LAUNCH · Edexcel GCSE Biology 1BI0 Foundation · Paper 1 · Topic 1 · Week 7
| Key word | What it means |
|---|---|
| describe | Say what happens. No reason needed. |
| explain | Say WHY it happens. 'Because' usually belongs in your answer. |
| calculate | Work out a number. Show your working and give the unit (× for magnification). |
| compare | Give similarities AND differences, both sides named. |
| point | A relevant idea or reasoning step; credit depends on the question. |
Session plan: 40-minute session: Arrival 3; overview 1; I Do 1 4; We Do 1 4; I Do 2 3; We Do 2 4; independent work 15; feedback and next step 3; exit 3. Title orientation is untimed. The optional two-minute evidence check sits inside independent time. Keep extra practice available; use the core question, a contrasting example and a recheck before extending.
Name: ____________________ Tier ringed by adult: ◆ Supported ▲ Standard ★ Stretch Date:
I can answer exam-style questions across Topic 1 independently, matching each to its command word.
Match the command word to what it asks: describe / explain / calculate.
Write what 'explain' requires that 'describe' does not.
Write what 'describe', 'explain' and 'compare' each require.
'It spreads out.' (Explain diffusion, 3 marks) → ______________________________
'400' (Calculate magnification, 2 marks) → ______________________________
'Active transport is different.' (Compare, 4 marks) → ______________________________
'Water moves in.' (Explain mass gain, 3 marks) → ______________________________
A neat three-paragraph answer to a 1-mark 'state' → ______________________________
'×400' with equation and substitution shown (Calculate) → ______________________________
Explain the initial net movement of oxygen from alveolar air into arriving blood. [3] — Alveolar air has a higher oxygen concentration than the arriving blood (1). Oxygen moves randomly and crosses in both directions (1). More crosses from air to blood than back initially, so the net movement is down the gradient (1). These are the criteria for this teacher-authored practice item.
This is the show-me lesson: you work independently, then repair a weak answer against the board. 'It goes in because of osmosis' names a process but gives little reasoning. Add the water-concentration comparison and partially permeable membrane, then check the criteria for the exact question. Mark your own METHOD, never a grade.
describe, explain, calculate, compare, point
This is the show-me lesson: you work independently, then repair a weak answer against the board. 'It goes in because of osmosis' names a process but gives little reasoning. Add the water-concentration comparison and partially permeable membrane, then check the criteria for the exact question. Mark your own METHOD, never a grade.
describe, explain, calculate, compare, point
This is the show-me lesson: you work independently, then repair a weak answer against the board. 'It goes in because of osmosis' names a process but gives little reasoning. Add the water-concentration comparison and partially permeable membrane, then check the criteria for the exact question. Mark your own METHOD, never a grade.
describe, explain, calculate, compare, point
Task: Six exam-style questions with the command word highlighted and sentence starters provided.
Task: Eight exam-style questions across Topic 1, including one calculation and one 'explain'.
Task: Eight exam-style questions including a 4-mark compare, then review two of your own answers and state what would gain the missing mark.
What must an 'explain' answer contain that a 'describe' answer does not?
Pearson Edexcel GCSE (9–1) Biology 1BI0 (Foundation, grades 1–5); GCSE Combined Science 1SC0 F where appropriate; AQA UAS science units
Records what was observed, and at which level of independence.
| Pupil | ____________________ |
| Lesson | Master: Topic 1 Exam Practice — LAUNCH Science · Week 7 |
| Date | ____________________ |
Observed in this lesson
☐ Distinguished describe, explain and calculate.
☐ Showed full working on a calculation question.
☐ Identified the missing element in a weak answer.
Assessor comment
Ring the tier the pupil actually worked at
| ◆ Supported | ▲ Standard | ★ Stretch |
Assessor name ______________ Role ____________ Signature ______________ Date ________
Space: Exam-style work raises the temperature for some people. This is practice, it is not the assessment — the assessment is separate and you will know when it is happening.
Voice: Challenge a question that seems unfair. Sometimes the question is the problem.
Audience: Your improved answers go into the Topic 1 folder and are the revision set before the assessment.
Influence: The class chooses which two question types get retaught before the Topic 1 assessment.
Closing the loop: this one ends on paper — your own hand, or your words scribed by an adult. Saying it aloud starts the loop; writing it is what closes it. Pass is always allowed.
What I said, and what it changed:
Keep with your portfolio.
| Pupil name: | Date: |
| WWW (What Went Well): | |
| EBI (Even Better If): | |
| Level worked at: Supported / Standard / Stretch | Evidence filed: Yes / Not yet |
| Pupil response — my next step: | |