1. 1
   A surgeon examines a biopsy sample taken from a patient's intestine. Under a microscope, epithelial cells are seen arranged together forming a lining, several different tissue layers are seen forming the gut wall, and the gut wall is part of a network of organs that digest food.

   (a)

   Which term describes a group of similar cells working together to perform a specific function, as seen in the gut wall sample?

   [1 mark]

   • AOrganelle
   • BTissue
   • COrgan
   • DSystem

   (b)

   Which sequence correctly shows the levels of organisation in the patient's body, from smallest to largest?

   [1 mark]

   • ACells, organelles, tissues, organs, systems
   • BOrganelles, cells, organs, tissues, systems
   • COrganelles, tissues, cells, organs, systems
   • DOrganelles, cells, tissues, organs, systems

   (c)

   Using the intestine as an example, explain the difference between an organ and an organ system.

   [2 marks]

   Total for question 1: 4 marks

2. 2
   A gardener cuts open a tomato plant stem and observes different levels of structure: individual cells, xylem tissue that transports water, the stem itself, and the whole plant, which contains several organ systems.

   (a)

   Which term describes the structures inside the stem cells, such as the nucleus and mitochondria, that carry out specific jobs within the cell?

   [1 mark]

   • ATissues
   • BOrgans
   • COrganelles
   • DSystems

   (b)

   Which sequence shows the correct order of increasing complexity for the structures the gardener observed?

   [1 mark]

   • ACell, xylem tissue, stem, whole plant
   • BXylem tissue, cell, stem, whole plant
   • CStem, cell, xylem tissue, whole plant
   • DCell, stem, xylem tissue, whole plant

   (c)

   Describe the relationship between cells, tissues and organs, using the tomato plant stem as an example.

   [2 marks]

   Total for question 2: 4 marks

3. 3
   In 1665, Robert Hooke used an early microscope to examine a thin slice of cork and observed a honeycomb-like pattern of small compartments, which he named 'cells'. Later scientists built on this discovery, showing that cells contain smaller structures and that groups of cells can be organised into further, more complex levels within living organisms.

   (a)

   Explain, using named examples, the difference between an organelle and a cell, and between a cell and a tissue.

   [3 marks]

   (b)

   Explain, using named examples, the difference between a tissue and an organ, and between an organ and a system.

   [4 marks]

   Total for question 3: 7 marks

4. 4
   A patient undergoes a heart transplant after suffering a heart attack that damaged a region of cardiac muscle. Doctors explain to the patient's family how the heart's function depends on several levels of organisation working together, and how damage at the cellular level can affect the whole circulatory system.

   (a)

   Using the heart as an example, describe how organelles, cells, tissues, organs and systems are all involved in maintaining the function of the circulatory system.

   [6 marks]

   (b)

   Explain why damage at the cellular level, such as the death of cardiac muscle cells during a heart attack, can affect the functioning of tissues, organs and the whole circulatory system.

   [6 marks]

   Total for question 4: 12 marks

End of questions