plumiLipids: Edexcel A‑Level Biology B questions
Every Edexcel A-Level Biology B exam question on 1.2 Lipids, 2016–2025, with its mark scheme and examiner’s report.
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Calculations
Q4(a)(i)
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Q3(a)(i)
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Q3(a)(i)
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Q3(a)(ii)
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Q3(b)(i)
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Q3(b)(ii)
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Q3(b)(iii)
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Q9(a)(i)
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Q9(a)(ii)
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Q9(b)(i)
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Q9(b)(ii)
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Q7(a)(i)
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Q7(a)(ii)
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Q7(b)(ii)
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Q6(a)
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Q6(b)
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Q2(a)(i)
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Q2(a)(ii)
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Q2(b)(i)
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Q2(b)(ii)
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All 46 questions on Lipids, as a list
- June 2025, Paper 1, Q4(a)(i) (1 mark): Which row in the table describes parts R and S of the phospholipid? (1) Part R Part S A hydrophilic fatty acid hydrophobic phosphate B hydrophilic phosphate hyd
- June 2025, AS Paper 1, Q3(a)(i) (1 mark): Which of the following shows the arrangement of phospholipids in these two membranes? (1) A C B D
- June 2024, Paper 2, Q3(a)(i) (1 mark): Draw the triglyceride that would be produced from these molecules. (1)
- June 2024, Paper 2, Q3(a)(ii) (1 mark): Which type of reaction produces the triglyceride from these molecules? (1) A condensation, releasing water B condensation, using water C hydrolysis, releasing w
- June 2024, Paper 2, Q3(b)(i) (1 mark): Calculate the mass of oleic acid present in 25 g of almond oil. Give your answer to two significant figures. (1) Answer g
- June 2024, Paper 2, Q3(b)(ii) (2 marks): Give one similarity and one difference between the structure of a saturated fatty acid and an unsaturated fatty acid. (2) Similarity Difference
- June 2024, Paper 2, Q3(b)(iii) (3 marks): Analyse the data to comment on which of these lipids are healthier to eat. (3)
- June 2024, AS Paper 1, Q9(a)(i) (3 marks): Explain the role of phospholipids in the cell membrane. (3)
- June 2024, AS Paper 1, Q9(a)(ii) (3 marks): The diagram shows a phospholipid drawn inside a cylinder. O O P OH OH O O O O The cross-sectional area of this cylinder is 0.3 nm2. Calculate the number of phos
- June 2024, AS Paper 1, Q9(b)(i) (2 marks): Describe how the structure of one type of phospholipid can be different from the structure of another type of phospholipid. (2)
- June 2024, AS Paper 1, Q9(b)(ii) (3 marks): Compare and contrast the phospholipid content of these membranes. (3)
- June 2023, AS Paper 1, Q7(a)(i) (2 marks): Describe two differences between the structure of an unsaturated fatty acid and a saturated fatty acid. (2)
- June 2023, AS Paper 1, Q7(a)(ii) (3 marks): Explain why lipids are used for energy storage and insulation. (3)
- June 2023, AS Paper 1, Q7(b)(ii) (6 marks): The graphs show the results of this investigation. Key: young whales feeding adult whales feeding adult whales after a from mother winter of fasting Graph 1 17.
- June 2022, Paper 1, Q6(a) (2 marks): Phospholipids form a bilayer in the cell membranes of bacteria. Describe the structure of a phospholipid. (2)
- June 2022, Paper 1, Q6(b) (2 marks): The cell membranes of most organisms belonging to the domain Archaea are lipid monolayers. The lipid that forms this monolayer is a bipolar lipid. Explain why a
- June 2022, AS Paper 1, Q2(a)(i) (1 mark): How many of the following statements about triglycerides are correct? (1) • a glycerol molecule is joined to each fatty acid by an ester bond • an unsaturated f
- June 2022, AS Paper 1, Q2(a)(ii) (1 mark): The table shows the relative atomic mass of the elements present in a triglyceride. Element Relative atomic mass carbon 12 hydrogen 1 oxygen 16 How much lower i
- June 2022, AS Paper 1, Q2(b)(i) (1 mark): Stearic acid and arachidic acid are both fatty acids. Arachidic acid has two more carbon atoms than stearic acid. The melting point of stearic acid is 69 °C and
