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A2.1 Origins of cells

The origin of cells links prebiotic environments, abiotic organic synthesis, membrane compartments, self-replicating RNA, radiometric evidence, and the shared ancestry of modern cellular life.

Syllabus
First assessment 2025
Topic
A2.1
Level
SL

What you’ll learn

9 learning objectives

Choose one objective for a focused lesson, or study the complete topic.

Exam analysis

An aggregate view of how the complete A2.1 Origins of cells appears across past papers.

Chance of appearing9%of analysed past papers
Latest appearanceMay 2015
Most common paperPaper3

Most tested objectives

  1. A2.1.3—Spontaneous origin of cells6 questions
  2. A2.1.6—RNA as presumed first genetic material5 questions
  3. A2.1.4—Evidence for origin of carbon compounds4 questions

Common question formats

  • Structured response
  • Process explanation
  • Definition or recall
  • Evaluation
  • Extended response

Exam question appearances

May 2015Paper3 ["SL"] · TZ111(b)[ 1 ]A2.1.3—Spontaneous origin of cells
November 2014Paper3 ["SL"] · TZ011(a)(ii)[ 1 ]A2.1.6—RNA as presumed first genetic material
November 2014Paper3 ["SL"] · TZ011(a)(i)[ 2 ]A2.1.4—Evidence for origin of carbon compounds
May 2014Paper3 ["SL"] · TZ112(a)(ii)[ 2 ]A2.1.8—Dating first cells and LUCA
May 2014Paper3 ["SL"] · TZ211(d)[ 2 ]A2.1.6—RNA as presumed first genetic material

Coverage 2010–2015 · Updated 15 Jul 2026

Study checklistA2.1 Origins of cells