
    The whole paper ↗
    June 2024 Biology Paper 1 Foundation, question 05.4: A person has two greenhouses. In each greenhouse, the plants: • are all the same type • receive the same intensity of light and the same volume of water • grow

  18. Q05

    June 2023 · Biology Paper 1 Higher

    6 marks4.4.1 Photosynthesis4.4.2 Respiration
    The whole paper ↗
    June 2023 Biology Paper 1 Higher, question 05: Light intensity varies during 24 hours. Figure 6 shows the overall exchange of carbon dioxide and oxygen for a tree at three different light intensities. Figure

  19. Q04.9

    June 2023 · Biology Paper 1 Foundation

    3 marks4.2.2 Animal tissues, organs and organ systems4.4.2 Respiration
    The whole paper ↗
    June 2023 Biology Paper 1 Foundation, question 04.9: The greater the height above sea level, the less oxygen there is in the air. People who live high above sea level have more red blood cells than people who live

  20. Q05.4

    June 2023 · Biology Paper 1 Foundation

    4 marks4.2.2 Animal tissues, organs and organ systems4.4.2 Respiration
    The whole paper ↗
    June 2023 Biology Paper 1 Foundation, question 05.4: Explain the differences in the air breathed into the lungs and the air breathed out of the lungs. [4 marks]
All 56 questions on Respiration, as a list
  1. June 2025, Biology Paper 1 Higher, Q01.3 (3 marks): Heart muscle cells contain many mitochondria. Explain why heart muscle cells contain many mitochondria. [3 marks]
  2. June 2025, Biology Paper 1 Higher, Q05.1 (2 marks): Some plants can respire anaerobically. Which are the two products of anaerobic respiration in plants? [2 marks] Tick () two boxes. Carbon dioxide Ethanol Gluco
  3. June 2025, Biology Paper 1 Higher, Q06.4 (2 marks): Explain why a person with anaemia is likely to experience muscle fatigue. [2 marks]
  4. June 2025, Biology Paper 1 Foundation, Q04.1 (2 marks): Which two substances do muscles need during exercise? [2 marks] Tick () two boxes. Carbon dioxide Glucose Lactic acid Oxygen Urea
  5. June 2025, Biology Paper 1 Foundation, Q04.2 (2 marks): How many minutes did person B exercise for? [2 marks] Number of minutes =
  6. June 2025, Biology Paper 1 Foundation, Q04.3 (3 marks): Calculate the percentage increase in heart rate for person B during the exercise. Use the equation: percentage increase = maximum heart rate – resting heart rat
  7. June 2025, Biology Paper 1 Foundation, Q04.4 (2 marks): A student stated: ‘Person B is fitter than person A.’ Give two pieces of evidence to support the student’s statement. Use Figure 8. [2 marks] 1 2
  8. June 2025, Biology Paper 1 Foundation, Q04.5 (3 marks): Complete the bar chart in Figure 9. You should: • use a suitable scale for the y-axis • plot the data from Table 5 • label each bar. [3 marks] Figure 9
  9. June 2025, Biology Paper 1 Foundation, Q04.6 (1 mark): The concentration of lactic acid in the blood of person A is proportional to the intensity of the exercise. Which symbol means ‘proportional to’? [1 mark] Tick
  10. June 2025, Biology Paper 1 Foundation, Q05.3 (3 marks): Heart muscle cells contain many mitochondria. Explain why heart muscle cells contain many mitochondria. [3 marks]
  11. June 2025, Biology Paper 2 Higher, Q06.4 (4 marks): In some people, glucagon is produced in smaller quantities than is needed. Explain why people who do not produce enough glucagon feel weak and tired. [4 marks]
  12. June 2024, Biology Paper 1 Higher, Q06.3 (4 marks): Smoking can damage the lungs in different ways. Figure 6 shows alveoli from the lungs of two people. Figure 6 Person A and person B do the same exercise. Explai
  13. June 2024, Biology Paper 1 Higher, Q07 (6 marks): Angina is a condition many people get as coronary heart disease (CHD) develops. Angina can cause chest pain and tiredness. People with angina are sometimes trea
