plumiHuman influences on the environment: Edexcel International GCSE Biology questions
Every Edexcel International GCSE Biology exam question on Human influences on the environment (specification points 4.12–4.18), 2019–2025, with its mark scheme and examiner’s report.
Paper
All papers
Exam
All years
Calculations
Q1(c)(ii)
The whole paper ↗Q1(f)(ii)
The whole paper ↗Q7(b)(iii)
The whole paper ↗Q6(b)
The whole paper ↗Q6(c)
The whole paper ↗Q5(a)(i)
The whole paper ↗Q5(a)(ii)
The whole paper ↗Q5(b)(i)
The whole paper ↗Q5(b)(ii)
The whole paper ↗Q1(c)(i)
The whole paper ↗Q1(c)(ii)
The whole paper ↗Q1(c)
The whole paper ↗Q5(a)(i)
The whole paper ↗Q5(a)(ii)
The whole paper ↗Q5(a)(iii)
The whole paper ↗Q5(b)
The whole paper ↗Q1(a)
The whole paper ↗Q1(b)
The whole paper ↗Q1(d)
The whole paper ↗Q5(b)(i)
The whole paper ↗
All 58 questions on Human influences on the environment, as a list
- June 2025, Paper 2, Q1(c)(ii) (4 marks): Read the passage below. Use the information in the passage and your own knowledge to answer the questions that follow. Rivers – the arteries of the world Rivers
- June 2025, Paper 2, Q1(f)(ii) (2 marks): Read the passage below. Use the information in the passage and your own knowledge to answer the questions that follow. Rivers – the arteries of the world Rivers
- June 2025 (R), Paper 1, Q7(b)(iii) (5 marks): The scientists conclude that the combustion of fossil fuels is a risk to the food web. Discuss the scientists’ conclusion. Use the information in the graph and
- November 2024, Paper 2, Q6(b) (2 marks): The atmosphere can be polluted by gases such as carbon monoxide released from industry. Describe the effects of carbon monoxide on the human body. (2)
- November 2024, Paper 2, Q6(c) (1 mark): Which of these is not a greenhouse gas? (1) A carbon dioxide B methane C nitrogen D nitrous oxide
- June 2024, Paper 1, Q5(a)(i) (1 mark): Which of these are greenhouse gases? (1) 1 CFCs 2 methane 3 oxygen 4 water vapour A 1 and 2 only B 1, 2 and 3 only C 1, 2 and 4 only D all of them
- June 2024, Paper 1, Q5(a)(ii) (2 marks): Explain what is meant by the term greenhouse effect. (2)
- June 2024, Paper 1, Q5(b)(i) (3 marks): Calculate the percentage of the total greenhouse gases emitted that came from energy production in 2020. (3) percentage = %
- June 2024, Paper 1, Q5(b)(ii) (5 marks): Comment on the changes in the four sources of greenhouse gases from 1990 to 2020. Use the information in the graph and your own knowledge to support your answer
- June 2024, Paper 2, Q1(c)(i) (2 marks): Read the passage below. Use the information in the passage and your own knowledge to answer the questions that follow. Extinctions During the evolution of livin
- June 2024, Paper 2, Q1(c)(ii) (3 marks): Read the passage below. Use the information in the passage and your own knowledge to answer the questions that follow. Extinctions During the evolution of livin
- June 2024 (R), Paper 2, Q1(c) (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, Q5(a)(i) (2 marks): Use this data to determine the total tree cover loss by countries other than Russia, Brazil and Canada from 2001 to 2021. (2) tree cover loss = Mha
- June 2024 (R), Paper 2, Q5(a)(ii) (2 marks): Calculate the loss of tree cover in Brazil per month from 2001 to 2021. Give your answer in standard form. (2) tree cover loss = Mha per month
- June 2024 (R), Paper 2, Q5(a)(iii) (2 marks): Explain why Russia contributed 17% of the total tree cover loss in the entire world even though the loss of tree cover in Russia was only 10%. (2)
- June 2024 (R), Paper 2, Q5(b) (4 marks): Describe the effects of deforestation on an ecosystem. (4)
- November 2023, Paper 2, Q1(a) (2 marks): Read the passage below. Use the information in the passage and your own knowledge to answer the questions that follow. Plants to the rescue Since the early 20th
- November 2023, Paper 2, Q1(b) (2 marks): Read the passage below. Use the information in the passage and your own knowledge to answer the questions that follow. Plants to the rescue Since the early 20th
- November 2023, Paper 2, Q1(d) (2 marks): Read the passage below. Use the information in the passage and your own knowledge to answer the questions that follow. Plants to the rescue Since the early 20th
- November 2023, Paper 2, Q5(b)(i) (4 marks): Comment on the relationship between nitrate levels in the river and the nitrogen compounds applied to the farmland. (4)
- November 2023, Paper 2, Q5(b)(ii) (3 marks): Describe the changes within the river that would have occurred between 1950 and 2000. (3)
- June 2023, Paper 2, Q1(b)(i) (3 marks): Read the passage below. Use the information in the passage and your own knowledge to answer the questions that follow. When the Oceans Glow In some areas of the
- June 2023, Paper 2, Q1(b)(ii) (2 marks): Read the passage below. Use the information in the passage and your own knowledge to answer the questions that follow. When the Oceans Glow In some areas of the
- June 2023 (R), Paper 1, Q8(b)(i) (1 mark): Name one other greenhouse gas. (1)
- June 2023 (R), Paper 1, Q8(b)(ii) (5 marks): Evaluate the information in the table to identify which of these gases is likely to contribute most to global warming. (5)
- June 2023 (R), Paper 2, Q4(b)(i) (5 marks): Describe how pollution by fertiliser can affect aquatic ecosystems. (5)
- January 2023, Paper 2, Q5(a)(i) (2 marks): Determine the mean rate of decrease of rainforest area, in km2 per year, from 1990 to 2015. (2) mean rate of decrease = km2 per year
