Organisms and their environment — IGCSE Science - Combined (0653) questions by topic
21 real questions sit in this set, taken from 2023 to 2025 papers and worth 1 to 12 marks, so single-organism identification sits beside multi-part food-web explanations. Producers, herbivores and predators need identifying from a food web, energy-transfer arrows have to be drawn pointing the correct way, and petal colour's role in attracting pollinating insects needs describing precisely, with identify, state and draw the leading command words.
Practising with instant marking suits this topic well, since a reversed energy-transfer arrow, or an incomplete description of what attracts pollinating insects, is flagged immediately rather than repeated across a paper.
What examiners look for
- A recurring error draws food-web arrows pointing in the wrong direction; arrows must show the direction of energy transfer between organisms.
- Pollination answers are often incomplete, describing only that pollen is transferred without specifying the transfer from anther to stigma.
- Reports flag answers naming protection, storing pollen, or providing nutrition where the attraction of pollinators is the feature required.
- Strong answers correctly identify the herbivore in a food web, name one of a predator's two prey animals, and state that petals attract insects through their colour.
May–June 2025, Paper 11
What are undesirable effects of deforestation? 1 extinction of species 2 flooding 3 loss of soil 4 an increase of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere A 1, 2, 3 and 4 B 1 and 4 only C…
Answer this question and get it marked →May–June 2025, Paper 12
Which process in the carbon cycle releases carbon back into the atmosphere? A feeding B formation of fossil fuels C photosynthesis D respiration
Answer this question and get it marked →Which type of organism makes its own organic nutrients? A carnivore B consumer C herbivore D producer
Answer this question and get it marked →May–June 2025, Paper 13
The diagram shows a food web. Grass is eaten by rabbit and vole; rowan tree is eaten by beetle; vole, beetle, rabbit and frog feed into pine marten; beetle is eaten by frog. Which…
Answer this question and get it marked →The diagram represents part of the carbon cycle, with boxes for 'carbon dioxide in air', 'animals', 'plants' and 'decomposers'. Numbered arrows show: 1 (animals to carbon dioxide…
Answer this question and get it marked →May–June 2025, Paper 21
Which term describes an area that contains all the organisms and their environment interacting together? A community B ecosystem C food chain D food web
Answer this question and get it marked →May–June 2025, Paper 22
The diagram shows a food web. Feeding relationships: grass is eaten by goat, ant and locust; wildflower is eaten by locust; tree is eaten by caterpillar and beetle. Goat is eaten…
Answer this question and get it marked →May–June 2025, Paper 23
Which types of consumer describe the cat in this food web? 1 primary consumer 2 secondary consumer 3 tertiary consumer The food web shows: plant is eaten by sparrow, slug and…
Answer this question and get it marked →What is an ecosystem? A a network of inter-connected food chains B a specific area in which a plant or an animal lives C all the plants and animals that live within a specific…
Answer this question and get it marked →May–June 2025, Paper 33
Fig. 3.1 shows part of a food web from a coral reef habitat. The arrows show: phytoplankton → zooplankton; phytoplankton → unicornfish; zooplankton → unicornfish; zooplankton →…
Answer this question and get it marked →May–June 2024, Paper 32
Fig. 7.1 describes the feeding relationships in one food chain: robins are small birds that eat caterpillars; caterpillars are primary consumers; a merlin is a large bird that…
Answer this question and get it marked →October–November 2024, Paper 41
(a) Fig. 7.1 shows a food chain: daisy → butterfly → frog → snake → eagle. (a)(i) State the name of an organism in Fig. 7.1 that: is a quaternary consumer ............ occupies…
Answer this question and get it marked →October–November 2024, Paper 43
Fig. 1.1 shows a food web. Leaves are eaten by the caterpillar. Grass is eaten by the rabbit and the grasshopper. The snake, hawk, owl and blue jay are higher in the web. The…
Answer this question and get it marked →May–June 2023, Paper 32
Fig. 7.1 shows an incomplete food web (algae → anchovy, shrimp, mussel; bluefish; crab). The bluefish eats the anchovy and the shrimp. Draw two arrows on Fig. 7.1 to show these…
Answer this question and get it marked →May–June 2023, Paper 33
Fig. 7.1 shows part of a food web (grasses, seeds → insects, grouse, chipmunk, marmot; bear; hawk). Identify the two herbivores in Fig. 7.1.
Answer this question and get it marked →May–June 2023, Paper 41
Fig. 4.1 shows part of a food web (fruit → flying squirrel, beaver; owl; cougar). Table 4.1 lists terms (producer, herbivore, secondary consumer) for organisms (flying squirrel,…
Answer this question and get it marked →May–June 2023, Paper 42
Fig. 1.1 describes some feeding relationships in an ecosystem: fruit flies eat mango fruit; thrushes eat fruit flies; eagles eat thrushes. Draw a food chain using the information…
Answer this question and get it marked →October–November 2023, Paper 31
Fig. 7.1 shows a food web (bladderwort, orchid as producers; carp, mosquito; frog, raccoon, heron; alligator). The food web is not complete. The heron eats the carp; the alligator…
Answer this question and get it marked →October–November 2023, Paper 32
Fig. 4.1 shows a food web for one ecosystem. The web links plants, caterpillar, shrew, songbird, bear and hawk. Identify the herbivore in Fig. 4.1.
Answer this question and get it marked →October–November 2023, Paper 33
Fig. 4.1 shows a food web for one ecosystem. The web links plants, caterpillar, shrew, songbird, bear and hawk. Identify the herbivore in Fig. 4.1.
Answer this question and get it marked →October–November 2023, Paper 42
Fig. 4.1 shows a food web (tree → caterpillar and beetle; caterpillar → blackbird and thrush; beetle → thrush; blackbird, thrush → hawk). Table 4.1 lists some organisms…
Answer this question and get it marked →Other IGCSE Science - Combined topics
- Practical skills (96)
- Motion, forces and energy (53)
- Electricity and magnetism (38)
- Waves (32)
- Human nutrition (23)
- Acids, bases and salts (22)
- Organic chemistry (21)
- Reproduction (20)
- Thermal physics (20)
- Plant nutrition (19)
- The Periodic Table (18)
- Metals (18)