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Diffusion, osmosis and active transport: Edexcel GCSE Combined Science questions

Every Edexcel GCSE Combined Science exam question on Diffusion, osmosis and active transport (specification points 1.15–1.17), 2018–2025, with its mark scheme and examiner’s report.

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2,937 questions

  1. Q2(a)

    June 2025 · Biology Paper 1 Higher

    3 marksDiffusion, osmosis and active transport
    The whole paper ↗

  2. Q2(b)(i)

    June 2025 · Biology Paper 1 Higher

    2 marksDiffusion, osmosis and active transport
    The whole paper ↗

  3. Q2(b)(ii)

    June 2025 · Biology Paper 1 Higher

    2 marksDiffusion, osmosis and active transport
    The whole paper ↗

  4. Q6(a)

    June 2025 · Biology Paper 1 Foundation

    3 marksDiffusion, osmosis and active transport
    The whole paper ↗

  5. Q6(b)(i)

    June 2025 · Biology Paper 1 Foundation

    2 marksDiffusion, osmosis and active transport
    The whole paper ↗

  6. Q6(b)(ii)

    June 2025 · Biology Paper 1 Foundation

    2 marksDiffusion, osmosis and active transport
    The whole paper ↗

  7. Q3(a)(i)

    June 2025 · Biology Paper 2 Higher

    1 markDiffusion, osmosis and active transport
    The whole paper ↗

  8. Q3(a)(ii)

    June 2025 · Biology Paper 2 Higher

    2 marksDiffusion, osmosis and active transport
    The whole paper ↗

  9. Q3(b)(i)

    June 2025 · Biology Paper 2 Higher

    4 marksDiffusion, osmosis and active transport
    The whole paper ↗

  10. Q3(b)(ii)

    June 2025 · Biology Paper 2 Higher

    2 marksDiffusion, osmosis and active transport
    The whole paper ↗

  11. Q2(b)(i)

    June 2024 · Biology Paper 2 Higher

    2 marksDiffusion, osmosis and active transport
    The whole paper ↗

  12. Q2(b)(ii)

    June 2024 · Biology Paper 2 Higher

    3 marksDiffusion, osmosis and active transport
    The whole paper ↗

  13. Q6(b)

    June 2024 · Biology Paper 2 Foundation

    2 marksDiffusion, osmosis and active transport
    The whole paper ↗

  14. Q5(a)(i)

    June 2023 · Biology Paper 1 Higher

    2 marksDiffusion, osmosis and active transport
    The whole paper ↗

  15. Q5(a)(ii)

    June 2023 · Biology Paper 1 Higher

    1 markDiffusion, osmosis and active transport
    The whole paper ↗

  16. Q5(a)(iii)

    June 2023 · Biology Paper 1 Higher

    3 marksDiffusion, osmosis and active transport
    The whole paper ↗

  17. Q5(a)(iv)

    June 2023 · Biology Paper 1 Higher

    3 marksDiffusion, osmosis and active transport
    The whole paper ↗

  18. Q5(b)

    June 2023 · Biology Paper 1 Higher

    2 marksDiffusion, osmosis and active transport
    The whole paper ↗

  19. Q1(a)(ii)

    June 2023 · Biology Paper 2 Higher

    2 marksDiffusion, osmosis and active transport
    The whole paper ↗

  20. Q5(a)(iii)

    June 2023 · Biology Paper 2 Foundation

    2 marksDiffusion, osmosis and active transport
    The whole paper ↗
All 44 questions on Diffusion, osmosis and active transport, as a list
  1. June 2025, Biology Paper 1 Higher, Q2(a) (3 marks): Figure 2 shows a beaker containing a potato cylinder in distilled water. beaker distilled water potato cylinder Figure 2 Explain why the mass of this potato cyl
  2. June 2025, Biology Paper 1 Higher, Q2(b)(i) (2 marks): Calculate the volume of cube C. (2) cm3
  3. June 2025, Biology Paper 1 Higher, Q2(b)(ii) (2 marks): Explain the difference in the times taken for cubes A and B to become colourless. (2)
  4. June 2025, Biology Paper 1 Foundation, Q6(a) (3 marks): Figure 12 shows a beaker containing a potato cylinder in distilled water. beaker distilled water potato cylinder Figure 12 Explain why the mass of this potato c
