This exam focus covers Exam Focus within Competition Adaptations for GCSE Biology. Topic 2: Competition Adaptations It is section 12 of 14 in this topic. Treat this as a marking guide for what examiners are looking for, not just a fact list.
Topic position
Section 12 of 14
Practice
15 questions
Recall
20 flashcards
Exam Focus
Frequently ExaminedCompetition and adaptations appear on both AQA Paper 1 and Paper 2. Adaptation questions are common in 3-6 mark structured responses. Key question patterns include:
- Adaptation explanation questions (3-4 marks): "Describe and explain how the polar bear is adapted to its environment" — always identify the feature AND explain the survival advantage it provides.
- Type identification questions (1-2 marks): "State whether this is a structural, behavioural, or functional adaptation and explain why" — use SBF to classify.
- Competition questions (2-3 marks): Distinguish between intraspecific and interspecific competition with examples.
- Extremophile questions (2-3 marks): Describe how an organism is adapted to an extreme environment, naming the specific challenge (heat, pressure, salt) and the adaptation that addresses it.
Common mark-losing errors: Saying organisms "choose" or "decide" to adapt; naming an adaptation without explaining its survival value; confusing structural and functional adaptations; describing camels as storing water in their hump.