- January 2023, Paper 2, Q5(a)(ii) (3 marks): Loss of rainforests causes an increase in atmospheric carbon dioxide gas. Explain the negative effects of an increase in atmospheric carbon dioxide gas. (3)
- January 2023, Paper 2, Q5(b)(iii) (4 marks): Explain the change in the biodiversity of animals along the river. Use information from the graphs in your answer. (4)
- June 2022, Paper 2, Q1(a)(i) (1 mark): Read the passage below. Use the information in the passage and your own knowledge to answer the questions that follow. Supercharging plants to reduce global war
- June 2022, Paper 2, Q1(a)(ii) (3 marks): Read the passage below. Use the information in the passage and your own knowledge to answer the questions that follow. Supercharging plants to reduce global war
- June 2022, Paper 2, Q1(a)(iii) (2 marks): Read the passage below. Use the information in the passage and your own knowledge to answer the questions that follow. Supercharging plants to reduce global war
- June 2022, Paper 2, Q1(b) (4 marks): Read the passage below. Use the information in the passage and your own knowledge to answer the questions that follow. Supercharging plants to reduce global war
- June 2022 (R), Paper 2, Q4(a) (5 marks): Comment on the changes in the measurements as the distance from the sewage outlet increases. You should use information from the graphs and your own knowledge i
- June 2022 (R), Paper 2, Q4(b)(ii) (2 marks): Suggest how the number of mayfly nymphs and the number of tubifex worms can be used to indicate the level of pollution. (2)
- January 2022 (R), Paper 1, Q9(a) (2 marks): Calculate how much carbon dioxide would be released from 125 kg of waste food when using an anaerobic digester. Give your answer to two significant figures. (2)
- January 2022 (R), Paper 1, Q9(b) (5 marks): Some scientists have claimed that anaerobic digesters are the most environmentally friendly method of waste disposal. Evaluate this claim using data from the ta
- January 2022 (R), Paper 2, Q4(c) (2 marks): Explain the effect of nitrous oxide on global warming. (2)
- November 2021, Paper 1, Q3(c) (4 marks): Farmers keep cows to produce milk. Injecting cows with growth hormone (GH) will increase milk production. This allows farmers to obtain the same volume of milk
- June 2021, Paper 1, Q4(b)(iv) (2 marks): Suggest why biofuel produced using glucose from plants could reduce global warming. (2)
- June 2021, Paper 1, Q11(a)(i) (3 marks): Explain the biological consequences of air pollution by sulfur dioxide. (3)
- June 2021, Paper 1, Q11(a)(ii) (1 mark): State how sulfur dioxide pollution can be reduced. (1)
- January 2021, Paper 2, Q1 (16 marks): Read the passage below. Use the information in the passage and your own knowledge to answer the questions that follow. Plastic pollution A mass of 12.7 million
- November 2020, Paper 1, Q4(d) (4 marks): Krill obtain most of their food from microscopic plants growing on the lower surface of ice. Explain how global warming could affect the whale population in the
- November 2020 (R), Paper 1, Q6(a) (2 marks): Explain the results shown in the table. (2)
- November 2020 (R), Paper 1, Q6(c) (6 marks): Adding water to a powder called sodium metabisulphite will release sulfur dioxide gas. Devise a laboratory investigation to find out the effect of sulfur dioxid
- November 2020 (R), Paper 1, Q10(b) (4 marks): These fertilisers may leak into rivers. A scientist measures the oxygen content of water in two different locations of the same river during the month of April.
- 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 (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. Coppicing Coppicing is a traditional wood
- January 2020 (R), Paper 2, Q1(c) (3 marks): Read the passage below. Use the information in the passage and your own knowledge to answer the questions that follow. Coppicing Coppicing is a traditional wood
- January 2020 (R), Paper 2, Q1(d) (1 mark): Read the passage below. Use the information in the passage and your own knowledge to answer the questions that follow. Coppicing Coppicing is a traditional wood
- June 2019, Paper 1, Q9(a) (3 marks): Carbon monoxide can pollute the atmosphere. Describe the effects of carbon monoxide pollution on humans. (3)
- June 2019, Paper 1, Q9(b) (6 marks): Water pollution can occur if sewage enters a river. Explain the biological consequences of sewage pollution on a river ecosystem. (6)
- June 2019, Paper 2, Q1(f) (3 marks): Read the passage below. Use the information in the passage and your own knowledge to answer the questions that follow. Global warming and the Great Barrier Reef
- June 2019 (R), Paper 1, Q2(a) (5 marks): Plot a line graph of this data on the grid. Use a ruler to join the points with straight lines. (5)
- June 2019 (R), Paper 1, Q2(b) (1 mark): What is the dependent variable in this investigation? (1) A germination rate B number of cells C pollution level D time after germination
- June 2019 (R), Paper 2, Q1(a) (2 marks): Read the passage below. Use the information in the passage and your own knowledge to answer the questions that follow. The FACE Programme towers that contain pi
- June 2019 (R), Paper 2, Q1(g) (3 marks): Read the passage below. Use the information in the passage and your own knowledge to answer the questions that follow. The FACE Programme towers that contain pi
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