Key term
OCR A-Level Biology B H422
The Developing Cell: Cell Division and Cell Differentiation
The Developing Individual: Meiosis, Growth and Development
The Development of Species: Evolution and Classification
Cells and Microscopy
Topic overviewMicroscopy and the cell theoryBlood smears, staining and microscope drawingsBlood cells and their structureMagnification and measuring cellsHaemocytometer cell counts and dilutionsFlow cytometry in blood analysisUltrastructure of the animal cellPlant and prokaryotic cellsMembrane lipids and the fluid mosaic modelMovement of molecules across membranesThe roles of membranes and the secretion of proteins
Water and Its Importance in Plants and Animals
Proteins and Enzymes
Nucleic Acids
Patterns of Inheritance
Population Genetics and Epigenetics
Gene Technologies
The Principles and Importance of Homeostasis
The Hormonal Control of Blood Glucose and the Management of Diabetes
Kidney Functions and Malfunctions
Topic overviewExcretion and the gross structure of the kidneyThe nephron: ultrafiltration and selective reabsorptionInvestigating the composition of urine, plasma and filtrateOsmoregulation and the action of ADHThe kidney as an endocrine gland and kidney failureDialysis, transplantation and the future of transplant surgery
The Cellular Basis of Cancer and Treatment
Respiratory Diseases and Treatment
Cellular Respiration
Metabolism and Exercise
Topic overviewThe consequences of exercise on the bodyAerobic fitness and VO₂ maxTraining, F.I.T.T. factors and investigating fitnessEnhancing athletic performanceHaemoglobin and the transport of oxygenOxygen dissociation curves of different respiratory pigmentsOxygen deficit and oxygen debtThe structure of skeletal muscleThe sliding filament theory of muscle contraction
Pathogenic Microorganisms
The Immune System
Controlling Communicable Diseases
Photosynthesis, Food Production and Management of the Environment
Topic overviewChloroplast ultrastructure and photosynthetic pigmentsThe light-dependent stage of photosynthesisThe Calvin cycleInvestigating the factors affecting photosynthesisThe Hill reaction and DCPIPUsing TP and GP to build carbohydrates, lipids and amino acidsThe compensation point and crop productionMicroorganisms, the nitrogen cycle and biosensorsBiomass transfer and efficiency in food productionRuminants in the human food chainFarms as ecosystems and the conflict with conservationDeflected succession and measuring biodiversity
The Impact of Population Increase
Planning and Implementing Practical Work
Analysing and Evaluating Practical Results
Practical Skills, Apparatus and Techniques
Topic overviewInvestigative approaches and working safelyFollowing instructions, recording and presenting dataResearch, referencing and processing data with softwareMeasuring mass, volume, time, temperature, length and pHColorimeters and potometersLaboratory glassware and serial dilutionsLight microscopy, graticules and biological drawingQualitative reagents for biological moleculesChromatography and electrophoresisAseptic technique and dissectionWhole-organism responses, fieldwork sampling and data logging
Fertility and Assisted Reproduction
The Effects of Ageing on the Reproductive System
Plant Reproduction
The Nervous System and the Identification and Consequences of Damage
Topic overviewOrganisation of the nervous system and nervous tissueThe structure and function of the human brainThe structure of motor, sensory and relay neuronesResting potential and the action potentialSynapses and the integration of responsesReflexes, reaction times and their investigationBrain scans and the consequences of nervous system damageDrugs, brain function and dependency
Monitoring Visual Function
The Effect of Ageing on the Nervous System
The Heart and Monitoring Heart Function
Transport Systems in Mammals
Gas Exchange in Mammals and Plants
Analysing and Evaluating Practical Results
- 6 subtopics
- 18 things to know
- Components 01, 02 and 03
What Analysing and Evaluating Practical Results covers
Analysing and Evaluating Practical Results is examined in all three written papers — the specification states that Components 01, 02 and 03 can each assess content from any of the five modules, so nothing is confined to one paper. It covers processing and interpreting experimental results, Mathematical skills for analysing biological data, significant figures and reporting values, plotting and interpreting graphs, anomalies, limitations and refining a procedure and precision, accuracy and uncertainty.
Where it is assessed
Components 01, 02 and 03
Every module can be assessed on any of the three papers.
Check the OCR specification ↗The 6 subtopics
Each one has its own page.
