AQA GCSE Biology Biology Paper 2 (Foundation), November 2021: Question 2
10 marks · Low Demand difficulty · Short Answer
Identify endocrine glands and organs involved in blood glucose regulation, and analyze graphical data on blood glucose changes after glucose intake.
Practise this questionQuestion
Question text
02 Many internal processes of the human body are controlled by hormones.
Hormones are produced by glands.
Figure 2 shows glands in a woman’s body.
Figure 2
02.1 Which gland is the pituitary gland?
[1 mark]
Tick ( ) one box.
A B C D
02.2 Which gland is the pancreas?
[1 mark]
Tick ( ) one box.
A B C7 D
The hormone insulin helps to decrease the blood glucose concentration.
Insulin causes its target organs to take in glucose from the blood.
02.3 Which of the following is a target organ for insulin?
[1 mark]
Tick ( ) one box.
Bladder
Heart
Liver
02.4 The glucose is stored as an insoluble substance.
What is the insoluble storage substance that is formed from glucose?
[1 mark]
Tick ( ) one box.
Glycogen
Protein
Urea 8
Scientists investigated the effect of a glucose drink on the concentration of glucose in
a person’s blood.
This is the method used.
1. Take a small sample of blood from the person.
2. Measure the concentration of glucose in the person’s blood.
3. Give the person a drink containing 50 grams of glucose.
4. Measure the concentration of glucose in the person’s blood at intervals.
5. Calculate the change in blood glucose concentration from the starting value.
Figure 3 shows the results.
Figure 3
Figure 3 shows the change in blood glucose concentration.
02 5 At the start of the investigation, the blood glucose concentration was 5 mmol/dm3.
.
Calculate the highest blood glucose concentration during the investigation.
Use information from Figure 3 in your answer.
[2 marks]
Highest blood glucose concentration = mmol/dm3
02.6 What is the time taken for the blood glucose concentration to decrease from its
highest value back to the starting value?
Use data from Figure 3 in your answer.
[1 mark]
Time taken = minutes
02.7 Why can you not be certain that your answer to Question 02.6 is accurate?
[1 mark]
02.8 Figure 3 shows the results for a person who does not have Type 2 diabetes.
Sketch a line on Figure 3 to show the results you would expect for a person who has
Type 2 diabetes.
[2 marks]
Mark scheme
Show the mark scheme
AO /
Question Answers Extra information Mark
Spec. Ref.
02.1 A 1 AO1
4.5.3.1
02.2 D 1 AO1
4.5.3.1
4.5.3.2
02.3 liver 1 AO1
4.5.3.2
02.4 glycogen 1 AO1
4.5.3.2
02.5 2.6 allow answers in the range 2.5 1 AO2
to 2.7 4.5.3.2
7.6 (mmol/dm3) allow a correctly calculated 1
value using student’s value from
graph + 5
02.6 30 (minutes) allow ½-hour or 0.5 hour 1 AO2
4.5.3.2
02.7 points too far apart 1 AO3
or 4.5.3.2
no reading between 30 and 50 allow no reading at 40 mins
mins
or
points joined by straight lines allow not a curve of best fit
or
values could have fallen to zero
change before 50 mins
AO /
Spec. Ref.
02.8 higher values of y than given 1 AO2
line
returning to(wards) zero change 1 AO3
8 later than given line
4.5.3.2
Total 10
How to answer it
Endocrine Glands, Blood Glucose Control & Type 2 Diabetes
What this question tests
This 10-mark question evaluates core recall and graphical data analysis skills:
- Identifying major endocrine glands (pituitary and pancreas) on a human anatomical diagram.
- Recalling the action of insulin on its target organs and the insoluble storage molecule glycogen.
- Extracting coordinates from a line graph showing change in concentration, and calculating absolute values from baseline.
- Calculating a time difference between two events on a graph.
- Evaluating the validity/accuracy of experimental conclusions due to large sampling intervals.
- Predicting and sketching blood glucose curves for an individual with Type 2 diabetes.
Identifying Endocrine Glands
Location of the Pituitary Gland and Pancreas (Figure 2)
✅ Correct Answers
- 02.1: Tick box A [1 mark]
- 02.2: Tick box D [1 mark]
💡 Key Knowledge
- A = Pituitary Gland: Located at the base of the brain; often called the "master gland".
- B = Thyroid Gland: Located in the neck.
- C = Adrenal Gland: Located above the kidneys.
