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CAIE IGCSE Biology 1.3 Features of Organisms Questions

Practise classifying unfamiliar organisms from diagnostic evidence, covering the five kingdoms, vertebrate and arthropod groups, plant groups and viruses.

Syllabus
2026–2028
Course
Biology 0610

Exam points

  • Identify plants from multicellular, photosynthetic cells with chloroplasts and cellulose cell walls.
  • Classify unfamiliar animals using vertebrate and arthropod features such as covering, limbs, body regions, gas exchange, reproduction and temperature regulation.
  • Distinguish prokaryotes, fungi and protoctists from plants and animals using cell organisation, walls, chloroplasts and nutrition.
  • Recognise monocots, dicots and ferns from cotyledons, veins, roots, flower parts, fronds, spores, pollen or seeds.
  • Identify viruses from genetic material in a protein coat and distinguish their non-cellular structure from prokaryotic or eukaryotic cells.

Covered syllabus points

1.3.1—Main features used to place animals1.3.2—Main features used to place organisms1.3.3—Classify organisms using the features1.3.4—Main features used to place all1.3.5—Main features used to place organisms1.3.6—Classify organisms using the features1.3.7—Features of viruses

Question 1

[Maximum number: 4]

Question (a)

(a)

Dicotyledons and monocotyledons belong to the plant kingdom.

[ 4 ]

Question (i)

(i)

State two main features of plants.

[ 2 ]

Question (ii)

(ii)

State the names of two other kingdoms.

[ 2 ]

Question 2

[Maximum number: 1]

Fig. 5.1 is a photograph of a koala.

Koalas are marsupial mammals that give birth to offspring that are incompletely developed.
The offspring develops further for several months inside the pouch of the mother.

Fig. 5.1

Fig. 5.1

State one feature visible in Fig. 5.1 that could be used to identify the koala as a mammal.

Question 3

[Maximum number: 4]

Fig. 5.1 shows the different types of human teeth.

Fig. 5.1

Fig. 5.1

Omnivores are animals that eat both animals and plants. Scientists use the number and types of teeth to classify animals as carnivores, herbivores or omnivores.
Table 5.1 shows examples of different types of mammals and their teeth.

Table 5.1

Table 5.1

The skull of an unidentified mammal, X, is likely to be a carnivore.

Discuss the evidence in Table 5.1 for and against classifying mammal X as a carnivore.

Question 4

[Maximum number: 2]

Dicotyledons and monocotyledons belong to the plant kingdom.

State two main features of plants.

Question 5

[Maximum number: 2]

Dicotyledons and monocotyledons belong to the plant kingdom.

State the names of two other kingdoms.

Question 6

[Maximum number: 1]

Fig. 2.1 is a photograph of a spider plant, Chlorophytum comosum. Spider plants can reproduce by producing an identical plantlet, which grows away from the single parent plant.

Fig. 2.1

Fig. 2.1

Identify one feature in Fig. 2.1 that shows that spider plants are monocotyledons.

Question 7

[Maximum number: 4]

Scientists use classification systems to study relationships between different groups of organisms.

Fig. 1.1 shows photographs of two different species, X and Y.

Fig. 1.1

Fig. 1.1

Using features visible in Fig. 1.1, identify the group in the plant kingdom that species X and Y belong to.

Explain your answer.
species X
species Y

Question 8

[Maximum number: 2]

Fig. 4.1 is a diagram of a virus.

Fig. 4.1

Fig. 4.1

Identify the parts of the virus labelled N and O.

N

O

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