PAss Functional Skills

Enzymes and digestion

Enzymes and digestion for A Level Environmental Science AQA: what it means, how to set the working out, and the questions it is asked in.
  • A Level
  • AQA
  • Environmental Science
  • Spec S5
  • 7 min read
  • 6 revision boxes

Introduction

2 boxes
1 min read

What is enzymes and digestion?

Listen to this box

Transcript

A short spoken summary of enzymes and digestion and where it is used.

A spoken walk-through of enzymes and digestion before you read the notes.
Work through the method one line at a time and write down what changes at each step.
Worth knowing: 49=7\sqrt{49} = 7.
4 rows

The enzymes and digestion reference table

Check the answer against an estimate before you move on, so a place-value slip is caught here.
The layout below is the one the mark scheme expects.

Diagram showing enzymes and digestion laid out step by step

The same idea drawn out, so the method is visible.
Worth knowing: 34×25\frac{3}{4} \times \frac{2}{5}.
Term
Meaning
Example
Common slip
Row 1 column 1
Row 1 column 2
×10\times 10 moves every digit one column left
Row 1 column 4
Row 2 column 1
Row 2 column 2
34×25\frac{3}{4} \times \frac{2}{5}
Row 2 column 4
Row 3 column 1
Row 3 column 2
≈160\approx 160
Row 3 column 4
Row 4 column 1
Row 4 column 2
≈160\approx 160
Row 4 column 4

Learning

2 boxes
5 steps

How to work with enzymes and digestion

Read the units in the question before you start; a converted unit is the most common slip.
The layout below is the one the mark scheme expects.

Diagram showing enzymes and digestion laid out step by step

The same idea drawn out, so the method is visible.
Worth knowing: x2+5x+6=0x^2 + 5x + 6 = 0.
  1. Read the question and write down what is being asked for.
  2. Set out the working for enzymes and digestion in the order the method gives.
  3. Substitute the values and simplify.
  4. Check the answer against an estimate before writing it down.
Start from the definition and substitute the numbers the question gives you.
Simplify one line at a time: 49=7\sqrt{49} = 7.
Answer: x2+5x+6=0x^2 + 5x + 6 = 0
3 rules

Key facts: Enzymes and digestion

The specification wording is precise here, and the mark scheme follows that wording exactly.

  • Rule 1

    How enzymes and digestion behaves in the 1st of the cases the specification names.
    ≈160\approx 160

  • Rule 2

    How enzymes and digestion behaves in the 2nd of the cases the specification names.
    ≈160\approx 160

  • Rule 3

    How enzymes and digestion behaves in the 3rd of the cases the specification names.
    a2+b2=c2a^2 + b^2 = c^2

20 minutes

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Examples

2 boxes
3 marks · worked

Worked example: enzymes and digestion

This idea appears again in the higher-mark questions, so it is worth over-learning.
Worth knowing: ≈160\approx 160.
1 marks · worked

Practice question 6: x2+5x+6=0x^2 + 5x + 6 = 0

This idea appears again in the higher-mark questions, so it is worth over-learning.
The layout below is the one the mark scheme expects.

Diagram showing enzymes and digestion laid out step by step

The same idea drawn out, so the method is visible.
Worth knowing: x2+5x+6=0x^2 + 5x + 6 = 0.

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Common questions

How many marks is enzymes and digestion usually worth?
Between one and four, depending on how many steps the question asks for.
Is this on the A Level Environmental Science AQA paper?
Yes — it sits in the Research methods strand.