AQA A Level Biology (7402) · Paper 1 and Paper 3
AQA A Level Biology 3.2 Cells Exam Questions
Free AQA A Level Biology exam questions by topic for 3.2 Cells, with a mark scheme for every pack. Covers cell structure, microscopy, mitosis, transport across membranes and the immune system.
3.2 Cells exam questions by subtopic
4 question packs covering every part of the specification, with thousands of real past exam questions between them. Do not stop after a few: answer as many as you can, without notes, and mark each one with the mark scheme. The more questions you do, the more quickly you will spot how examiners ask about each idea.
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About AQA A Level Biology topic 3.2
Topic 3.2 covers how cells are built, how they divide and how substances move in and out of them, before finishing with how the immune system recognises and responds to pathogens. Questions often mix calculation (magnification and mitotic index) with extended explanations, so practise both.
What you need to know for 3.2 Cells
- 3.2.1 Eukaryotic organelles and their functions, the structure of prokaryotic cells and viruses, and how optical, transmission and scanning electron microscopes compare. Magnification equals image size divided by actual size. Cell fractionation and ultracentrifugation.
- 3.2.2 The cell cycle, the stages of mitosis, cancer as uncontrolled cell division, binary fission in prokaryotes and how viruses replicate. Calculating the mitotic index.
- 3.2.3 The fluid mosaic model; simple and facilitated diffusion; osmosis in terms of water potential; active transport; and co-transport of glucose with sodium ions in the ileum.
- 3.2.4 Antigens, phagocytosis, T cells, B cells and plasma cells, antibodies, primary and secondary responses, vaccines and herd immunity, monoclonal antibodies and ELISA, and the structure and replication of HIV.
Common mistakes in 3.2 Cells
- Confusing magnification with resolution. Resolution is the ability to distinguish two points close together.
- Describing osmosis with concentration. Use water potential: water moves from a higher (less negative) to a lower (more negative) water potential.
- Saying B cells make antibodies. Plasma cells, which develop from B cells, secrete them.
- Treating viruses as cells. They are acellular and have no ribosomes of their own.
- In co-transport, forgetting that sodium ions are first actively transported out of the epithelial cell to keep the concentration gradient.
Try three 3.2 Cells exam-style questions
1. Explain why a transmission electron microscope gives a higher resolution than an optical microscope. (2 marks)
Show the mark scheme answer
Electrons have a shorter wavelength than light; so objects that are closer together can be distinguished.
2. A mitochondrion is 25 mm long in a photograph magnified 5000 times. Calculate its actual length in micrometres. (2 marks)
Show the mark scheme answer
25 mm divided by 5000 = 0.005 mm; = 5 micrometres.
3. Describe how a phagocyte destroys a pathogen. (3 marks)
Show the mark scheme answer
The phagocyte engulfs the pathogen into a phagosome; a lysosome fuses with the phagosome; lysozymes hydrolyse the pathogen.
Want more? Every pack above has many more past exam questions on cells.
3.2 Cells FAQs
What does AQA A Level Biology topic 3.2 cover?
Topic 3.2, Cells, covers cell structure, microscopy, mitosis, transport across membranes and the immune system.
Which AQA A Level Biology paper is topic 3.2 on?
Topic 3.2 is examined in Paper 1, which covers topics 3.1 to 3.4. Paper 3 can also include questions on any topic, so it is worth revising for that paper too.
Are these AQA A Level Biology 3.2 exam questions free?
Yes. Every question pack and mark scheme on this page is a free PDF download, with no sign-up needed.
