EXAM PAPERS, Topic 4 - H2 Biology Paper 4 Practical Performance
Download printable cheat-sheet (CC-BY 4.0)23 Oct 2025, 00:00 Z
Join our Telegram study groupQ: What does EXAM PAPERS, Topic 4 - H2 Biology Paper 4 Practical Performance cover? A: Convert the 2 h 30 min practical into a scoring opportunity by rehearsing MMO, PDO, ACE, and planning workflows drawn from the 2026 syllabus and the new photosynthesis specimen task.
TL;DR
Paper 4 is worth 20 % of the grade and rewards candidates who can plan, execute, and critique lab work with precision. Drill investigation workflows (MMO), presentation habits (PDO), and evaluation language (ACE) using specimen-style setups like the light-intensity photosynthesis experiment.[1][2]
Blueprint for Paper 4
| Duration | Marks | Weighting | Format | Skill emphasis |
| 2 h 30 min | 50 | 20 % | Two multi-stage investigations + 1 planning task + data-handling components | P (4 %), MMO (16 %), PDO (16 %), ACE (16 %) |
- Candidates must arrive lab-ready—no notebooks or reference sheets allowed.[1]
- Apparatus access may be time-boxed, so rehearsed bench discipline is critical.
- The specimen task tracks photosynthetic oxygen production across filtered light intensities, signalling a focus on quantitative data collection and evaluation of biological variables.[2]
Skill area breakdown
- Planning (P, 4 %): Frame hypotheses that link independent and dependent variables, list controlled variables with measurement methods, and propose data treatment (e.g. plot rate vs light intensity, calculate gradients). Draft planning templates before the exam so you can deploy them in minutes.
- Manipulation, Measurement, Observation (MMO, 16 %): Practise assembling apparatus quickly and safely—e.g. sealing syringe-to-capillary connections, calibrating microscopes, or timing enzyme reactions. Maintain observation logs with units and uncertainty estimates.
