Transport in plants — IGCSE Science - Combined (0653) questions by topic
Cross-sections of stems, leaves and roots anchor this topic, alongside explaining how humidity affects transpiration rate and identifying which tissue carries water upward. Identify, state and explain are the leading command words, with explain specifically wanting a mechanism such as reduced water-potential gradient rather than a restated trend.
Its 11 real questions span 2023 to 2025 papers and are worth 1 to 11 marks, so a single tissue label can sit beside a full graph-shape explanation. Practising with instant marking is well suited to this topic because it checks immediately whether a stated function of xylem, root hair cells or stomata matches the specific wording examiners look for.
What examiners look for
- Support is a function of xylem that fewer candidates mention alongside transport.
- A recurring misconception assumes algae use up oxygen directly, or that nitrates simply take up space, rather than crediting the respiration of decomposers.
- Root hair cell answers are strongest when they state a large surface area rather than a vaguer description.
May–June 2025, Paper 11
The diagram shows a cross-section of the stem of a dicotyledonous plant. Four structures around a ring of vascular bundles are labelled A, B, C and D. Which label shows the tissue…
Answer this question and get it marked →May–June 2025, Paper 12
The diagrams show cross-sections of roots and stems from non-woody dicotyledonous plants. Which diagram identifies the position of the phloem and xylem in the root and stem? A, B,…
Answer this question and get it marked →May–June 2025, Paper 13
The diagrams show sections through different parts of a dicotyledonous plant (leaf, stem and root). In the leaf, tissues are labelled P and Q; in the stem, tissues are labelled R…
Answer this question and get it marked →May–June 2025, Paper 22
Which statement explains why root hair cells have a long, thin shape? A They are squeezed into this shape as they grow between soil particles. B It is the most efficient shape for…
Answer this question and get it marked →May–June 2025, Paper 23
Water moves through the stomata of leaves during transpiration. Which row shows the direction of water movement and the form of the water? direction form --- --- --- A into the…
Answer this question and get it marked →May–June 2024, Paper 31
Fig. 4.1 shows the pathway taken by water through a plant root, including a soil particle, a root hair cell, cells Q and the xylem leading to the leaf. State the name of the type…
Answer this question and get it marked →May–June 2024, Paper 41
Fig. 7.1 shows the pathway taken by water through a plant (from a soil particle, through a root hair cell and root cortex cells, into the xylem, up to the leaf, where cells P and…
Answer this question and get it marked →May–June 2024, Paper 43
Fig. 7.1 is a diagram of a cross-section through a leaf, showing a spongy mesophyll cell, the vascular tissue X (xylem) and Y (phloem), and stomata. State one way the function of…
Answer this question and get it marked →October–November 2024, Paper 41
(a) Fig. 4.1 is a graph showing the effect of humidity on the rate of transpiration in a plant (rate of transpiration decreases as humidity increases). Explain the shape of the…
Answer this question and get it marked →October–November 2023, Paper 31
Transpiration is loss of water vapour from plant leaves. Describe the effect of temperature on transpiration.
Answer this question and get it marked →October–November 2023, Paper 43
Fig. 7.1 shows the drawing of a cross-section through a root, with a root hair cell and part P (the xylem) labelled. State two functions of the part labelled P in Fig. 7.1.
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)
- Organisms and their environment (21)
- Organic chemistry (21)
- Reproduction (20)
- Thermal physics (20)
- Plant nutrition (19)
- The Periodic Table (18)