Okay to gets us started:
What order are you doing the VCAA biology past papers, backwards, forwards, by unit or alternating Unit 3 & Unit 4?
When are you guys going to start doing the full 110 marks 2.5 hour exams?
As for commercial papers, i've done none because i've got none (other than exampro). School isn't providing me with anything.
How do you know the A+ cut off score for 2006 exam was 54/75?You can find grade distributions on the VCAA website, the easiest way to do this is to type in to google
Okay to gets us started:
What order are you doing the VCAA biology past papers, backwards, forwards, by unit or alternating Unit 3 & Unit 4?
When are you guys going to start doing the full 110 marks 2.5 hour exams?
So far, i've done U3/U4 2006, 2007 and 2008 exams in timed conditions (going forwards). In all honestly, I found 2006 to be the most difficult VCAA paper so far, considering the A+ cut-off was 54/75.
As for commercial papers, i've done none because i've got none (other than exampro). School isn't providing me with anything.
I got 60/75 for the 2006 exam 1 was pretty hard
I got 60/75 for the 2006 exam 1 was pretty hard
I got a similar result (63/75). I got 25/25 for MC but lost 12 marks for SA.
This is from a really early VCAA exam, Unit 3 2000.
Just to clarify questions on water balance specifically are not part of the current syllabus.
Hey,If it was a hard exam probably a easy 40 considering your cohort and rank.
What do you think 85% would be as a study score seeing this is meant to be a hard exam
Just curious did you get 85% on a particular exam?
This is from a really early VCAA exam, Unit 3 2000.Anyone?
Just to clarify questions on water balance specifically are not part of the current syllabus.
If it was a hard exam probably a easy 40 considering your cohort and rank.
Anyone?
Water balance is no longer on the study designDid you/can you have a look at the previously attached questions from Unit 3 2000. Thanks :)
If it was a hard exam probably a easy 40 considering your cohort and rank.
Anyone?
Did you/can you have a look at the previously attached questions from Unit 3 2000. Thanks :)
Do you want me to answer them or? The new study design started in 2006, so anything before that in Unit 3, specifically including those questions, is not part of the study design.Nah just verifying that knowledge for those specific questions are not required. :)
I've been getting around 85% for most practice exams bit i'm sure VCAA exams are much harderVCAA are much easier IMO than company papers(others may think differently) in VCAA papers most of the marks are easily accessible but their may be a couple of questions that are quite difficult. From the top companies e.g NEAP,STAV,LisaChem there is always a few difficult questions usually near the back-end of the exam which require not only the knowledge but critical thinking.
VCAA are much easier IMO than company papers(others may think differently) in VCAA papers most of the marks are easily accessible but their may be a couple of questions that are quite difficult. From the top companies e.g NEAP,STAV,LisaChem there is always a few difficult questions usually near the back-end of the exam which require not only the knowledge but critical thinking.
Have a go at a few VCAA exams and tell us how you go to give you a more accurate prediction.
If that's true then I am surprised. I found STAV and Lisachem to be the easiest companiesThose papers vary in difficulty from year to year but usually always a notch above VCAA.
Those papers vary in difficulty from year to year but usually always a notch above VCAA.
Do you guys keep a log book with all your mistakes is so how do you study those mistakes specifically?
Also a few questions on marking the Unit 3 2000 exam.
Question 4(a) What are two characteristics of a virus?
My two answers were Non-living and Protein coat
As per the marking scheme I get 1 mark for Protein coat and the other answer could have been either they can reproduce inside a host or the contain DNA or RNA core. Thoughts?
Question 7(b) Name an effector that would bring about a physiological response to stimulus X (decrease of body temperature)
I said Muscles the answer says skeletal muscles.
Those papers vary in difficulty from year to year but usually always a notch above VCAA.
Do you guys keep a log book with all your mistakes is so how do you study those mistakes specifically?
Also a few questions on marking the Unit 3 2000 exam.
Question 4(a) What are two characteristics of a virus?
My two answers were Non-living and Protein coat
As per the marking scheme I get 1 mark for Protein coat and the other answer could have been either they can reproduce inside a host or the contain DNA or RNA core. Thoughts?
Question 7(b) Name an effector that would bring about a physiological response to stimulus X (decrease of body temperature)
I said Muscles the answer says skeletal muscles.
So far, i've done U3/U4 2006, 2007 and 2008 exams in timed conditions (going forwards). In all honestly, I found 2006 to be the most difficult VCAA paper so far, considering the A+ cut-off was 54/75.
As for commercial papers, i've done none because i've got none (other than exampro). School isn't providing me with anything.
Are you kidding? I did this paper a few months back and aced the multiple choice and only dropped a few marks in the short answer section.
Those papers vary in difficulty from year to year but usually always a notch above VCAA.I wouldn't award you the mark for non-living because it isn't really a characteristic, it's more of a lack thereof. Also, referring to the protein coat as a capsid may show the examiner you have a better understanding than most other students.
Do you guys keep a log book with all your mistakes is so how do you study those mistakes specifically?
Also a few questions on marking the Unit 3 2000 exam.
Question 4(a) What are two characteristics of a virus?
My two answers were Non-living and Protein coat
As per the marking scheme I get 1 mark for Protein coat and the other answer could have been either they can reproduce inside a host or the contain DNA or RNA core. Thoughts?
Question 7(b) Name an effector that would bring about a physiological response to stimulus X (decrease of body temperature)I also wouldn't award the mark for muscles. The reason is because with one word marks, VCAA are usually very picky with their answers (think back to intact skin and beta pleated sheets)
I said Muscles the answer says skeletal muscles.
Does anyone know the A+ cut-offs for VCAA papers pre-2002. At the back end of the examiners reports there is a graph but no cut-offs.
I read in an extremely old thread that if the A+ cut-off was hypothetically speaking 60/75 thus top ~9-10% once you get to around 62/75 it takes out a huge amount of people moving to top 5-6% Anyone aware of anything like this.(It was for chemistry but it should be the same)
Is their a way to work out how many marks above the A+ cut-off you need to get various scores above 40 or is information from former students the best way to go?
