NOV11 Biology HL

[faith]

It's slightly late for this thread because the exam was more than a week ago, but I just noticed there's actually no threads on the topic.

So how did everyone go? I found paper 1 slightly more obscure than normal, but section B in paper 2 was really good. I didn't like the data response though. (They are always tough because you never know what they have exactly on the mark scheme)

[SogladtobedonewithIB]

yeah i absolutely loved Section B on paper 2. But paper 1 was definitely harder than any other past paper I've done

[Matthew Sinclair]

Yeah general consensus at my school (including my opinion) was that paper 1 was hard. There were about 2 trick/misleading questions. Like the one about the tobacco gene that was being inserted or something? It was exactly the same as the original wasn't it?? I really didn't like questions 38 and 39. The one about FSH in spermatogensis was cruel as the only effect that was listed in my study guide wasn't an answer choice (I checked for verification afterwards) so I was really unsure what to put. In total there were about 5 questions I was unsure of, hopefully my guessing was good that day

I thought paper 2 was good! Much much much better than the May paper!! I loved how it was focused mainly on plant science/ecology - they're my favourite! That made the data response a bit easier for me. Although the third section of the data response was definately the hardest by far.

The part B questions were awesome, well at least the two I did. They were basically just SL content with a touch of HL. I did the one about proteins, ribosomes, and transcription...and the one about greenhouse effect, Sigmoid growth and food chain/web.

For paper 3, I was pretty happy. I did Neuro and Ecology as my two. I was a bit annoyed though cause I'd been through the last 12 paper threes (like every one since N06 or something like that cause I was hoping for some similar questions but only a few were similar haha. I went through 9 papers the night before Intense. Did anyone else do my options? I was the only person at my school to do the ecology option cause we were supposed to all do further human physio together but I really didn't want to so I asked the teacher if I could just teach myself another one...I got 2 weeks private revision and didn't have to go to class so it was awesome

But overall, I was quite happy with the exam!! I was expecting A LOT worse! But I was also expecting a bit easier for P1.

I really hope that my IA marks don't get moderated down much cause I'm hoping they'll bring my marks up!

[faith]

I was expecting paper 2 to be a lot worse as well! I was so happy when I realized respiration and transcription- areas that I specifically looked at- were both in it. Everyone I asked thinks paper 1 was harder than normal so I'm hoping the mark boundaries will go down.

@Matthew Sinclair: I did the exact same options as you. =) (I really wanted to do Evolution but my teacher forced all of us to do those two)It was generally good except for this unexpected question about worms in Option G. I rambled something about recycling food and trophic levels.

I'm hoping for a 7. =)

[Matthew Sinclair]

Yes finally someone I can talk to about the worms question!!! I was like, lulwut? Did they seriously ask us a question about worms being a potential part of the human diet? hahaha. I said it was because they ate the lettuce etc, stored the organic compounds in them, then if we were to eat them, we would gain those compounds and then would burn them via cell respiration to release energy? hahahaha what a weird question. There's probably a few different interpretations about it!

Apparently the evolution option is really boring and has lots of big names to remember. Ecology is definitely the easiest/most interesting in my opinion

[SogladtobedonewithIB]

Yeah I did the same two options...had no clue what was going on with the worms lol

[faith]

lol I actually wrote something along the lines of "I don't think many people would be willing to eat worms so perhaps worms can be eaten by an organism that can in turn be eaten by humans." IB probably just decided to put that question in to throw us off.=P

[Matthew Sinclair]

lol I actually wrote something along the lines of "I don't think many people would be willing to eat worms so perhaps worms can be eaten by an organism that can in turn be eaten by humans." IB probably just decided to put that question in to throw us off.=P

Hahaha I love it!

They could've just said birds instead of humans or something that'd make sense eating worms lol

[Natalie93]

and Paper 1 was very hard. My Bio teacher told me that the question about glucose absorption in the convoluted tubule or whatever actually had two right answers, which explained why I was so confused when I got to that question. I thought that it was the hardest Paper 1 I'd ever seen and I everyone I've talked to that did the exam felt the exact same way. I'm anticipating a record low for the grade boundaries.

