Food production: Edexcel International GCSE Biology questions

Every Edexcel International GCSE Biology exam question on Food production (specification points 5.1–5.9), 2019–2025, with its mark scheme and examiner’s report.

All 92 questions on Food production, as a list

June 2025, Paper 1, Q4(b)(i) (5 marks): Discuss the effects that the introduction of ladybugs, and the use of insecticides, has on the numbers of scale insects. Use information from the graph and your
June 2025, Paper 1, Q4(b)(ii) (3 marks): Give three advantages of using biological control instead of pesticides to control pests. (3) 1 2 3
June 2025 (R), Paper 1, Q8(c)(i) (4 marks): Comment on the effects on the numbers of different organisms of spraying pesticides in a rice field. (4)
June 2025 (R), Paper 1, Q8(c)(ii) (2 marks): State two reasons why using biological control is better for the environment than using chemical pesticide. (2) 1 2
November 2024, Paper 1, Q9(a) (2 marks): Explain how the larvae of the moth cause a reduction in the yield of the maize crop. (2)
November 2024, Paper 1, Q9(b) (4 marks): Biological control involves using a predator species to control the numbers of a pest species. Explain the advantages of using biological control rather than ch
November 2024, Paper 1, Q9(c)(iii) (2 marks): Suggest why some maize farmers choose not to use biological control to control the moth. (2)
November 2024, Paper 1, Q10 (6 marks): Some scientists believe that increasing the temperature by 3 °C in a glasshouse will significantly increase crop yield. Design an investigation to determine whe
November 2024, Paper 2, Q6(a)(i) (1 mark): Give a reason why adding extra fertiliser does not result in an even greater crop yield. (1)
November 2024, Paper 2, Q6(a)(ii) (5 marks): Some farmers apply more nitrogen fertiliser and more water to their fields than are needed. Explain the biological consequences of applying more nitrogen fertil
June 2024, Paper 1, Q3 (7 marks): The passage describes the process used to produce yoghurt. Complete the passage by writing a suitable word or words in each blank space. (7) Yoghurt is made by
June 2024, Paper 1, Q10 (6 marks): Carbon dioxide can be added to a glasshouse to increase the yield of a crop plant. Design an investigation to find the carbon dioxide concentration needed for m
June 2024, Paper 2, Q6(b)(ii) (1 mark): The feed conversion index is a measure of the mass of protein pellets used compared with the increase in mass of tilapia. It is calculated using this formula. t
June 2024, Paper 2, Q6(b)(iv) (1 mark): Both groups of fish were fed the same mass of pellets and placed into the same sized tanks of water. Give one other abiotic factor that the scientists should ke
June 2024 (R), Paper 1, Q8(b)(i) (2 marks): Explain the role of the stirrer in the fermenter. (2)
June 2024 (R), Paper 1, Q8(b)(ii) (2 marks): Explain the role of the water jacket in the fermenter. (2)
June 2024 (R), Paper 1, Q9(c) (5 marks): The diagram shows a sustainable glasshouse system that is used in the United Kingdom to grow tomato plants throughout the year. The glasshouse has artificial li
June 2024 (R), Paper 1, Q10 (6 marks): The photograph shows a scarecrow in a crop field. (Source: © CONCEPTUAL IMAGES / SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY) Scarecrows are models of humans placed into fields to st
June 2024 (R), Paper 2, Q1(a) (1 mark): Read the passage below. Use the information in the passage and your own knowledge to answer the questions that follow. Offshore or freshwater fish farming Fish
June 2024 (R), Paper 2, Q1(b) (3 marks): Read the passage below. Use the information in the passage and your own knowledge to answer the questions that follow. Offshore or freshwater fish farming Fish
June 2024 (R), Paper 2, Q1(d)(i) (2 marks): Read the passage below. Use the information in the passage and your own knowledge to answer the questions that follow. Offshore or freshwater fish farming Fish
June 2024 (R), Paper 2, Q1(d)(ii) (2 marks): Read the passage below. Use the information in the passage and your own knowledge to answer the questions that follow. Offshore or freshwater fish farming Fish
June 2024 (R), Paper 2, Q1(e) (2 marks): Read the passage below. Use the information in the passage and your own knowledge to answer the questions that follow. Offshore or freshwater fish farming Fish
June 2024 (R), Paper 2, Q1(f) (1 mark): Read the passage below. Use the information in the passage and your own knowledge to answer the questions that follow. Offshore or freshwater fish farming Fish
June 2024 (R), Paper 2, Q1(g) (1 mark): Read the passage below. Use the information in the passage and your own knowledge to answer the questions that follow. Offshore or freshwater fish farming Fish
June 2024 (R), Paper 2, Q1(h) (2 marks): Read the passage below. Use the information in the passage and your own knowledge to answer the questions that follow. Offshore or freshwater fish farming Fish
