Model Answers

1a
(a) There is a water jacket around the fermenter because:

Any four from the following:

● Maintain optimum / constant temperature / prevent overheating; [1 mark]

● To prevent enzymes denaturing; [1 mark]
● (Because as) fungus respires...; [1 mark]
● ... releases heat, so temperature in the fermenter increases...; [1 mark]
● ... which would kill fungus; [1 mark]
● (Therefore) no product / no penicillin; [1 mark]

Acids and alkalis are added to the fermenter because:

Any two from the following:

● Maintains pH / keeps pH constant; [1 mark]

● Enzymes need optimum pH; [1 mark]
● To give maximum enzyme activity / rate of reaction at its fastest; [1
mark]
● To give maximum yield; [1 mark]
● Stop enzymes denaturing; [1 mark]

[Total: 6 marks]
1b
(b) (i) The time interval over which the fungus grew at its maximum rate is:

● 40-50 hours; [1 mark]

The mass of fungus line (with the Xs) is the steepest at this time, meaning that
it increased the most.

(b) (ii) The type of nuclear division that occurs during the growth of the fungus
in the fermenter is:

● Mitosis; [1 mark]

(b) (iii) The growth of the fungus slows and stops because:

Any three from the following:

● Nutrients are used up; [1 mark]

● Limiting (factors) e.g. not enough sterile air or pH becomes too
high/low; [1 mark]
● Explanation of limiting factor e.g. fungus cannot carry out enough
aerobic respiration; [1 mark]
 ● Waste products accumulate; [1 mark]
● Wastes are toxic; [1 mark]
● Penicillin could inhibit growth; [1 mark]
● Population reaches carrying capacity; [1 mark]

[Total: 5 marks]
1c
(c) (i) The evidence from the figure that penicillin is not needed for growth is:

● Fungus grows when no penicillin produced...; [1 mark]

● ... during first 20 hours; [1 mark]

It is important to quote numbers from the figure here, as this is the evidence
that is stated in the question.

(c) (ii) They did not allow the fermenter to continue for longer because:

Any one from the following:

● No more growth of fungus / fungus is dead; [1 mark]

● No further production of penicillin / no advantage in continuing; [1 mark]

[Total: 3 marks]
1d
(d) Downstream processing is necessary because:

Any three from the following:

● Purifying or separating penicillin...; [1 mark]

● ... from waste or toxins; [1 mark]
● Ensuring it is the correct concentration; [1 mark]
● Making into pills / pressing into shape / putting into capsules; [1 mark]
● Colour / taste; [1 mark]

[Total: 3 marks]

After the penicillin leaves the fermenter it needs a lot doing to it before it is
ready to be consumed by a patient.
1e
(e) Antibiotics affect bacteria but not viruses because:

Any two from the following:

● Viruses have no metabolism / viruses do not have ribosomes; [1 mark]

● Viruses have no target for antibiotics; [1 mark]
● Antibiotics stop cell wall growth; [1 mark]
● Viruses have no cell wall; [1 mark]
 ● Antibiotics stop enzymes working; [1 mark]

[Total: 2 marks]

This question covers core knowledge taken from an extended only paper 4
question.
2a
(a) (i) The term plasma refers to:

● (The) liquid/fluid/watery part of the blood; [1 mark]

(a) (ii) The products of the action of protease on the protein fibrin would be:

● Amino acid(s); [1 mark]

[Total: 2 marks]

Be careful not to confuse plasma with cytoplasm, which is the fluid inside
cells. You would gain no marks here if you defined plasma as a fluid but
without giving any reference to blood - plasma is a key component of blood!

This question part covers core content but has been taken from an extended
paper 4 question.
2b
(b) (i) Structure A is a:

● Plasmid; [1 mark]

(b) (ii) The enzyme is a:

● Restriction (enzyme); [1 mark]

(b) (iii) The gene is inserted into structure A to form structure B via the
following process:

Any three from the following:

● Cutting/opening A / the plasmid with the same (restriction) enzyme(s); [1

mark]
● (This) forms sticky ends; [1 mark]
● (Sticky) ends of human DNA and plasmid DNA are complementary; [1
mark]
● (It is the) bases / base sequences (of sticky ends that are
complementary); [1 mark]
● (DNA) ligase is used to insert gene / join sticky ends / for splicing; [1
mark]
● B is a recombinant (plasmid/DNA); [1 mark]
(b) (iv) Advantages of producing TPA by genetically-engineered bacteria
include:

