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How do organisms protect themselves against pathogens?: OCR GCSE Biology B questions

Every OCR GCSE Biology B exam question on B2.2 How do organisms protect themselves against pathogens?, 2018–2025, with its mark scheme and examiner’s report.

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1,448 questions

  1. Q9(c)(ii)

    June 2025 · Paper 1 Foundation

    1 markB2.2 How do organisms protect themselves against pathogens?
    The whole paper ↗
    The start of question 9

  2. Q9(c)(iii)

    June 2025 · Paper 1 Foundation

    1 markB2.2 How do organisms protect themselves against pathogens?
    The whole paper ↗
    The start of question 9

  3. Q6(c)(ii)

    June 2025 · Paper 2 Foundation

    2 marksB2.2 How do organisms protect themselves against pathogens?
    The whole paper ↗
    The start of question 6

  4. Q1(c)(ii)

    June 2025 · Paper 3 Higher

    1 markB2.2 How do organisms protect themselves against pathogens?
    The whole paper ↗
    The start of question 1

  5. Q1(c)(iii)

    June 2025 · Paper 3 Higher

    1 markB2.2 How do organisms protect themselves against pathogens?
    The whole paper ↗
    The start of question 1

  6. Q3(c)

    June 2025 · Paper 4 Higher

    1 markB2.2 How do organisms protect themselves against pathogens?
    The whole paper ↗

  7. Q6(b)

    June 2025 · Paper 4 Higher

    1 markB2.2 How do organisms protect themselves against pathogens?
    The whole paper ↗
    The start of question 6

  8. Q9(c)(iv)

    June 2024 · Paper 3 Higher

    1 markB2.2 How do organisms protect themselves against pathogens?
    The whole paper ↗

  9. Q3(c)

    June 2023 · Paper 1 Foundation

    2 marksB2.2 How do organisms protect themselves against pathogens?
    The whole paper ↗
    The start of question 3

  10. Q10(a)(i)

    June 2023 · Paper 1 Foundation

    2 marksB2.2 How do organisms protect themselves against pathogens?
    The whole paper ↗
    The start of question 10

  11. Q10(a)(ii)

    June 2023 · Paper 1 Foundation

    2 marksB2.2 How do organisms protect themselves against pathogens?
    The whole paper ↗
    The start of question 10

  12. Q10(a)(iii)

    June 2023 · Paper 1 Foundation

    2 marksB2.2 How do organisms protect themselves against pathogens?
    The whole paper ↗
    The start of question 10

  13. Q3(b)

    June 2023 · Paper 3 Higher

    4 marksB2.2 How do organisms protect themselves against pathogens?
    The whole paper ↗

  14. Q11(a)

    June 2022 · Paper 1 Foundation

    1 markB2.2 How do organisms protect themselves against pathogens?
    The whole paper ↗
    The start of question 11

  15. Q4(a)(i)

    November 2021 · Paper 1 Foundation

    1 markB2.2 How do organisms protect themselves against pathogens?
    The whole paper ↗
    The start of question 4

  16. Q4(a)(ii)

    November 2021 · Paper 1 Foundation

    1 markB2.2 How do organisms protect themselves against pathogens?
    The whole paper ↗
    The start of question 4

  17. Q1(c)

    November 2021 · Paper 2 Foundation

    1 markB2.2 How do organisms protect themselves against pathogens?
    The whole paper ↗
    The start of question 1

  18. Q9(a)

    November 2021 · Paper 3 Higher

    2 marksB2.2 How do organisms protect themselves against pathogens?
    The whole paper ↗

  19. Q2(b)(i)

    November 2021 · Paper 4 Higher

    2 marksB2.2 How do organisms protect themselves against pathogens?
    The whole paper ↗
    The start of question 2