  5. June 2025, Biology Paper 1 Foundation, Q6(b)(i) (2 marks): Calculate the volume of cube C. (2) cm3
  6. June 2025, Biology Paper 1 Foundation, Q6(b)(ii) (2 marks): Explain the difference in the times taken for cubes A and B to become colourless. (2)
  7. June 2025, Biology Paper 2 Higher, Q3(a)(i) (1 mark): State the process being demonstrated. (1)
  8. June 2025, Biology Paper 2 Higher, Q3(a)(ii) (2 marks): A student asked if different food colourings spread evenly in the same amount of time. Give two variables that would need to be controlled if the investigation
  9. June 2025, Biology Paper 2 Higher, Q3(b)(i) (4 marks): Draw a line graph to show the results in Figure 7. (4)
  10. June 2025, Biology Paper 2 Higher, Q3(b)(ii) (2 marks): Explain why the time taken decreased. (2)
  11. June 2024, Biology Paper 2 Higher, Q2(b)(i) (2 marks): Describe two ways that the Elodea cells in the 10% salt solution are different from the Elodea cells in tap water. (2) 1 2
  12. June 2024, Biology Paper 2 Higher, Q2(b)(ii) (3 marks): Explain why placing the Elodea cells in the 10% salt solution causes the changes seen in Figure 3. (3)
  13. June 2024, Biology Paper 2 Foundation, Q6(b) (2 marks): A student studied the water plant Elodea. The student used a light microscope to observe the cells of the plant in tap water and in a 10% salt solution. Figure
  14. June 2023, Biology Paper 1 Higher, Q5(a)(i) (2 marks): Calculate the volume of this cube. Include the units in your answer. (2) One cube was placed in water and each of the other two cubes were placed in solutions w
  15. June 2023, Biology Paper 1 Higher, Q5(a)(ii) (1 mark): Give one way the student could ensure the measurement of the mass of the cubes is accurate. (1)
  16. June 2023, Biology Paper 1 Higher, Q5(a)(iii) (3 marks): Explain the mass change in the cube in the concentrated salt solution. (3)
  17. June 2023, Biology Paper 1 Higher, Q5(a)(iv) (3 marks): The student wanted to find the concentration of salt solution where the potato cube did not change mass. Describe how the student could modify this investigatio
  18. June 2023, Biology Paper 1 Higher, Q5(b) (2 marks): Explain why potato cells do not burst when placed in water. (2)
  19. June 2023, Biology Paper 2 Higher, Q1(a)(ii) (2 marks): Water moved out of the red blood cells of the person with diabetes when the concentration of glucose in the blood was above 15 mmol per dm3. Explain why water m
  20. June 2023, Biology Paper 2 Foundation, Q5(a)(iii) (2 marks): Water moved out of the red blood cells of the person with diabetes when the concentration of glucose in the blood was above 15 mmol per dm3. Explain why water m
  21. June 2022, Biology Paper 1 Foundation, Q3(a) (1 mark): Which process moves alcohol from the blood into the liver cells? (1) A diffusion B respiration C osmosis D transpiration
  22. June 2022, Biology Paper 2 Foundation, Q3(a)(iii) (2 marks): The salt solution outside the cell has a higher concentration than the solution inside the cell. Explain why the cytoplasm shrinks away from the sides of the ce
  23. June 2022, Biology Paper 2 Foundation, Q3(c) (2 marks): A student investigated the percentage change in mass of potato cylinders placed in sucrose solutions of different concentrations. Figure 5 shows the results of
  24. November 2021, Biology Paper 1 Higher, Q6(c) (6 marks): A student investigated the movement of water. Hens’ eggs were placed in vinegar for two days to dissolve the shell. This makes the eggs permeable to water. The
  25. November 2021, Biology Paper 1 Foundation, Q3(b)(i) (1 mark): Give one reason why the student used three carrot sticks instead of just one carrot stick. (1)
