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Sc
Year 9 science test
KEY STAGE

3
TIER

3–6 Paper 1
First name

Last name

Class

Date

Please read this page, but do not open your booklet until your
teacher tells you to start. Write your name, your class and the date
in the spaces above.

Remember:
■ The test is 1 hour long.
■ You will need a pen, pencil, rubber and ruler. You may find a protractor and a
calculator useful.
■ The test starts with easier questions.
■ Try to answer all of the questions.
■ The number of marks available for each question is given below the
mark boxes in the margin. You should not write in this margin.
■ Show any rough working on this paper.
■ Check your work carefully.
■ Ask your teacher if you are not sure what to do.

For marker’s use only

TOTAL MARKS
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1. The diagram below shows six pieces of equipment.

A B C

D E F

(a) Linda investigates how quickly sugar dissolves in water.

(i) Which piece of equipment does she use to weigh 5 g of sugar?

Tick the correct box.

A B C D E F

1ai

1 mark

(ii) Which piece of equipment does she use to measure out 90 cm3 of water?
Tick the correct box.

A B C D E F

1aii

1 mark

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(b) Linda heats the water in a beaker.

(i) Which piece of equipment shown is a beaker?

Tick the correct box.

A B C D E F

1bi

1 mark

(ii) Which piece of equipment shown is used to heat water?

Tick the correct box.

A B C D E F

1bii

1 mark

(c) Linda adds 5 g of sugar to the hot water.

(i) She measures the time it takes for the sugar to dissolve.
The equipment used for timing is not shown in the diagram.

What piece of equipment is used to measure the time taken?

1ci

1 mark

(ii) The equipment used to measure the temperature of the water is not
shown in the diagram.

What piece of equipment is used to measure temperature?

1cii

1 mark

maximum 6 marks
Total
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2. Susie cooked sausages on a barbecue.

(a) Fat and water in the sausages changed state.

Draw one line from each statement to the correct change of state.
Draw only two lines.

statement change of state

liquid to gas

2a fat melted gas to liquid

1 mark

liquid to solid

2a water evaporated solid to liquid

1 mark

solid to gas

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(b) Susie uses charcoal as the fuel for the barbecue.

(i) Which statement is true about all fuels?

Tick the correct box.

All fuels are

All fuels are black.
sources of energy.

All fuels are made

All fuels are solid. 2bi
from wood.
1 mark

(ii) Which gas in the air is needed for fuels to burn?

Tick the correct box.

water vapour oxygen

nitrogen carbon dioxide 2bii

1 mark

(c) The metal grill of the barbecue is made of steel.

Six properties of steel are given below.

Which properties are needed for the metal grill?

Tick two correct boxes.

It conducts electricity. It is rigid.

It has a very high

It is magnetic. 2c
melting point.
1 mark

It is shiny. It rusts. 2c

1 mark

maximum 6 marks
Total
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3. The drawings below show eight different animals.

sparrow cat dragonfly

housefly lizard

3a

1 mark

3a
squirrel snake hawk
1 mark

not to scale

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(a) Put a ring around the two animals on the opposite page that
do not have a backbone.

(b) What are the names of two mammals on the opposite page?

1.
3b
2.
1 mark

(c) (i) What are the names of two reptiles on the opposite page?

1.
3ci
2.
1 mark

(ii) From the drawings, what is one feature that all reptiles have?
3cii

1 mark

maximum 5 marks
Total
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4. (a) John attaches a ball to a spring. The diagram below shows what happens.

spring before spring after

ball attached ball attached

(i) Which arrow shows the direction of the force of the ball on the spring?
Tick the correct box.

4ai

1 mark

(ii) Which arrow shows the direction of the force of the spring on the ball?
Tick the correct box.

4aii

1 mark

(b) The diagram below shows three metal balls attached to identical springs.

A B C
A B C

A B C

Which ball is the heaviest?

Write the letter.
4b
_______
1 mark

Explain your answer.

4b

1 mark

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(c) John has another three identical springs.

He puts a cube on each spring. Each cube has a different mass.