- June 2022, AS Paper 1, Q2(b)(ii) (3 marks): Devise a method to investigate how the length of the fatty acids and the degree of saturation of the fatty acids affect the melting point of triglycerides. (3)
- June 2022, AS Paper 1, Q4(a) (2 marks): Explain the arrangement of phospholipids in a membrane. (2)
- November 2021, Paper 1, Q3(a)(i) (1 mark): The diagram shows part of a glycerol molecule and part of a fatty acid. Complete the diagram to show the ester bond joining the fatty acid to the glycerol molec
- November 2021, Paper 1, Q3(a)(ii) (1 mark): The table shows the relative atomic mass of some elements. Element Relative atomic mass carbon 12 hydrogen 1 nitrogen 14 oxygen 16 A triglyceride is made from a
- November 2021, Paper 1, Q3(b)(i) (1 mark): The pie chart shows the approximate ratio of the lipids in beef fat. monounsaturated other polyunsaturated saturated Complete the pie chart to show the approxim
- November 2021, Paper 1, Q3(b)(ii) (2 marks): Calculate the difference in mass of polyunsaturated lipid in 500 g of safflower oil and 500 g of beef fat. (2) Answer g
- November 2021, Paper 1, Q3(c) (2 marks): Cell membranes contain lipids that have a phosphate group attached to the glycerol, instead of one of the fatty acids. Explain the importance of the phosphate g
- November 2021, AS Paper 1, Q3(a) (1 mark): A triglyceride is one type of lipid. Which row of the table describes a triglyceride? (1) Number of molecules Name of bond joining molecules Glycerol Fatty acid
- November 2021, AS Paper 1, Q3(b) (1 mark): Fatty acids are either saturated or unsaturated. The diagram shows the structure of an unsaturated fatty acid. H H H H H H H H H H H H H H H O C C C C C C C C C
- November 2021, AS Paper 1, Q3(c) (1 mark): The table shows the composition of some of the different types of lipid in milk from cows. Composition of lipids in Type of lipid milk from cows (%) monoacylgly
- November 2021, AS Paper 1, Q3(d) (1 mark): Phospholipids have a different structure from other lipids, such as triglycerides. Give one difference in the properties of phospholipids and triglycerides. (1)
- November 2021, AS Paper 1, Q3(e)(i) (2 marks): Complete the diagram to show how nine phospholipid molecules would be arranged in the outer part of an MFG. Use this shape to draw each phospholipid: (2) outsid
- November 2021, AS Paper 1, Q3(e)(ii) (3 marks): Explain the structure of an MFG. (3)
- October 2020, Paper 1, Q7(a) (3 marks): The table shows bonds that may be found in carbohydrates and lipids. Which box in each row shows whether the bond may be found in these molecules? (3) Molecule
- October 2020, Paper 2, Q5(a) (2 marks): Palm oil and cocoa butter are made of triglycerides composed of different fatty acids. The diagram shows a triglyceride. H O C C O O C C R1 R1 H O C O C R2 + 3H
- October 2020, Paper 2, Q5(b)(i) (1 mark): How many of the named fatty acids shown in the table are saturated? (1) A 1 B 2 C 3 D 4
- October 2020, Paper 2, Q5(b)(ii) (4 marks): The percentage solid fat content (% SFC) is a measure of how much of a lipid is solid at different temperatures. The graph shows the effect of temperature on th
- June 2019, Paper 1, Q7(a) (3 marks): Explain why the properties of lipoproteins enable cholesterol and fatty acids to be transported in the bloodstream. (3)
- June 2019, Paper 1, Q7(b)(i) (2 marks): Complete the table to show the volume of a typical LDL using the formula: 4 3 ʌr3 where ʌ = 3.14 (2)
- June 2019, Paper 1, Q7(b)(ii) (2 marks): Analyse the information to explain why LDLs have a lower density range than HDLs. (2)
- June 2019, Paper 2, Q9(a)(ii) (1 mark): Surfactant contains phospholipid molecules. How many of the following components are found in phospholipids? (1) 1 amino acids 2 fatty acids 3 glycerol 4 phosph
- June 2019, Paper 3, Q7(a) (2 marks): Explain what type of molecule is shown in the diagram. (2)
- June 2017, AS Paper 1, Q4(b)(i) (3 marks): Explain why the water content of triglyceride is different from the water content of carbohydrate and protein. (3)
- June 2017, AS Paper 1, Q4(b)(ii) (2 marks): Using the information in the table, explain why triglycerides are a good energy store. (2)
- June 2017, AS Paper 1, Q4(b)(iii) (2 marks): Explain why the ‘total energy stored’ column in this table is of limited use in drawing conclusions about the energy content of these food sources. (2)
- June 2016, AS Paper 1, Q4(a) (1 mark): Which of the following describes the reaction when these two molecules are joined together? (1) A condensation reaction forming an ester bond B condensation rea
- June 2016, AS Paper 1, Q4(b)(ii) (4 marks): The student found two graphs about the structure of lipids and their melting points. 75 Key saturated fatty acid 50 unsaturated fatty acid 25 0 Chain length / n
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