  14. June 2024, Biology Paper 1 Foundation, Q04.7 (3 marks): A heart attack can happen when plaques block a coronary artery. During a heart attack muscle cells in the heart die. Explain how the blockage can lead to the de
  15. June 2024, Biology Paper 1 Foundation, Q05.2 (1 mark): What is the chemical formula for glucose? [1 mark] Tick () one box. CO2 C6H12O6 H2O O2
  16. June 2024, Biology Paper 1 Foundation, Q05.3 (2 marks): Give two ways plants use the glucose produced by photosynthesis. [2 marks] 1 2
  17. June 2024, Biology Paper 1 Foundation, Q05.4 (4 marks): A person has two greenhouses. In each greenhouse, the plants: • are all the same type • receive the same intensity of light and the same volume of water • grow
  18. June 2023, Biology Paper 1 Higher, Q05 (6 marks): Light intensity varies during 24 hours. Figure 6 shows the overall exchange of carbon dioxide and oxygen for a tree at three different light intensities. Figure
  19. June 2023, Biology Paper 1 Foundation, Q04.9 (3 marks): The greater the height above sea level, the less oxygen there is in the air. People who live high above sea level have more red blood cells than people who live
  20. June 2023, Biology Paper 1 Foundation, Q05.4 (4 marks): Explain the differences in the air breathed into the lungs and the air breathed out of the lungs. [4 marks]
  21. June 2023, Biology Paper 1 Foundation, Q05.5 (1 mark): The percentages given in each column of Table 3 do not add up to 100%. Suggest one reason why. [1 mark]
  22. June 2022, Biology Paper 2 Higher, Q01.1 (1 mark): Which reaction produces water? [1 mark] Tick () one box. Aerobic respiration Anaerobic respiration Photosynthesis The water cycle provides water for plants and
  23. June 2022, Biology Paper 2 Foundation, Q04.9 (2 marks): Describe how a low blood glucose concentration would lead to a person feeling weak. [2 marks]
  24. June 2022, Biology Paper 2 Foundation, Q05.1 (1 mark): Which reaction produces water? [1 mark] Tick () one box. Aerobic respiration Anaerobic respiration Photosynthesis The water cycle provides water for plants and
  25. November 2021, Biology Paper 1 Higher, Q03.1 (1 mark): Fermentation is an exothermic reaction. What does exothermic mean? [1 mark] A student investigated the effect of temperature on fermentation in yeast. Figure 3
  26. November 2021, Biology Paper 1 Higher, Q03.2 (1 mark): Suggest why a layer of oil was needed on the surface of the mixture. [1 mark]
  27. November 2021, Biology Paper 1 Higher, Q03.3 (1 mark): Suggest why the mixture was left for 20 minutes before the gas syringe was attached. [1 mark]
  28. November 2021, Biology Paper 1 Higher, Q03.4 (3 marks): Explain the results from 0 minutes to 45 minutes for the flask that was at 2 °C and was then moved to 35 °C. Use Table 2 and Table 3. [3 marks]
  29. November 2021, Biology Paper 1 Higher, Q03.5 (4 marks): Explain the results from 0 minutes to 45 minutes for the flask kept at 35 °C. Use Table 2 and Table 3. [4 marks]
  30. November 2021, Biology Paper 1 Higher, Q05.5 (4 marks): Many people who survive a heart attack get out of breath easily when they exercise gently. Explain why heart attack survivors get out of breath easily. [4 marks
  31. November 2021, Biology Paper 1 Foundation, Q01.4 (1 mark): Give one function of muscle cells. [1 mark]
  32. November 2021, Biology Paper 1 Foundation, Q01.5 (2 marks): Explain how muscle cells are adapted for their function. Use Figure 1. [2 marks]
  33. November 2021, Biology Paper 1 Foundation, Q03.1 (1 mark): How does the equation show that fermentation is an anaerobic reaction? [1 mark]
  34. November 2021, Biology Paper 1 Foundation, Q03.2 (1 mark): Why is fermentation used when making beer and wine? [1 mark]
  35. November 2021, Biology Paper 1 Foundation, Q03.3 (2 marks): Explain why fermentation is used when making bread. [2 marks]