The diagrams below show the springs before and after John added the cubes.

S
R
T

springs before adding the cubes springs after adding the cubes

Which cube is the heaviest?

Write the letter.
4c
_______
1 mark

Explain your answer.

4c

1 mark

maximum 6 marks
Total
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5. Joanne burnt four different crisps.

She predicted that the bigger the crisp, the longer it will burn.

(a) Look at the picture above. What did Joanne wear to protect herself?
5a

1 mark

(b) Joanne measured the time taken for each crisp to burn completely.
The bar chart shows Joanne’s results.

80

60

time taken
for crisp 40
to burn
(seconds)
20

0
A B C D
crisp
Look at the bar chart.
How much time did crisp D take to burn?
5b
seconds
1 mark

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(c) The crisps Joanne used in her investigation are shown below.

crisp A crisp B crisp C crisp D

(i) Joanne predicted that the bigger the crisp, the longer it will burn.
Do the results support Joanne’s prediction?
Tick one box.

yes no

Use Joanne’s results to explain your answer.

5ci

1 mark

(ii) How can you tell that Joanne did not carry out a fair test?
5cii

1 mark

(d) Joanne wrote some conclusions for her investigation.

Decide whether each conclusion is true, false, or you cannot tell.

Tick the correct box for each conclusion.

cannot
conclusion true false tell
Two crisps took the same amount of
5d
time to burn.
1 mark

The smallest crisp burnt for the

5d
shortest time.
1 mark

Two of the crisps burnt with flames of

5d
the same size.
1 mark

maximum 7 marks
Total
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6. Ben makes a series circuit using two

identical cells, a bulb and a switch to
turn the bulb on and off.

cell cell bulb switch

(a) Draw a circuit diagram of Ben’s circuit. Use the correct symbols.

The cells have been drawn for you.

6a

1 mark

6a

1 mark

6a

1 mark

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(b) Which part of the circuit supplies the energy?

6b

1 mark

(c) Ben adds another identical bulb to the circuit in series.

How does the brightness of the first bulb change?
6c

1 mark

(d) How will the brightness of the bulbs change when the cells shown below are
placed into Ben’s circuit?

6di
(i)
1 mark

6dii
(ii)
1 mark

maximum 7 marks
Total
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7. Russell put ground-up coffee beans in a coffee maker and added hot water.

He pushed the plunger down.

This separated the coffee drink from the ground-up coffee beans.

(a) How could Russell see that some coffee had dissolved in the water?
7a
________________________________________________________
1 mark

(b) The end of the plunger is a circle of wire mesh.

A B C D

(i) Which mesh would be best to separate the coffee drink from
all the ground-up coffee beans? Write the letter.
7bi
_______
1 mark

(ii) This method of making coffee uses a type of filter.

The apparatus used for filtration in a school laboratory is drawn below.
P

Which part of the apparatus above works in the same way as the wire
mesh? Write the letter.
7bii
_______
1 mark

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(c) Russell wanted to separate the water from the coffee drink.
He set up the apparatus shown below.

sleeve

ice cubes glass tube

flask

coffee
drink
test tube

heat
water

(i) Why did Russell put ice cubes around the glass tube?
7ci
_____________________________________________________
1 mark

(ii) Choose words from the box below to fill the gaps in the following
sentences.

an acid a gas a liquid a solid

condensation crystallisation evaporation filtration 7cii

1 mark

Russell heats the water. Water in the drink changes from

7cii

____________________ into ____________________. 1 mark

This change of state is called ____________________. 7cii

1 mark
Water vapour changes into liquid. This change of state is called
7cii
____________________.
1 mark

maximum 8 marks
Total
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8. Jack and Aneesa dropped a steel ball into trays of damp sand.
They measured the depth of the craters made by the steel ball.

not to scale
Their results are shown in the table below.

depth of crater (cm)

height the ball was
dropped from (cm) Aneesa’s
Jack’s results
results
10 1.1 1.2 0.8

20 1.4 1.5 1.4

30 1.6 1.6 1.5

40 1.8 1.7 1.8

50 2.0 2.1 2.1

(a) Use information in the table to answer the questions below.