Anyone have an extremely general rule(considering A+ cut-offs have ranged from 54-65/75 for exam score----->Study score for the exams that are out of 75marks
Thanks
Did you find pre 2002 VCAA exams to be harder than the recent onesI'm not too sure as I haven't been able to do the full exams as some questions aren't relevant anymore for instance for Unit 3 2000 I completed 58 marks.
Has anyone done the 2007 exam 1? I got 69/75 for a few stupid mistakes..69/75 is a great score! The A+ cut-off was 60.5/75 XD
They accepted ribosomes for bi). but for the bii). they only said that the rough endoplasmic reticulum produced and secreted the IgE antibodies. My main concern is, I know this is true, because if proteins are produced and secreted, then they're produced by the fixed ribosomes on the rough endoplasmic reticulum, and free ribosomes only produce proteins for intracellular use. So for part bii). I said that the ribosomes need to be present to produce these antibodies. Would this gain the mark or did I need to be specific about the rough ER ribosomes actually producing these antibodies, as they're secreted? Bump
69/75 is a great score! The A+ cut-off was 60.5/75 XD
Did you ace MC. I haven't done 2007 exam 1 but from what I've heard they should rename it and call it a test on immunity.
69/75 is a great score! The A+ cut-off was 60.5/75 XD
Did you ace MC. I haven't done 2007 exam 1 but from what I've heard they should rename it and call it a test on immunity.
Has anyone done the 2007 exam 1? I got 69/75 for a few stupid mistakes..
They accepted ribosomes for bi). but for the bii). they only said that the rough endoplasmic reticulum produced and secreted the IgE antibodies. My main concern is, I know this is true, because if proteins are produced and secreted, then they're produced by the fixed ribosomes on the rough endoplasmic reticulum, and free ribosomes only produce proteins for intracellular use. So for part bii). I said that the ribosomes need to be present to produce these antibodies. Would this gain the mark or did I need to be specific about the rough ER ribosomes actually producing these antibodies, as they're secreted?
Okay my answers would have been ribosomes & synthesis of proteins whilst relating the proteins to the antibodies because they asked for the "specific role"
So I don't see why you wouldn't get the mark.
A former assessor told me that they are given a sheet with suggested solutions but if they feel like the statement is correct and makes sense but not exactly like the solutions they will grant the mark.
Usually with the more ambiguous questions they are either really lenient or really harsh.
Where are B cells formed in the body? 1 mark
I answered "Thymus" as I thought they were produced there but the answers say bone marrow. Is their a distinction between formation as in they are called somthing else before they go to the bone marrow?
Also for the question attatched there was a arrow pointing to the myelin sheath but as it was pointing to a single cell I answered that it was a schwann cell. Answers say myelin sheath.
Both these questions are from VCAA 2001 Unit 3
Where are B cells formed in the body? 1 mark
I answered "Thymus" as I thought they were produced there but the answers say bone marrow. Is their a distinction between formation as in they are called somthing else before they go to the bone marrow?
Also for the question attatched there was a arrow pointing to the myelin sheath but as it was pointing to a single cell I answered that it was a schwann cell. Answers say myelin sheath.
Both these questions are from VCAA 2001 Unit 3
Where are B cells formed in the body? 1 mark
I answered "Thymus" as I thought they were produced there but the answers say bone marrow. Is their a distinction between formation as in they are called somthing else before they go to the bone marrow?
Also for the question attatched there was a arrow pointing to the myelin sheath but as it was pointing to a single cell I answered that it was a schwann cell. Answers say myelin sheath.
Both these questions are from VCAA 2001 Unit 3
The neuron is a bit ambiguous, not going to lie. But I would have said myelin sheath too, only because the black shade is actually surrounding/coating the axon, and it wasn't the whole cell shaded in, suggesting that this is the myelin sheath.Thanks for the input
Thanks for the input
Have you completed Unit 3 2001 -VCAA how did you go, I thought there was only about 49 marks which were available as per this study design.
Can anyone please share with me Unit 3 VCAA papers before 2002 as I can't seem to find them anywhere
Can anyone please share with me Unit 3 VCAA papers before 2002 as I can't seem to find them anywhereI've attached 2000 and 2001 in this post. :)
I've attached 2000 and 2001 in this post. :)
Is biology your only 3/4 this year? How often are you doing practice exams?Yup it's my only 3/4 how many are you doing this year?
Yup it's my only 3/4 how many are you doing this year?
I'm doing 1-2 practice exams but lately I've been reviewing my notes thoroughly especially for both Unit 3 & 4
Do you guys reckon we would need to get 40/40 for MC to have a chance at getting a 45
the average score in MC's have been
2014:~28.75
2013:~27.26
Obviously it depends on how you do on the SA but 40/40 would make it a lot easier. 1-2 exams every days???I'm trying to do 2 exams but been doing 1 exam each day of the holidays.
I'm trying to do 2 exams but been doing 1 exam each day of the holidays.
With the non-VCAA exams I tend to finish them with time to spare and I don't just wait for time to run out.
But with VCAA I do them in full timed conditions+reading time.
What scores do you get on non VCAA ones?I wasn't doing too well always around 4 marks were barely accessible so I was getting around 60-65/75 but doing better on VCAA stuff
I wasn't doing too well always around 4 marks were barely accessible so I was getting around 60-65/75 but doing better on VCAA stuff
What do you guys reckon the cut-off will be for a 45.
How do you get 110% on an exam?Slip some cash into the paper before you hand it in.
How do you get 110% on an exam?
Okay so I did VCAA 2001 Unit 4 and have a few questions.
Q6(b)Identify one selection pressure which may occur in spring and explain how this selection pressure accounts for the difference in the frequency of the two differently coloured ladybird beetles
I identified the correct selection pressures---predators
I then said In the spring there may be predators that can more easily identify & find black beetles than red beetles thus they are more likely to be eaten by the predators thus population decreased i.e Perecentage of black beetles decrease
The model answer is:
Predators (e.g. birds) are the selection pressure and flowers present in spring which camouflage the red beetles from
predators. The black beetles are more obvious and are eaten by predators while the red beetles survive and reproduce or a
different predator is present in spring that eats black beetles in preference to the red beetles.
Did I have to suggest the presence of flowers?
Q7(b)(i) Give one possible reason why fossils of Archaeopteryx are rare:
My answer: It is a transitional species & fossil. Which would have existed for a short time period
VCAA answer: Archaeopteryx were not common or lived in area where conditions were unsuitable for fossilisation or only lived in a small region or the animal deteriorated before fossilisation.
Archaeopteryx were not common, hence they are transitional fossils/organisms and there were not many in the population that could have been fossilised. Your answer is correct.
(ii)Give one possible reason why some of the Archaeopteryx fossil are incomplete
My answer: they were not fully buried initially
VCAA answer: Before fossilisation the individual was partially eaten or decomposed or its bones were scattered by water/predators. After fossilisation the fossil could have been broken or destroyed by Earth’s movements.
Not being buried initially implies that they did not have the sufficient conditions to fossilise, or that because they took so long to be burried/deposited with layers of sediment, their remains were subject to decay/deterioration and hence disallowed them to fossilise. Your answer is correct but you could definitely expand on it, just because they were not fully burried, so what though? ^
Q8(b) Attached
My answer Those isolated populations are not representative of the original population thus will have varying allele frequencies & if g allele is not present it won't get inserted unless gene flow occurs
VCAA answer: The Founder effect or population established from a few individuals which randomly results in different allele frequencies depending upon the genotypes of the founding members or a Bottleneck or population reduced to a few individuals
randomly result in different allele frequencies or Genetic Drift, in a population there may be chance events which can cause
changes in allele frequencies and this has a greater potential impact on a small population.
Students who referred to the example given and mentioned what may happen if the founding members of a population
were all heterozygotes or alternatively all homozygotes(GG) were awarded full marks.
What do you mean by not representative of the original population? I would say that because the population size is much smaller, then any non-selective event, like genetic drift (bottle neck or founder effect) or even if like a massive draught hit the population, will reduce the allele frequency. You could also argue that because the Gg allele has a higher reproductive rate than the GG allele, then populations with the Gg allele will keep reproducing much quicker, hence the allele frequency will rise for the g allele, than populations dominated by the GG allele.
I wasn't doing too well always around 4 marks were barely accessible so I was getting around 60-65/75 but doing better on VCAA stuff
What do you guys reckon the cut-off will be for a 45?
When is everyone going to do the 2013-2014 exams?In the few days before the actual exam
ive done the 2013 exam and i think il do it another 5 times until the actual exam lol
Who has done the 2015 insight exam. How did you find it?
Just did VCAA Unit 4 2002, kinda weird exam, some extremely tough questions and some extremely easy questions.
I got 68/75, lost 1 mark on MC for question 19, and lost 2 whole stupid marks on linked gene notation.
Has any one else done this exam, how did you go?
Are there grade distributions available for pre-2006?
Also has anyone done stuff from before 2006 and after 2006 If so how do they compare?
Can someone explain question 19
Question 19
The common evolutionary ancestry of many organisms is reflected by a geographic distribution consistent with the former supercontinent Gondwanaland.
An example of this is the distributions of
A. parastacid crayfish in South America, New Zealand, Australia and New Guinea.
B. bears in North and South America, Europe and Asia.
C. flying foxes in Australia, Asia, Africa and Europe.
D. mockingbirds in South and North America
Answer is A I said B
The supercontinent that existed was known as Pangaea broke into the continents of Laurasia and Gondwana. Gondwana composed of Australia, Antartica, India, New Zealand whereas Laurasia broke into the northern hemisphere (modern) such as Asia, so B could not be correct.
I just did 2002 VCAA. It was so easy.
What did you get? Going to do it now :)
92%. There are some irrelevant questions on the unit 4. Haven't done unit 3
Did you do the irrelevant ones?
If you want to have a go at one of the harder VCAA papers do Unit 4 2003 it's probably comparable to Unit 3 2006 (A+ cut-off 54/75) my estimated A+ cut-off for Unit 4 2003 probably around 55-57/75.
Can anyone provide a extremely rule for how many marks you need to be above the A+ cut-off to get a 45?
An 87% on last years exam with good SAC's got you a high 40. I just checked, the A+ cutoff for 2006 was 60.5 (121/150)Really I thought 87% would just scrape a 40 as it only got a very low A+; what do you mean by high 40? Do you have any specific examples?
Really I thought 87% would just scrape a 40 as it only got a very low A+; what do you mean by high 40? Do you have any specific examples?
A+ for Unit 3 was 54/75(108/150)
An 87% would be 43+ most years assuming good sac marksyeah most years stuff like 65/75+65/75(around 87%) would be 43+ by experience I think closer to 44-45, but in the last year it definitely wasn't, really weird year last year with extremely high cut-off(possibly because it was a easier exam and fairly marked).
yeah most years stuff like 65/75+65/75(around 87%) would be 43+ by experience I think closer to 44-45, but in the last year it definitely wasn't, really weird year last year with extremely high cut-off(possibly because it was a easier exam and fairly marked).
I think exams in the new SD are easier/more fairly marked overall as averages have increased from ~50-53% to ~55-59% as well as A+ cut-offs.
Has anyone done the 2014 paper?
I am doing it tonight xD
Has anyone done the 2014 paper?Nope, I'm going to do it with roughly a week to go.
I am doing it tonight xD
Nope, I'm going to do it with roughly a week to go.
Let us know how you go, BTW have you done 2013?
How many practice exams has everyone done so far?
Has anyone done the 2014 paper?What result did you get?
I am doing it tonight xD
have any of you done 2015 TSSM? Is TSSM, in general hard or easy?I haven't done the 2015 TSSM, but from the other TSSM papers I've done, I can say that they're generally pretty easy.
Has anyone done VCAA 97 U4? I got 72/75 but gave myself a mark for q 4b because i disagree with the answer they gave ???
Yeah 97 was easy
is 98 easy as well?
