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Northern Ireland · CCEAQ&A
Science (Single Award)Q&A by dot point
A short Q&A bank for every Northern Ireland Science (Single Award) syllabus dot point. Each question and answer is drawn directly from our worked dot-point page, so you can scan key concepts before opening the long-form answer.
Unit 1: Biology
- The structures of animal and plant cells and their functions, examples of specialised cells and their adaptations, the levels of organisation from cell to organism, and using a light microscope including the magnification calculation.2Q&A pairs
- The central nervous system and the three neurones, the reflex arc as a fast automatic response, hormones as chemical messengers carried in the blood, how insulin controls blood glucose, type 1 and type 2 diabetes, and homeostasis by negative feedback.2Q&A pairs
- Food chains and food webs, the flow of energy from the Sun through trophic levels, why energy is lost at each level, pyramids of numbers and biomass, the role of decomposers, and the carbon cycle.2Q&A pairs
- DNA, genes and chromosomes, the key genetic terms, dominant and recessive alleles, genotype and phenotype, monohybrid crosses with Punnett squares, continuous and discontinuous variation, and the causes of variation including mutation.2Q&A pairs
- The components of a balanced diet and their functions, the chemical food tests, enzymes as biological catalysts affected by temperature and pH, the digestive enzymes amylase, protease and lipase, the role of bile, and absorption in the small intestine.2Q&A pairs
- The word equation for photosynthesis, the role of chlorophyll and chloroplasts, the limiting factors of light, carbon dioxide and temperature, how a leaf is adapted for photosynthesis and gas exchange, and investigating the rate of photosynthesis.2Q&A pairs
- The structure of the respiratory system, the mechanism of breathing in and out, gas exchange in the alveoli and their adaptations, aerobic and anaerobic respiration with their word equations, and the difference between breathing and respiration.2Q&A pairs
Unit 2: Chemistry
- Acids, bases and alkalis in terms of hydrogen and hydroxide ions, the pH scale and indicators, neutralisation to make a salt and water, the reactions of acids with metals, oxides, hydroxides and carbonates, and simple tests for hydrogen and carbon dioxide.3Q&A pairs
- The structure of the atom in terms of protons, neutrons and electrons, atomic number and mass number, isotopes, electron arrangement in shells, and how the periodic table is organised into groups and periods including the trends in Groups 1, 7 and 0.2Q&A pairs
- Ionic bonding as the transfer of electrons forming a giant ionic lattice, covalent bonding as shared electron pairs in simple molecules, dot-and-cross diagrams, and using structure to explain melting points and electrical conductivity.2Q&A pairs
- The reactivity series, the reactions of metals with water and acid, displacement reactions, how reactivity decides extraction by carbon reduction or electrolysis, the extraction of iron in the blast furnace, and the rusting of iron and its prevention.2Q&A pairs
- Crude oil as a mixture of hydrocarbons, fractional distillation and the main fractions, the alkanes and their combustion, the composition of the atmosphere, the pollutants from burning fuels, and the greenhouse effect and global warming.2Q&A pairs
- The factors that change the rate of a reaction (concentration, temperature, surface area and catalysts), how rate is measured by gas volume or mass loss, how to read a rate graph, and the collision theory that explains it all.2Q&A pairs
- Writing chemical formulae by balancing ion charges, turning reactions into word equations and balanced symbol equations with state symbols, and the conservation of mass in a chemical reaction.3Q&A pairs
Unit 3: Physics
- The nuclear model of the atom and isotopes, radioactive decay as random and spontaneous, the three types of radiation alpha, beta and gamma with their properties, half-life and decay curves, and the uses and dangers of radioactivity.2Q&A pairs
- Charge and current, potential difference, resistance and Ohm's law, series and parallel circuits, alternating and direct current, the three wires of a mains plug with fuses and earthing, and electrical power.2Q&A pairs
- Energy stores and transfers, the conservation of energy and dissipation, the kinetic and gravitational potential energy equations, power as the rate of energy transfer, efficiency, and renewable and non-renewable energy resources.2Q&A pairs
- Balanced and unbalanced forces, Newton's first and second laws and F equals ma, the difference between mass and weight, terminal velocity, and the thinking, braking and stopping distances of a vehicle.2Q&A pairs
- The difference between scalars and vectors, the speed and acceleration equations, average and instantaneous speed, and reading distance-time and velocity-time graphs including gradient and area.2Q&A pairs
- The structure of the Solar System and the universe, how gravity keeps bodies in orbit, the life cycle of stars for Sun-like and massive stars, and red-shift as evidence for the expanding universe and the Big Bang.2Q&A pairs
- Transverse and longitudinal waves, the wave terms amplitude, wavelength, frequency and period, the wave equation, the order of the electromagnetic spectrum with its shared properties, and the uses and dangers of the EM waves.2Q&A pairs