Any one from the following:

● Reliable supply/constant supply (of product); [1 mark]

● Can produce large(er) quantities (of product) / can use a fermenter /
bacteria reproduce quickly (to make more genetically engineered
bacteria); [1 mark]
● Not dependent on blood donations; [1 mark]
● No health risk is involved (e.g. the transmission of disease from infected
blood); [1 mark]
● Higher quality of product; [1 mark]
(b) (v) The role of mRNA in the genetically-engineered bacterium can be
explained as follows:

Any two from the following:

● mRNA moves through the cytoplasm; [1 mark]

● mRNA molecules move to/through ribosomes; [1 mark]
● The sequence of bases in mRNA determines the order of amino acids (in
TPA); [1 mark]
● For protein synthesis OR to make proteins; [1 mark]

[Total: 8 marks]
Remember; as this question is about bacteria, which do not have nuclei,
mRNA in part (v) can move straight to the ribosomes and does not have to exit
the nucleus first as it does in eukaryotic cells. Also, be careful with your
wording - mRNA is not a code that forms amino acids itself - instead, mRNA
contains a sequence of bases that codes for the order in which amino acids
are assembled to make a protein.
3a
(a) The benefits of using bacteria in biotechnology include...

● They are capable of producing complex molecules (that are useful in the
commercial market); [1 mark]
● They are able to reproduce rapidly / can rapidly increase the amount of
chemicals/molecules produced; [1 mark]
● There are few ethical concerns/considerations with growing them in a
laboratory (as they are not sentient beings / requires less
space/resources than larger organisms); [1 mark]
● They possess plasmids that can be used to transfer DNA (from one cell
to another) / as vectors; [1 mark]

[Total: 4 marks]
 3b
(b) Pectinase is used in the food and beverage industry in the following ways...

● It increases the volume of juice extracted from fruit due to the

breakdown of cell walls; [1 mark]
● It increases the clarity of the extracted juice by breaking down (the
polysaccharide) pectin that cause cloudiness; [1 mark]

[Total: 2 marks]

Make sure you know the examples of everyday products that are made using
biotechnology as this makes for a popular question.
3c
(c) The conditions that should be controlled for the optimum production of
citric acid are...

● (Before culturing the fungus) the fermenter is steam-cleaned to kill

(undesirable) microorganisms and prevent chemical contamination; [1
mark]
● Nutrients/glucose is added to the fermenter to enable (aerobic)
respiration and growth/reproduction of fungus; [1 mark]
● The temperature (inside the fermenter) is monitored by probes and
maintained by means of a water jacket to ensure optimum functioning of
enzymes; [1 mark]
● The pH is monitored by probes and adjusted using acids or alkalis to
keep pH levels at an optimum between 4 and 6.5; [1 mark]
● The nutrient broth is oxygenated to ensure that aerobic respiration can
occur (in the fungal cells); [1 mark]
● The contents of the fermenter are agitated/stirred to ensure an even
distribution of substances/pH/temperature; [1 mark]

[Total: 6 marks]

Remember that the question is asking you to explain the conditions that
should be controlled. This means that you must state the reason why it is
important to control each condition. Simply describing the conditions would
not gain you any marks here. You also need to be as specific as you can
regarding the conditions for A. niger in the fermenter. The question stem
states that it breaks down glucose aerobically at a pH of between 4 and 6.5.
This tells you the nutrient broth in the fermenter must contain glucose and
oxygen, while the pH level will be adjusted to keep it slightly acidic.
3d
(d) The ecological risks involved with planting genetically modified crop seeds
include...
Any two of the following:

● Herbicide resistant gene may be transferred to wild plants / weeds

during cross pollination; [1 mark]
● Presence of genetically modified crops will decrease biodiversity in an
area; [1 mark]
● Unknown/possible negative effects on insect/animal life if they consume
genetically modified crop plants; [1 mark]
● Decomposition of genetically modified crop plants may produce toxic
substances (and release it into the environment); [1 mark]

[Total: 2 marks]

This question asks you to focus on the ecological risks associated with GM
crops, so discussing the expense of buying GM seeds or specific herbicides
will not gain you marks here. Remember that herbicides kill plants and are
nothing to do with killing herbivores or just herbs!
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