Paper 2 Section A was okay but Section B was really easy I found, and I hope this will make up for the overly hard Paper 1.

oh my gosh, in Paper 3 I did that worms question too because I picked Option G and I was actually thinking, "I wonder what's in the markscheme. I wonder if it says Accept "Worms can be eaten directly" I was so confused for that question too... but overall, I felt it was an easy paper.

[Matthew Sinclair]

Yes that question was horrible!! I spent 5 minutes on it, maybe even more!! I drew like 2 or 3 diagrams and had stuff going in and out. Doesn't glucose have special reabsorption channels? And then after it's absorbed, the water flows out due to osmosis? That's what I was thinking and that wasn't an answer. What was the Na stuff????? What did you all put? Which two did your teacher suggest?

I'm gonna lol at the markscheme for the worms question if I ever both to check it - which I'm sure I will when they're released next year haha

Normally I can get the entire paper done in under 30 minutes if I'm being quick, so to spend over 5 minutes on 1 question is strange. I think I tried to take it a bit slower in that exam, so I think I was done at 40 minutes maybe?

Edited November 13, 2010 by Matthew Sinclair

[faith]

I thought it was the water. I remember reading in my textbook or a guide somewhere that water gets absorbed by osmosis because of the change in solute level after glucose is actively transported.

[Matthew Sinclair]

I thought it was the water. I remember reading in my textbook or a guide somewhere that water gets absorbed by osmosis because of the change in solute level after glucose is actively transported.

Yeah I'm pretty sure that's correct and that's what I'd learned, but I don't recall it being an answer choice?? That's why I was so confused, maybe I just wasn't reading it properly haha

[faith]

I think it was an answer choice. I remember putting down "water by osmosis" or something. But then again, I don't trust my memory myself- it was more than a week ago. Oh well, I'll hope for the best.=)

[Matthew Sinclair]

I think the question was asking something like 'how does glucose get reabsorbed in the proximal convoluted tubule?'

If that were the question, then osmosis wouldn't work. Because I'm pretty sure it's reabsorbed first by the little channels and then that causes water reabsorption due to osmosis?? Totally confused? sjkdfhsd. I'm going to have a look in my textbook cause this is bugging me now haha

This is the gist of what my pearson baccalaureate HL textbook is saying:

1) Salt ions leave the filtrate and return to bloodstream by reabsorption.

2) The movement of salt ions out of the filtrate induces water to follow the same route by osmosis.

3) Glucose is reabsorbed into the bloodstream (it doesn't say why though).

So maybe the osmosis being first is the answer? I think my answer involved Na being absorbed out maybe? I dunno haha. Google time

This is what wiki answers suggests:

Glucose is totally reabsorbed via secondary active transport through co-transport channels driven by the sodium gradient out of the nephron.

I really hope I put something along those lines I just remember I changed my answer at the last minute

[SogladtobedonewithIB]

Think I put down the water answer as well for that question. For the worms question I'm pretty sure I said that they were too small individually so you'd have to eat millions of them to get enough energy from it...and its not exactly human behaviour to scour your garden day and night for worms

[Matthew Sinclair]

Oh that's so true!! Their size is a reason. Can't believe I didn't think of that! Of course it makes so much sense with the trophic levels and everything. Good job =) I hope I get some marks for my approach haha. I wrote like 3 or 4 lines so I might get something

[SogladtobedonewithIB]

Oh and what was the phytochrome answer in paper 1?

[faith]

Oh my god size! How can I overlook that! =(

By the way, maybe I read the glucose absorption wrongly. I was under the impression that the question asked me what would the absorption of glucose cause instead of the other way round.

@ SogladtobedonewithIB: sorry I don't remember that question.

[Matthew Sinclair]

I always get really confused with the phytochrome questions!!

I get the feeling the answer was Pr --> Pfr, controlling flowering in Long Day plants?? But I don't remember the question, that's just what I seem to remember. I was discussing it with people in my class afterwards and some agreed with my answer (what ever I actually said), others disagreed

I Know, SIZE? How could we forget ! oh well, not to worry, there's probs multiple different responses in the criteria