plumiStem cells: Edexcel International A Level Biology questions
Edexcel International A Level Biology past-paper questions on 3.5.1 Stem cells, 2019–2025, with mark schemes and examiner’s reports where available.
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Q6(a)(ii)
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All 24 questions on Stem cells, as a list
- June 2025, AS Unit 2, Q6(a)(ii) (1 mark): Activation of the sox2 gene can stimulate body cells to become pluripotent stem cells. Give one difference between a pluripotent stem cell and a totipotent stem
- June 2025, AS Unit 2, Q6(c) (3 marks): Society has approved the use of stem cells taken from starfish for research. Suggest why society has approved the use of these stem cells. (3)
- June 2025, Unit 5, Q8(i) (3 marks): Explain why elderly men who have lost their Y chromosome have a higher risk of cancer (paragraphs 2, 3 and 20). (3)
- October 2024, AS Unit 2, Q6(b)(ii) (1 mark): The zygote would develop into a morula and then into a blastocyst. Which row in the table is correct? (1) cells in the blastocyst the zygote is: inner mass are:
- June 2024, AS Unit 2, Q4(c) (1 mark): A fertilised egg cell develops into a morula and then a blastocyst. Which of the following are correct statements? 1. A blastocyst contains pluripotent stem cel
- October 2023, AS Unit 2, Q7(a)(i) (1 mark): Which of the following describes a morula? (1) A a hollow ball of pluripotent stem cells B a hollow ball of totipotent stem cells C a solid ball of pluripotent
- October 2023, AS Unit 2, Q7(c)(iii) (2 marks): Explain why some people think that research into cancer treatments should not use embryonic stem cells. (2)
- June 2023, AS Unit 2, Q4(a) (2 marks): Structure B is a blastocyst. Describe the structure of a blastocyst. (2)
- January 2023, AS Unit 2, Q4(b)(iii) (3 marks): A blastocyst develops from a morula. Compare and contrast the structure of a morula with the structure of a blastocyst. (3)
- January 2023, AS Unit 2, Q8(c)(ii) (3 marks): Explain why society may support the use of hiPSC stem cells to treat patients with AD. (3)
- October 2022, AS Unit 2, Q6(c)(i) (2 marks): Draw a diagram to show the arrangement of the cells of a blastocyst. (2)
- October 2022, AS Unit 2, Q6(c)(ii) (1 mark): The blastocyst contains some pluripotent stem cells. Which of the following describes these pluripotent stem cells? (1) A adult stem cells that can give rise to
- October 2022, AS Unit 2, Q6(d) (2 marks): The photograph shows a Mexican salamander. (Source: © Imagebroker/Alamy Stock Photo) Salamanders can regenerate damaged limbs and organs throughout their lives.
- January 2022, Unit 5, Q8(g) (2 marks): Explain the advantages of reprogramming ordinary somatic cells to behave like embryonic stem cells for use in stem cell‑based assays of toxicants (paragraph 11)
- October 2021, AS Unit 2, Q8(b)(ii) (4 marks): Some of the cells undergoing mitosis were from a beluga morula whereas some of the cells were from a beluga blastocyst. Explain how the cells of the beluga moru
- January 2021, AS Unit 2, Q4(b)(ii) (1 mark): Draw a circle around the part of the diagram that is a mouse morula. Label the circle ‘morula’. (1)
- October 2020, Unit 5, Q5(b)(i) (2 marks): State what is meant by the term pluripotent stem cell. (2)
- October 2020, Unit 5, Q5(b)(ii) (2 marks): The epithelial layer is checked to ensure that there are no stem cells present before it is placed in the eye of the patient. Suggest why this check is carried
- October 2020, Unit 5, Q8(f) (3 marks): Researchers have used stem cells to produce spinal cord tissue from individuals with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. These functioning tissues contain motor neur
- October 2020, Unit 5, Q8(g) (3 marks): Suggest how ‘a brew of growth factors and other proteins’ can stimulate induced pluripotent stem cells to produce a functioning tissue (paragraph 33). (3)
- January 2020, AS Unit 2, Q2(a) (2 marks): Explain why the cells in the morula are genetically identical. (2)
- January 2020, AS Unit 2, Q2(b)(i) (1 mark): Name structure A. (1)
- January 2020, AS Unit 2, Q2(b)(ii) (2 marks): Stem cells can be used as a medical treatment when a patient has had a severe heart attack. A severe heart attack can cause the death of heart muscle cells. The
- June 2019, AS Unit 2, Q7(d) (3 marks): After fertilisation, the egg cell divides by mitosis to form a blastocyst. During this process, totipotent cells become pluripotent. Describe how a totipotent s
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