Competition - post a photo you've taken of nature >>

Edexcel Biology (B1) Exam 17th May 2016

Hi, I do triple science and I am in year 11. I will be sitting all 9 science exams with B1 being one of my first. I have opened this thread to discuss revision techniques on how to remember key aspects of B1 and to discuss the exam itself.

Scroll to see replies

Reply 1

Afro Tail

I'm in the same situation, just doing Additional.

Reply 2

vik_k1

Original post by Afro Tail

I'm in the same situation, just doing Additional.

I prefer the 1's and 2's but the 3's are just added pressure. I'm hoping exams are easier this year because they are the last GCSE ones.

Posted from TSR Mobile

Reply 3

octoppus

I've got the same. I find B1 the easiest out of all the science exams. At the moment I've been making a powerpoint on the things I find difficult; I also have flash cards that I'm finding quite useful :smile:

Reply 4

vik_k1

Original post by octoppus

I like B1, love B2,C1 and C2 and I find physics ok. That's why I want to do really well in my chemistry and biology. I usually write notes, in short form instead of copying word-for-word from the revision guide. The blood glucose level question came up as a six marker last year so it will be unlikely to be worth similar amount of marks. However, I'm hoping that there is a six marker on the heart and how blood gets pumped around the body. Also, do you do double or triple science?

Reply 5

octoppus

Original post by vik_k1

I do triple, which I regret taking. Although I'm on foundation for All the 3s. I'm pretty confident with B1, although there are parts of it (like neurones and blood glucose) that I can't get into my head. B2 is okay, but we had an awful teacher for it last year so there's parts I still don't get, although flash cards seem to be really helping.
For B1, I'm hoping there's a six marker on something like indicator species or eutrophication. I like those.

Reply 6

vik_k1

Original post by octoppus

There's a lot of content for Biology and Physics but Chemistry is straightforward compared to the others, personally.

Posted from TSR Mobile

Reply 7

TheShadoWolf

Is this for gcse edexcel or cambridge

Reply 8

vik_k1

Original post by TheShadoWolf

Is this for gcse edexcel or cambridge

EdExcel

Posted from TSR Mobile

Reply 9

TheShadoWolf

Cool
What do you reckon will be in the paper

Reply 10

vik_k1

Original post by TheShadoWolf

Cool
What do you reckon will be in the paper

Which exam? I'm not actually sure, are they allowed to repeat 6 markers or reword them with the same topic?

Posted from TSR Mobile

B1
I don't think so

If anyone is struggling i can help - I've revised all of B1, C1, P1 since February - I think I've got a pretty good handle on it by now.
Also can someone explain cracking and polymers to me, please? It's the only thing I don't understand...

Reply 13

sianmellor

Ive gone through science more or less all year round because im easily confused by terms and my memory isn't amazing. But this last week ive gone over b1 loads. Ive done writing it all out into my own words, reading it aloud, creating visual ways and acronyms to make it a lot easier!

Reply 14

Z4r4

wat topics do u think will com up in b1

Reply 15

sianmellor

Original post by melannium

I need help with p1, physics is treacherous.

Reply 16

Serafinapekila

Hi. As far as I know

Cracking is when chemists break large hydrocarbon molecule chains (product from crude oil) into smaller ones.

They do this because smaller hydrocarbon chains are more useful as fuels. There are two methods to carry out cracking:

1) passing hydrocarbon vapours over a hot catalyst
2) Reacting hydrocarbon vapours with steam

Both of these methods will produce smaller hydrocarbon molecule chains.

Hope this helps

thankz

You could also do with knowing that an alkene is produced as well as a shorter-chained alkane when hydrocarbon molecules are cracked.
For Higher tier, I think you also need to know that cracking is also done to keep up with supply and demand. Without cracking, oil companies have excess of one fraction, but not enough to keep up with demands for other fractions. Cracking allows them to make more of one fraction to keep up with the demand by using the excess hydrocarbon molecules they have in another fraction.

Reply 19

Serafinapekila

Original post by melannium

For polymers:

A single hyrdrocarbon molecule such as an ethene molecule is a type on monomer. Monomer just means 1 ("mono") type of molecule. In this case, an ethene mononer.

A polymer, is more than one monomer joined together. Polymers of hydrocarbons can only be made from alkene monomers. This is because to make a hydrocarbon polymer, the two (or more) monomers need to join from somewhere right?

So, what happens is, the double bond between the carbon atoms (only in alkenes not alkanes) break and this then joins to another bond that has broken from another monomer of the alkene.

This results in a chain of monomers which is a polymer.

Depending on what type of alkene you have, (e.g. ethene, propene, butene) your monomer will be called that type, e.g. a momoner of propene. When the double bond breaks between these monomers and they bond/join, they from POLY(propene) - polypropene.

Hope this helps :smile: