AQA GCSE Biology Biology Paper 1 (Foundation), June 2025: Question 6

11 marks · Standard Demand difficulty · Short Answer

Answer questions on measles transmission, symptoms, drug origin, herd immunity, and calculate cases from bar chart data.

Practise this question

Question

Question 6 consists of seven parts about measles. Questions 06.1 to 06.5 cover the pathogen type, transmission method, plant origin of aspirin, symptoms, and the concept of herd immunity. Figure 9 displays a grouped bar chart showing the percentage of children with mild or severe measles infection for vaccinated versus unvaccinated children: Mild is 15% vaccinated and 37% unvaccinated; Severe is 3% vaccinated and 45% unvaccinated. Question 06.6 asks to calculate how many unvaccinated children had a severe infection from a sample of 240, and 06.7 asks for evidence from Figure 9 supporting vaccination.
Question text

06 Measles is an infectious disease caused by a pathogen.

06.1 What type of pathogen causes measles?

[1 mark]

06.2 Give one way measles is spread from one person to another person.

[1 mark]

06.3 One symptom of measles is pain.

In adults, aspirin can be used to treat the pain.

Which plant did aspirin originate from?

[1 mark]

06.4 Give one other symptom of measles.

Do not refer to pain in your answer.

[1 mark]

The spread of measles can be reduced by vaccination.

06.5 Explain why vaccinating large numbers of children helps to reduce the spread of the

measles pathogen in the population.

[2 marks]

*26* 28

Figure 9 shows information about the severity of measles infection in vaccinated and

unvaccinated children.

Figure 9

06.6 There were 240 children in the survey.

Calculate how many unvaccinated children had a severe measles infection.

Use Figure 9.

[3 marks]

29Number of unvaccinated children =

06.7 It is recommended that all children are given a measles vaccination.

Give evidence from Figure 9 to support the recommendation.

Include data from Figure 9 in your answer.

[2 marks]

Mark scheme

Show the mark scheme Mark scheme for Question 6 detailing answers and guidance for all 11 marks. 06.1: virus (1 mark). 06.2: droplets, saliva, mucus, sneezes, or coughs (1 mark). 06.3: willow (1 mark). 06.4: fever or rash (1 mark). 06.5: fewer people with pathogen and less likely to spread (2 marks). 06.6: reading 45% from graph, calculating 45/100 multiplied by 240 to get 108 (3 marks). 06.7: stating that vaccination reduces the severity of measles with supporting comparative figures from the chart (2 marks).

Question 6

AO /

Question Answers Extra information Mark

Spec Ref.

06.1 virus 1 AO1

4.3.1.2

AO /

Spec Ref.

06.2 any one from: 1 AO1

• (transfer of) droplets / saliva / 4.3.1.2

mucus

• sneezes

• coughs

ignore other methods of

transferring pathogens,

unqualified such as touch or

direct contact

do not accept transfer through

sexual intercourse

AO /

Spec Ref.

06.3 willow ignore parts of willow such as 1 AO1

bark / leaves 4.3.1.9

AO /

Spec Ref.

06.4 fever allow high temperature 1 AO1

allow (increased) sweating 4.3.1.2

or

(red skin) rash allow (red) spots / lumps / boils

allow red / itchy skin

allow cough / sneeze

allow runny / blocked nose

allow sore throat

allow red / watery / sore eyes

allow headache

ignore flu-like symptoms,

unqualified

ignore pain unqualified

do not accept nausea /

diarrhoea

18 AO /

Spec Ref.

06.5 allow named types of pathogen AO2

4.3.1.2

few(er) people (in population) allow (provides) herd immunity 1 4.3.1.7

with pathogen / measles /

disease (due to vaccination)

(so) less likely for pathogen / allow less likely to come into 1

measles / disease to be passed contact with a person with

on pathogen / measles / disease

or ignore (so) spread of disease is

(so) less likely for pathogen / reduced

measles / disease to be spread /

caught

allow 2 marks for fewer people

with measles, so less likely to

spread

AO /

Spec Ref.

06.6 (graph reading) = 45 1 AO2

4.3.1.2

× 240 allow 0.45 × 240 1

108 1

allow for 1 mark an answer of 7 /

7.2 with evidence of having

used 3(%) from Figure 9

or

allow for 1 mark an answer of 88

/ 88.8 / 89 with evidence of

having used 37(%) from

Figure 9

AO /

Spec Ref.

06.7 allow answers in terms of AO3

numbers of children or likelihood 4.3.1.2

of getting disease

a lower percentage of allow converse 1

vaccinated children have severe

measles / infection / disease

or

a higher percentage of

unvaccinated children have

severe measles / infection /

disease

or

vaccination reduces severity of 19

measles / infection / disease

correct use of supporting allow examples such as (severe 1

comparative data from Figure 9 disease is) 42% higher (in

unvaccinated) or 15 times

higher (than in vaccinated)

or

allow correct use of raw data

used in a comparative way

Total Question 6 11

How to answer it

Measles: Pathogens, Vaccination & Data Analysis

📋 What This Question Tests

This 11-mark question assesses fundamental recall and application across Infection and Response (AQA Specification 4.3.1):

  • Recall of viral pathogens, disease symptoms, and transmission methods (4.3.1.2).
  • Historical plant origins of modern medicines (4.3.1.9).
  • The biological mechanism of herd immunity via vaccination (4.3.1.7).
  • Extracting data from comparative bar charts and calculating quantities from percentages (Maths skills).
  • Evaluating graphical evidence to justify health recommendations (AO3).