- Processing and interpreting experimental resultsRecall questions on processing raw data, qualitative and quantitative results, making a Benedict's test semi-quantitative, converting time into rate, valid conclusions and the limits of extrapolation, correlation and causation, and calculating and interpreting percentage change in mass of potato tissue.Open →
- Mathematical skills for analysing biological dataRecall questions on the mean, median, mode and range, standard deviation and error bars, choosing and calculating the t-test, chi-squared test and Spearman's rank correlation coefficient, degrees of freedom and p = 0.05, Simpson's index, logarithmic scales, magnification, estimation, and surface area and volume.Open →
- Significant figures and reporting valuesRecall questions on counting significant figures in small and standard-form values, the rule for a calculated result, rounding practical data sensibly, and decimal places versus significant figures.Open →
- Plotting and interpreting graphsRecall questions on axis choice, scales and when zero may be omitted, taking a gradient from a line or a curve, anomalous points, and what an intercept shows.Open →
- Anomalies, limitations and refining a procedureRecall questions on identifying and dealing with anomalous results and their causes, limitations of procedures such as potometers and counting bubbles, and refinements including gas syringes, repeats, colorimeters and data loggers, and consistent rest periods in pulse rate studies.Open →
- Precision, accuracy and uncertaintyRecall questions on accuracy and precision, the uncertainty of measuring instruments, calculating percentage error for thermometers, measuring cylinders and burettes, why larger measurements carry smaller percentage errors, and random and systematic errors such as zero errors.Open →
What you need to know
Answer each one before you reveal it.
Your recallNot started
Evaluation
What should be done on noticing an anomalous reading, when may an anomaly be left out of a mean, and why take at least three repeats?
Evaluation
How should the axes of a graph be scaled, what goes wrong if the scale is poor, and when may an axis be broken?
Key term
How do accuracy and precision differ, how is percentage error found, and what distinguishes a random from a systematic error?
Key term
Distinguish between the median and the mode of a set of data.
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A rate is found by dividing 12.4 cm³ by 5.0 s. State the answer to an appropriate number of significant figures.
Key term
Distinguish between qualitative and quantitative results.
Key term
When is the median a better summary of a data set than the mean?
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Three readings of 12, 13 and 14 are averaged. Explain why the mean should not be written as 13.000.
Key term
State one requirement of a suitable scale on a graph axis.
Key term
What should a student do on noticing an anomalous reading while the experiment is still running?
Key term
Distinguish between the accuracy and the precision of a measurement.
Evaluation
Give one advantage of quantitative results over qualitative results.
Key term
What does a small standard deviation tell you about a set of measurements?
Key term
Explain why a percentage calculated from practical data should not be quoted to five decimal places.
Key term
Why is a scale that leaves the points occupying only one corner of the grid unsuitable?
Key term
Under what circumstances may an anomalous value be left out when a mean is calculated?
Key term
State the uncertainty of a thermometer graduated in 1 °C intervals.
Take Analysing and Evaluating Practical Results further
The same content, four other ways.
Commonly confused
Pairs that lose marks when they are blurred together.
Accuracy vs Precision
Accuracy: how close a single measurement lies to the true value of the quantity being measured. Precision: how closely repeated measurements of the same quantity agree with one another, whether or not they are near the true value.
Random error vs Systematic error
Random error: an unpredictable variation that scatters repeats either side of the true value and is reduced by taking a mean. Systematic error: a fault that shifts every reading in the same direction by a similar amount, so averaging the repeats cannot remove it.
Anomaly vs Natural variation
Anomaly: a single result lying far outside the pattern shown by the rest, usually caused by a mistake in the procedure or a fault in the apparatus. Natural variation: the ordinary spread of values around a mean that biological material always shows, measured by the standard deviation.
Questions from this topic
Each one with the model answer underneath.
- 1
What does it mean to process experimental data?
Model answer
It means carrying out calculations on the raw readings, such as means, rates, percentages or changes, so that the trend becomes clear.
- 2
Distinguish between qualitative and quantitative results.
Model answer
Qualitative results are descriptive observations such as a colour change, while quantitative results are numerical measurements.
- 3
Give one advantage of quantitative results over qualitative results.
Model answer
Quantitative results can be processed and analysed statistically, whereas qualitative results depend on the observer's judgement.
- 4
How can the result of a Benedict's test be made semi-quantitative?
Model answer
The colour can be matched against standards of known concentration, or the absorbance of the solution measured with a colorimeter.
- 5
A student records the time taken for a colour to disappear. Explain how this is converted into a rate.
Model answer
The rate is calculated as one divided by the time, so a shorter time gives a larger rate.
- 6
A colour change is complete in 40 s. State the rate in s⁻¹.
Model answer
The rate is 0.025 s⁻¹.
What is inside Levo
Six ways to work the same material.
Analysing and Evaluating Practical Results revision questions
- What does Analysing and Evaluating Practical Results cover in OCR A-Level Biology B?
- 6 subtopics: processing and interpreting experimental results, mathematical skills for analysing biological data, significant figures and reporting values, plotting and interpreting graphs, anomalies, limitations and refining a procedure and precision, accuracy and uncertainty. Each one has its own page with questions and model answers.
- How is Analysing and Evaluating Practical Results organised?
- By the OCR H422 specification, subtopic by subtopic, so it matches the order you are taught it in.
Every question in Analysing and Evaluating Practical Results, on a schedule.
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