plumiProtein structure: globular and fibrous proteins: Edexcel International A Level Biology questions
Edexcel International A Level Biology past-paper questions on 2.3.2 Protein structure: globular and fibrous proteins, 2019–2025, with mark schemes and examiner’s reports where available.
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Q2(b)
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All 30 questions on Protein structure: globular and fibrous proteins, as a list
- June 2025, AS Unit 1, Q2(b) (3 marks): Explain how the structure of haemoglobin is related to its function in transporting oxygen and carbon dioxide. (3)
- June 2025, AS Unit 1, Q7(a) (2 marks): The interaction between enzyme and substrate can be improved by changing the properties of the active site. Explain what determines the properties of an active
- June 2025, AS Unit 1, Q7(b)(ii) (2 marks): Changing the bonding in the enzyme can make it more stable at higher temperatures. Suggest why changing the bonding could enable enzymes to work at higher tempe
- January 2025, AS Unit 1, Q8(a) (4 marks): In some types of OI, the collagen is poorly formed and lacks strength. Explain how a substitution mutation could result in collagen that lacks strength. (4)
- October 2024, AS Unit 1, Q2(b) (1 mark): Which of the following statements about the structure of haemoglobin are correct? 1. It is a fibrous protein 2. It has quaternary structure 3. It contains a
- October 2024, Unit 5, Q8(b) (3 marks): Suggest why the protein beta‑amyloid from the fatty membranes surrounding nerve cells ‘is chemically sticky, gradually clumping together’ (Paragraph 7). Use you
- June 2024, AS Unit 1, Q1(c) (3 marks): Describe how a chain of amino acids can form an enzyme molecule. (3)
- June 2024, AS Unit 1, Q8(a) (3 marks): Describe the structure of a haemoglobin molecule. (3)
- January 2024, AS Unit 3, Q3(b)(iii) (3 marks): Comment on the effects of both heating temperature and the length of time heated on the protein content of the animal feed. Use the graph and your calculation i
- October 2023, AS Unit 1, Q7(c)(ii) (2 marks): The lower pH inside the cell causes the LDL to separate from its receptor. Suggest how a change in pH could cause this separation. (2)
- October 2023, Unit 6, Q1(c) (3 marks): Vitamin C promotes the production of collagen to help the repair of human connective tissues. Describe the structure of a collagen molecule. (3)
- January 2023, AS Unit 1, Q2(a) (3 marks): Describe the structure of collagen. (3)
- October 2022, AS Unit 1, Q7(b)(ii) (1 mark): There are three disulfide bridges in insulin. Each disulfide bridge is formed between the R groups of two cysteine amino acids. Give the ratio of amino acids fo
- October 2022, Unit 4, Q5(a)(ii) (2 marks): Explain why albumin is soluble in blood plasma. (2)
- October 2022, Unit 4, Q5(b)(i) (1 mark): Protein G has a concentration in blood plasma in the range 0.700 g dm–3 to 1.700 g dm–3. Albumin has a concentration in blood plasma in the range 0.525 g dm–3 t
- October 2022, Unit 4, Q5(b)(ii) (3 marks): Describe the conclusions that can be made about albumin, compared with the other four proteins present in blood plasma. Use the information in the diagram to su
- June 2022, AS Unit 1, Q5(a)(i) (2 marks): Describe two structural features of insoluble fibrous proteins. (2) 1 2
- June 2022, AS Unit 1, Q5(b)(i) (2 marks): Describe the secondary structure of a polypeptide. (2)
- June 2022, AS Unit 1, Q5(b)(ii) (4 marks): Explain the results of this investigation. (4)
- January 2022, AS Unit 1, Q5(a)(i) (3 marks): Describe the structure of collagen. (3)
- January 2022, AS Unit 1, Q8(a)(iii) (3 marks): The amino acid Glu is hydrophilic (polar) and the amino acid Val is hydrophobic (non‑polar). Suggest why this mutation causes haemoglobin molecules to stick tog
- October 2021, AS Unit 1, Q4(b)(iii) (2 marks): The blood flowing through the sinuses of the butterfly is separated from the organs by collagen. Describe the structure of collagen. (2)
- October 2021, Unit 5, Q6(d) (3 marks): T lymphocytes produce different types of cytokine. Some of these cytokines activate T killer cells and some activate B cells. Explain why different cytokines ca
- June 2021, AS Unit 1, Q8(b) (4 marks): Explain the role of the primary structure in determining the properties of the protein labelled in the diagram. (4)
- January 2021, AS Unit 1, Q4(a)(ii) (2 marks): Explain the properties of amino acids located on the outer surface of the haemoglobin, for example at position Q. (2)
- January 2021, AS Unit 1, Q4(b)(ii) (2 marks): The structures of adult and fetal haemoglobin are different. The diagram shows the structure of adult and fetal haemoglobin. α chain β chain α chain γ chain β c
- January 2021, AS Unit 1, Q8(a)(ii) (3 marks): Explain how the three-dimensional structure of lactase affects the mechanism of action of this enzyme. (3)
- October 2020, AS Unit 1, Q1(b) (2 marks): The table describes the types of bond that hold the secondary and the three‑dimensional structures together. Which type of bonding is true for each structure? (
- October 2020, Unit 4, Q5(b)(ii) (3 marks): Explain how the primary structure and the tertiary structure of holins determine the properties of these channel proteins. (3)
- June 2019, AS Unit 1, Q8(c)(ii) (4 marks): The R group of phenylalanine is smaller than the R group of AzPhe. Suggest how inserting an amino acid with a larger R group could affect the properties of silk
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