plumiCell structures: OCR GCSE Biology A questions
Every OCR GCSE Biology A exam question on B1.1 Cell structures, 2018–2025, with its mark scheme and examiner’s report.
Paper
All papers
Exam
All years
Calculations
Q17(a)
The whole paper ↗Q17(b)
The whole paper ↗Q17(c)
The whole paper ↗Q17(d)
The whole paper ↗- Your answer
- Your answer
- Your answer
Q16(a)
The whole paper ↗Q16(b)(i)
The whole paper ↗Q16(b)(ii)
The whole paper ↗Q16(c)
The whole paper ↗Q18(d)
The whole paper ↗Q21(a)(i)
The whole paper ↗Q21(a)(ii)
The whole paper ↗Q21(b)
The whole paper ↗Q16(b)
The whole paper ↗Q16(c)(i)
The whole paper ↗Q16(c)(ii)
The whole paper ↗Q16(c)(iii)
The whole paper ↗Q23(a)
The whole paper ↗
All 61 questions on Cell structures, as a list
- June 2025, Paper 1 Foundation, Q17(a) (2 marks): The student used an objective lens with a magnifying power of × 40 to view the onion cell. The eyepiece had a magnifying power of ×10. Calculate the total magni
- June 2025, Paper 1 Foundation, Q17(b) (3 marks): The student produces a labelled scientific drawing of one onion cell. cell wall cytoplasm nucleus Describe three ways the student could improve their scientific
- June 2025, Paper 1 Foundation, Q17(c) (3 marks): Animal and bacterial cells have some cell structures that are the same and some that are different. Identify which structures are present in each type of cell.
- June 2025, Paper 1 Foundation, Q17(d) (1 mark): Which cell structure shown in the table is the site of protein synthesis in cells? [1]
- June 2025, Paper 3 Higher, Q9 (1 mark): A student observes stomata using a light microscope with a total magnification of ×400. In the image the student sees, the stomata are 14 mm long. What is the a
- June 2024, Paper 1 Foundation, Q1 (1 mark): Which structures are found in plant cells but not in animal cells? A Chloroplasts B Mitochondria C Nuclei D Ribosomes Your answer [1]
- June 2024, Paper 1 Foundation, Q2 (1 mark): Which structures are found in prokaryotic cells but not in the eukaryotic cells of animals? A Cell membranes B Mitochondria C Nuclei D Plasmids Your answer [1]
- June 2024, Paper 1 Foundation, Q16(a) (3 marks): Draw lines to connect each part of the microscope to its role in viewing the specimen. Part of the microscope Role Moves the lenses up and down so the Stage spe
- June 2024, Paper 1 Foundation, Q16(b)(i) (2 marks): The total magnification of the microscope is ×400. The magnification of the eyepiece lens is ×10. Calculate the magnification of the objective lens used by the
- June 2024, Paper 1 Foundation, Q16(b)(ii) (3 marks): Fig. 16.1 shows the image the student sees. Fig. 16.1 © microscopy-uk.org.uk, Microscopy Uk. Item removed due to third party copyright restrictions. Link to m T
- June 2024, Paper 1 Foundation, Q16(c) (2 marks): Fig. 16.2 shows an image of a pollen grain taken using an electron microscope. Fig. 16.2 Give two reasons why the image shows more detail with the electron micr
- June 2024, Paper 1 Foundation, Q18(d) (1 mark): The size of a large hen’s egg is approximately 40 mm. The size of a bee’s egg is 0.4 mm How many orders of magnitude are there between the hen’s egg and the bee
- June 2024, Paper 3 Higher, Q21(a)(i) (2 marks): Name two sub-cellular structures the yeast cell has in common with both animal and plant cells. 1 2 [2]
- June 2024, Paper 3 Higher, Q21(a)(ii) (1 mark): Yeast is classified as a fungus and not as a plant or animal. Explain why fungi are not classified as plants or as animals. Use the diagram. [1]
- June 2024, Paper 3 Higher, Q21(b) (4 marks): The image is of some yeast cells taken using an electron microscope. A The actual diameter of the yeast cell labelled A is 2.8 µm. (1 mm = 1000 µm) Calculate th
- June 2023, Paper 1 Foundation, Q16(b) (2 marks): DNA is found in both eukaryotic and prokaryotic cells. Draw lines to connect the cell type to the form its DNA takes then to the part of the cell where the DNA
- June 2023, Paper 1 Foundation, Q16(c)(i) (1 mark): The microscope slide is placed on the of the microscope. [1]
- June 2023, Paper 1 Foundation, Q16(c)(ii) (1 mark): The lens is used to change the magnification of the object being viewed. [1]
