AQA GCSE Biology Biology Paper 2 (Higher), June 2023: Question 1

✅ Correct Answer

A community

💡 Key Knowledge

• Population: All organisms of one single species living in a habitat.
• Community: All the populations of different species living together in a habitat.
• Ecosystem: The interaction of a community of living organisms (biotic) with non-living (abiotic) elements.

❌ Common Errors

Confusing community with population (only one species) or ecosystem (which must include abiotic factors like light, water, and temperature).

✅ Correct Answer

Brambling and chaffinch

💡 Key Knowledge

Every organism has a two-part Latin name (binomial):

• First word = Genus: Shared by closely related species.
• Second word = Species: Unique identifier within that genus.
• Brambling is Fringilla montifringilla and Chaffinch is Fringilla coelebs. Sharing the genus Fringilla proves they are most closely related.

🧠 Exam Technique

Never rely on physical appearances in photos—birds can look similar due to convergent evolution. Always scan the Latin names and match the first word.

✅ Correct Answer

The brambling and the bullfinch cannot breed together to give fertile offspring.

💡 Key Knowledge

A species is strictly defined as a group of organisms capable of interbreeding to produce fertile offspring.

If two organisms cannot interbreed, or their hybrid offspring are infertile (like a mule), they are separate species.

❌ Common Errors

Selecting differences in size, diet, or habitat location. Different species frequently share habitats and eat the same food, while members of the same species can vary greatly in size (e.g., dog breeds).

✅ Correct Answer (Award 1 mark per point)

1. Constant / stays the same from January to March / mid-April [1]
2. Increases from (mid-)April to May / June [1]
3. Decreases from May / June to December [1]

🧠 Exam Technique: Describing Line Graphs

• Split the graph into distinct stages: Identify each turning point along the x-axis.
• Quote timeframes: Always pair the trend word (constant, increases, decreases) with the specific months.
• Avoid vague vocabulary: Do not write "the line is straight" (examiners ignore this). Use constant or unchanged.

❌ Common Errors

• Attempting to explain why (e.g., "birds hatched in spring") when the question command word is purely Describe.
• Using seasons ("in spring it goes up") instead of the named months given on the axis. The mark scheme explicitly notes: ignore seasons.

✅ Correct Answer

B

💡 Key Knowledge

Lowest resistance means individuals have little or no defence against the pathogen, causing the highest death rate.

On Figure 2, during June and July, curve B plunges steeply downwards almost to the baseline, indicating widespread mortality compared to the other species.

❌ Common Errors

Picking A or C because they also decline slightly, or picking D which doesn't decline until August/September.

✅ Correct Answer

Species: D

Reason: Any valid statement indicating seasonal presence/absence, e.g.:

• Present only from May to September (or May to October)
• Not present / absent from October to April (or October to May)
• Only present in the summer / not present in winter
• Not present for the whole year / only present for some of the year

🧠 Exam Technique

Both the correct species letter (D) AND an acceptable reason must be given to secure this 1 mark. A blank or incorrect reason will forfeit the mark even if D is chosen.

💡 Key Knowledge

Migration is the seasonal movement of animals from one region to another. Curve D drops to zero and stays at zero for over half the year, which is a classic signature of a migratory summer visitor (such as swallows or swifts).