How did you guys go on VCAA 2008 I got:
Unit 3[70/75] A+[62.5/75]
Unit 4[64/75] A+[56.5/75]
7.5 marks over the A+ cut-off on both XD, IMO Unit 4 was very tough, probably had to compensate for how easy Unit 3 was.
Yeah apparently 2008 is the easiest out of all of them
So i see a trend in the A+ cutoffs. They are gradually increasing every year.If they were getting smarter it would starting scaling up more; like +2 or +3.
Do you guys think this is because the biology cohort is becoming more 'smarter' or that the exams are just becoming easier?
Honestly, I think harder exams are better because stupid errors don't count as much then but seeing as last years exam was one of the easiest I think this years will be closer to the 2013 difficulty.
Has anyone done VCAA 97 U4? I got 72/75 but gave myself a mark for q 4b because i disagree with the answer they gave ???
Your score is beast! I got 69/75 for that one I think, or maybe it was 98 I honestly can't remember but it was definitely one of them.
Good job!
Did you find 2013 hard ???? I found it the easiest of all the VCAAs I did, and I thought (maybe it's bias from having actually sat it) that 2014 was a bit harder. I'd hope 2015 is harder, however, to compare with ones like 2006. Though I feel the 'difficulty' of company exams (which go way out of what VCAA ever said they'd test you on) can sometimes make VCAA exams feel easy.I haven't done 2013 yet just speculation.(A+ cut-offs) do you remember what you got on it, it really doesn't matter how easy or hard it is if everyone performs equally well on both but harder exams give you a little more room for stupid errors.
I haven't done 2013 yet just speculation.(A+ cut-offs) do you remember what you got on it, it really doesn't matter how easy or hard it is if everyone performs equally well on both but harder exams give you a little more room for stupid errors.
I don't think VCAA is going to want another exam with a A+ cutoff of 72% but also last years you could lose roughly 2 marks for a 50.
Dude if they're all so easy hope you get a 50 :P
From this AN's cohort, who do you think is going to get a 50?
Without question I nominate:
1. Biology24123
2. Sine
3. Bruzzix
4. Warya
I would nominate BakedDwarf but I need to see more questions on the thread from you brah! xD
From this AN's cohort, who do you think is going to get a 50?
EVERYONE!!!! :p
2015 AN cohort is gonna smash it! Good luck guys!!!! :D
do you guys think it's too late to be doing commercial exams and that I should focus on doing vcaa exam?
anyone done the STAV 2015 unit 3 and 4 exam? I thought was relatively ok, i'm surprised about how straightforward it was apart from one question about pregnancy testing which took a while to get but overall not hard i think.
anyone done the STAV 2015 unit 3 and 4 exam? I thought was relatively ok, i'm surprised about how straightforward it was apart from one question about pregnancy testing which took a while to get but overall not hard i think.
From this AN's cohort, who do you think is going to get a 50?1.cosine #cosineiscoming #cosinefor99,95
I will definitely not get a 50, I'm not rank one and I think my 97 exam score was a fluke hahahwasn't your 97 exam score like 72/75 that's the top of the state.XD
You will though!!!!!
do you guys think it's too late to be doing commercial exams and that I should focus on doing vcaa exam?If your in year twelve just do VCAA papers and nothing else, if your are in eleven maybe do some if you want to. Usually if I only have like 30-60mins I just do parts of company papers and come back to it later.
EVERYONE!!!! :pThankyou!
2015 AN cohort is gonna smash it! Good luck guys!!!! :D
Thankyou!
What are you guys going to be doing around a week to go(or after you have completed all VCAA papers)?
Yeah I did it on Wednesday. That pregnancy question was so annoying
Pregnancy one was alright?
I think the most annoying part of STAV 2015 was MC, some were very irrelevant and ambiguous101
I haven't done any VCAA papers for a while. Mainly because I've done all the questions from 2006-2012 from checkpoints. Is it worth doing the papers and going over the same questions again?
Did anyone do 2007 exam for unit 4.
Yes I did, want to know my score?
I haven't done any VCAA papers for a while. Mainly because I've done all the questions from 2006-2012 from checkpoints. Is it worth doing the papers and going over the same questions again?
What did you get on 2006 unit 4
69/75 i got for both units that year
That's good
You gonna tell me yours or? haha
What are you guys averaging for vcaa exams? I'm getting around 87ish% should I be worried?
I feel like I should be getting higher marks
Like the specificity kills
Really? My sacs according to grade distributions would be A for u3 and A+ for u4; if I get around 87% for the exam, will it guarantee me a 45+?
Im redoing vcaa because they're pretty much going to repeat the same concepts but make it harder this year :P
Guys, vcaa hasn't asked much about stem cells in the past few years, so it's better to study those concepts well!
I was planning to make a list of all the things they haven't asked us in the past few years, so that we can prepare for those. What do you guys think?
Grade distributions 2014 would be similar to this year's one. Scroll down of the grade distributions PDF and it says 'coursework 3/4' . It'll tell you your grade for your average sac percentage :)
I just want a 45+ then I'll be happy :)
fml my teacher made us do 2014 MC in class today, great..
Try having to do all of 2014 as a trial exam today, I'm only up to 2006 don't make me do this now :'(
You have to draw like 5 antibodies and it was honestly the hardest thing
Not sure if you're being serious haha?
I got 38/40 for the MC guys, not sure if this is even good..? Is this even 40 worthy? I mean losing 2 marks on MC, leaving me only 12 marks on the SA to lose.. Anyone else done the 2014 paper?
I'm not joking haha! Not sure about the antibodies but the rest of it was pretty okay. I noticed it was very different from previous years' papers- less regurgitation of pre learned definitions and much more unfamiliar scenarios. Have a crack, its too late to be worried about saving them I guess, I'm kinda glad to have done it now
Just so you know, as far as I remember from checking my answers after the exam, I got 38 last year too.
I promise you. I was as ignorant as hell last year. still am But I felt fairly 45-ish back then, because I hadn't been on this forum - and compared to everyone else I could see, I was doing fine. This forum tends to assume that you need full marks or ridiculous knowledge levels to score mid-40s marks - it's honestly not true! This feeling comes because everyone who's posting on this site is like top 2-5% material, and not representative of the real population.
