10 free IGCSE Biology Coordination & Response questions written in the style of Cambridge Biology papers: 3 multiple-choice and 7 structured, each with its answer and mark scheme. 4 of them are A* challenge questions, built to catch the mistakes strong students still make.
This topic covers Nervous control, Sense organs, Hormones, Homeostasis, Tropic responses, Drugs. Work through the questions below, then generate a full Coordination & Response paper with a fresh set every time.
Generate a full Coordination & Response paper →A person looks from a near object to a distant object.
What happens in the eye?
| ciliary muscles | suspensory ligaments | lens | |
|---|---|---|---|
| A | contract | slacken | becomes thinner |
| B | relax | become tight | becomes more rounded |
| C | relax | become tight | becomes thinner |
| D | relax | slacken | becomes thinner |
Answer: C
A shoot is lit from one side.
Which row explains the response?
| auxin moves to | cells there | shoot bends | |
|---|---|---|---|
| A | the shaded side | elongate less | away from the light |
| B | the shaded side | elongate more | towards the light |
| C | the lit side | elongate more | towards the light |
| D | the lit side | elongate less | towards the light |
Answer: B
What is an effector?
Answer: C
Alcohol is a depressant drug.
Describe two effects of excessive alcohol consumption.
Explain why heroin is a powerful depressant.
| Part | Answer and marking points | Marks |
|---|---|---|
| (a) | slower reactions; liver damage; addiction Any 2 of: slower reaction times; liver damage (cirrhosis); addiction; poor judgement B2 | 2 |
| (b) | affects synapses/reduces nervous activity it affects synapses in the brain B1 slowing down the nervous system B1 | 2 |
Plant shoots grow towards light.
Name this response.
Explain the role of auxin in this response.
| Part | Answer and marking points | Marks |
|---|---|---|
| (a) | positive phototropism (positive) phototropism B1 | 1 |
| (b) | auxin moves to shaded side; cells elongate more auxin is made in the shoot tip B1 it moves to the shaded side B1 it stimulates cell elongation there, so the shoot bends towards the light B1 | 3 |
Hormones are chemical messengers.
Define a hormone.
Name the hormone produced by the testes and the hormone produced by the pancreas that lowers blood glucose.
| Part | Answer and marking points | Marks |
|---|---|---|
| (a) | chemical produced by gland, carried by blood, alters activity of targets Any 2 of: a chemical substance produced by a gland; carried by the blood; which alters the activity of target organs B2 | 2 |
| (b) | testosterone; insulin testosterone B1 insulin B1 | 2 |
A student investigates the response of oat seedlings to light coming from one side.
Name the response of a shoot to light, and state whether it is positive or negative.
Explain how auxin causes the shoot to bend towards the light.
The tips of some seedlings are covered with foil caps. Predict how these seedlings grow and explain why.
Explain the advantage to a plant of positive phototropism.
A seedling is placed on its side in the dark. Describe how the root and shoot respond, and name this response.
| Part | Answer and marking points | Marks |
|---|---|---|
| (a) | phototropism; positive phototropism B1 positive (grows towards light) B1 | 2 |
| (b) | auxin made in tip; moves to shaded side; stimulates cell elongation there; shaded side grows faster, shoot bends towards light auxin is produced in the shoot tip B1 auxin moves / diffuses to the shaded side B1 auxin stimulates cell elongation B1 cells on the shaded side elongate more so the shoot bends towards the light B1 | 4 |
| (c) | grow straight up; tip cannot detect the direction of light grow straight up / no bending B1 the tip (which detects light) is covered so auxin is evenly distributed B1 | 2 |
| (d) | more light absorbed; more photosynthesis leaves receive more light B1 so more photosynthesis / more glucose for growth B1 | 2 |
| (e) | gravitropism; root grows down; shoot grows up gravitropism B1 root grows downwards (positive) B1 shoot grows upwards (negative) B1 | 3 |
Roots grow downwards and shoots grow upwards.
Name the response of roots to gravity.
Explain the advantage of this response for the plant.
Describe an experiment to show that shoots respond to light.
| Part | Answer and marking points | Marks |
|---|---|---|
| (a) | positive gravitropism positive gravitropism B1 | 1 |
| (b) | roots reach water and anchor roots grow towards water and minerals in the soil B1 and anchor the plant B1 | 2 |
| (c) | seedlings with one-sided light vs control grow seedlings with light from one side and a control in uniform light/clinostat B1 observe direction of growth after a few days B1 | 2 |
This question is about the eye.
State the functions of the cornea, the retina and the optic nerve.
Describe how the eye focuses on a near object.
Distinguish between the functions of rods and cones.
Explain why it is difficult to see colours in dim light.
Explain why there is a blind spot in each eye.
| Part | Answer and marking points | Marks |
|---|---|---|
| (a) | cornea refracts light; retina contains light receptors; optic nerve carries impulses to brain cornea refracts (bends) light B1 retina contains light-sensitive receptor cells (rods and cones) B1 optic nerve carries impulses to the brain B1 | 3 |
| (b) | ciliary muscles contract; suspensory ligaments slacken; lens becomes fatter, refracts more ciliary muscles contract B1 suspensory ligaments become slack B1 the lens becomes thicker / more convex and refracts light more B1 | 3 |
| (c) | rods: dim light, black and white; cones: colour, bright light rods detect light in dim light (no colour vision) B1 cones detect colour and work in bright light B1 | 2 |
| (d) | cones need bright light; rods do not detect colour cones need bright light to work B1 rods work in dim light but do not distinguish colours B1 | 2 |
| (e) | no receptor cells where optic nerve leaves there are no light receptors where the optic nerve leaves the retina B1 | 1 |
The eye has several parts.
State the function of the cornea and the iris.
Name the area of the retina with the most cones.
| Part | Answer and marking points | Marks |
|---|---|---|
| (a) | refracts light; controls pupil size cornea refracts light B1 iris controls the amount of light entering (pupil size) B1 | 2 |
| (b) | fovea fovea B1 | 1 |
In the 0610 syllabus, Coordination & Response covers Nervous control, Sense organs, Hormones, Homeostasis, Tropic responses, Drugs.
This page has 10 Coordination & Response questions with answers. For more, the free generator on mentorriyaz.in builds a new Coordination & Response paper with a full mark scheme each time you click.
Riyaz Shaikh has mentored IGCSE, IB and A Level students for 15+ years, one-on-one, online and in Mumbai. The hardest questions on this site are the ones he uses to find a student's weak points.
Meet Riyaz →Original Cambridge-style practice questions written for mentorriyaz.in. These are not Cambridge past paper questions, and this site is not affiliated with or endorsed by Cambridge University Press & Assessment. Updated 2026-11-04. Paper generator · mentorriyaz.in