OCR A 2.1.6(a)–(g) · 20 written questions · 36 marks · about 45 minutes · marked as you go
This free quiz has 20 written exam questions on the cell cycle, mitosis and meiosis, all taken from OCR A Level Biology A papers (AS and A level, 2016 to 2025). Short answers and calculations mark themselves. For longer answers you write your answer, then tick off the OCR mark-scheme points you made, so you see exactly where the marks are. This quiz covers the first half of OCR A 2.1.6: the cell cycle and how checkpoints control it, the stages of mitosis and how to spot them in root tip squashes, why mitosis and meiosis matter in life cycles, and the stages of meiosis.
What the quiz covers (OCR A spec 2.1.6(a)–(g))
The cell cycle (2.1.6(a)): the phases of interphase, what happens in G₂, and counting DNA strands before mitosis.
Regulating the cell cycle (2.1.6(b)): deciding which checkpoint has failed from what happens to the cell.
The stages of mitosis (2.1.6(c)): putting photomicrographs in order, describing metaphase, and why bacteria can't divide by mitosis.
Root tip squashes (2.1.6(d)): naming a stage from a micrograph, what interphase looks like, and working out time spent in mitosis from cell counts.
Significance of mitosis and meiosis (2.1.6(e)(f)): roles of mitosis, asexual reproduction, and the sources of genetic variation in meiosis.
The stages of meiosis (2.1.6(g)): naming stages of meiosis 2, homologous chromosomes, matching phases to a spermatogenesis diagram, and comparing prophase in mitosis and meiosis.
How to use it
Write every answer in full, as you would in the exam: the mark for each question is shown, so you know how much to write. When you self-mark, only tick a point if your answer clearly makes it, then read the examiner's tip under each question. Your progress is saved on your device, so you can do it in two sittings, and at the end you can retry just the questions where you dropped marks.
Prefer multiple choice? Try the 24-question Cell Division multiple choice quiz first.
Open the Cell Cycle, Mitosis and Meiosis quiz in a new tab (easier on a phone)
Where students lose marks (from OCR examiners' reports and mark schemes)
Each point below is followed by wording that gained marks.
DNA replicates in S, not G₂: The most common wrong answer for what happens in G₂ was 'DNA replicates', even though S phase comes before G₂.
✔ Gains credit: In G₂, organelles (e.g. mitochondria) are replicated, proteins such as tubulin are made, and the new DNA is checked for errors.
Use 'both' when you compare: When asked to compare prophase in mitosis and meiosis, students often wrote two separate paragraphs of facts without ever linking them, and scored just 1 mark.
✔ Gains credit: 'In both mitosis and meiosis the nuclear envelope breaks down'; 'in prophase 1 of meiosis homologous chromosomes pair up and cross over, but in mitosis they do not'.
Which independent assortment?: Students wrote 'independent assortment' without saying whether it was of homologous pairs or of chromatids, or which stage it happens in.
✔ Gains credit: Independent assortment of homologous chromosomes in metaphase 1, and independent assortment of chromatids in metaphase 2; crossing over in prophase 1.
Read the 'other' in the question: When asked for 'one other' role of mitosis, many students still wrote growth and repair, which were already given in the question.
✔ Gains credit: Asexual reproduction, or clonal expansion of lymphocytes.
Tissues grow, cells are replaced: Answers about the 'growth of cells' or 'repair of cells' were not credited: mitosis can't repair a cell, it can only replace it.
✔ Gains credit: Growth and repair of tissues; replacing dead or damaged cells.
Anaphase or telophase? Look at the poles: Many students called a cell with dark clusters of chromosomes at each pole 'anaphase'.
✔ Gains credit: Chromosomes clustered at the poles, no longer individually visible, is telophase; in anaphase you see chromatids being pulled apart in a V shape.
Describe what you would actually see: Asked how a cell in interphase would look, students wrote 'the chromosomes aren't condensed', which describes the chromosomes, not the image.
✔ Gains credit: Individual chromosomes would not be visible, and there would be a single central area of dark staining (one nucleus).
Match the checkpoint to the evidence: Students picked the wrong checkpoint, e.g. G₂ for damaged DNA being replicated, or thought extra chromosomes came from DNA over-replicating.
✔ Gains credit: The G₁ checkpoint checks for DNA damage before S phase; the metaphase checkpoint checks that chromosomes are attached to the spindle before the chromatids separate.
Keep practising
Try the Cell Division multiple choice quiz, the Cell Differentiation and Stem Cells quiz, the Biological Membranes written quiz or the Cell Differentiation and Stem Cells written quiz, or browse all our OCR A Level Biology quizzes. Our OCR A masterclasses (Year 12 on Wednesdays at 5.15pm, Year 13 on Tuesdays at 6.30pm) work through real exam questions on one topic each week.
Questions, mark schemes and examiners' report extracts © OCR.