Plant nutrition — IGCSE Biology (0610) questions by topic
Plant nutrition questions predict the effect of magnesium deficiency on chlorophyll production and leaf colour, interpret a carbon dioxide concentration experiment on an aquatic plant, identify the chloroplast-packed cell layer in a leaf cross-section, and read a hydrogencarbonate indicator's colour change during a gas exchange investigation.
State, identify, explain, describe and draw carry marks worth 1 to 28, the widest range for this topic, across 62 real questions from 2023 to 2025 papers. Because indicator-colour questions reward connecting a colour change to the underlying gas exchange rather than naming the colour alone, submitting an explained answer for instant marking shows whether that causal link has been made clearly.
May–June 2025, Paper 11
A student drew a diagram to show the substances used and produced in photosynthesis in a leaf. (The diagram shows a leaf. Above the leaf the text states '1 + 2 are used by the…
Answer this question and get it marked →The diagram shows a cross-section of part of a leaf. (The diagram shows a leaf cross-section. Region 1 is a rounded group of cells on the left (a vascular bundle / vein). Region 2…
Answer this question and get it marked →May–June 2025, Paper 12
Which substances are used for photosynthesis? A carbon dioxide and glucose B carbon dioxide and water C glucose and oxygen D glucose and water
Answer this question and get it marked →What happens when a plant lacks magnesium ions? chlorophyll production colour of leaves produced --- --- --- A decreases green B decreases yellow C increases green D increases…
Answer this question and get it marked →The diagram shows part of a cross-section of a leaf. Three regions are bracketed and numbered: region 1 is the single layer of cells at the top surface; region 2 is the layer of…
Answer this question and get it marked →May–June 2025, Paper 13
In a cross-section of a leaf, what is the correct order of structures moving from the upper surface of the leaf towards the lower surface of the leaf? A cuticle, epidermis,…
Answer this question and get it marked →May–June 2025, Paper 21
Which descriptions of adaptations for photosynthesis are correct for spongy mesophyll tissue? The table shows, for each row, whether the tissue has air spaces for efficient gas…
Answer this question and get it marked →May–June 2025, Paper 22
A student investigated how the rate of photosynthesis is affected by carbon dioxide concentration, temperature and light intensity. The graphs show the results. Three graphs plot…
Answer this question and get it marked →The diagram shows a cross-section of part of a leaf. A cell labelled X is one of a row of tall, column-shaped cells packed with chloroplasts, located just below the upper…
Answer this question and get it marked →May–June 2025, Paper 23
What is the balanced chemical equation for photosynthesis? A 3CO2 + 3H2O - C6H12O6 + 3O2 B 6CO2 + 6O2 - C6H12O6 + 6H2O C 6CO2 + 6H2O - C6H12O6 + 6O2 D 6CO2 + 6H2O - 6C6H12O6 + 6O2
Answer this question and get it marked →The diagram shows part of a cross-section of a leaf. Which structure is a palisade mesophyll cell? [Diagram: a labelled leaf cross-section. A points to a cell in the upper…
Answer this question and get it marked →May–June 2025, Paper 31
A student investigated the effect of carbon dioxide concentration on the rate of photosynthesis in an aquatic plant. Sodium hydrogencarbonate was used to provide different…
Answer this question and get it marked →May–June 2025, Paper 32
Photosynthesis occurs in leaves. State the name of the structure in a plant cell where photosynthesis occurs.
Answer this question and get it marked →May–June 2025, Paper 33
State the word equation for photosynthesis.
Answer this question and get it marked →May–June 2025, Paper 43
Fig. 4.1 is a photograph of a water lily, Nymphaea alba, in a lake. Fig. 4.2 is a photomicrograph of a cross-section of part of a water lily leaf. Identify tissue B and tissue C…
Answer this question and get it marked →May–June 2025, Paper 52
Hydrogencarbonate indicator can be used to determine the concentration of carbon dioxide in a solution. The table shows the colour of the indicator at different concentrations of…
Answer this question and get it marked →May–June 2025, Paper 62
Hydrogencarbonate indicator can be used to determine the concentration of carbon dioxide in a solution. The table shows the colour of the indicator at different concentrations of…
Answer this question and get it marked →May–June 2024, Paper 32
State the word equation for photosynthesis.
Answer this question and get it marked →May–June 2024, Paper 42
Some algae are single-celled organisms that can photosynthesise. Their cells contain the pigment chlorophyll. State the name of one mineral ion that is needed to make chlorophyll.
Answer this question and get it marked →May–June 2024, Paper 43
Phytoplankton are microorganisms that photosynthesise. State the chemical equation for photosynthesis.
