plumiWhat are the causes of disease?: OCR GCSE Combined Science B questions
Every OCR GCSE Combined Science B exam question on B2.1 What are the causes of disease?, 2018–2025, with its mark scheme and examiner’s report.
Paper
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Calculations
Q1(a)
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Q1(b)
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Q6(a)
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Q6(b)(i)
The whole paper ↗Q6(b)(ii)
The whole paper ↗Q6(c)(i)
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The whole paper ↗Q6(c)(iii)
The whole paper ↗Q4(a)
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Q4(b)
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The whole paper ↗Q4(a)
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Q4(a)
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Q11(a)
The whole paper ↗Q1(a)
The whole paper ↗Q3(b)(ii)
The whole paper ↗Q6(a)
The whole paper ↗Q6(c)(i)
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All 33 questions on What are the causes of disease?, as a list
- June 2025, Biology Paper 1 Foundation, Q1(a) (3 marks): Complete the sentences to describe the relationship between health and disease. Use words from the list. absence cause communicable genetic presence Good health
- June 2025, Biology Paper 1 Foundation, Q1(b) (4 marks): Common human infections are caused by pathogens. Complete the table to describe which type of pathogen causes each infection. Tick (✓) one box in each row. Infe
- June 2025, Biology Paper 1 Foundation, Q1(c)(i) (1 mark): What infection does fungus cause? Tick (✓) one box. Ash dieback Crown gall Tobacco Mosaic [1]
- June 2025, Biology Paper 5 Higher, Q3(c)(i) (1 mark): State the type of pathogen that causes AIDS. [1]
- June 2024, Biology Paper 1 Foundation, Q6(a) (2 marks): Diseases can be communicable or non-communicable. Complete the table to describe the possible causes of each type of disease. Tick (✓) the correct boxes in each
- June 2024, Biology Paper 1 Foundation, Q6(b)(i) (1 mark): Which statement explains how the Athlete’s foot pathogen is spread? Tick (✓) one box. 1 2 3 4 [1]
- June 2024, Biology Paper 1 Foundation, Q6(b)(ii) (1 mark): Which statement explains how the Salmonella pathogen is spread? Tick (✓) one box. 1 2 3 4 [1]
- June 2024, Biology Paper 1 Foundation, Q6(c)(i) (2 marks): Plot the data for 2012 and 2013 on the graph. 260 250- 240- Number of people who caught malaria 230÷ (in every 100000 people) 220- 210- 200+ 2014 2016 2012 2013
- June 2024, Biology Paper 1 Foundation, Q6(c)(ii) (1 mark): Describe the trend in the data. [1]
- June 2024, Biology Paper 1 Foundation, Q6(c)(iii) (3 marks): Calculate the percentage decrease in the number of people who caught malaria between the years 2012 and 2016. Give your answer to 1 decimal place. Percentage de
- June 2024, Biology Paper 5 Higher, Q4(a) (2 marks): Describe what is meant by communicable disease. [2]
- June 2024, Biology Paper 5 Higher, Q4(b) (2 marks): HIV is a communicable disease. Complete the sentences to explain how HIV is spread. HIV is a -transmitted disease. HIV is transmitted in . [2]
- June 2024, Biology Paper 5 Higher, Q4(c)(i) (2 marks): Calculate the percentage change in the number of people living with HIV/AIDS from 1990 to 2020. Percentage change = % [2]
- June 2023, Biology Paper 5 Higher, Q4(a) (1 mark): Which type of pathogen causes ash dieback? [1]
- June 2022, Biology Paper 1 Foundation, Q4(a) (1 mark): What kind of pathogen causes flu? Put a ring around the correct answer. Bacteria Fungus Protist Virus [1]
- November 2021, Biology Paper 1 Foundation, Q11(a) (2 marks): Diseases can be communicable or non-communicable. Which statements describe communicable diseases and which statements describe non-communicable diseases? Tick
- November 2021, Biology Paper 5 Higher, Q1(a) (2 marks): Diseases can be communicable or non-communicable. Which statements describe communicable diseases and which statements describe non‑communicable diseases? Tick
- November 2020, Biology Paper 1 Foundation, Q3(b)(ii) (2 marks): A population of Salmonella bacteria reproduce approximately every 30 minutes. Calculate how many Salmonella bacteria will be present after four hours, when star
- November 2020, Biology Paper 5 Higher, Q6(a) (4 marks): James makes a summary table of what he has been taught about communicable diseases. Complete James’s table to identify the pathogen for each communicable diseas
- November 2020, Biology Paper 5 Higher, Q6(c)(i) (2 marks): James eats a meal containing 1 × 106 Salmonella bacteria. Salmonella reproduce approximately every 30 minutes. After four hours James starts to feel ill. How ma
- November 2020, Biology Paper 5 Higher, Q6(g) (2 marks): The typical size of a Salmonella bacterium is 4 µm. The typical size of a virus is 100 nm. Explain why bacteria and viruses are not the same order of magnitude.
- June 2019, Combined Science Paper 4 Foundation, Q5(a) (4 marks): Calculate the percentage of people in the Central African Republic who have tuberculosis and who are also HIV+. Give your answer to 1 decimal place. Percentage
- June 2019, Combined Science Paper 4 Foundation, Q5(b)(i) (3 marks): Which statements about the graph are true and which are false? Tick one box in each row. Statement True False There is a weak positive correlation between the p
- June 2019, Combined Science Paper 4 Foundation, Q5(b)(ii) (1 mark): What is the correct definition of a positive correlation? Tick (✓) one box. As the value of one variable increases, the value of the other tends to decrease. As
- June 2019, Combined Science Paper 4 Foundation, Q5(c) (2 marks): The scientists suggest some changes to their method to see if a stronger correlation exists. Draw lines to connect each change in method with the improvement it
- June 2019, Biology Paper 5 Higher, Q3(a)(i) (1 mark): Draw lines to connect each pathogen to how it is spread. Pathogen How it is spread By contact with contaminated surfaces Athlete’s foot fungus By contaminated f
- June 2019, Biology Paper 5 Higher, Q3(e)(i) (1 mark): Suggest why having flu increases the risk of catching pneumonia. [1]
- June 2019, Combined Science Paper 8 Higher, Q5(a)(i) (3 marks): Calculate the estimated TB cases per 100,000 for Zambia. Give your answer to 1 decimal place. Estimated TB cases per 100,000 = [3]
- June 2019, Combined Science Paper 8 Higher, Q5(a)(ii) (3 marks): The data shows a weak positive correlation between the percentage of TB cases that are also HIV+, and the mortality (death) rate due to TB, in the three countri
- June 2019, Combined Science Paper 8 Higher, Q5(b) (2 marks): The death rate due to TB increased when people were HIV+. Which two statements could explain this? Tick (✓) two boxes. Having HIV makes it harder for your body
- June 2018, Biology Paper 1 Foundation, Q6(a)(i) (1 mark): Ash dieback is a communicable disease. Put a ring around the type of pathogen that causes ash dieback. bacterium fungus protist virus [1]
- June 2018, Combined Science Paper 4 Foundation, Q1(g) (2 marks): Some studies have suggested that a bacterium called Helicobacter is linked with stomach cancer. One idea is that salt affects the growth of Helicobacter. Sugges
- June 2018, Biology Paper 5 Higher, Q4(a) (3 marks): Describe the cause of ash dieback and how it is spread. [3]
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