Aga Kh

han Universsity Examiination Boaard

Notes frrom E-Marrking Centter on SSC II Biology Examinatiion
May
M 2014

Introductio
I on
This
T docum ment has been producedd for the teacchers and candidates of
o SSC Part II (Class X)
X Biology. It
contains
c comments on n candidatees’ responsees to the 2014
2 Seconndary Schoool Certificaate (SSC-III)
Examination
E n, indicatinng the quality of the responses and
a highligghting theirr relative sttrengths an
nd
weaknesses.
w .

General
G Coomments
T report includes ovverall comm
This ments on stuudents’ perfformance onn every queestion and some specifiic
examples
e oof students’’ responsess which suupport the mentioned comments. Please note that thhe
descriptive
d c
comments r
represent ann overall peerception off the better and weakeer responsess as gathereed
from
f the e-marking seession. Wheereas, the candidates’
c responses shared in thhis documeent represennt
some
s speciffic example((s) of the mentioned
m coomments.
Teachers
T annd candidatees should be
b aware thaat examinerrs may ask questions thatt addresss the Studennt
Learning
L Ouutcomes (SL LOs) in a manner
m that requires canndidates to respond by
y integratingg knowledgee,
understandin
u ng and application skiills they havve developeed during thhe course of
o study. Caandidates arre
advised
a to rread and comprehendd each quesstion carefuully before writing thee response to fulfil thhe
demand
d of tthe questionn.
Candidates
C nneed to be aware that the marks allocated
a too the questioons are relaated to the answer
a spacce
provided
p onn the examinnation paperr as a guidee to the lenggth of the reqquired respoonse. A lonnger responsse
will
w not in itself lead too higher maarks. Candiddates need to t be familiiar with the command words in thhe
Student
S Leaarning Outcoomes whichh contain teerms commoonly used inn examinatiion questionns. Howeveer,
candidates
c s
should also be aware that
t not all questions will
w start wiith or contaain one of thhe commannd
words.
w Wordds such as ‘how?’,
‘ ‘whhy?’ or ‘whaat?’ may alsso be used.

Detailed
D Coomments:
Question
Q 1aa
Better
B respoonses quoted
d the correcct percentages of oxygeen and carboon dioxide in
i the exhaled air. .
Example:
E

Weaker
W respponses gavee incorrect values
v that ranged
r from
m 0 to 42%.

Example:
E
Question
Q 1b
b

Better
B respoonses gave correct examples of involuntaryy actions liike beating of heart/ peristalsis
p i
in
digestive
d traact/ movemeent of diaphhragm/ releaase of enzym
mes or horm
mones.

Example:
E

Weaker
W respponses faileed to give examples
e of the actionns; they statted the nam
me of the prrocesses likke
respiration/
r digestion. Such respoonses weree consideredd as generalized wheere candidattes failed to t
provide
p speccific answerr. Some of them descriibed the proocess of refl
flex action with
w an exam mple of kneee
jerk. One oof the respo onses identtified bloodd group andd tongue roolling as exxamples off involuntarry
actions.
a

Example:
E

Question
Q 2
Better
B respoonses displaayed clear understandiing of the concept off osmoregullation. Canddidates werre
well
w inform med about what
w happenns to the ossmotic presssure when there
t is losss of water in the bodyy.
Subsequentl
S ly, they ideentified the hormone anda stated itsi functionn with its effect
e on the amount ofo
urine.
u

Example:
E
Weaker
W respponses mixeed up the cooncept of inncreased andd decreasedd osmotic po otential. Such responsees
wrote
w that oosmotic preessure wouuld decreasee. Some off them iden ntified the hormone
h ass adrenalinee/
RNA/
R insuliin/ aldosteroone. As farr as the rolee of ADH iss concernedd, more reabbsorption off water from m
kidney
k tubuules was acccepted. Ressponses statting absorpttion of wateer were nott awarded marks.
m In thhe
last part off the questioon where thet effect on o amount of urine wasw asked, candidates
c wrote abouut
hypotonic,
h hhypertonic or
o isotonic solutions.
s
Example:
E

Question
Q 3aa
Better
B respoonses wrote about the distinguishin
d ng features of the backbbone i.e. it allows the body
b to bennd
backward
b annd forward and from side to side as the preseence of disccs of fibrou
us cartilage allows slighht
movement
m o individuaal bones.
of
Example:
E

Weaker
W respponses wrotte about thee functions of
o skeleton e.g. backboone providess support too our body oro
help
h in the m movement of o the bodyy. Some of them
t wrotee that it prottected the spinal cord. Here, it waas
observed
o thhat candidattes do not focus
f on thhe key demaand of the question which
w says ‘‘what makees
backbone
b diifferent from
m other bonnes’ and subbsequently, gave
g generaalized answers.
Example:
E

Question
Q 3b
b

Better
B respoonses correcctly identifieed structure H i.e. ligam
ment and staated its funcction.

