CAIE A Level Biology 9700 · Cell structure

Cell structure: compare question

Compare5 marksStandard

A biologist is comparing two cells, Cell P and Cell Q, using microscopy and biochemical tests. The following table shows some of their characteristics.

Feature	Cell P	Cell Q
Diameter	2 µm	15 µm
Ribosomes present	70S	80S
DNA	Circular, not enclosed in a membrane	Linear, enclosed in a membrane
Membrane-bound organelles	None observed	Mitochondria and Golgi apparatus present
Cell wall	Contains peptidoglycan	Does not contain peptidoglycan

Using the information in the table and your knowledge of cell structure, compare Cell P and Cell Q. Identify which cell is prokaryotic and which is eukaryotic, and justify your answer.

How this question is marked

5 marks, so the mark scheme is looking for about 5 separate creditworthy points. Making the same point twice in different words earns it once.

Compare means: Give similarities or differences between two things, and say which side each point belongs to. Write each point as a pair, for example: A is X, whereas B is Y. Two separate descriptions rarely earn the marks.

Cell structure: compare question

How this question is marked

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