Answer this question and get it marked →October–November 2024, Paper 11
An experiment is set up with a small plant on a gauze platform above green indicator in test-tube X, and test-tube Y as a control. The green indicator turns yellow when carbon…
Answer this question and get it marked →The photomicrograph shows a cross-section through a leaf. Which structure is the cuticle? (labelled A, B, C, D) A structure A B structure B C structure C D structure D
Answer this question and get it marked →October–November 2024, Paper 12
The equation for photosynthesis is shown: ...1... + ...2... - glucose + ...3... . Which words correctly complete gaps 1, 2 and 3? A carbon dioxide; light; oxygen B carbon dioxide;…
Answer this question and get it marked →The diagram shows a cross-section of a leaf with structures labelled X, Y and Z. Which row shows the correct labels? (columns: palisade mesophyll cell; spongy mesophyll cell;…
Answer this question and get it marked →October–November 2024, Paper 13
The diagram shows an experiment to investigate photosynthesis: an aquatic plant under light, with gas collecting at the top of a tube (start and finish states shown). What is the…
Answer this question and get it marked →The graph shows how the percentage of protein found in potatoes was affected by the concentration of nitrate fertiliser added to the crop when it was growing. Using the…
Answer this question and get it marked →October–November 2024, Paper 21
Which substance is an energy store that is made in plant cells from the products of photosynthesis? A cellulose B glycogen C nectar D starch
Answer this question and get it marked →October–November 2024, Paper 22
Which substance is needed to make chlorophyll and which part of the plant absorbs the substance? (columns: substance; part of the plant where the substance is absorbed) A calcium;…
Answer this question and get it marked →The diagram shows a type of plant cell with cytoplasm, nucleus, vacuole and chloroplasts labelled. In which tissue is this cell found? A leaf epidermis B palisade mesophyll C root…
Answer this question and get it marked →October–November 2024, Paper 23
The photomicrograph shows the lower surface of a leaf with a part labelled X (an opening between two guard cells). Which part of the leaf is labelled X? A guard cell B palisade…
Answer this question and get it marked →October–November 2024, Paper 31
Fig. 3.1 shows a photograph of some leaves on a tree. State two features of the leaves, visible in Fig. 3.1, that are adaptations for photosynthesis.
Answer this question and get it marked →October–November 2024, Paper 33
Fig. 4.1 is a photomicrograph of part of a cross-section of a leaf, with a structure circled and labelled A, and structures B and C labelled. State the name of the structure…
Answer this question and get it marked →October–November 2024, Paper 41
Fig. 1.1 is a photomicrograph of a cross-section of part of a leaf, with labels J, K, L, M and N. State the letter in Fig. 1.1 that identifies where: gas exchange is controlled;…
Answer this question and get it marked →October–November 2024, Paper 52
You are going to investigate the effect of light intensity on the rate of photosynthesis in a chloroplast suspension using the blue dye DCPIP, comparing test-tube A (lamp at 10…
Answer this question and get it marked →The apparatus the student used is shown in Fig. 2.1 (a syringe of leaf discs and sodium hydrogencarbonate solution positioned 5 cm from a lamp, not to scale). On Fig. 2.1, draw…
Answer this question and get it marked →October–November 2024, Paper 62
Prepare a table and record the results of the investigation. Convert the times on the stop-clocks in Fig. 1.1 to seconds and record these times in your table.