November 2023, Paper 1, Q1(b)(ii) (3 marks): Describe a different method the farmer could use to reduce the number of greenfly on his crops. (3)
November 2023, Paper 1, Q7(b) (4 marks): A microscopic single-celled fungus, yeast, is used in the production of bread. Describe how yeast is used to produce bread. (4)
June 2023, Paper 1, Q8(d)(i) (4 marks): Explain how named conditions in an industrial fermenter are controlled. (4)
June 2023 (R), Paper 1, Q1(b) (3 marks): Describe how Lactobacillus bacteria produce yoghurt from milk. (3)
June 2023 (R), Paper 2, Q4(b)(ii) (1 mark): Give an alternative to chemical fertiliser that a farmer could use. (1)
January 2023 (R), Paper 1, Q5(a) (1 mark): Give a reason why the scientists include results from a glasshouse with no treatment in their investigation. (1)
January 2023 (R), Paper 1, Q5(b) (5 marks): Draw a line graph to show the changes in the number of fire ants with pesticide only and with both pesticide and phorid flies for the 24 months. Join your point
January 2023 (R), Paper 1, Q5(c) (2 marks): Describe the effect of using pesticide only on the number of fire ants for the 24 months. (2)
January 2023 (R), Paper 1, Q5(d) (5 marks): Discuss the effects of using pesticide only and of using both pesticide and phorid flies on the number of fire ants. Use the data and your own biological knowle
June 2022 (R), Paper 1, Q2(c)(i) (3 marks): Explain the function of the temperature monitor and cooling jacket. (3)
June 2022 (R), Paper 1, Q2(c)(ii) (2 marks): Explain why air is needed in the fermenter. (2)
June 2022 (R), Paper 1, Q2(c)(iii) (2 marks): Explain why the air is filtered before going into the fermenter. (2)
June 2022 (R), Paper 1, Q8(a)(i) (2 marks): Give two abiotic variables that the student controls. (2) 1 2
June 2022 (R), Paper 1, Q8(a)(ii) (2 marks): The student dries the seedlings in an oven to find their dry mass. Suggest why it is important to use dry mass in this investigation. (2)
June 2022 (R), Paper 1, Q8(b)(i) (5 marks): Plot a line graph to show the dry mass of seedlings without fertiliser and the dry mass of seedlings with fertiliser, from day 4 to day 20. Use a ruler to join
January 2022, Paper 1, Q5(b) (1 mark): Give one abiotic variable that the scientists should control in their experiment. (1)
January 2022, Paper 1, Q5(c)(i) (5 marks): Plot a line graph to show how the percentage acidity changes over the period of 210 minutes for the reduced oxygen level and for the normal oxygen level. Use a
January 2022, Paper 1, Q10(a) (1 mark): Which of these is an advantage of using biological control over chemical control? (1) A it lasts a short time B it leads to bioaccumulation C it is specific D i
January 2022, Paper 1, Q10(c) (5 marks): Silverflies and hoverflies are two species of insects whose larvae feed on aphids. Scientists investigate the feeding behaviour of these species in a laboratory
January 2022, Paper 2, Q4(c) (5 marks): Multi‑trophic level aquaculture is a method of fish farming that has been developed to reduce environmental pollution and increase profits. The diagram shows a
January 2022 (R), Paper 1, Q5(a)(i) (2 marks): Explain why air is bubbled into the fermenter. (2)
January 2022 (R), Paper 1, Q5(a)(ii) (2 marks): Explain why the fermenter is cleaned using steam before the fungus and nutrients are added. (2)
January 2022 (R), Paper 1, Q5(b)(i) (5 marks): Plot a line graph to show how the mass of mycoprotein changes over the 30 days for each type of fungus. Use a ruler to join the points with straight lines. (5)
January 2022 (R), Paper 2, Q5(a) (5 marks): Comment on the changes in the mass of fish caught by traditional fishing and the mass of fish produced by fish farming from 1960 to 2016. Use information from t
January 2022 (R), Paper 2, Q5(b) (5 marks): Explain the methods a fish farmer can use to maximise production of fish. (5)
November 2021, Paper 1, Q5(b)(ii) (6 marks): Two different methods can be used to remove weeds to improve crop yield. ● Method A pull weeds out of the ground by hand ● Method B spray weeds with a chemical
June 2021, Paper 1, Q5(b) (5 marks): The scientist concludes that biological control is a better way of controlling weeds than chemical control. Discuss this conclusion. Use data from the table and
June 2021, Paper 2, Q4(a) (3 marks): The mean rate of increase in total mass of the fish in the filtered water is 0.214 kg per day. Calculate the difference between the mean rate of increase in the
June 2021, Paper 2, Q4(b) (3 marks): Unfiltered water contains more bacteria. Explain why unfiltered water containing more bacteria affects the growth of fish. (3)
June 2021, Paper 2, Q4(c) (1 mark): Give one biotic variable the scientist controlled in the investigation. (1)
June 2021, Paper 2, Q4(d) (1 mark): Give a method the scientist could use to control interspecific predation in the ponds. (1)