And yes, for 99% of people, lots of the 2014 questions were hard. It may be easy for you, but that's coz you're a super-rare case :P
I didn't mean the exam was easy haha, I haven't done the SA yet, doing it tomorrow in class so exam conditions. I just was questioning the antibodies,how could that be hard?Sorry, let me rephrase that it sounds mean xD Why did you find drawing the antibodies hard? Was it a trick question or??
Nice! Do you know what questions you lost the marks on? I posted mine on the bio thread so if you see them you might remember if you also found those two difficult? Also if you don't mind me asking, what sac average did you have, and what rank were you? Just for the sake of everyone here who also dreams of getting 45 like you did, do you know how many marks you lost in total on the exam? Also did you find it harder than usual?
Cheers.
The front cover and exam materials have now been released for all 2015 VCE exams:Check out Biology.
http://www.vcaa.vic.edu.au/Pages/vce/exams/examcovers/2015examindex.aspx
I do indeed remember. Lost marks on the geological time scale question, and the flamingoes (both easy questions, just... well don't know, timed conditions do that to you). And yes, though I found the potassium one you posted hard, I did figure it out.
SAC average - I was at DECV, had like a 94% average (super easy SACs) and was rank 1 because it was a pretty bad cohort - only one other from the cohort got 40+ (40 from memory). No clue of my SA marks on the exam... I found it pretty similar to others, easier than 2006/early in the last study design, but harder than 2013.
You'll have absolutely no problem getting a 45, cosine. Unless you have some hidden sections of the course you know nothing about. Keep studying for the higher 40s!
Check out Biology.
11 SA questions as opposed to 12 in 2013 & 2014.
Total exam is 45 pages long as opposed to 41 pages in both 2013 & 2014. More diagrams? More text?
Uhh, when should I be doing the VCAA 2013/2014 exams? They're the only VCAA ones i've got left
Considering everyone here has basically done them, should i do them or wait a few days before the actual exam (this is what i was considering)?
People underestimate how a big an achievement a 40 is in any subject
Okay, yeah, I fully agree. Interestingly, AN has two dichotomous but co-existing problems: a) saying '40 is piss easy and everyone can easily get it' (RUBBISH!!!), and b) thinking that to get a high score you need to know LOADS of information (like the belief that 38/40 can't get a 40+ score, or that you need to know respiration or transcription or photosynthesis in heaapppps of detail). I'm against both mindsets.
If proteins require DNA to be synthesised, and DNA requires proteins to be expressed, for VCE Biol, do we need to know which molecule God created first?
How did everyone find 2012 unit 4 exam?
Ridiculously difficult. I lost 6 marks on a SINGLE question about the gene cloning, never been so disheartened before..I don't remember a gene cloning question...?
And that define homologous chromosomes question, I said they are chromosomes that are found in pairs, one from the paternal and maternal line, but now I know that the proper definition is that homologous chromosomes are chromosomes that come in pairs and have identical gene loci, but may possess different alleles for the genes. The MC was not bad, think I lost just one mark, but definitely made up for it on the SA part..
How did you find it?
What did everyone get for 2014. Our teacher marked it so harshly
I got 99/110 and yeah so did our teacher, e.g. For the last wooly mammoth question the examiner report suggested that u could've said allopatric speciation or speciation, I went with speciation but my teacher took 2 marks off ???
Definetely room for improvement regardless, some very silly mistakes like mitochondria is the site of anaerobic respiration wtf haha
I got 99/110 and yeah so did our teacher, e.g. For the last wooly mammoth question the examiner report suggested that u could've said allopatric speciation or speciation, I went with speciation but my teacher took 2 marks off ???
Definetely room for improvement regardless, some very silly mistakes like mitochondria is the site of anaerobic respiration wtf haha
I got 1/2 marks for a lot of question which is annoying and lost 4 in MC. Lots of areas to improve
I got 1/2 marks for a lot of question which is annoying and lost 4 in MC. Lots of areas to improvedont even worry, those MC were a joke, far out..
dont even worry, those MC were a joke, far out..I agree I got 37/40 that phylogeny tree graph thing at the end >:(
I agree I got 37/40 that phylogeny tree graph thing at the end >:(
Not even, that bloody plant and motor cells question... okay then.. and also the second last question, how does tools and fireplaces help with socialism?
Sooooooooo how many practice exams has everyone done so far? and how many are you aiming to complete?
Does anyone have a clear image of the diagram on page 28 of the STAV 2015 exam? My teacher photocopied the exam for me but it is unclear.
(i don't think this is really sharing copyrighted material?)
dont even worry, those MC were a joke, far out..
I'm just wondering, if 87% was last years cut off, does that mean 87% would have been around a low 40's SS
so I just did 2004 VCAA (I know , kinda late but my school forced us to do random ones earlier and now am just trying to fill gaps. )
and there are soooo many questions I was unable to do. So I 've got questions:
- insulin is not on course, right?
-do I need to know microgilia and ependymal?
- do we need to know microscopic units and can anyone provide a run down of which ones we need to know?
thanks :)
I just finished the 2013 Biology exam, has anyone else done it?If you post your answers here I'm sure there'll be people willing to check :)
I was wondering if someone was willing to cross mark with me? I will mark yours and you mark mine, because the assessors report are a bit here and there... Anyone up for it? Let me know
+ also share tips and maybe learn from each other's mistakes?
Question 1 cii).1cii) Yeah that should be okay
Name of input: ATP
Role: The ATP molecules are derived from the light-dependent stages and are used to provide energy for the light-independent reactions
My query: Would this obtain full marks? Because the answer has provides energy for the production of glucose, but I said provides energy for the light-independent reactions. The specificity is killing me.
Question 2c:
Describe what is meant by tertiary structure and quaternary protein structures:
Tertiary structure of a protein refers tot he R-Group interactions between amino acids within the same polypeptide chains resulting in a functional three dimensional shape, and the quaternary structure describes polypeptides with more than one polypeptide chain joined together.
