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CIE IGCSE Biology Alternative to Practical

Hey, is anyone else doing 61 on Wednesday? I'm trying to revise frantically, but I honestly have no idea what to do for this.

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Yep. Do past papers, revise food tests and chemical tests, understand experimental equipment. The more past papers you do, the more you understand the format. Good luck!
Yeah, you're right. I'm doing it tomorrow too, and the best thing is honestly to watch revision videos for it (Ms Cooper Biology iGCSE on youtube is good), DO PAST PAPERS, and go over the experimental method as much as you can!
I'm freaking out too - don't worry, you're not the only one :smile:
Hi I also have the exam tommorrow and I've just come across this great document made by CIE:

http://www.cie.org.uk/images/163030-cambridge-learner-guide-for-igcse-biology.pdf

Pages 20-26 have so many tips that I wish I would have known earlier. Stuff about how to draw graphs appropriately, experiments, rounding decimals, everything you need to know!

Good luck tomorrow!
Original post by TheNovellist
Yeah, you're right. I'm doing it tomorrow too, and the best thing is honestly to watch revision videos for it (Ms Cooper Biology iGCSE on youtube is good), DO PAST PAPERS, and go over the experimental method as much as you can!
I'm freaking out too - don't worry, you're not the only one :smile:

Your right, Ms Cooper Biology IGCSE is a great resource. Well found
Reply 5
Avatar for Jehaan
Jehaan
19
Quick Question: my brother is doing it tomorrow and I am trying to help him by predicting the paper but I don't understand what it means by 61 or 62 ect. I know he is doing the alternative to practical and doing 61 but what is the difference between that and 62? Any help would much appreciated!
Reply 6
Avatar for c0mmodity
c0mmodity
OP
9
There's actually 3; 61, 62, and 63. It should say on his exam time table; for example I'm doing 61. Not really sure on the difference though
Different paper for different time zones. (These exams are taken at three different times of the day as it is an international GCSE). The content is the same though
Reply 8
Avatar for c0mmodity
c0mmodity
OP
9
What other tests will I need to learn? I know the iodine test, the Benedict's test, Biuret, and the emulsion test all relatively well.
Original post by lin-e
What other tests will I need to learn? I know the iodine test, the Benedict's test, Biuret, and the emulsion test all relatively well.


Do past papers, that's the only way to find out! This paper is hard to predict but easy to tackle. The more you get used to the simplicity and conciseness of the answers you need to put down, the better you will do. For example, if the question asks how you could improve the test, always say "repeat the test several times and take a mean". It's all about exam technique with paper 6.
Good luck with your exam! I'm doing it today too


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Whos done paper 61? Or when are they
I've got mine later at 13.30


Posted from TSR Mobile
Reply 13
Avatar for DJShaji
DJShaji
8
I found it horrible. Everyone was saying how easy it was and I just went blank....life wtf was that drawing question?! and what did people for the control experiment

How did everyone find it
For the control i said to boil the potato to denature the enzymes? not sure if this is right but a few people said they thought it was right. I was most confused by the drawing with the no cells to be drawn? i drew all the little phloem holes? is this right? feel as if i may have got 30-32
Yeah I'd like to know if it was boil, or use no alcohol for the control. I said the latter, but I think you're correct. The drawing was bizarre, in all the practice papers they ask for drawing of leaves or other simple things! I think the holes do count as cells unfortunately, you were supposed to just draw the sections, i.e. section off where phloem are, section off where xylem are etc. but you will probably only a lose a max of 2 marks for drawing the cells if u still show the sections as well (it was out of 5).
i think both boil and no alcohol would be allowed as there are many controls apparently
Reply 17
Avatar for suht
suht
2
Yeah for the control I said use no alcohol to show that alcohol has an effect on rate
For the control I said use water instead of hydrogen peroxide. I found the last question stupid as I said water with dyed water and then talked about translocation and the transpiration stream. The drawing was dumb as hell, where were the food tests?
Reply 19
Avatar for suht
suht
2
Original post by CIEBioloysifh
For the control I said use water instead of hydrogen peroxide. I found the last question stupid as I said water with dyed water and then talked about translocation and the transpiration stream. The drawing was dumb as hell, where were the food tests?

I know it was stupid no food tests, nothing on arthropods and the diagram was like nothing we've ever done. As for the last question I just test for water using copper sulfate crystals to identify where the thing they wanted us to identify was

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