  20. Q2(b)(ii)

    November 2021 · Paper 4 Higher

    1 markB2.2 How do organisms protect themselves against pathogens?
    The whole paper ↗
    The start of question 2
All 31 questions on How do organisms protect themselves against pathogens?, as a list
  1. June 2025, Paper 1 Foundation, Q9(c)(ii) (1 mark): Which of these will ingest and digest the bacterium? Tick (✓) one box. Antibodies Platelets Red blood cells White blood cells [1]
  2. June 2025, Paper 1 Foundation, Q9(c)(iii) (1 mark): Which of these will tag the bacterium for attack? Tick (✓) one box. Antibodies Platelets Red blood cells White blood cells [1]
  3. June 2025, Paper 2 Foundation, Q6(c)(ii) (2 marks): Which two of these are used by plants as a defence against pathogens? Tick (3) two boxes. Antibodies Antimicrobial substances Phloem Waxy leaf cuticle Xylem [2]
  4. June 2025, Paper 3 Higher, Q1(c)(ii) (1 mark): Which of these will ingest and digest the bacterium? Tick (✓) one box. Antibodies Platelets Red blood cells White blood cells [1]
  5. June 2025, Paper 3 Higher, Q1(c)(iii) (1 mark): Which of these will tag the bacterium for attack? Tick (✓) one box. Antibodies Platelets Red blood cells White blood cells [1]
  6. June 2025, Paper 4 Higher, Q3(c) (1 mark): Suggest what could happen to a person with a low number of white blood cells. [1]
  7. June 2025, Paper 4 Higher, Q6(b) (1 mark): The cell walls of plant cells help defend the plant against pathogens. State one other plant defence against pathogens. [1]
  8. June 2024, Paper 3 Higher, Q9(c)(iv) (1 mark): HIV destroys an important type of white blood cell called CD4. The ‘normal’ range for CD4 white blood cells is 800–1200 cells per mm3 of blood. One particular p
  9. June 2023, Paper 1 Foundation, Q3(c) (2 marks): Plants can defend themselves against disease. Which two describe plant defences against disease? Tick (3) two boxes. Antibodies Cell walls Platelets Waxy leaf c
  10. June 2023, Paper 1 Foundation, Q10(a)(i) (2 marks): Explain how the vaccination caused this person’s body to make antibodies against yellow fever. [2]
  11. June 2023, Paper 1 Foundation, Q10(a)(ii) (2 marks): Suggest why the number of antibodies has not returned to zero, 1000 days after vaccination. [2]
  12. June 2023, Paper 1 Foundation, Q10(a)(iii) (2 marks): What is the minimum number of days after vaccination that somebody should wait before travelling to an area where yellow fever is common? Explain your answer. N
  13. June 2023, Paper 3 Higher, Q3(b) (4 marks): Complete the sentences about the immune system. Use words from the list. antibodies antigens attack digest memory mitochondria pathogens red vaccines white The
  14. June 2022, Paper 1 Foundation, Q11(a) (1 mark): Which type of cell in the blood is responsible for the damage to the tissues and organs? [1]
  15. November 2021, Paper 1 Foundation, Q4(a)(i) (1 mark): Name one physical defence. [1]
  16. November 2021, Paper 1 Foundation, Q4(a)(ii) (1 mark): Name one chemical defence. [1]
  17. November 2021, Paper 2 Foundation, Q1(c) (1 mark): Blood cells in the human body help to protect us against pathogens. Which type of blood cell makes antibodies? Tick (✓) one box. All types of blood cells Platel
  18. November 2021, Paper 3 Higher, Q9(a) (2 marks): Explain two ways in which white blood cells defend against disease. 1. 2. [2]
  19. November 2021, Paper 4 Higher, Q2(b)(i) (2 marks): Which two are plant defences against pathogens? Tick (3) two boxes. Antibodies Antimicrobial substances Cell walls Stomach acid Red blood cells [2]
  20. November 2021, Paper 4 Higher, Q2(b)(ii) (1 mark): Give one more physical plant defence against pathogens. [1]
  21. November 2020, Paper 1 Foundation, Q4(b) (2 marks): Pathogens can cause disease in plants. Which two statements describe plant defences against pathogens? Tick (✓) two boxes. They have a cell wall. They have plat
  22. November 2020, Paper 2 Foundation, Q4(c) (6 marks): Human health can be affected by disease. (c)* Jane has been infected with influenza. Explain how she could have become infected with the influenza virus and how
  23. November 2020, Paper 3 Higher, Q3(a) (2 marks): Pathogens can cause diseases in plants. Which two statements describe plant defences against pathogens? Tick (✓) two boxes. They have a cell wall. They have pla
  24. June 2019, Paper 2 Foundation, Q7 (6 marks): 7* Layla is a doctor. She works with patients in a hospital. Explain why it is good that Layla does the following things: • She washes her hands regularly while
  25. June 2019, Paper 4 Higher, Q2 (6 marks): 2* Layla is a doctor. She works with patients in a hospital. Explain why it is good that Layla does the following things: • She washes her hands regularly while
  26. June 2018, Paper 1 Foundation, Q4(d)(i) (2 marks): Describe what happens to the number of white blood cells after chemotherapy. Use information from the graph in your answer. [2]
  27. June 2018, Paper 1 Foundation, Q4(d)(ii) (3 marks): Explain how white blood cells protect us from disease and how they are adapted for this function. [3]
  28. June 2018, Paper 1 Foundation, Q4(d)(iv) (2 marks): A chemotherapy patient is told to go to accident and emergency if they feel ill and have a temperature above 38 °C. Some students have a discussion about why th
  29. June 2018, Paper 2 Foundation, Q3(c) (3 marks): Plant cells make their own antimicrobial substances. Explain how antimicrobial substances help plants to survive and why this is essential for human survival. [
  30. June 2018, Paper 2 Foundation, Q3(e) (3 marks): Humans can be vaccinated to protect them from pathogens. However, plants cannot be protected in the same way. Explain why vaccination cannot work in plants in t
  31. June 2018, Paper 3 Higher, Q4(c) (2 marks): Plants can be infected by communicable diseases, so they need to protect themselves against pathogens. Describe one chemical defence and one physical defence th

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