- June 2023, Paper 1 Foundation, Q16(c)(iii) (1 mark): The part of the microscope that moves the lens to see the image more clearly is called the . [1]
- June 2023, Paper 1 Foundation, Q23(a) (4 marks): The contents of sub-cellular structures found in eukaryotic cells enable the structure to perform its function. Draw lines to connect each sub-cellular structur
- June 2023, Paper 1 Foundation, Q23(b)(i) (2 marks): Draw the mitochondrion in the box. Your drawing should be a scientific drawing. [2]
- June 2023, Paper 1 Foundation, Q23(b)(ii) (2 marks): What type of microscope was used to create the image of the mitochondrion? Explain your answer. Type of microscope Reason [2]
- June 2023, Paper 1 Foundation, Q23(c) (1 mark): Name one structure found in both an animal cell and a prokaryotic cell. [1]
- June 2023, Paper 3 Higher, Q16(a) (4 marks): The contents of sub-cellular structures found in eukaryotic cells enable the structure to perform its function. Draw lines to connect each sub-cellular structur
- June 2023, Paper 3 Higher, Q16(b)(i) (2 marks): Draw the mitochondrion in the box. Your drawing should be a scientific drawing. [2]
- June 2023, Paper 3 Higher, Q16(b)(ii) (2 marks): What type of microscope was used to create the image of the mitochondrion? Explain your answer. Type of microscope Reason [2]
- June 2023, Paper 3 Higher, Q16(c) (1 mark): Name one structure found in both an animal cell and a prokaryotic cell. [1]
- June 2022, Paper 1 Foundation, Q3 (1 mark): What do electron microscopes have that allow scientists to see cells in greater detail? A A high magnification and a high resolution B A high magnification and
- June 2022, Paper 1 Foundation, Q18(c) (2 marks): Plant cells are eukaryotic cells and bacteria are prokaryotic cells. Plant cells and bacterial cells have similarities and differences between their structures.
- June 2022, Paper 2 Foundation, Q18(c) (1 mark): It was not until 1960 that scientists could show that the tulips were infected with a virus. Viruses are much smaller than human cells. Suggest why it took so l
- June 2022, Paper 3 Higher, Q8 (1 mark): Liver cells are active cells producing many protein molecules. Which organelles are present in liver cells? A Chloroplasts and mitochondria B Mitochondria and p
- June 2022, Paper 3 Higher, Q23(d) (3 marks): Compare the DNA found in eukaryotic and in prokaryotic cells. [3]
- November 2021, Paper 1 Foundation, Q16(a) (3 marks): Eukaryotic and prokaryotic cells have sub-cellular structures. Complete the table to show which type of cell contains each sub-cellular structure. Each row shou
- November 2021, Paper 1 Foundation, Q16(b)(i) (2 marks): A student looks at plant cells using a light microscope, as shown in Fig. 16.1. Eyepiece lens Focus knob Objective lenses Stage Mirror Fig. 16.1 Write 1 to 5 in
- November 2021, Paper 1 Foundation, Q16(b)(ii) (1 mark): The microscope shown in Fig. 16.1 has a ×10 eyepiece and a ×40 objective lens. Calculate the magnification of the image of the plant cells that the student sees
- November 2021, Paper 1 Foundation, Q16(b)(iii) (1 mark): A chloroplast in one of the plant cells is 5 μm in diameter. Use your answer from (b)(ii) to calculate the diameter of the chloroplast image seen under the micr
- November 2021, Paper 3 Higher, Q6 (1 mark): Which feature of electron microscopy has allowed scientists to increase their understanding of sub-cellular structures? A The ability to increase magnification
- November 2021, Paper 3 Higher, Q15 (1 mark): A cheek cell is 70 µm and a red blood cell 7 µm. What is the order of magnitude difference between a cheek cell and a red blood cell? A 0 B 1 C 2 D 3 Your answe
- November 2020, Paper 1 Foundation, Q2 (1 mark): The diagram shows a light microscope. A B C D Which label is pointing to the eyepiece lens? Your answer [1]
- November 2020, Paper 1 Foundation, Q12 (1 mark): A light microscope resolution is 0.2 μm. An electron microscope resolution is 0.0001 μm. How many times closer can two objects be seen as separate objects by us
