2023 IGCSE Biology Past Papers

0610 / Biology /March Paper 12 — Difficulty Tags

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Paper 12 — Session: March 2023

General comments

Least demanding: Q14, Q23, Q27, Q36, Q37, Q39.

Most demanding: Q4, Q15, Q25, Q34 (correct answer must be fully correct; in Q4 the word “halogen” made C wrong).

Difficult Question 4

One of the most challenging. Options B and C were more popular than the correct answer; “halogen” made option C incorrect.

Difficult Question 5

Fewer than half answered correctly. Option C most common wrong. Reactions involve movement of electrons, not protons.

Moderate Question 6

Stronger candidates did well; many others chose B—misunderstanding bonding in chlorine or the meaning of “pair”.

Difficult Question 7

About one-third correct. Option B describes graphite’s structure but not why it is used as an electrode.

Difficult Question 11

Over a third chose B. Recall the full name: the hydrogen–oxygen fuel cell.

Easy Question 14

Listed among the least demanding questions overall.

Difficult Question 15

Poorly answered; >? chose C. Confusion over terms: hydrated = with water; anhydrous = with no water.

Moderate Question 16

Small majority correct; some guessing. Recognise an alkaline gas is produced ? think ammonia from an ammonium salt.

Difficult Question 20

Many candidates appeared to be guessing.

Easy Question 23

Listed among the least demanding questions overall.

Difficult Question 25

Not well answered. Many couldn’t recall reactions of metals with water or dilute acid. C chosen by >?; B chosen often too.

Difficult Question 26

Order of reactivity not determined by many; response distribution suggests guessing. Metals react more vigorously with steam/dilute acid than cold water.

Easy Question 27

Listed among the least demanding questions overall.

Difficult Question 34

Most common response was B (incorrect). Yeast is a catalyst, not a reactant; catalysts are not used up and shouldn’t appear as reactants.

Easy Question 36

Listed among the least demanding questions overall.

Easy Question 37

Listed among the least demanding questions overall.

Difficult Question 38

Challenging: many chose D by counting ‘red’ spots without checking if they represented the same or different dyes.

Easy Question 39

Weaker candidates chose A/D which would form a pure salt only if salt and water were the only substances. Here the outcome is a mixture of salt and sand.

2023 IGCSE Biology Past Papers

DIfficult Questions from 2023 IGCSE Biology Past Papers have been listed below along with specific and extremely detailed comments by examiners. Read them carefully, so as to avoid  repeating the same mistakes in your own exams. Also this is the ideal exam preparation, as the comments come from the examiners themselves.

0610/22 Biology — Paper 22 — Difficulty Tags

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Paper 22 — Session: March 2023

General comments

Least demanding: Q3, Q8, Q13, Q22, Q26, Q34, Q37, Q40.

Most demanding: Q1 and Q9.

Be cautious with questions like Q7: option B describes a substance correctly but does not answer the question asked.

Difficult Question 1

Most challenging. Cooling curves new to syllabus. Temperature does not change while a substance changes state. C and D most common wrong answers.

Moderate Question 7

Most answered correctly, but some chose B. Correct description of graphite structure but does not explain use as an electrode.

Difficult Question 9

Calculations were challenging. Most common wrong = B, assuming all sodium hydrogencarbonate decomposed.

Moderate Question 12

Some chose C (not correct) but showed understanding of endothermic/exothermic and ?H. A and D rarely chosen.

Moderate Question 14

Half answered correctly; many guessed. A third chose A or B, suggesting they didn’t recognise activation energy remains unchanged.

Moderate Question 18

Nearly all answered correctly. C common wrong: identifies the reduced metal, not the reducing agent.

Moderate Question 19

Tested recall of ammonia from ammonium salts. Recognise alkaline gas. B most common incorrect answer.

Moderate Question 27

Recall of metal reactivity. ~25% did not recall Ca with water or Mg with steam. Some assumed silver reacts with dilute acid ? chose C.

Moderate Question 35

Options B and D not common, but many chose A (wrong). Still recognised correct linkages in polymer.

Difficult Question 36

Addition polymers and repeat units: less than half correct. Some appeared to guess. No strong preference among incorrect options.

Difficult Question 38

Chromatography generally well answered. One-third wrongly chose D, counting ‘red’ spots without checking if same/different dyes.

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