  36. November 2021, Biology Paper 1 Foundation, Q03.4 (1 mark): What volume of carbon dioxide has been collected in the gas syringe in Figure 3? [1 mark] Volume of carbon dioxide = cm3
  37. November 2021, Biology Paper 1 Foundation, Q03.5 (1 mark): Why did the student wait 10 minutes before attaching the gas syringe? [1 mark] Tick () one box. To allow time for the mixture to reach 35 °C To allow time for
  38. November 2021, Biology Paper 1 Foundation, Q03.6 (2 marks): A and B are different parts of the graph in Figure 4. Draw one line from each part of the graph to the description of the reaction. [2 marks] Part of the graph
  39. November 2021, Biology Paper 1 Foundation, Q03.7 (1 mark): Suggest one reason why fermentation in the flask stopped. [1 mark]
  40. November 2021, Biology Paper 1 Foundation, Q03.8 (2 marks): Fermentation is controlled by enzymes. The investigation was repeated at 2 °C and at 75 °C. No carbon dioxide was produced at either of these temperatures. Sugg
  41. November 2021, Biology Paper 1 Foundation, Q03.9 (2 marks): Anaerobic respiration also happens in animal cells. Complete the equation for anaerobic respiration in animal cells. Choose answers from the box. [2 marks] carb
  42. November 2020, Biology Paper 1 Higher, Q02.8 (1 mark): Give one use of sugar in the body. [1 mark]
  43. November 2020, Biology Paper 1 Higher, Q03.5 (6 marks): During long periods of vigorous exercise the body respires anaerobically. Explain the changes that happen in the body during and after vigorous exercise. [6 mar
  44. November 2020, Biology Paper 1 Higher, Q05.5 (4 marks): Explain the results when the light intensity was 0 lux. Use Figure 5. [4 marks]
  45. November 2020, Biology Paper 1 Foundation, Q01.3 (1 mark): What is the equation for aerobic respiration? [1 mark] Tick () one box. carbon dioxide + water → glucose + oxygen glucose + oxygen → carbon dioxide + water oxy
  46. November 2020, Biology Paper 1 Foundation, Q01.5 (2 marks): The scientist concluded that person B was the fittest. Give two reasons that support the scientist’s conclusion. Use Table 1. [2 marks] 1 2
  47. November 2020, Biology Paper 1 Foundation, Q01.6 (2 marks): Suggest two reasons why the scientist’s conclusion may not be valid. [2 marks] 1 2
  48. November 2020, Biology Paper 1 Foundation, Q01.7 (2 marks): Give two changes that happen in the body during aerobic exercise. Do not refer to increased breathing rate in your answer. [2 marks] 1 2
  49. November 2020, Biology Paper 1 Foundation, Q01.8 (2 marks): Muscles respire anaerobically during vigorous exercise. Complete the sentences. Choose answers from the box. [2 marks] amino acids carbon dioxide glucose lactic
  50. November 2020, Biology Paper 1 Foundation, Q06.8 (1 mark): Give one use of sugar in the body. [1 mark]
  51. November 2020, Biology Paper 2 Higher, Q07.3 (1 mark): Trees do not have lungs. Describe one other way forests being called ‘The lungs of the planet’ is an incorrect statement. [1 mark]
  52. June 2019, Biology Paper 1 Higher, Q01.5 (6 marks): Some people who take beta blockers get out of breath when they exercise. Explain why beta blockers can have this effect during exercise. You should refer to inf
  53. June 2019, Biology Paper 1 Higher, Q04.4 (1 mark): Describe why there are air holes in the cap of the culture bottle. [1 mark]
  54. June 2019, Biology Paper 1 Higher, Q05.5 (3 marks): Nitrate ions are essential for plants to grow. Describe how nitrate ions are used in a plant to help the plant grow. [3 marks]
  55. June 2019, Biology Paper 2 Higher, Q06.5 (6 marks): Toxic hypoglycaemia syndrome (THS) has caused the deaths of hundreds of starving children in some tropical countries. • The starving children have had nothing t
  56. June 2018, Biology Paper 2 Higher, Q07.4 (2 marks): Explain why the triploid oysters grow more quickly than the diploid oysters. [2 marks]

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