Form 1 Science Practice Paper: Cells, Matter And Mixtures, Forces And Motion

Form 1 Science Practice Paper: Cells, Matter and Mixtures, Forces and Motion

2026-11-05

Form 1 Science – 12 questions – 100 marks – 75 minutes

Form 1 Science practice paper: 12 questions, 100 marks in 75 minutes on cells, photosynthesis, food chains, density, separating mixtures, heat capacity, forces and speed.

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Paper details　Form 1 Science practice paper: 12 questions, 100 marks in 75 minutes on cells, photosynthesis, food chains, density, separating mixtures, forces, pressure and speed.

Section A: Cells and Life

Answer all questions and show the working and the unit in each calculation.

#	Question	Answer and marking notes
1	Onion epidermal cells are viewed with a compound microscope. The eyepiece is 10x and the objective lens is 40x. (a) Find the total magnification. (b) If one cell measures 0.8 mm in the image, find its actual length in micrometres. (c) Name two structures found in plant cells but not in animal cells.	Answer: (a) 10 x 40 = 400 times. (b) 0.8 mm = 800 micrometres, so 800 / 400 = 2 micrometres. (c) Cell wall and chloroplasts, or a large central vacuole. Marking: 3 marks in (a), 1 mark for the unit conversion and 2 marks for the calculation in (b), 1 mark for each structure in (c).
2	A water plant releases 36 cm3 of oxygen in 3 hours under bright light. (a) Find the average volume of oxygen released per hour. (b) If the light stays the same, how much oxygen is released in 6 hours? (c) Write the word equation for photosynthesis and name the raw material that supplies the released oxygen.	Answer: (a) 36 / 3 = 12 cm3 per hour. (b) 12 x 6 = 72 cm3. (c) Carbon dioxide plus water gives glucose plus oxygen; the oxygen comes from water. Marking: 3 marks in (a), 3 marks in (b), 1 mark for the equation and 1 mark for the raw material in (c).
3	A food chain is: rice plant, then grasshopper, then frog, then snake. The rice plants fix 20 000 kJ of energy. (a) If only one tenth of the energy passes to the next trophic level, find the energy available to the grasshopper, the frog and the snake. (b) State two other fates of the remaining energy. (c) Why do food chains usually have no more than four or five trophic levels?	Answer: (a) Grasshopper 2 000 kJ, frog 200 kJ and snake 20 kJ. (b) The rest is used in the organism own respiration and lost as heat, and some is not eaten and passes to decomposers. (c) Only about one tenth of the energy passes to the next level, so the energy left at higher levels is too little to support breeding. Marking: 1 mark each in (a), 1.5 marks each in (b), 2 marks in (c).
4	A cell divides once every 30 minutes. (a) How many cells are produced from one cell after 2 hours? (b) How many after 3 hours? (c) Name this type of cell division and state two ways it helps an organism to grow.	Answer: (a) 120 / 30 = 4 divisions, so 2 to the power of 4 = 16 cells. (b) 180 / 30 = 6 divisions, so 2 to the power of 6 = 64 cells. (c) Mitosis; it increases the number of cells for growth and replaces dead or damaged cells. Marking: 3 marks in (a), 3 marks in (b), 1 mark for the name and 1 mark for the role in (c).

Section B: Matter and Mixtures

Answer all questions and show the steps of your calculation with units.