(i) What was the independent variable that Jack and Aneesa changed
in their investigation?
8ai

1 mark

(ii) Why was Jack’s investigation better than Aneesa’s?

8aii

1 mark

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(b) Look at the results in the table.

What is the relationship between the height the ball was dropped from
and the depth of the crater?

________________________________________________________
8b
________________________________________________________
1 mark

(c) Aneesa said that they made sure the investigation was fair.

Suggest two variables they must have kept the same to make their
investigation fair. 8c

1 mark
1. ______________________________________________________
8c
2. ______________________________________________________
1 mark

(d) (i) Jack removed the steel ball using his fingers. Then he measured the
depth of the crater.
Aneesa said he should use a magnet instead of his fingers.

Explain why using a magnet to remove the ball would improve the
investigation.

8di

1 mark

(ii) Jack said that the ball could be dropped using an electromagnet
instead of dropping it by hand.

Explain why this would improve the investigation.

8dii

1 mark
maximum 7 marks
Total
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9. The information below comes from a newspaper report.

River Pollution
Scientists from the Environment Agency were called to
investigate a river.
Local fishermen reported that they had not caught trout in
the river at Pine Bridge for many months. There were more
algae growing in the river and it had a bad smell.

Scientists measured the oxygen levels in the water upstream and downstream
from Pine Bridge.The results are shown below.
Pine Bridge
water flow

30

20
oxygen
level
(ppm)
10

0
–2.5 –2.0 –1.5 –1.0 –0.5 0 0.5 1.0 1.5 2.0 2.5 3.0
upstream downstream
distance (km)

(a) (i) What was the oxygen level in the river at Pine Bridge?
9ai
ppm
1 mark

(ii) Describe what happens to the oxygen level in the river as you travel
downstream from Pine Bridge.
9aii

1 mark

(b) Trout only live in water with oxygen levels higher than 20 ppm.
How far downstream from Pine Bridge would you be likely to find trout?
Write the unit.
9b

1 mark

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(c) The scientists collected samples of the river animals found at different
places.

animals distance from Pine Bridge (km)

collected
–2.0 –1.5 –1.0 – 0.5 0 0.5 1.0 1.5 2.0

stonefly nymphs ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔

mayfly nymphs ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔

freshwater shrimps ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔

caddis fly larvae ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔

rat-tailed maggots ✔ ✔

sludge worms ✔ ✔ ✔

water lice ✔ ✔ ✔

bloodworms ✔

Trout only live in water with oxygen levels higher than 20 ppm.
Give the name of one other animal that only lives in oxygen levels above 20 ppm.
Use the table above and the information opposite to help you.
9c

1 mark

(d) Use the information above and opposite.

9d
Name two animals that are only found when the oxygen level is
below 10 ppm. 1 mark

9d
1. 2.
1 mark

(e) In the river, trout are predators. Near Pine Bridge, the number of trout
decreased.

Suggest one reason why pollution may cause the trout population to decrease.

9e

1 mark

maximum 7 marks
Total
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10. A gannet is a type of sea bird.

(a) When a gannet flies at a constant height above the sea, there is a downward
force of 30N on the gannet.

What is the size of the upward force on the gannet?

Tick the correct box.

less than 30N

exactly 30N

more than 30N

10a need more information

1 mark

(b) To catch food, the gannet dives down into the sea.
What is the useful energy transfer when the gannet dives?
Choose words from the box below.

thermal gravitational potential sound kinetic light

10b

1 mark
When the gannet dives, energy is
10b
transferred to energy.
1 mark

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(c) Label the arrows to show the names of the forces acting on the gannet as
it dives.

10c

1 mark

10c

1 mark

(d) Gannets have pockets of air between their muscles and their skin.
Suggest how this is a good adaptation for gannets when they hit the
water at fast speeds.

10d

1 mark

(e) The gannet releases energy through respiration.

An aeroplane also releases energy when fossil fuels burn.