- November 2020, Paper 1 Foundation, Q16(a) (3 marks): Cells contain structures that have different features. Complete the table using structures from this list. cell membrane chloroplast mitochondria nucleus riboso
- November 2020, Paper 1 Foundation, Q16(b)(i) (2 marks): The actual size of the cheek cell is 0.03 mm. Calculate the magnification of the drawing. Use the equation: magnification = measured size ÷ actual size Magnific
- November 2020, Paper 1 Foundation, Q16(b)(ii) (1 mark): Which type of substance is used to make structures inside the cell easier to see when using a light microscope? [1]
- November 2020, Paper 3 Higher, Q6 (1 mark): The resolution of an electron microscope is 0.1 nanometres. The resolution of the eye is 100 micrometres. How many times greater is the resolution of the electr
- June 2019, Paper 1 Foundation, Q1 (1 mark): The diagram shows a plant cell observed using a light microscope. Which label is pointing to a structure that contains genetic material? A B C D Your answer [1]
- June 2019, Paper 1 Foundation, Q16(a) (2 marks): The diameter of cell X has been magnified 500×. Calculate the actual diameter of cell X. Use the equation: actual diameter = measured size ÷ magnification Diame
- June 2019, Paper 1 Foundation, Q16(d) (2 marks): Light microscopes let us see objects as small as 0.2 micrometres. The diameter of cells similar to cell X, can vary between 0.008 mm and 0.5 mm. (1 mm = 1000 mi
- June 2019, Paper 1 Foundation, Q16(e) (1 mark): State why electron microscopy has increased our knowledge of sub-cellular structures. [1]
- June 2019, Paper 2 Foundation, Q15 (1 mark): Look at the bacterial cell that causes disease in humans. 0.0008 mm The human eye can see objects 0.1 mm in size. What minimum magnification will be needed befo
- June 2019, Paper 3 Higher, Q11 (1 mark): A cell structure measures 1 micrometre in diameter. What is the diameter of the cell structure in metres? 1 × 10–3 metres A 1 × 10–6 metres B 1 × 10–9 metres C
- June 2019, Paper 3 Higher, Q12 (1 mark): A human cell has 10 000 mitochondria and a yeast cell has 10. By how many orders of magnitude are there more mitochondria in a human cell than in a yeast cell?
- June 2019, Paper 3 Higher, Q20(c) (2 marks): The scientist observes some of the tissues of the growing explants using a light microscope. The diagram shows some of the plant cells. X The diameter of X has
- June 2019, Paper 3 Higher, Q20(d) (2 marks): Transmission electron microscopes (TEM) work by passing a beam of electrons through a very thin slice of an object. Suggest one advantage and one disadvantage o
- June 2019, Paper 4 Higher, Q1 (1 mark): Look at the bacterial cell that causes disease in humans. 0.0008 mm The human eye can see objects 0.1 mm in size. What minimum magnification will be needed befo
- June 2018, Paper 1 Foundation, Q4 (1 mark): A student uses a microscope to look at plant cells on a slide. Which of these methods should they use first? A Highest power objective lens and focus moving the
- June 2018, Paper 1 Foundation, Q5 (1 mark): The microscope used by the student has an eyepiece lens with a magnification of 10×. Which objective lens would give an image magnification of 200×? A 10× B 20×
- June 2018, Paper 1 Foundation, Q6 (1 mark): Which type of human cell is shown in this diagram? A Egg cells B Red blood cells C Sperm cells D White blood cells Your answer [1]
- June 2018, Paper 1 Foundation, Q17(b)(i) (2 marks): The diameter of the nucleus in the diagram is 10 millimetres. The actual size of the nucleus is 10 micrometres. Calculate the magnification of the diagram. Answ
- June 2018, Paper 1 Foundation, Q17(b)(ii) (1 mark): Look at the picture of part of a plant cell. Chloroplast 1 μm Use the arrow on the picture and the scale to estimate the length of the chloroplast. Answer = μm
- June 2018, Paper 3 Higher, Q6 (1 mark): Which of these structures is found in eukaryotic but not prokaryotic cells? A Cell wall B Cytoplasm C Nucleus D Plasmid Your answer [1]
- June 2018, Paper 3 Higher, Q7 (1 mark): This is a cell. A C D B Where does cellular respiration occur? Your answer [1]
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