Answer this question and get it marked →The apparatus the student used is shown in Fig. 2.1 (a syringe of leaf discs and sodium hydrogencarbonate solution positioned 5 cm from a lamp, not to scale). On Fig. 2.1, draw…
Answer this question and get it marked →May–June 2023, Paper 11
An experiment is set up to investigate gas exchange in aquatic plants. An aquatic plant is placed in hydrogencarbonate indicator solution in the light. The hydrogencarbonate…
Answer this question and get it marked →How are most leaves adapted for photosynthesis? A They have a large surface area and are thick. B They have a large surface area and are thin. C They have a small surface area and…
Answer this question and get it marked →May–June 2023, Paper 12
Four test-tubes are set up as shown, each containing an aquatic animal and/or aquatic plant in water under different light conditions (A: aquatic animal in water wrapped in black…
Answer this question and get it marked →May–June 2023, Paper 13
Four test-tubes are set up as shown and left in bright sunlight. They contain combinations of an aquatic plant and/or aquatic animal in water. After several hours, which test-tube…
Answer this question and get it marked →Which statement about photosynthesis is correct? A Carbon dioxide and glucose are the raw materials. B Carbon dioxide and glucose are produced. C Oxygen and glucose are produced.…
Answer this question and get it marked →May–June 2023, Paper 21
An experiment is set up to investigate gas exchange in aquatic plants. An aquatic plant is placed in hydrogencarbonate indicator solution in the light. The hydrogencarbonate…
Answer this question and get it marked →Certain factors are needed for photosynthesis. If a factor is in short supply, it limits the rate of photosynthesis. Which of these could be limiting factors? 1 carbon dioxide 2…
Answer this question and get it marked →May–June 2023, Paper 22
The diagram shows a leaf on a plant used in a photosynthesis experiment. At the start there is no starch in the leaf. The leaf is part green and part white (variegated). A piece…
Answer this question and get it marked →The graph shows the effect of temperature on the rate of photosynthesis. Which statement explains the change in rate of photosynthesis between 15 °C and 20 °C? A Chlorophyll is…
Answer this question and get it marked →May–June 2023, Paper 23
A plant with variegated leaves was placed in a dark cupboard for 48 hours so that all the starch was removed from the leaves. The variegated leaves have green parts and white…
Answer this question and get it marked →The graph shows the rate of photosynthesis with increasing light intensity, with points 1, 2, 3 and 4 marked along the curve. The rate rises steeply at low light then levels off.…
Answer this question and get it marked →May–June 2023, Paper 41
Fig. 4.1 shows the effect of light intensity on the rate of photosynthesis at different temperatures and concentrations of carbon dioxide, for three lines: A (25 °C, 0.4% CO₂), B…
Answer this question and get it marked →October–November 2023, Paper 11
Which colour does hydrogencarbonate indicator turn if the carbon dioxide concentration is increased? A green B red C violet D yellow
Answer this question and get it marked →October–November 2023, Paper 12
Which features of a leaf allow more diffusion of carbon dioxide into the palisade cells for photosynthesis? Columns: number of stomata; thickness of the leaf. A few; thick B few;…
Answer this question and get it marked →The diagram shows a cell (with cytoplasm and a spiral-shaped chloroplast) with groups of bacteria around its edge. The bacteria have moved to areas of high oxygen concentration.…
Answer this question and get it marked →October–November 2023, Paper 13
What is a use of the carbohydrates made by photosynthesis? A to produce cellulose for energy stores B to produce starch to build cell walls C to produce starch for transport in…
Answer this question and get it marked →The diagram shows an experiment investigating the effect of light intensity on an aquatic plant. Test-tube P has a light source 20 cm away and test-tube Q has a light source 10 cm…
Answer this question and get it marked →October–November 2023, Paper 21
The graph shows how the rate of photosynthesis of a plant changes with light intensity, at three different carbon dioxide concentrations (0.10%, 0.04%, 0.02%). In each case the…
Answer this question and get it marked →October–November 2023, Paper 22
The diagram shows how the rate of photosynthesis varies with light intensity, with four curves for different conditions of temperature and carbon dioxide concentration (30 °C 0.2%…
Answer this question and get it marked →The diagram shows a cell (with cytoplasm and a spiral-shaped chloroplast) with groups of bacteria around its edge. The bacteria have moved to areas of high oxygen concentration.…
Answer this question and get it marked →October–November 2023, Paper 23
The diagram shows an experiment investigating the effect of light intensity on an aquatic plant. Test-tube P has a light source 20 cm away and test-tube Q has a light source 10 cm…
Answer this question and get it marked →October–November 2023, Paper 32
A student investigated photosynthesis in a variegated leaf. A variegated leaf has a green part that contains a green pigment and a white part that does not contain the green…
Answer this question and get it marked →October–November 2023, Paper 33
Fig. 3.1 is a drawing of a leaf from an oak tree. The oak leaf has a large surface area. Explain why having a large surface area is an adaptation for photosynthesis.
Answer this question and get it marked →October–November 2023, Paper 42
A scientist investigated the effect of temperature on the rate of photosynthesis in one species of plant. Photosynthesis involves enzyme-controlled reactions. Discs were cut from…
Answer this question and get it marked →October–November 2023, Paper 43
Fig. 2.1 is a diagram of a cross-section of part of a leaf, with structures labelled J and K. Identify and explain how the structures labelled J and K are adapted for…
Answer this question and get it marked →Other IGCSE Biology topics
- Organisms and their environment (126)
- Human nutrition (95)
- Characteristics and classification of living organisms (84)
- Coordination and response (83)
- Reproduction (82)
- Inheritance (74)
- Organisation of the organism (cells) (64)
- Transport in animals (62)
- Transport in plants (59)
- Movement into and out of cells (57)
- Variation and selection (50)
- Respiration (48)