ScienceFreePrintable

Living Things Marking Guide

A free science worksheet ready for your classroom. Open in Kuraplan to grab the print-ready PDF, customize it for your students, or generate a fresh version in seconds.

Living Things Marking Guide worksheet preview
Name:Date:

Living Things Marking Guide

Award marks for the scientific ideas in each answer. Accept equivalent wording where the meaning is accurate. For extended answers, use the evidence-and-explanation rubric below. This guide includes the data and diagrams needed to mark every task.

Evidence and explanation rubric

Use this rubric for questions that ask students to explain using evidence. 3 marks: identifies the relevant concept, cites accurate evidence or data, and clearly explains the link. 2 marks: identifies the concept and gives some evidence, or explains clearly with a minor gap. 1 mark: shows basic understanding but gives little evidence or an unclear explanation. 0 marks: no relevant understanding or evidence.

Cells and organisation

Mark the responses using the scientific evidence shown in each question.

1.Give two differences between a typical plant cell and a typical animal cell. Describe which cell has each feature. (2 marks)
2.A typical plant cell has a cell wall, chloroplasts and a large central vacuole. Both typical plant and animal cells have a nucleus, cytoplasm, cell membrane and mitochondria. Name one structure found in both cell types and one structure found only in the plant cell. (2 marks)
3.Put these levels in order from smallest to largest: organ, organism, cell, organ system, tissue. (1 mark)
4.A red blood cell transports oxygen around the body. Give one structural feature that helps it do this and explain how the feature helps. (2 marks)

Life processes and classification

Apply key biology terms and equations accurately.

5.What does the letter R stand for in MRS GREN? State what the process means for a living organism. (2 marks)
6.Complete the word equation for photosynthesis: carbon dioxide + water → + . (2 marks)
7.Write the classification levels from kingdom to species, then state two rules for writing a binomial scientific name. (4 marks)

Ecosystems and data

Use the food-chain organisms and order stated in Question 8, and the population data in the table, for these questions.

8.The food chain is native grass → caterpillar → tūī → New Zealand falcon. Write the chain in order and explain what the arrows show. (2 marks)

Year

Falcons counted

2020

12

2021

15

2022

18

2023

15

9.Use the falcon population table. In which year was the count highest? Calculate the percentage decrease from that peak to 2023, using the peak count as the starting value. (3 marks)

Adaptation and evolution

Distinguish inherited variation from the environmental pressures that affect survival.

10.In a population of insects, some individuals are naturally darker than others. Birds can see pale insects more easily on dark tree bark. Explain how natural selection could change the proportion of dark insects over many generations. (4 marks)
11.Name one type of scientific evidence that supports evolution and explain what it can show. (2 marks)

Mark summary

Add the marks awarded for Questions 1–11. Total available: 26 marks.

3 printable pages

  • Living Things Marking Guide, page 1 of 3: Evidence and explanation rubric, Cells and organisation

    Page 1

  • Living Things Marking Guide, page 2 of 3: Life processes and classification, Ecosystems and data

    Page 2

  • Living Things Marking Guide, page 3 of 3: Adaptation and evolution, Mark summary

    Page 3

About This Worksheet

Free in Kuraplan

Sign up free, grab the PDF, and customize it for your class.

Print-Ready

Formatted for standard paper. Clean layout, easy to read.

AI-Generated

Created with Kuraplan's AI, designed for real classroom use.

For Teachers & Parents

Use in classrooms, for homework, tutoring, or homeschool.

Need a custom version of this worksheet?

Kuraplan's AI generates custom worksheets in seconds — differentiated for every learner, aligned to your curriculum.

Generate Custom Worksheets — Free
No credit card Curriculum-aligned Under 60 seconds