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1. (a) (i) Some candidates produced an answer without referring to the photomicrograph supplied.
For example they described the shape of the white blood cell as ‘irregular’ or ‘amoeboid’.
This was a clear reflection of mere rote-memory that the white blood cells must be
amoeboid. However, in the photomicrograph, the white blood cell could only be described as
round or circular. Other candidates thought that all plant cells must have chloroplasts which
led them to describe the presence of chloroplasts in the onion epidermal cells. In the
photomicrograph, however, the chloroplasts are obviously absent.
(ii) (1) Many candidates could not satisfactorily explain the lighter colour at the central part of
the red blood cells. They failed to note that there was less cytoplasm and less
haemoglobin there.
(2) Very few candidates could precisely point out the importance of a large surface area to
volume ratio in facilitating gaseous exchange.
(iv) Many candidates wrongly explained that the red blood ----------------cells after immersion in a
concentrated sugar solution would undergo ‘plasmolysis’. They failed to note that
‘plasmolysis’ and ‘flaccid’ are terms commonly used to describe the condition of a plant cell
when they loose excessive water resulting in the cell membrane being detached from the
cell wall. In the case of crenation in animal cells, the cells simply shrink but do not
‘plasmolyse’.
(v) Most candidates could produce a drawing of a plant cell showing plasmolysis. Many
candidates, however, could not produce an accurate drawing of the onion epidermal cell
with the general shape as shown in the photomicrograph. Others used a single line to
denote the plant cell wall.
1. (b) (ii) It is encouraging to see that most candidates could correctly extract numerical data from the
question and could readily perform simple calculations to obtain the right answer.
(iii) Many candidates did not refer to the table given and so gave the presence of antibodies as
an advantage of cow’s milk over breast feeding.
(iv) This was the most well answered part of the whole question paper showing students’
increased awareness of the daily applications of human nutrition.
1. (c) (i) Many candidates could succeed in concluding that albino is the recessive character, but not
many of them could explain their deduction in sentences.
(ii) (1) Candidates showed a marked improvement in - -their ability to draw a genetic diagram.
However, some did not use the given symbols.
2. (a) (i) Some candidates incorrectly explained the lack of digestive activities in saliva after boiling
as due to the enzymes being “killed” by heating.
(iii) Many candidates’ answers were too brief and vague, e.g. saying that saliva (rather than the
enzymes within it) than the enzymes within couid break down starch.
(iv) The term "sporangiophore" was often misspell as "sporangiospore" or "sporangiopore".
Drawings made by candidates of the bread mould were generally of poor quality and the
labels were far from complete.
2. (b) (i) The graph was well plotted by most candidates although a few still plotted the curve without
using graph paper :
(iii) Some candidates mixed up the deaminating function of the liver with the excretory function
of the kidneys.
(iv) Quite a number of candidates wrongly gave the production of insulin as a function of the
liver
2. (c) (i) (1) Some candidates obviously overlooked the phrase “these supplies are maintained“