Science Progression Test 2023 P1

Question 1: Food Web

(a) The last carnivore in the food web is the kingfisher.
(b) The animals eaten by the toad are tadpole and water beetle.
(c) The food chain that includes the tadpole is:
plants → tadpole → toad → kingfisher.
(d) The energy from the Sun is transferred to the tadpole through the process of
photosynthesis in plants. The tadpole eats the plants, and the energy is passed along the
food chain.

Question 2: Properties of Substances

(a)

• Gas at room temperature: neon

• Solid at room temperature: carbon, copper, lead

(b) The substance with the lowest boiling point is hydrogen.
(c)
• Boiling is when a liquid changes to a gas at a specific temperature throughout the
liquid.
• Evaporation is when a liquid changes to a gas at the surface only, at any
temperature.

Question 3: Lamp Brightness in Circuits

(a)

Circuit Lamp Brightness

A 8

B 8 and 8

C 8 and 8 and 8

D 5 and 1

E 2 and 2 and 2
(b) The anomalous result is in Circuit D.
(c)
1. In a series circuit, the brightness of the lamps decreases as more lamps are added
(e.g., Circuit E).
2. In a parallel circuit, the brightness of the lamps remains the same as more lamps are
added (e.g., Circuit C).

Question 4: Rock Cycle

(a) Rock type A is igneous rock.
(b) Rock type B is metamorphic rock.
(c) Rock type C is sedimentary rock.
(d) The process between rock type B and magma is melting.

Question 5: Respiratory System

(a) Oxygen travels from the air through the nose/mouth into the lungs, where it diffuses into
the blood through the alveoli.
(b) Penguins need lungs for breathing and air pockets to store extra oxygen for diving
underwater.

Question 6: Evaporation Experiment

(a) The dependent variable is the mass of the liquid.
(b) Draw more particles escaping from Liquid A compared to Liquid B.
(c) The model helps Safia understand that evaporation occurs when particles escape from
the surface of the liquid, and faster evaporation means more particles escape.

Question 7: Forces on a Submarine

(a)

• A: Buoyancy/Upthrust

• B: Water Resistance

• C: Gravity
• D: Thrust/Driving force
(b) The submarine is moving at a constant speed because the forces are balanced (arrows
for B and D are equal in length).
(c) The force that increases when the submarine rises is A (buoyancy).

Question 8: Solar System

(a)

Planet Distance from the Sun (millions of km)

Earth 150

Jupiter 779

Mars 228

Mercury 58

Neptune 4495

Saturn 1434

Uranus 2873

Venus 108

(b) Draw the Moon orbiting the Earth.

(c) Oliver does not see the Moon on day 14 because it is covered by the clouds.
(d) On day 14, the Moon is a full moon (draw a fully lit circle).

Question 9: Circulatory System

(a)

• Blood vessel A is an artery.

• Blood vessel B is a vein.

(b) Blood also transports nutrients or carbon dioxide.
Question 10: Light Investigation
Description: The arrows appear to bend when light passes through the glass of water.
Explanation: This happens because light refracts (changes direction) when it passes from air
into water.

Science Progression Test 2023 P2

Question 1: Electrical Circuit

(a)

• Type of circuit: Series circuit

• Two other components: Battery (or cell) and switch

(b) Draw the symbol for a buzzer:

(c) The brightness of the two lamps decreases because the buzzer shares the electrical
energy in the circuit and it is a series circuit.

Question 2: Types of Rock

(a) The other type of rock is metamorphic rock.
(b) The sedimentary rock is sandstone.

Question 3: Diseases and Bacteria

(a)
 • The virus travels in the air when the first host sneezes or coughs.
• The second host knows they have the virus because they feel unwell or have
symptoms like fever.
• To stop themselves getting infected by the flu virus, the person can wear a mask or
get vaccinated.
(b) Two ways to reduce the spread of bacteria:

1. Wash hands thoroughly before handling food.

2. Cook food thoroughly to kill bacteria.

(c) The stomach contains acid to kill bacteria.

Question 4: Light and Optical Fiber

(a) Draw the light ray reflecting inside the optical fiber.
(b) Draw the light ray reflecting off the surface of the water to the X.
(c) The process that happens when light hits a mirror is reflection.
(d)

• Mass is the amount of matter in an object (measured in kg).

• Weight is the force exerted on an object due to gravity (measured in N).

