Medicines and antibiotics: OCR A‑Level Biology A questions

OCR A-Level Biology A past-paper questions on 4.1.1.7 Medicines and antibiotics, 2016–2025, with mark schemes and examiner’s reports where available.

All 16 questions on Medicines and antibiotics, as a list

June 2024, AS Paper 1, Q24(b) (2 marks): The bacterium, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, does not have haemoglobin. P. aeruginosa is found in natural water sources. Infection by P. aeruginosa can cause the dise
June 2024, AS Paper 1, Q24(c) (3 marks): The treatment for people in hospitals that have HAP due to P. aeruginosa is to give antibiotics. Some populations of P. aeruginosa have become resistant to spec
June 2024, AS Paper 1, Q24(d) (1 mark): Scientists have suggested that personalised medicine may be used to help with the problem of antibiotic resistance. State what is meant by personalised medicine
June 2023, Paper 2, Q19(d) (3 marks): Infectious disease caused by pathogenic bacteria can be treated using antibiotics. The first antibiotics became widely available in the middle of the 20th Centu
June 2023, Paper 2, Q19(e) (2 marks): Plants and microorganisms have traditionally been used as sources of new medicines. Synthetic biology could play a major role in the development of new medicine
June 2023, AS Paper 1, Q1 (1 mark): Which statement describes a problem that has resulted from the increased use of antibiotics? A Penicillin can no longer be used to treat infections. B Rates of
November 2021, AS Paper 1, Q24(a)(i) (3 marks): Suggest explanations for the positive correlation in the data in the graph. [3]
November 2021, AS Paper 1, Q24(b)(ii) (2 marks): Explain the importance of maintaining biodiversity for the discovery of new antibiotics like phazolicin. [2]
November 2021, AS Paper 1, Q24(c) (2 marks): Advances in medical technology include the development of personalised medicines and synthetic biology. Explain what is meant by personalised medicine and synth
November 2020, Paper 3, Q4(b) (2 marks): Vancomycin is an antibiotic that has been used to treat bacterial infections for many decades. Several strains of bacteria have evolved resistance to vancomycin
June 2019, Paper 2, Q3 (1 mark): Biodiversity is important for the development of new medicines. Which of the following statements about the development of new medicines is incorrect? A Compute
June 2018, AS Paper 2, Q1(b)(iv) (2 marks): Another protease enzyme is HIV1 protease, which is essential for the life cycle of the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). Inhibition of this protease prevents
June 2018, AS Paper 2, Q1(b)(v) (2 marks): A student looking at the data in Fig. 1.3 made the following conclusion: “The decrease in deaths from AIDS after 1995 is because of the use of saquinavir by HIV
June 2016, AS Paper 2, Q6(b)(i) (2 marks): Calculate the percentage increase in the number of death certificates that mention MRSA from 1993 to the year when the numbers reach a peak. Show your working a
June 2016, AS Paper 2, Q6(b)(ii) (2 marks): The proportion of death certificates that mention MRSA in 1993 is 12%. Compare this figure with the proportion of death certificates that mention MRSA in 2012.
June 2016, AS Paper 2, Q6(b)(iii) (2 marks): What can you conclude from these data about the deaths involving S. aureus and MRSA since 2007? [2]

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