Example:
E

Weaker
W responses iden ntified struucture H ass hinge joinnt/ ulna/ hyyaline musscle/ cartilaage and thuus
provided
p inccorrect funcction.

Example:
E

Example:
E
Question
Q 4aa
Better
B respoonses included the use of unsterrilized syrinnges/ unsterilized equipment likee scissors or o
blades/
b unprrotected sexxual intercouurse/ throug
gh placenta from infectted mother to foetus/ trransfusion of
o
infected blood.

Example:
E

Weaker
W respponses gavee wrong moodes of trannsfer of AIDDS such as smoking/ carcinogens
c / drinking in
i
the glass of AIDS patieent/ wearingg used clothes, socks orr shoes.

Example:
E

Question
Q 4b
b
Better
B respoonses gave a brief desscription off the return of nitrogenn to the atm mosphere ussing specifiic
terminologiees like nitro
ogen fixationn/ denitrificcation/ denittrifying baccteria/ atmosspheric nitrogen.

Example:
E

Weaker
W respponses wroote about coombustion of fossil fuuels/ evapooration/ resppiration. Soome of them m
wrote
w that nnitrogen is returned too the enviroonment throough the nittrogenous waste
w produucts excreteed
from
f our bodies.
Example:
E
Question
Q 5

Better
B respoonses correectly identiified the name n of thhe scientist i.e. Charlles Darwinn. They alsso
mentioned
m tthree featurres of the aanimal whiich help it adapt easilly in the poolar environnment. Succh
responses
r inncluded preesence of thhick fur traaps heat to keep warm m/ thick skiin/ presencee of blubbeer
(thick
( fat laayer) prevennt loss of heat/
h white in colour to t camouflaage with icce to be prootected from m
predator
p attaack/ sharp claws
c to griip ice/ stronng legs for sswimming long
l distancces/ hair onn the soles of
o
the feet to prrovide a griip on icy surfaces.

Example:
E

Weaker
W respponses idenntified the sccientist as Mendel/
M Johhan Marri/ Lamarck/
L S Maxwelll. Candidatees
Sir
wrote
w that thhe polar beaars are cold blooded thaat is why thhey could su
urvive in cold or could live/ survivve
in snow. A few
f of them m described Darwin’s thheory of evoolution.
Example:
E

Question
Q 6aa

Better
B respoonses mentiooned the siggnificance of
o the fermeented produucts in our daily
d life with
w referencce
to food prodducts. Theyy wrote that fermentatioon often maakes the foood more nuttritious, moore digestiblle
and
a tastier. Along with h this descriiption they named somme food products that are
a a part off our regulaar
diet.
d Bread/ pizza doug gh, yogurt annd cheese were
w the most common examples.
Example:
E

Weaker
W respponses desccribed the process of feermentationn or role of yeast in ferrmentation. Some of thhe
responses
r w
wrote aboutt transgenicc animals. Candidatess wrote aboout the siggnificance oof fermenteed
products
p in terms of easy
e availabbility/ timee saving/ reeadily cook
ked. A few responses wrote abouut
insulin as a fermented product.
p Reesponses whhich listed thhe names off fermentedd products only
o were noot
awarded
a full marks as the
t questionn demands were w not meet.

Example:
E

Question
Q 6b
b

Better
B respoonses stated the role of both the sciientists corrrectly.