Question 5: Chemical Reactions

(a) The number of solids that have a chemical reaction with the liquid is 4.
(b) The mass increases because the gas inside the syringe has mass.
(c)
• The reactants of this reaction are copper carbonate and dilute sulfuric acid.
• The products of this reaction are copper sulfate and carbon dioxide.
(d) The information is always the same for sulfuric acid because it is a physical
property that does not change.
(e) Two different properties are electrical conductivity and thermal conductivity.

Question 6: Soil and Plant Growth

(a) Plot the points (6, 2.6) and (8, 1.4) and draw a line of best fit.
(b) The conclusion is that adding sand to soil reduces the growth of bean roots.
(c) Another substance used to classify soils is silt.
(d) Correct statements:

• Sand particles are larger than clay particles.

• Sand lets water move between the particles.

Question 7: Pulse Rate and Exercise

(a)

• Risk: Dehydration
• How to reduce: Drink water before and after exercise.

(b)

• Similarity: Both Rajiv and Pierre have an increased pulse rate during exercise.

• Difference: Rajiv’s pulse rate recovers faster than Pierre’s.

(c) The breathing rate increases during exercise because the body needs more oxygen for
exercise.

Question 8: Ice Lolly

(a) The temperature at which orange juice changes state is 0°C.
(b) Orange juice changes from a liquid to a solid. This is a physical change.
(c) When an ice lolly is placed in the mouth, it melts. The ice lolly changes from a solid to
a liquid.
Science Past Paper 2023 P1

Question 1: Food Web

(a) One food chain that includes the minnow:
grass → shrimp → minnow → terrapin → gull
(b) One carnivore: gull or terrapin.
(c) One living thing that gains energy from the terrapin: gull.

Question 2: Baking Soda and Vinegar Reaction

(a) Two observations that support a chemical reaction:

1. The mixture fizzes and bubbles.

2. The temperature of the mixture goes down.

(b) The reactants are baking soda and vinegar.
(c) The product that is a colourless liquid is water.

Question 3: Reflection of Light

(a) The ray of light is reflected when it touches the bottom mirror. When a ray of light hits a
mirror, it bounces off. This is called reflection. The light comes in at an angle and bounces off
at the same angle.
(b)
• The top mirror has 2 reflections.

• The bottom mirror has 3 reflections.

(c) To increase the total number of reflections, Safia can move the mirrors closer together
or change their angles.

Question 4: Igneous Rocks

(a) The igneous rocks with crystal sizes larger than 8 mm and grey in colour are A and C.
(b)

• The igneous rock that cooled the slowest is C.

 • Igneous rock E has no crystals because it cooled too quickly.

Question 5: Yeast Growth Investigation

(a) Ahmed uses the string to wrap around the balloon and then measures the length of the
string with a ruler to find the circumference.
(b) Two mistakes in the results table:
1. The circumference of bottle B should stay the same but in Ahmed’s table it is
changing.

2. The unit for time (minutes) are missing.

(c) The organ that uses acid as a defense mechanism is the stomach.

Question 6: Properties of Gases

(a) Two other properties of all gases:

1. Gases have no fixed shape.

2. Gases can be compressed.
(b) Blessy is not correct because chlorine is a pale green gas, which shows that not all gases
are colourless.

Question 7: Electrical Circuits

The parallel circuit is electrical circuit B.
The circuit with the brightest lamps is electrical circuit B.

Question 8: Solar System

(a) Draw the Moon’s orbit around Earth.
(b) Two planets further from the Sun than Saturn are Uranus and Neptune.

Question 9: Human Circulatory System

(a) Organ X is the heart.
(b) Another type of blood vessel is an artery or capillary.
(c) The function of the human circulatory system is to transport waste.

Question 10: Melting and Boiling Points

(a) At the melting point, the change of state is from solid to liquid.
(b) The boiling point is the temperature at which a liquid changes to a gas.
(c) Ethanoic acid is a liquid at room temperature because its melting point is 17°C (below
25°C) and its boiling point is 118°C (above 25°C).

Question 11: Force Diagram

(a) Correct statements:

• The arrow shows the direction of a force.

• The length of the line shows the type of force.

(b) The box moves in the direction of the arrow because a force is acting on it.

Question 12: Moon Visibility

(a) Plot the points (7, 48), (8, 60), (9, 70), and (10, 80) and draw a line through all the points.
(b) As the number of nights increases, the percentage of the Moon visible from Earth
increases.