My query: I don't know if this will get full marks. Is what I have said about tertiary structure correct?
Question 3ii).
Suggest how epinephrine can produce different responses in smooth muscle cells and liver cells:
The signal transduction pathways in muscle cells are different to that of the signal transduction pathways of liver cells.
My query: Answer just says the receptors are different, OR the secondary messengers are different. Is my answer correct though?
Question 5b:
Explain why the autoantibody test woudl be negative even though the genetic screen was positive:
The autoimmune disease may only be a cell-mediated disease with no involvement of antibodies and hence no autoantibodies. Cytotoxic T cells recognise the antigens presented on MHC Class I markers of these 'self' cells as non-self and hence destroy them via the degranulation of perforin and granzymes.
My query: Answer says something about the response and production taking a long time.. Is my answer correct though? So in other words can antibodies be produced to agglutinate our own self cells in autoimmune diseases?
Question 9b).
What is a gene pool?
A gene pool is the collection of all the genes and their respective alleles in a given population.
My query: The report only says collection of alleles and not genes. Is my definition correct or not?
Define genetic drift and bottleneck effect:
Genetic drift occurs when the allele frequencies of a gene pool of a population changes due to chance events that are non-selective
Bottleneck effect is a form of genetic drift where non-selective events such as natural disasters change the allele frequency and the resulting frequencies may not be a representative of the original population.
My query: These are worded differently from the assessors, what do you think, are these incorrect or not?
Thank you.
1cii) Yeah that should be okay
2c) The main point about the tertiary structure is that it's the overall 3-d conformation of the protein due to a variety of intermolecular interactions which largely determines its function, so I think you've got it there.
3ii) That's valid.
5b) Hm.. not too sure about this one. Your reasoning is sound, but the fact that they specifically refer to the autoimmune disease as eliciting antibody production implies that this is a humoral response, not a cell-mediated one.
9b) That's alright because you mention their respective alleles
With regards to genetic drift/bottleneck effect, your definitions are okay; if they're merely worded differently then that's no problem.
Thank you man, means a lot.Good question. You have to recall how the humoral response is activated - a B cell encounters a free-floating antigen to which it binds, et cetera. Is this possible in a transplant rejection? It may be, I'm not entirely sure myself, but I'd think that it's highly unlikely.
As for the 5b question, my answer could be partially correct but I just realised also that autoimmune disease certainly do involve the recognition of self cells as non-self, but this does not necessarily mean that ONLY cell-mediated immunity responds. Clearly as I just discovered over some research too, that Cytotoxic T cells can destroy the targeted cells via recognition of the self antigens presented on MHC I markers as non-self, OR the production of autoantibodies that agglutinate the self cells/tissue. This is all possible because of the activated T helper cells, which in turn release cytokines to activate BOTH cytotoxic and B cells.
However, this raises another issue at hand. During transplant rejection, why is it that only the cell-mediated response occurs? Why cannot antibodies be produced to agglutinate the non-self cells? Like sure there's non-self antigens presented on the MHC I of the organ transplant, but wouldn't the T helper cells be activated either way, and thus activate B and T cells?
Good question. You have to recall how the humoral response is activated - a B cell encounters a free-floating antigen to which it binds, et cetera. Is this possible in a transplant rejection? It may be, I'm not entirely sure myself, but I'd think that it's highly unlikely.
If 87% was the A+ cut-off, then receiving 87% would've given you a SS around 40. :)
Good question. You have to recall how the humoral response is activated - a B cell encounters a free-floating antigen to which it binds, et cetera. Is this possible in a transplant rejection? It may be, I'm not entirely sure myself, but I'd think that it's highly unlikely.
Possible, but not entirely sure about this. In a transplant, it is not just the organ that is transplanted, but its associated interstitial fluid and some plasma, which is bound to have protein molecules swimming around. Those protein molecules can so easily initiate a humoral immune response.
However, the actual cells (eg. liver cells in a liver transplant) will initiate a cell-mediated immune response for sure.
Is everyone going to do the sample supplied by VCAA in 2013? it seems to comprise of mostly past questions with a few new ones I think?
Can you link me it?
2008 unit 4 was pretty tough. Have you guys done itHow did you go? It was a tough exam the A+ cut-off was [113/150] I think.
How did you go? It was a tough exam the A+ cut-off was [113/150] I think.
Have any of you guys done the Insight 2012 unit 4 exam?
Can someone check whether I would be able to obtain any marks from these answers? All questions are from VCAA 2010 Unit 4I don't see why you would lose marks for any of those answers. They seem fine to me. Someone please correct me if I'm wrong.
Can someone check whether I would be able to obtain any marks from these answers? All questions are from VCAA 2010 Unit 4
Q1(c)(ii) What is a key difference between a prokaryotic chromosome and a plasmid? 1 mark
My Answer: Prokaryotic chromosomes cannot be passed along between bacteria, plasmids can be passed from bacterium to bacterium.
VCAA answers: replicate independently of binary fission
can be used as vectors in genetic transformation.
Q3(c) Explain why the male is phenotypically normal in spite of carrying the translocation shown? 1 mark
My Answer: There is no loss of genetic material thus they can still synthesise appropriate proteins.
VCAA answer:The same genetic material is still present within the cell but in a different position.
Q3(e)(ii) Outline your reasoning (check exam Unit 4 2010) 1 mark
My answer: There are 4 possible permutation of chromosomes via independent assortment, only 1 way in which the normal chromosomes are on the same side. 1/2 chance of one normal chromosome being on one side & 1/2 chance of the other normal chromosome being on the same side i.e 1/2 x 1/2 = 1/4
VCAA answer: For each homologous pair of chromosomes there are two choices of lining up. There are therefore four possibilities, of
which one combination has both normal (untranslocated) chromosomes.
Q4(b) What would you expect to happen to the shell thickness of the northern blue mussels over time? Explain your reasoning? 2 marks
My answer: I would expect the thickness to remain relatively constant as those mussels are not being subjected to a change in environment or change in selection pressures.
VCAA answer: Either of:
no change in variation and due to crabs (selection pressure) not being present
variation occurs due to a different selection pressure or gene flow with the Southern population.