Write two other ways that respiration and burning are similar. 10e

1 mark
1.
10e
2.
1 mark

maximum 8 marks
Total
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11. The diagrams below show the male and female human reproductive systems.

male and female reproductive systems

not to scale

male female

(a) The table below contains descriptions of parts of the human reproductive system.
Complete the table to give the name of each part.

11a name of part description

1 mark
the tube that carries an egg to the uterus
11a
the organ that produces sperm
1 mark

11a the organ that produces the egg

1 mark

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(b) The diagram below shows an unborn baby.

Complete the sentences below by filling in the gaps.

11b
In humans, normal pregnancy lasts for months.
1 mark

When the foetus is ready to be born, muscles in the uterus wall start
11b
to .
1 mark

11b
After the baby is born, the connecting
1 mark
the foetus to the mother is cut.

maximum 6 marks
Total
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12. Jason wanted to find out if hair dye makes hair weaker.
He used 5 hairs of equal length.
He soaked each hair in a different concentration
of hair dye for 15 minutes.
He added masses to each hair until it broke. clamp
hair

hair
mass
hair dye
not to scale

(a) The table below shows Jason’s results.

(i) Plot a graph of Jason’s results and draw a line of best fit.

mass 76
concentration needed
of hair dye to break 74
(%) the hair
(g) 72

0.4 71 70

0.8 67 68
mass 66
1.2 64 needed
to break 64
1.6 61 the hair
12ai (g) 62
1 mark 2.0 58
60
12ai
58
1 mark
56
12ai
54
1 mark 0 0.4 0.8 1.2 1.6 2.0 2.4
concentration of hair dye (%)

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(ii) Use the graph to work out the mass needed to break hair soaked in water
(0% hair dye).
12aii
g
1 mark

(b) What was the independent variable that Jason changed in this experiment?
12b

1 mark

(c) What was the dependent variable that Jason measured in this experiment?
12c

1 mark

(d) What is the relationship between the concentration of hair dye and the mass
needed to break the hair?

12d

1 mark

(e) Jason wanted to investigate whether soaking hair in dye for different amounts of
time affected the strength of the hair.
Jason drew a table for his results.
12e
Add headings and units to the table below for Jason’s investigation.
1 mark

heading 1 heading 2 12e

1 mark
( ) ( )
12e

1 mark

12e

1 mark

maximum 11 marks
Total
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13. Matthew measured the pH of different soils.

(a) Tick one box in each row to show if each soil is acidic, neutral or alkaline.

soil pH of soil acidic neutral alkaline

A 4.5

B 5.5

C 6.3
13a
D 7.0
1 mark

13a E 7.8
1 mark

(b) A hydrangea is a flowering plant. Matthew notices that the

colour of hydrangea flowers is different for plants grown
in different places.

He records the colour of the flowers on each plant.

His results are shown in the table below.

hydrangea flower

colour of flowers
pH
soil
of soil
blue violet light pink dark pink

A 4.5 ✔

B 5.5 ✔

C 6.3 ✔

D 7.0 ✔

E 7.8 ✔

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Look at Matthew’s results.

Do his results support the statement that the colour of hydrangea flowers
depends on pH?

yes no

Explain your answer.

13b

1 mark

(c) Matthew measured the pH of the soil near hydrangea plants found in
different places.

Suggest one other variable Matthew could not control in his investigation.

13c

1 mark

(d) Matthew wants to find out if the colour of blue hydrangea flowers depends on
inherited factors or environmental factors.
The flowers were growing in soil of pH 4.5.
He plants them in soil of pH 6.3.

Complete the table below to show the colours of the new flowers in soil of pH 6.3
(i) if the colour is due to inheritance
(ii) if the colour is due to the environment

Use the table on the opposite page to complete the table below.

colour

starting colour of hydrangea flowers blue

13d

colour of new flowers if only due to inheritance 1 mark

colour of new flowers if only due to environment 13d

1 mark

END OF TEST
maximum 6 marks
Total
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QCDA/10/4347 (Pupil pack)

© Qualifications and Curriculum Authority 2010 QCDA/10/4346 (Teacher pack) 252009