  26. November 2021, Biology Paper 1 Foundation, Q3(b)(ii) (2 marks): Give two ways that this method could be improved. (2) 1 2
  27. November 2021, Biology Paper 1 Foundation, Q3(b)(iii) (3 marks): Calculate the percentage change in mass of carrot stick Q. (3) Use the equation percentage change = change in mass mass at the start × 100 Give your answer to 2
  28. November 2021, Biology Paper 1 Foundation, Q3(b)(iv) (2 marks): Explain the change in mass of the carrot sticks. (2)
  29. November 2021, Biology Paper 2 Higher, Q3(b) (3 marks): Some blood transfusions contain red blood cells. Red blood cells are stored in a solution containing 5.0% glucose and 0.9% salt. Explain why red blood cells can
  30. November 2021, Biology Paper 2 Foundation, Q4(a)(i) (1 mark): Which row of the table allows the net diffusion of oxygen into Amoeba proteus? (1) concentration of oxygen in concentration of oxygen in water in ppm Amoeba pro
  31. November 2020, Biology Paper 1 Foundation, Q1(b) (1 mark): Substances move into and out of cells. How does oxygen move into and out of cells? (1) A transpiration B active transport C diffusion D osmosis
  32. November 2020, Biology Paper 1 Foundation, Q2(a)(i) (2 marks): The distance from the outside of cube B to the pink area was 3 mm. Calculate the distance diffused by hydrochloric acid in one second. (2) mm
  33. November 2020, Biology Paper 1 Foundation, Q2(a)(ii) (1 mark): The student wanted to confirm their results. Give one improvement the student should make to this investigation to confirm their results. . (1)
  34. November 2020, Biology Paper 1 Foundation, Q2(b) (3 marks): Devise a method, using cubes of agar jelly, to investigate how temperature affects the rate of diffusion. (3)
  35. November 2020, Biology Paper 1 Foundation, Q2(c) (1 mark): Some substances move into and out of cells by active transport. Which is the correct description of the movement of a substance by active transport? (1) A again
  36. June 2019, Biology Paper 2 Foundation, Q4(c)(i) (1 mark): State why the test tube in the beaker only contains distilled water and three potato chips. (1)
  37. June 2019, Biology Paper 2 Foundation, Q4(c)(ii) (2 marks): State two variables that need to be controlled in this investigation. (2) 1 2
  38. June 2019, Biology Paper 2 Foundation, Q4(c)(iii) (3 marks): Explain why the chips in the 0.5 M sodium chloride solution lost mass. (3)
  39. June 2018, Biology Paper 1 Higher, Q2(a)(i) (2 marks): Calculate the total surface area of potato chip B using the formula, Total surface area = 2XY + 2XZ + 2YZ (2) total surface area = cm2
  40. June 2018, Biology Paper 1 Higher, Q2(a)(ii) (2 marks): The potato chips were placed in distilled water for 20 minutes. Figure 6 shows the increase in mass of each potato chip. increase in mass potato chip in grams A
  41. June 2018, Biology Paper 1 Higher, Q2(a)(iii) (3 marks): Potato chip A is transferred from the distilled water into a concentrated salt solution. Explain what will happen to the cells in potato chip A. (3)
  42. June 2018, Biology Paper 1 Foundation, Q6(a)(i) (2 marks): Calculate the total surface area of potato chip B using the formula, Total surface area = 2XY + 2XZ + 2YZ (2) total surface area = cm2
  43. June 2018, Biology Paper 1 Foundation, Q6(a)(ii) (2 marks): The potato chips were placed in distilled water for 20 minutes. Figure 10 shows the increase in mass of each potato chip. increase in mass potato chip in grams
  44. June 2018, Biology Paper 1 Foundation, Q6(a)(iii) (3 marks): Potato chip A is transferred from the distilled water into a concentrated salt solution. Explain what will happen to the cells in potato chip A. (3)

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