Parts 06.1 – 06.4: Measles Recall & Drug Origins

Foundational Knowledge (1 Mark Each)

06.1: Pathogen Type [1 mark]

Virus

awarded for identifying that measles is viral, not bacterial or fungal.

06.2: Method of Spread [1 mark]

  • Inhaling droplets from sneezes or coughs
  • Saliva / mucus droplets airborne transmission
1 mark for airborne droplets / coughing / sneezing.

06.3: Origin of Aspirin [1 mark]

Willow (or willow bark / tree)

1 mark for naming the plant willow.

06.4: Other Symptom [1 mark]

  • Fever (high temperature / sweating)
  • Red skin rash
1 mark for fever or rash (the two main spec symptoms).

❌ Common Errors across 06.1 – 06.4

  • Vague transmission: Writing simply "touch" or "air" without specifying droplets, coughs, or sneezes.
  • Plant confusion: Confusing aspirin (willow) with digitalis (foxglove) or penicillin (penicillium mould).
  • Ignoring negatives: The prompt explicitly states "Do not refer to pain" for 06.4. Repeating pain or headache risked 0 marks.
  • Non-specific symptoms: Listing "feeling sick" or "tired" instead of distinct diagnostic signs like rash or fever.

💡 High-Yield Drug Origins to Memorise

  • Aspirin (painkiller) → Willow tree bark
  • Digitalis (heart drug) → Foxgloves
  • Penicillin (antibiotic) → Penicillium mould (discovered by Alexander Fleming)

Part 06.5: Herd Immunity

Explaining the Effect of Vaccination on Populations [2 Marks]

✅ Mark Scheme Model Answer

  • Point 1: Fewer people in the population have the pathogen / disease (or provides herd immunity) [1 mark]
  • Point 2: So it is less likely for the disease to be transmitted / passed on / caught by unimmunised individuals [1 mark]

🧠 Exam Technique: Two-Step Causality

This is a standard "herd immunity" question. To secure both marks, structure your answer logically:

  1. State what happens to the pool of infected people (it decreases).
  2. State the direct consequence on transmission probability (unvaccinated people are less likely to encounter an infected person).

❌ Examiner Pitfall

Do not write that "the pathogen dies out completely" or "nobody can ever get sick". Herd immunity reduces transmission rates and protects the vulnerable, but does not make people magically impervious without exposure.

Part 06.6: Bar Chart Calculation

Calculating Subsets from Survey Data [3 Marks]

📐 Step-by-Step Calculation

Context: Total children surveyed = 240. Find how many unvaccinated children had a severe infection using Figure 9.

  1. Step 1: Read the correct bar on Figure 9
    Find "Severe" on the horizontal axis → Locate the shaded bar for Unvaccinated.
    Reading the vertical axis gives exactly: 45% [1 mark]
  2. Step 2: Set up the percentage calculation
    Convert percentage to decimal or fraction and multiply by total number of children:
    (45 ÷ 100) × 240 or 0.45 × 240 [1 mark]
  3. Step 3: Calculate the final integer
    0.45 × 240 = 108 [1 mark]
Final Answer: 108 children

❌ Common Calculation Traps

  • Reading the wrong bar: Reading the vaccinated bar for severe infection (3%) gives: 0.03 × 240 = 7.2 (Earns only 1 compensation mark).
  • Reading the wrong category: Reading mild unvaccinated infection (37%) gives: 0.37 × 240 = 88.8 (Earns only 1 compensation mark).
  • Scale misread: Each small grid square on the y-axis represents 1%. Pay careful attention to the axis divisions.

Part 06.7: Evaluating Evidence & Data Comparison

Justifying Recommendations Using Graph Data [2 Marks]

✅ Mark Scheme Requirements

  • Mark 1 (Claim / Trend): State clearly that vaccination lowers the severity of measles infection (or a lower percentage of vaccinated children have severe measles).
  • Mark 2 (Data backing): Quote comparative figures from Figure 9:
    e.g. "Only 3% of vaccinated children had severe measles compared to 45% of unvaccinated children" (or difference of 42%).

🧠 Exam Technique: "Include Data" Means Comparative Data!

When an exam command asks to "Include data from Figure X" in a 2-mark comparison question:

  • Never quote just one number. A comparison requires both values or the calculated difference.
  • Include units (in this case, %).
  • Always state the relationship explicitly: "vaccinated children are significantly less likely to suffer severe symptoms."

Topics

Biology · B3: Infection and Response

Question and mark scheme from the AQA GCSE Biology examination, Biology Paper 1 (Foundation), June 2025. QuestionVault is an independent revision resource; questions remain the copyright of the awarding body.