Using the Correct Vocabulary (Edexcel IGCSE Biology): Revision Note
Exam code: 4BI1
Using precise scientific terms
Biology has its own scientific vocabulary, and many marks depend on using the right term
Everyday words are often not precise enough to score marks
Use pathogen, or name the type of pathogen
For example, bacteria, instead of "germ"
Name the specific cell type
For example, palisade mesophyll cells instead of "leaf cells"
Use air spaces, not "empty spaces" when describing leaf structure
Name the specific substance
For example, glucose, rather than "food" or "nutrients"
Use anomalous result, not "mistake", when describing a result that does not fit a pattern
Use volume or mass, not "amount"
For example, "the volume of indicator"
Say that respiration releases energy, not that it "produces" energy
Using an imprecise term, even if its meaning is correct, is likely to result in marks being lost
Worked Example
A student heated a solution of amylase to 80 °C. After it had cooled, the amylase could no longer digest starch.
State what happened to the amylase when it was heated to 80 °C.
[1]
Zero-mark answer:
The heat killed the enzyme
Full-mark answer:
The amylase was denatured / the shape of the active site changed [1 mark]
Examiner Tips and Tricks
The zero-mark answer does not use the correct scientific term. Mark schemes credit denatured or a change in the shape of the active site; everyday words such as "killed" do not describe what has happened. This is also a scientific error, because enzymes are protein molecules rather than living organisms, so they cannot be killed.
The full-mark answer uses the precise term, denatured, though another biological term that would be credited would be a reference to the loss of shape of the active site.
Avoid vague statements
Using biological terms in your answer will prevent vagueness and show that you understand the underlying biology
Student answers often lose marks because they do not express what they intend to say using clear enough language
Examples include:
writing "sugar" when the answer needs the named sugar, e.g. sucrose
writing "preventing disease" when the answer needs the precise idea of preventing the entry of pathogens
Commonly confused terms in biology
Some biology terms sound alike or are easily mixed up, for example:
Chlorophyll is the green pigment that absorbs light
Chloroplasts are the structures in plant cells that contain chlorophyll
Excretion is the removal of the waste products of metabolism, such as urea and carbon dioxide
Egestion is the removal of undigested food from the body as faeces
Pollination is the transfer of pollen from anther to stigma
Fertilisation in plants is the fusion of the pollen nucleus with the egg nucleus
Antibiotic-resistant bacteria are not killed by the antibiotic; resistance arises by random mutation and spreads by natural selection
A person who is immune can destroy a pathogen quickly because they have memory cells from an earlier infection or vaccination
Examiner reports show that students mix up terms such as resistant and immune, antigen and antibody, and transcription and translation
Worked Example
Urine is made in the kidneys and stored in the bladder.
State the name of the tube that carries urine from a kidney to the bladder.
[1]
Zero-mark answer:
Urether
Full-mark answer:
Ureter [1 mark]
Examiner Tips and Tricks
The zero-mark answer is a mix of "ureter" and "urethra", so it is not clear which tube is meant, and it cannot be given the mark.
When two terms look alike, learn the spelling of both, and write your answer clearly so there is no doubt which term you mean.
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