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Sources of variation: OCR A‑Level Biology A questions

OCR A-Level Biology A past-paper questions on 6.1.2.1 Sources of variation, 2016–2025, with mark schemes and examiner’s reports where available.

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1,983 questions

  1. Q13

    June 2025 · Paper 2

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  2. Q17(a)

    June 2025 · Paper 2

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  3. Q5(a)

    June 2024 · Paper 3

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  4. Q19(a)(ii)

    November 2020 · Paper 2

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  5. Q19(b)(i)

    November 2020 · Paper 2

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  6. Q19(b)(ii)

    November 2020 · Paper 2

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  7. Q6

    June 2019 · Paper 2

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  9. Q20(a)(iv)

    June 2018 · Paper 2

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  10. Q4

    June 2017 · Paper 2

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All 10 questions on Sources of variation, as a list
  1. June 2025, Paper 2, Q13 (1 mark): Reproduction can be sexual or asexual. What is an advantage of sexual reproduction? A Advantageous features are preserved between generations. B Genetic variati
  2. June 2025, Paper 2, Q17(a) (1 mark): Human identical twins are an example of natural animal clones. Suggest why human identical twins do not look exactly identical. [1]
  3. June 2024, Paper 3, Q5(a) (6 marks): Type 1 diabetes mellitus is characterised by a lack of insulin production. Type 2 diabetes mellitus can involve reduced production of insulin and a decreased re
  4. November 2020, Paper 2, Q19(a)(ii) (2 marks): Suggest why Hydra reproduces asexually when conditions are favourable. .. [2]
  5. November 2020, Paper 2, Q19(b)(i) (6 marks): When conditions are not favourable, Hydra reproduces sexually. This often happens in the winter. Cells in the body wall produce sperms and eggs by meiosis. Larg
  6. November 2020, Paper 2, Q19(b)(ii) (1 mark): [1]
  7. June 2019, Paper 2, Q6 (1 mark): Meiosis is an important feature of sexual reproduction. Which of the following processes occurs during meiosis and contributes to genetic variation in the offsp
  8. June 2019, Paper 3, Q4(b) (6 marks): (b)* The specific immune response involves B and T lymphocytes. There is variation in specific immune responses between individual animals. Variation between im
  9. June 2018, Paper 2, Q20(a)(iv) (2 marks): State the likely causes of variation in body length in cheetahs. [2]
  10. June 2017, Paper 2, Q4 (1 mark): The haploid chromosome number in the koala, Phascolarctos cinereus, is 8. Independent assortment of chromosomes in meiosis contributes to genetic variation in t

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