Q5(b) Why was the inactivation of one of the centromeres a significant step in human evolution? 2 marks
My answer: It ensured that human chromosome 2 was able to line up as homologous pair of chromosomes in meiosis to produce gametes.
VCAA answer: Both of:
the inactivation of one centromere enables meiosis/cell replication to occur
gametes are able to be produced.
Q(b)(ii) Outline one disadvantage of a plantation of marula trees grown through marcotting compared to a natural population of marula trees 1 mark
My answer: This decreases genetic variation subsequently they are more likely to go extinct in changes of environment & changes of selection pressures.
VCAA answer: The lack of variety means that for example, should a disease occur, the resistance would be the same and may lead to
extinction.
Thanks in advance!
1cii—maybe, though probably not. Within the bounds of the VCE course you are probably correct, but I would venture that it's not really a key difference.Thanks so much!!
3c—again, maybe. You've understood that there's no loss of material, but I'd guess that they'd probably want some sort of indication that you understood what a translocation is, which with your answer you haven't really demonstrated.
3eii—yep, all good
4b—maybe. If they've mentioned crabs in the detail of the question you should mention them too. It's not enough to give the theory, you do have to relate it to the problem that they've presented. In this case, they were testing whether or not you could apply concepts in evolution to this problem.
5b—yep, you've said what they've asked for just with more words.
bii—you probably would get the marks for this, though it does sound like you're floundering a bit. I think with this one you've struggled to express what you wanted to say, but you do seem to know what you're on about. For that reason, they would probably give you the marks, as you are essentially correct. Lack of variation leads to more likely extinction in a changing environment.
What is the hardest VCAA exam that is recommended to do? Other than the 2006 exam.
What is the hardest VCAA exam that is recommended to do? Other than the 2006 exam.
Well, i know for the fact that 2012 was the easiest one.
A+ cutoff for exam 1 was 64/75
A+ cutoff for exam 2 was 65/75
This is the highest i've seen so far.
Last years cut off was 87%
For example if the A+ cut-off was roughly 60-62 what scores would be needed out of 75 to get a 45 given good sac ranking?
Around 66/75 probablyThat's pretty nice to know, although I know if I remove my stupid errors(how do you get rid of them?) I'd be getting +(1-3) marks each exam and at the top end that's a few study scores.
That's pretty nice to know, although I know if I remove my stupid errors(how do you get rid of them?) I'd be getting +(1-3) marks each exam and at the top end that's a few study scores.
i was just wondering, which of the company exams are most similar to VCAA exams in terms of bio??
Okay a few more clarifications on exam answers. XD
This time VCAA 2011 Unit 4
Q3(b)(ii)Explain why this procedure must occur(alluding to the removal of the nucleus from an egg in cloning(enucleation)) 2 marks
My Answer: If it didn't occur the egg would contain 3n amount of DNA which makes it polyploidy thereby very unlikely to survive. The removal of the nucleus makes the egg diploid when the donor nucleus is added thus thought to be fertilised.
VCAA answers: Ensure: the DNA of the egg/donor female is removed AND only the desired DNA/correct number of chromosomes in clone.
Q6(c)(I):Explain why low genetic diversity in a population threatens the survival of the population 2 marks
My Answer: If a population has low genetic diversity it has a greater chance of extinction if subjected to a change of selection pressures or change in environment.
VCAA answers:Both of: an environmental condition, such as disease AND members are more susceptible or at risk of extinction.
Q7(c)(ii): Outline two types of evidence other than DNA analysis, that can be used to determine the relatedness and age of early hominins. 2 marks
My Answer:( for the first mark I correctly stated amino acid sequences for common proteins) My second point--->Similarities in morphological structures
VCAA answer:Comparisons of; fossils, tools, amino acids, (dating methods)--->Stratigraphy and radioisotopic dating.
Thanks XD
Overall was a very simple exam, explains the A+ cut-off of 64.5
Do we need to remember our VCAA number to write on the exam or are we given it?
Have you guys done the Neap 2015 exam?
Did you guys find that the questions were a bit more difficult/more confusing than usual?
I did it a few weeks ago and it was pretty tough
okay, that makes me feel a bit better.
I just did it and I'm looking at these questions like what the f
Our class average was 62%
What score do you need out of 110 for last years exam to get 45+? (assuming high rank+ strong cohort)
Can someone suggest a 3 dot point summary for DNA Replication that would be worth 3 marks in a VCAA exam
SpoilerQuestion 1d: Zenkeys are unable to produce offspring. Using your knowledge of gamete formation, suggest why the Zenkey is sterile.
My answer: Zenkeys are sterile because in their genome, they do not have homologous chromosomes present, and so meiosis cannot occur successfully to produce gametes.
VCAA answer: Chromosomes are not homologous and therefore will not pair up during meiosis
Would my answer get full marks? Also when it says sterile, does this just mean that the zenkeys can breed but cannot actually produce the offspring?SpoilerQuestion 8b:
In October 2004, on the remote Indonesian island of Flores, archaeologists discovered bones from a new species
of human called Homo fl oresiensis. These humans were much smaller than modern humans, with adults being
about 1 metre in height and weighing around 25 kilograms. Bones from six or seven individuals have been
discovered in sediments ranging in age from 94 000 to 13 000 years. The skeletons indicate that these humans
had relatively long arms and a very small brain relative to body size, about equivalent to that of a chimpanzee.
They had hard, thick eyebrow ridges and a sharply sloping forehead and no chin. Modern humans, Homo
sapiens, are thought to have evolved somewhere between 55 000 and 35 000 years ago.
It has been suggested that Homo florensis evolved from a population of Homo erectus. List two features from the fossil remains that support this view.
Why was small brains not an acceptable answer? Is it because small brains are not part of the fossil remains, but rather a small cranial capacity would have been a more suitable answer?
Question: Do you need to write in full sentences? For example:
With reference to the pedigree, explain why the locus for white coat colour cannot be X-linked recessive:
"In generation III, individuals 1 had the trait so would be homozygous and III-2 did not have the trait, meaning their female offspring must be heterozygous and not express white colours, but is contradicted in IV-3"
OR
"The locus cannot be X-linked because..."