Example:
E

Weaker
W respponses interrchanged thhe role of Alexander
A Flleming withh Joseph Liister. Some of them jusst
wrote
w that A
Alexander Fleming
F receeived a Nob
bel Prize wiithout statin
ng his achieevement. A few of them
m
related
r his ccontribution
n to insulin preparation.
p .
Similarly,
S foor Joseph Lister
L candiddates wrote that he inveented mediccine for dru
ug addicted people or he
h
wrote
w a bookk on pharmmacology.
Example:
E

Question
Q 7aa
Better
B respoonses correectly defineed the term
m negative feedback
f i.e. a naturaal mechanissm the boddy
employs
e in an attempt to keep the body's coonditions close to the body's
b set point
p or whhen the bod
dy
senses
s a change away from its normal
n set point,
p the bbody engages mechaniisms to hellp reverse or
o
counteract
c tthese changges. Candiddates showwed a soundd understannding of the topic as they gave a
comprehens
c sive explanation of thhe changes that adrenaline makee to the boody to preppare it in an a
emergency
e ssituation.

Example:
E
Weaker
W respponses wrotte about adrrenal gland and endocrrine system. Some of th he responsees, instead of
o
focusing
f onn adrenalinee, gave a deetailed descrription of innsulin and glucagon. In
I one case, example of o
‘touching a hot objectt’ was connsidered as an emergeency situatiion. A few w wrote aboout negativve
feedback
f wiith referencee to level off calcium inn blood.

Example:
E

Question
Q 7b
b

Better
B responses desccribed the structural features withw referennce to theiir role in temperaturre
maintenance
m e. Candidattes displayeed the underrstanding of the key word
w in the question i.ee. ‘maintainn’
and
a wrote about
a both thet conditioons (on a hot
h day andd on a cool day). Suchh responses wrote abouut
increased orr decreased body heat/ vasoconstriiction or vaasodilation/ increased oro decreasedd blood floww/
loss or gain of heat/ rolle of sweat glands.
g Tho
ose who failled to comprehend thatt ‘maintenannce’ includees
both
b conditiions, wrote about the chhanges that take place on a hot dayy only.
Example:
E

Weaker
W respponses wrotte the structture of skinn in detail. That
T was really disappoointing at thhe time of e-
e
marking
m thaat candidatees lack the ability to comprehendd what is beingb askedd in the question. Theey
elaborated
e the structuural features of skin describing its variouus layers (epidermis, dermis annd
endodermis)
e ) but failed to correlatee it with thee function of
o skin as a homeostatic organ. Soome of them m
wrote
w about the role of skin in term
ms of protecction.
Example:
E

Question
Q 8aa

Better
B respoonses providded a compplete descripption of the process off gamete forrmation in a male and a
female
f rabbbit. Such reesponses inncluded the key events of sperm matogenesis i.e. processs of mitosiis
taking placee in the sem miniferous tubules of testes, form mation of spermatogo
s onia and spermatocytes,
meiosis
m I to produce tw
wo haploid daughter
d ceells (secondaary spermattocytes), meeiosis II to produce
p fou
ur
haploid
h sperrmatids, as well
w as of oogenesis
o i.ee. role of foollicles in ovvary/ production of dipploid primarry
oocytes/
o meeiosis I to produce tw wo haploid cells, polaar body and d secondary y oocyte, meiosis
m II to
t
produce
p twoo haploid ceells. Some of
o them pressented their responses in i the form of completee flow chartts
and
a thus, weere awardedd marks.
Example:
E

Weaker
W respponses gavve a vague description of male annd female reproductiv ve system. Some
S of thhe
responses
r inncluded the description of prosstate gland and Cowp per’s glandd (secretionns and their
functions).
f C
Candidates wrote about the processs of fertilizzation and itts outcome.
Example:
E

Question
Q 8b
b

Better
B respoonses displaayed the understandin
u ng of the key
k word in n the questtion i.e. ‘caauses’. Succh
responses
r ffocused onnly on thee agents of water pollution and wrotee about seewage from m
domestic
d hoouseholds, factories
f annd commerccial buildinngs/ industriial waste frrom factories/ oil spillls
from
f ships/ acid rain. They
T describbed the micrroorganism
ms or harmfuul chemicalss present in each type of
o
pollutant
p and the way thhey could harm
h the envvironment.
Example:
E

Weaker
W respponses did not
n focus ono the demaand of the question.
q Insstead of wriiting causess, they wrotte
the effects oof water pollution on our
o ecosysteem. They wrote
w descriiptions abouut effect of pollution on
o
aquatic
a life, mosquito developmen
d nt in water, eutrophicattion or wateer borne disseases suchh as diarrheaa/
dysentery/
d tyyphoid.
Example:
E