#	Question	Answer and marking notes
5	A piece of metal has a mass of 54 g and a volume of 20 cm3. (a) Find the density of the metal. (b) Water at room temperature has a density of 1.0 g/cm3. Will the metal float or sink in water? Explain. (c) What is the mass of 100 cm3 of the same metal?	Answer: (a) 54 / 20 = 2.7 g/cm3. (b) It sinks, because its density of 2.7 g/cm3 is greater than the density of water, 1.0 g/cm3. (c) 2.7 x 100 = 270 g. Marking: 3 marks in (a) with the unit required, 1 mark for the prediction and 2 marks for the explanation in (b), 2 marks in (c).
6	30 g of salt is stirred into 220 g of water until it all dissolves. (a) Find the total mass of the salt water mixture. (b) Find the percentage by mass of salt in the mixture, to one decimal place. (c) Which method is used to recover the salt from the mixture? Name the method and state one safety step.	Answer: (a) 30 + 220 = 250 g. (b) 30 / 250 x 100% = 12.0%. (c) Evaporation and crystallisation; wear goggles and use a small flame so that hot salt does not spit into the eyes. Marking: 2 marks in (a), 3 marks in (b), 2 marks for the method and 1 mark for the safety step in (c).
7	0.5 kg of water is heated from 20 degrees Celsius to 40 degrees Celsius. The specific heat capacity of water is 4 200 J/(kg degree Celsius). (a) Find the heat energy absorbed by the water. (b) If the heater has a power of 700 W, find the time needed, assuming no heat loss. (c) Why is the day to night temperature range smaller at the coast than inland?	Answer: (a) Energy = 0.5 x 4 200 x 20 = 42 000 J. (b) Time = 42 000 / 700 = 60 s. (c) Water has a large specific heat capacity, so its temperature changes little when it absorbs or releases heat, and the sea moderates coastal air temperature. Marking: 4 marks in (a), 3 marks in (b), 2 marks in (c).
8	10 g of sugar is stirred into 50 g of water until it all dissolves. (a) Find the mass of the sugar solution. (b) Find the percentage by mass of sugar, to one decimal place. (c) If another 10 g of water is added, what is the new percentage by mass of sugar?	Answer: (a) 10 + 50 = 60 g. (b) 10 / 60 x 100% = 16.7%. (c) 10 / 70 x 100% = 14.3%. Marking: 2 marks in (a), 3 marks in (b), 3 marks in (c).

Section C: Forces and Motion

Answer all questions and support your explanations with data or examples.

#	Question	Answer and marking notes
9	A toy car of mass 2 kg is pushed by a horizontal net force of 6 N on a smooth table. (a) Find the acceleration of the car. (b) If a friction force of 2 N also acts, find the new net force and the new acceleration. (c) In which direction does the friction force act?	Answer: (a) Acceleration = 6 / 2 = 3 m/s2. (b) Net force = 6 – 2 = 4 N, so acceleration = 4 / 2 = 2 m/s2. (c) The friction force acts opposite to the direction of motion of the car. Marking: 3 marks in (a), 2 marks for the net force and 2 marks for the acceleration in (b), 1 mark in (c).
10	A student has a mass of 50 kg. Take the acceleration due to gravity on Earth as 10 m/s2. (a) Find his weight on Earth. (b) The acceleration due to gravity on the Moon is about 1.6 m/s2; find his weight on the Moon. (c) Does his mass change on the Moon? Explain.	Answer: (a) Weight = 50 x 10 = 500 N. (b) Weight = 50 x 1.6 = 80 N. (c) His mass does not change. Mass is the amount of matter in a body and does not depend on position; the acceleration due to gravity changes, so the weight changes. Marking: 3 marks in (a), 3 marks in (b), 1 mark for the answer and 1 mark for the explanation in (c).
11	A student weighing 600 N stands with both shoes on the floor. The total contact area is 0.03 m2. (a) Find the pressure he exerts on the floor. (b) If he lifts one foot so that the contact area becomes 0.015 m2, find the new pressure. (c) Why do skis stop a person from sinking into snow?	Answer: (a) Pressure = 600 / 0.03 = 20 000 Pa. (b) Pressure = 600 / 0.015 = 40 000 Pa. (c) Skis have a large contact area with the snow, so for the same weight the pressure is smaller and the person does not sink. Marking: 4 marks in (a) with the unit required, 3 marks in (b), 2 marks in (c).
12	An athlete runs 120 m in 20 s and then a further 180 m in 30 s. (a) Find the average speed in the first 20 s and in the next 30 s. (b) Find the average speed for the whole 50 s. (c) If his mass is 60 kg and he accelerates from rest to 6 m/s in 3 s, find the average acceleration and the net force needed.	Answer: (a) First 20 s: 120 / 20 = 6 m/s; next 30 s: 180 / 30 = 6 m/s. (b) Whole journey: (120 + 180) / 50 = 6 m/s. (c) Acceleration = 6 / 3 = 2 m/s2; net force = 60 x 2 = 120 N. Marking: 2 marks each in (a), 2 marks in (b), 2 marks for the acceleration and 2 marks for the net force in (c).

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