Can anyone help me out, please?
And biology24123, yes, most likely. But a friend of mine got an A+ on both the spesh exams and got a 39 raw, so not guaranteed but most likely
And biology24123, yes, most likely. But a friend of mine got an A+ on both the spesh exams and got a 39 raw, so not guaranteed but most likelyLast year a 39 raw in spec scaled to 50.2
Yeah If you are rank then 66-67/75 would get you around a 45
Sounds about right. If you're doing 2010 VCAA or earlier...
I vaguely remember someone getting 67.5 and 67 in 2010 and ended up with a 47. I myself got 68.5 and 72 and ended up with 50 + Premiers - if you wanted to gauge how well you are doing in your past VCAAs.
What do you guys think about exam score--->Study score for VCAA 2012
The A+ cut-offs were ridiculous, Unit 3 [64.5/75] Unit 4{65/75], I got around 70/75 for Unit 3 and 70-72/75 for Unit 4?
What do you guys think about exam score--->Study score for VCAA 2012
The A+ cut-offs were ridiculous, Unit 3 [64.5/75] Unit 4{65/75], I got around 70/75 for Unit 3 and 70-72/75 for Unit 4?
Probs 50...no point thinking about that stuff though, no one can give you a definitive answer
How did you guys go with VCAA 2013? And does anyone know what you would need to get on it for 45 or over?you needed roughly 98-99/110 for a 45 with near to full scaling sac marks.
10(a) What molecular information would the scientist obtain from sequencing RNA? 1 mark
My Answer: The sequence of amino acids exhibited in polypeptides produced by the virus in a host cell.
VCAA Answer: The sequence of nucleotides or bases could be determined.
Mark: 0/1. Issue here is that from the RNA sequence alone, you cannot figure out which proteins the virus can make because you do not know which segments of RNA are actually used to produce protein.
Hope that helps! Sorry if I sounded mean :(
VCAA 2013Thanks for the help :) greatly appreciated!, haha it's actually more of a confidence boost because usually I just mark my self wrong if my answer is not similar to the assessors report.
5(a) Question: What role do these autoantibodies play in causing the symptoms of an autoimmune disease? 1 mark
My Answer: Autoantibodies are specific to self-cells & work on self-cells by bind to them (opsinization) results in phagocytes engulfing and destroying self-material causing symptoms of an auto immune disease.
VCAA Answer: Autoantibodies attack self-cells and the destruction of this tissue leads to the symptoms of the disease.
Mark: 0.5/1. Whilst you got the essentials here, my concern is your use of the word 'opsonisation'. This term describes a process whereby the binding of an antibody to an antigen makes it easier for a phagocyte to engulf the antigen. I'm not sure whether you used that term to describe the binding of antibodies to the antigen, or its true definition. I think one examiner will pay the mark whereas the other may not, so 0.5/1.
5(b) Explain why the auto antibody test could be negative even though the genetic screen was positive. (My answer is totally different) 2 marks
My Answer: The teenager may be heterozygous at that gene loci & the trait may be autosomal recessive thus required two faulty alleles to express the phenotype to produce the auto antibodies, therefore did not produce auto antibodies.
VCAA Answer: The genetic screen indicates the potential to develop the disease and the absence of autoantibodies indicates that the disease has not yet been switched on.
Mark: 0.5/1. I wasn't sure about this. For your level of knowledge at Year 12, it would have been perfectly reasonable to say what you did. If I were an examiner, I'd give you full marks. However, I'm anticipating that some examiners may give the mark, and others wouldn't.
8(c)(iii) Explain whether you would expect the same genotype and phenotypes in the offspring if the two genes had been linked. 1 mark
My Answer: No the phenotypes and genotypes would be different as some allelic pairs would more likely to be inherited together & some only occurring when crossing over occurs between the gene loci. The phenotype & genotypic ratio would be large: large (parental combinations) & small: small (recombinant combinations
VCAA Answer: Yes. The same genotypes and phenotypes are possible if crossing over/recombination occurred OR
No. Only two types of genotypes and phenotypes are produced, or the majority are of two types.
Mark: 1/1. Careful though, when using terms like genotypic and phenotypic ratio, that you are clear in what you expect them to be. I nearly gave you 0.5 for this.
10(a) What molecular information would the scientist obtain from sequencing RNA? 1 mark
My Answer: The sequence of amino acids exhibited in polypeptides produced by the virus in a host cell.
VCAA Answer: The sequence of nucleotides or bases could be determined.
Mark: 0/1. Issue here is that from the RNA sequence alone, you cannot figure out which proteins the virus can make because you do not know which segments of RNA are actually used to produce protein.
Hope that helps! Sorry if I sounded mean :(
Just going to jump in on this one. I'm not sure whether VCAA would give you the marks for this one given your answer differs so substantially from theirs, but your answer is correct.
It is possible, indeed relatively easy in fact, to work out the sequence of amino acids in a protein by sequencing the RNA that codes for it. Well beyond the VCE course, but you can use bioinformatic tools to work out which parts of the RNA are coding for protein and which parts correspond to untranslated regions.
thanks, I have no idea why I didn't just say sequence of bases. I need to make sure to give the most obvious answer.
For the attached:
- How do we know how many things to label on the diagram?
- You see how my arrows are mostly facing the north side of the page? Do we need to keep this organised and keep all arrows to one side of the diagram?
- Can the arrows go through the structures of the diagram? Like when i labelled DNA helicase the arrow went through the DNA, is this allowed?
- Do we need to show the nitrogenous bases or are the lines alright?
There are about 10 things that you can label to get the marks. Some things you missed are showing the double helix complementary base pairing, DNA ligase and labeling leading and lagging strand. The layout is fine
- So do we have to include the base pairings?
- And is it 4 marks = 4 labels ALWAYS or ?
And also for the difference between binary fission and mitosis, i said that mitosis is nuclear division of eukaryotic cells, whereas binary fission is the cellular division of prokaryotes. Is this correct?