AQA GCSE Combined Science: Trilogy Biology Paper 1 (Higher), 2023: Question 1

✅ Correct answer

Cancer

💡 Key knowledge

• Non-communicable = not passed from person to person.
• Cancer is not caused by a pathogen spreading between people.
• AIDS, gonorrhoea and malaria are communicable diseases.

🧠 Exam technique

• Read the list carefully and tick only one box.
• If you know the disease is not infectious, it is the correct choice here.

❌ Common errors

• Choosing AIDS, gonorrhoea or malaria because they sound serious.
• Writing “cancerous” or “cancer cells” instead of ticking the box.

✅ Correct answers

Any one of:

• coronary heart disease
• CHD
• cardiovascular disease
• diabetes

💡 Key knowledge

• Obesity increases the risk of some long-term diseases.
• Common GCSE examples include CHD and type 2 diabetes.
• These are non-communicable because they are not infectious.

🧠 Exam technique

• Do not repeat “cancer” from part (a) — the mark scheme said ignore cancer.
• Use the exact named disease if possible.

❌ Common errors

• Writing a communicable disease such as malaria or gonorrhoea.
• Giving a risk factor instead of a disease, e.g. “high blood pressure” without a linked disease.

✅ Correct answers

Any one suitable policy, for example:

• taxes on high energy / fat / sugar foods
• education about diet and health
• government advertising
• restrict media advertising of high energy / fat / sugar foods
• information on food labels
• help/advice/groups for obese people via the NHS
• calorie information on restaurant / takeaway menus
• regulation of supermarket offers on high sugar / fat / energy foods
• regulation of foods for sale near checkouts
• exercise campaigns

💡 Key knowledge

• Policies can reduce intake of unhealthy foods or encourage healthy choices.
• National policies affect large groups of people, not just individuals.

🧠 Exam technique

• Give a specific policy, not a vague statement like “eat healthier”.
• Link the policy to reducing calorie intake or increasing exercise.

❌ Common errors

• Repeating the one already given: “reduce sugar in food and drinks”.
• Giving personal advice only, e.g. “go jogging”, without making it a national policy.

📐 Calculation: step by step

1. Use the formula: BMI = mass in kg ÷ (height in m)²
2. Substitute the values: BMI = 69 ÷ 1.64²
3. Square the height: 1.64² = 2.6896
4. Divide: 69 ÷ 2.6896 = 25.6...
5. Round appropriately: BMI = 25.6 or 26 / 25.7 accepted by the mark scheme.
6. Compare with the table: 25.0 to 29.9 = overweight

✅ Correct answer

BMI = 25.6 (approximately)

BMI category: overweight

💡 Key knowledge

• BMI compares mass with height.
• The category must match the calculated BMI.
• For this question, 25.0–29.9 = overweight.

🧠 Exam technique

• Always square the height first.
• Keep units correct: mass in kg , height in m .
• Show working clearly to earn method marks.

❌ Common errors

• Using 1.64 instead of 1.64².
• Dividing the wrong way round.
• Choosing the wrong category after calculating correctly.
• Forgetting to round sensibly or writing no units/working.

✅ Correct answer

Any one of:

• women will gain mass / weight during pregnancy
• the developing baby will increase the woman’s mass / weight
• BMI will increase during pregnancy

💡 Key knowledge

• BMI is based on mass, so pregnancy would change the result.
• Measuring before pregnancy gives a more accurate starting point.

🧠 Exam technique

• Explain the change in mass, not just “it is better”.
• Use comparative language: “before pregnancy” means the categories are not affected by pregnancy weight gain.

✅ Correct answers

Any two valid comparative conclusions, for example:

• Smokers had babies with lower birth mass than non-smokers.
• Women with higher BMI had heavier babies.
• In every BMI category, smokers had lighter babies than non-smokers.
• Smoking had the greatest effect in the underweight group.
• Smoking had the least effect in the overweight group.

💡 Key knowledge

• The graph shows mean baby birth mass for smokers and non-smokers across BMI categories.
• Top answers use the data trend, not just one number.

🧠 Exam technique

• Make statements comparative: higher/lower/heavier/lighter.
• Refer to both smoker and non-smoker results where possible.
• If you mention a trend, support it with the graph.

❌ Common errors

• Simply copying values without a conclusion.
• Describing the axes instead of the results.
• Writing non-comparative statements like “smoking is bad”.

✅ Correct answer

Any one of:

• coughs / sneezes spread the virus in droplets
• droplets containing the virus are inhaled / breathed in

💡 Key knowledge

• Measles is a viral communicable disease.
• It spreads through droplets in the air.

🧠 Exam technique

• Say how the virus leaves one person and enters another.
• Write the full idea: “coughs and sneezes release droplets which are inhaled”.

❌ Common errors

• Only saying “contact” without explaining the route.
• Confusing with food or water contamination.
• Writing “touching” unless you also explain contaminated surfaces reaching the mouth/nose/eyes.

📐 Calculation: step by step

1. Find 17% of 67 961 900.
2. Convert the percentage to a decimal: 17% = 0.17
3. Multiply: 0.17 × 67 961 900
4. Calculate: = 11 553 523
5. Rounded answer accepted: 11 553 500

✅ Correct answer

11 553 523 people

or approximately 11 553 500

💡 Key knowledge

• “Percent” means “out of 100”.
• To find a percentage, multiply by the decimal equivalent.

❌ Common errors

• Multiplying by 17 instead of 0.17.
• Using the wrong operation, such as dividing.
• Forgetting that the question asks for an estimate, so rounding is acceptable.

✅ Correct answers

Any one of:

• dry feet thoroughly after washing
• do not share socks / tights / shoes / towels
• use a fungicide
• do not walk around barefoot in public / contaminated areas

💡 Key knowledge

• Athlete’s foot is a fungal disease.
• It grows well in moist conditions, so dryness helps prevent it.

🧠 Exam technique

• Give a specific action, not just “be clean”.
• Link your answer to stopping fungal growth or spread.

❌ Common errors

• Writing “wash feet regularly” without drying them.
• Saying “avoid moist conditions” without explaining what the person should do.
• Giving a treatment for a different disease.

💡 What to remember

• Communicable diseases are caused by pathogens and can spread between people.
• Non-communicable diseases include cancer, CHD and diabetes.
• BMI formula: mass ÷ height² .
• Use comparative statements for graph questions.
• Percentage calculations are usually done with decimals.

🧠 How to score full marks

• Use the exact scientific term where possible.
• Show working in calculations.
• Make answers match the mark scheme wording: concise but precise.
• For explanation questions, give cause and effect.

❌ Biggest traps in this question

• Mixing up communicable and non-communicable diseases.
• For BMI, forgetting to square the height.
• Giving non-comparative conclusions from the graph.
• Using the wrong decimal for 17%.