AQA GCSE Biology Biology Paper 2 (Foundation), June 2024: Question 2

✅ Correct Answer

Tick: Kingdom

💡 Key Knowledge

Remember the Linnaean hierarchy from largest to smallest group using a mnemonic:

Dear King Philip Came Over For Good Soup

Kingdom → Phylum → Class → Order → Family → Genus → Species

Note: Carl Woese later added Domain above Kingdom, but Linnaeus's original system starts at Kingdom.

❌ Common Errors

• Ticking Family or Order by confusing the top and middle tiers of the hierarchy.
• Writing in "Domain" when the question specifically asks to tick one of the boxes provided for Linnaeus's original system.

✅ Correct Answers

Tick two boxes:

• Genus [1 mark]
• Species [1 mark]

💡 Key Knowledge

Binomial literally means "two names" (bi = two, nomial = name):

• First name: Genus (capitalised), e.g., Homo, Canis.
• Second name: Species (lowercase), e.g., sapiens, lupus.
• This international Latin system avoids confusion caused by local common names.

🧠 Exam Technique

Pay close attention to command instructions: "Tick two boxes".

If you tick only one box, you instantly limit yourself to a maximum of 1 out of 2 marks. If you tick three, the extra tick can cancel out a correct one.

✅ Correct Answers

02.3: 3 million years ago [1 mark]
(Tick the box next to "3 million years ago")

02.4: Black-backed jackal [1 mark]

🧠 How to Read Figure 2

• Common Ancestors (02.3): Place your finger on Domestic dog and Golden jackal. Trace them backwards in time (to the left) until their branch lines join. They meet at node B, which corresponds to 3 million years ago.
• Most Distant Relative (02.4): Find the animal that diverged longest ago from the dog's branch. The Black-backed jackal branches off furthest back at point A (6 million years ago).

❌ Common Errors

• 02.3: Selecting 32 thousand years ago (Node C), which is where the domestic dog and grey wolf split—not the golden jackal.
• 02.4: Writing just "Jackal" (rejected by mark scheme—you must specify black-backed).
• Writing "Golden jackal" (incorrect because it shares a more recent ancestor with dogs than the black-backed jackal does).

✅ Accepted Answers (Any two, 1 mark each)

• New disease / pathogen
• New predators (or hunting by humans)
• Competition for food (or lack of food)
• Competition for mates
• Catastrophic event: Asteroid collision or volcanic activity
• Climate change: Drought, ice age, or global warming
• Habitat destruction / lack of suitable habitat

🧠 Exam Technique: Be Specific!

The examiners penalise vague, one-word answers:

• ❌ "Competition" alone scores 0 marks. You must state what they are competing for: competition for food or competition for mates.
• ❌ "Weather" scores 0 marks. Weather is short-term; you must refer to climate change, drought, or an ice age.
• ❌ "Pollution" or "isolation" are ignored on this mark scheme.

✅ Correct Answer (Any one)

• Wolves could eat left-over food / scraps from humans.
• Humans intentionally fed / gave food to the wolves.
• Wolves hunted / ate humans.

💡 Biological Insight

Early human hunter-gatherers left behind animal carcasses and bones. Wolves are opportunistic carnivores and scavengers; following humans provided an easy, reliable source of food without the high energy cost or risk of hunting large prey alone.

✅ Correct Answer Structure

1. Step 1: Select and breed together the least aggressive (or most docile) wolves. [1 mark]
2. Step 2: From their offspring, choose the least aggressive individuals and breed them together. [1 mark]

🧠 The Standard Selective Breeding Recipe

Always structure selective breeding 2-mark or 3-mark questions in this clear sequence:

• 1. Choose: Select parents with the desired characteristic from a mixed population.
• 2. Breed: Breed these chosen parents together.
• 3. Select again: Select the best offspring displaying the characteristic.
• 4. Repeat: Continue over multiple generations.

❌ Common Errors

• Saying "breed the original parents again": The mark scheme explicitly states "ignore repeat breeding of the original pair(s)". You must state that the offspring are bred.
• Vague statements like "train them to be friendly" or "tame them". Taming is learned behavior; selective breeding is about genetic inheritance across generations.