January 2021, Paper 1, Q5(a) (1 mark): Give the dependent variable in this investigation. (1)
January 2021, Paper 1, Q5(b) (1 mark): Give one reason why the student uses the same volume of water in each beaker. (1)
January 2021, Paper 1, Q5(c) (2 marks): Calculate the difference between the percentage decrease in temperature for the uncovered beaker and the percentage decrease in temperature for the covered beak
January 2021, Paper 1, Q5(d) (4 marks): The student concludes that it is better for farmers to keep their animals indoors. Discuss this conclusion. (4)
January 2021, Paper 1, Q5(e) (2 marks): Describe how the student could modify his investigation to find out if an animal’s body size affects heat loss. (2)
January 2021, Paper 1, Q8(a) (1 mark): State what is meant by the term pesticide. (1)
January 2021, Paper 1, Q8(b) (2 marks): Determine which crop had the largest area sprayed with herbicide. Show your working. (2) largest area = km2 crop =
January 2021, Paper 1, Q8(c) (2 marks): Suggest why spring and winter wheat have different percentages of insecticide applied to them. (2)
January 2021, Paper 1, Q8(d) (4 marks): Discuss the different combinations of pesticides applied to fruit and cereal crops. (4)
January 2021, Paper 1, Q8(e) (2 marks): Explain an alternative to insecticide that a farmer could use. (2)
January 2021 (R), Paper 1, Q7(a)(i) (5 marks): Plot a line graph to show how the mean shell height increases with time for each temperature. Use a ruler to join the points with straight lines. (5)
January 2021 (R), Paper 1, Q7(a)(ii) (3 marks): Explain the effect of temperature on the growth of snails in this investigation. (3)
January 2021 (R), Paper 1, Q7(a)(iii) (1 mark): State the dependent variable in the investigation. (1)
January 2021 (R), Paper 1, Q7(a)(iv) (1 mark): State how the scientist made sure their results were reliable. (1)
January 2021 (R), Paper 1, Q8(c) (6 marks): A farmer grows apple trees. The flowers on the apple trees must be pollinated by insects to produce an apple crop. The farmer is concerned that the use of pesti
November 2020, Paper 1, Q7(d)(i) (1 mark): Name the carbohydrate in milk used to make yoghurt. (1)
November 2020, Paper 1, Q7(d)(ii) (1 mark): Name the bacteria added to milk to make yoghurt. (1)
November 2020, Paper 1, Q7(d)(iii) (2 marks): Explain why milk needs to be heated to a high temperature at the start of the process for making yoghurt. (2)
November 2020, Paper 1, Q9(a)(i) (6 marks): Plot a line graph to show the changes in wheat and barley production from 2011 to 2015. Use a ruler to join the points with straight lines. (6)
November 2020, Paper 1, Q9(a)(ii) (2 marks): Describe the changes in the production of each crop from 2011 to 2015. (2)
November 2020, Paper 1, Q9(a)(iii) (3 marks): Determine which of the crops had the greatest percentage change in production from 2011 to 2015. Show your working. (3)
November 2020, Paper 1, Q9(b) (2 marks): A wheat field, 100 m by 100 m, can produce a total yield of 25 000 kg of carbohydrate in a year. Calculate the mean mass, in grams, of carbohydrate produced eac
November 2020 (R), Paper 1, Q10(a) (4 marks): Explain how chemical fertilisers can increase crop yield. (4)
November 2020 (R), Paper 1, Q10(c) (1 mark): Some farmers use alternative substances to chemical fertilisers. Suggest one alternative substance that a farmer may use. (1)
January 2020, Paper 1, Q5(a)(i) (2 marks): Explain how increasing the temperature can result in an increase in crop yield. (2)
January 2020, Paper 1, Q5(a)(ii) (2 marks): Farmers sometimes use a type of heater that burns gas or oil to raise the temperature of their glasshouse to improve crop yield. Explain why they use this type
January 2020, Paper 1, Q5(b)(i) (2 marks): Different minerals are added to chemical fertilisers. Explain one mineral that should be added to these fertilisers. (2)
January 2020, Paper 1, Q5(b)(ii) (5 marks): Discuss why some farmers limit the amount of chemical fertilisers they add to their crops. (5)
January 2020, Paper 2, Q6(a) (2 marks): Describe the functions of the paddles in the fermenter. (2)
January 2020, Paper 2, Q6(b) (2 marks): Explain why the fermenter has a filtered air supply. (2)
January 2020, Paper 2, Q6(c) (2 marks): Explain why the temperature recorder is connected to the liquid in the fermenter and the water input of the cooling jacket. (2)
June 2019 (R), Paper 1, Q6(a) (1 mark): Name a bacterium used to make yoghurt. (1)
June 2019 (R), Paper 2, Q7(a)(i) (3 marks): Calculate the difference between the percentage of total fish production that is farmed in 2009 and the percentage of total fish production that is farmed in 20
June 2019 (R), Paper 2, Q7(a)(ii) (3 marks): Describe the changes in fish supply from 2009 to 2014. (3)
June 2019 (R), Paper 2, Q7(b) (6 marks): Farming large numbers of fish can cause problems for fish farmers. Discuss how fish farmers solve these problems. (6)

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