- D = Pancreas: Located below the stomach in the upper abdomen.
❌ Common Errors
- Confusing C (adrenal gland) with D (pancreas). Look closely at the shape: D has the classic elongated, leaf-like shape of the pancreas nestled by the stomach curve.
Action of Insulin & Glucose Storage
Target Organs and Storage Macromolecules
✅ Correct Answers
- 02.3: Tick box Liver [1 mark]
- 02.4: Tick box Glycogen [1 mark]
💡 Key Knowledge
- Target organs: Insulin travels in the bloodstream to the liver and muscle cells, causing them to absorb glucose from the blood.
- Insoluble storage: Inside liver and muscle cells, excess soluble glucose is converted into glycogen, an insoluble carbohydrate polymer. Being insoluble prevents water from moving into cells by osmosis.
🧠 Exam Technique
Don't confuse the three similar-sounding terms:
- Glucose = The soluble sugar.
- Glycogen = The insoluble storage carbohydrate.
- Glucagon = The hormone that breaks glycogen down when glucose is low.
Calculating Peak Concentration
Combining Baseline Values with Graphical Changes
📐 Step-by-Step Calculation
- Read the peak change from Figure 3:
Look at the maximum point of the plotted line (at 20 minutes).
Peak change = 2.6 mmol/dm³ (allow 2.5 to 2.7) [1 mark]. - Add the baseline starting concentration:
The question states starting concentration = 5 mmol/dm³ .
Highest concentration = 5 + 2.6 = 7.6 mmol/dm³ [1 mark].
❌ Common Errors
- Reading the axis as absolute concentration: Writing 2.6 alone scores only 1 mark. The y-axis shows change in concentration, not the final total concentration!
- Misreading grid scale: Each small square vertically represents 0.1 mmol/dm³ (5 small squares per 1 unit).
Time Differences & Experimental Accuracy
Data Analysis and Evaluation of Sampling Intervals
✅ Correct Answers
- 02.6: 30 minutes (or 0.5 hour / ½-hour) [1 mark]
- 02.7: Any one of [1 mark]:
- Data points are too far apart.
- No reading taken between 30 and 50 minutes (no reading at 40 mins).
- Points are joined by straight lines (not a smooth curve of best fit).
- Blood glucose change could have fallen to zero before 50 minutes.
📐 Calculation for 02.6
- Time of peak value: 20 mins
- Time back at starting baseline (change = 0): 50 mins
- Time taken to return: 50 - 20 = 30 minutes
🧠 Exam Technique for 02.7
Questions asking "Why can you not be certain...?" on a line graph almost always reward noticing the gap between data points.
Between 30 and 50 minutes, there are 20 whole minutes with no measurements. The glucose could have returned to baseline at minute 38 or 42, but we cannot see it!
02.7: Allow 1 mark for referencing missing readings / large interval between 30 and 50 mins.
Predicting Graph for Type 2 Diabetes
Sketching the Curve and Understanding Pathophysiology
- Start point: Starts at (0, 0) with the ingestion of the drink.
- Higher peak: Line rises higher than the original peak of 2.6 (e.g. peaking around 3.5 to 4.5 mmol/dm³).
- Prolonged elevation: The line stays well above the original curve throughout.
- Slower return: Slopes down much more gently, crossing the zero-change line much later than 50 minutes (e.g. after 70 minutes) or remaining above zero at 70 minutes.
💡 Why does this happen in Type 2 Diabetes?
- In Type 2 diabetes, the pancreas still produces insulin, but body cells (especially liver and muscle cells) no longer respond to it (insulin resistance).
- Because cells take up glucose much more slowly:
- Blood glucose rises significantly higher.
- It takes much longer to return to normal resting levels.
❌ Common Errors in Graph Sketches
- Drawing below the line: Showing glucose returning faster than a healthy person.
- Flat horizontal line: Failing to show any rise after drinking a sugary drink. Glucose still enters the blood from the gut!
- Returning to zero too soon: Crossing zero at or before 50 minutes loses the second mark.
• Mark 1: Higher values of y than the given line (line is drawn above original line).
• Mark 2: Returning to(wards) zero change later than the given line.
Topics
Biology · B5: Homeostasis and Response
Question and mark scheme from the AQA GCSE Biology examination, Biology Paper 2 (Foundation), November 2021. QuestionVault is an independent revision resource; questions remain the copyright of the awarding body.