Question 13: Mass and Weight

(a) Matching:

• Mass of an apple → 100 g

• Weight of a book → 10 N
• Mass of a chair → 40 kg
(b)When gravity decreases, the mass stays the same.
When gravity increases, the weight increases.
Science Past Paper 2023 P2
Question 1
(a) Name this organ system.
Answer: Respiratory system.
(b) Which gas moves from the lungs into the blood?
Answer: Oxygen.
(c) Suggest why this animal is likely to have lungs similar to humans.
Answer: The animal is a vertebrate. (✓)

Question 2
(a) Describe the relationship between the temperature of the water and the maximum mass
of glucose dissolved.
Answer: As the temperature of the water increases, the maximum mass of glucose that can
dissolve also increases.
Explanation: At higher temperatures, water particles move faster, creating more space
between them, allowing more glucose particles to dissolve.
(b) Identify the solvent and the solute in the glucose solution.
Answer:

• The solvent is water.

• The solute is glucose.
(c) Explain why dissolving is a physical change.
Answer: Dissolving is a physical change because the glucose and water do not form a new
substance. The glucose can be recovered by evaporating the water.

Question 3
(a) Complete the sentences with the names of the electrical symbols.
Answer:
• The circuit has only one battery.

• The circuit has only two switches

• The circuit has only three lamps.

(b) Draw the series circuit containing the six electrical symbols.
Answer: In a series circuit, all components (battery, bulbs, wires) are connected in a single
loop, with no branches.
Question 4
(a) Complete the rock cycle diagram.
Answer:
• Igneous rock (cooling and crystallising).

• Sedimentary rock (weathering and erosion followed by high pressure).

• Metamorphic rock (heating and high pressure).

(b) Describe how fossils are formed.
Answer: Fossils are formed when dead animals are buried under layers of sediment. Over
time, the soft parts decay, and the hard parts (like bones) are replaced by minerals, leaving a
fossil in the rock.

Question 5
(a) Complete the key.
Answer:

• Does the animal have a shell?

o Yes: Snail, Scallop.

o No: Octopus, Starfish.

• Is the animal inside two shells?

o Yes: Scallop.

o No: Snail.
• Is the animal star-shaped?

o Yes: Starfish.

o No: Octopus.

• Does the animal have 8 arms?

o Yes: Octopus.

o No: Snail, Scallop, Starfish.

(b) The source of energy for the producer in the food web is the Sun.
(c) Describe how the toxic substance moves from the soil into the body of a snail.
Answer: The toxic substance is absorbed by plants from the soil. The snail eats the plants,
and the toxin moves into the snail's body. This process is called bioaccumulation.

Question 6
(a) Calculate the change in mass for 5 g of salt in salt solution.
Answer: Change in mass = 125 g - 65 g = 60 g.
(b) Predict the change in mass for 25 g of salt in salt solution.
Answer: The change in mass will likely be 35 g (following the trend of decreasing change in
mass as salt increases).
(c) Describe one possible safety risk and how to reduce it.
Answer:

• Safety risk: Burns from the hot oven.

• How to reduce risk: Use oven gloves to handle the beaker.

(d) Independent variable: mass of salt in salt solution (✓).

(e) Controlled variable: temperature of the oven (✓).

Question 7
(a) The boat sinks when there are 16 coins in the boat because the weight of the coins
exceeds the buoyant force/upthrust of the water.
(b) To make the boat sink with only 10 coins, Lily could reduce the size of the boat or make
holes in it to let water in.

Question 8

(a) Similarity between grassland soil and desert soil: Both contain small rocks and stones.
(b) Plants in grassland soil do not grow in desert soil because desert soil lacks sufficient
humus and minerals and inability to retain water.
Question 9

(a) The year with the highest number of dengue fever cases is 2008.
(b) In 1996, 20,000 people had dengue fever.

(c) Circle vector.

(d) One way to avoid being bitten by insects is to use insect repellent.

Question 10
(a) Two things that happen to the car as it travels from the smooth surface to the rough
surface:

1. The car slows down.

2. The car will change direction.

(b) Circle refraction.

(c) Another medium that a light ray passes through is water or glass.

Question 11
(a) It is not possible to draw the other phase because the new moon phase is not visible
from Earth.

(b)

• Similarity: The size of illuminated crescents in both the diagrams is same.

• Difference: The orientation of the crescents is opposite in the Northern and Southern
Hemispheres.