ISC YEAR 2022 BIOLOGY PAPER 2 PRACTICAL EXAMINATION Instructions and Guidelines for Visiting Examiners 1. Preparation of Question Paper/s and conduct of ISC Year 2022 Practical Examination 2. Blueprint of the Question Paper 3. Question Specific Guidelines & Instructions 4. Guidelines for Evaluation of Biology Paper 2 (Practical) 5. Report on Biology Practical Examination

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I. PREPARATION OF QUESTION PAPER/S AND CONDUCT OF ISC YEAR 2022 PRACTICAL EXAMINATION The Practical Examination must be conducted between 25th October 2021 and 28th February 2022. Steps to be followed for conducting Biology Practical Examination at the Examination Centre: Deciding the number of Batches and Dates for the Practical Examination/s 1.

The Visiting Examiner must collect the soft copies of all documents related to the conduct of the Practical Examination from the Head of the Examination Centre.

2.

The Head of the Examination Centre, in consultation with the Visiting Examiner and the Chief/Supervising Examiner should decide the number of batches in which the candidates of the Centre would take the practical examination. This should be done keeping in mind the size of the laboratory and the COVID 19 Safety Guidelines provided by the Council/COVID 19 SOPs as laid down by the Central/State/UT Government.

3.

Each batch should be assigned a batch number – e.g., Batch 1 (Index no. 222001/001 to 222001/010); Batch 2 (Index no. 222001/011 to 222001/020). A record of this information should be maintained by the Head of the Examination Centre. A copy of this record should be submitted to the Convener.

4.

Date/s of Practical Examination for each batch must be decided according to the convenience of both, the Visiting Examiner and the Centre School.

5.

The candidates must be informed of the dates of the Practical Examination (for their batch) at least one week in advance.

Finalising the Question Papers/s 6.

The Visiting Examiner will be required to set the question paper/s for different batches based on the Reduced syllabus for the ISC Year 2022 Examination and other guidelines provided by the Council. The Sample Questions provided by the Council may be used. The Sample Questions provided by the Council include different questions for each type of experiment given in the syllabus.

7.

The Visiting Examiner should select the questions, as per the Blueprint and other guidelines provided by the Council, include relevant details and perform the experiments himself/herself where required, to ensure that the desired results are obtained before finalising the Question Paper.

8.

The Visiting Examiner should use a range of questions (as provided in the sample questions) for each batch, while ensuring that all batches at the Centre get Question Papers of similar difficulty level.

9.

After finalising the Question Paper/s the Visiting Examiner must inform the Head of the Examination Centre regarding the equipment or other materials / reagents required for the conduct of the practical examination for each batch. This must be done at least one week before the commencement of the practical examination at the Centre School, so that the Centre School gets enough time for setting-up the laboratory. 2

Preparation and Storage of Batchwise Sets of Question Papers prepared 10. The Head of the Examination Centre, in presence of the Visiting Examiner and the Chief/Supervising Examiner, should ensure that the question paper/s is/are photocopied in adequate numbers (as per the number of candidates for each batch), well in advance. 11. The photocopied question papers should be packed and sealed batchwise in separate envelopes by the Visiting Examiner which should be labelled as follows: Subject: _____________________ Date of Examination: ____________ Centre Number: ________________ Batch Number: ________________ Index No. From _____ to _____ Number of Question Papers packed: ____ Both, the Chief/Supervising Examiner and the Visiting Examiner should put their signatures across the seal of the envelopes, with the date. 12. The Visiting Examiner should handover all the sealed envelope/s containing copies of the finalised question paper/s to the Chief/Supervising Examiner for safe custody. 13. The Chief/Supervising Examiner must ensure that the sealed envelope(s) of the question papers are kept securely, under lock and key, in a cupboard, in the office of the Head of the Centre. 14. All concerned must maintain strict confidentiality of the finalised question papers. Setting up of the Laboratory 15. The laboratory must be set up following the COVID 19 Safety Guidelines provided by the Council/COVID 19 SOPs as laid down by the Central/State/UT Government. 16. The laboratory equipment used by a candidate must be properly sanitised before the same is used by another candidate. 17. All fittings, apparatus, substances/reagents ordinarily required in the laboratory must be provided to the candidates. 18. The teacher concerned should ensure that the reagents/chemicals/ materials/ specimens available are freshly procured and are of high purity. Stored/old reagents/ materials/ specimens should not be given to the candidates for the practical examination. 19. Each candidate should also be provided with the following: (a) One main answer booklet and one supplementary answer booklet for attempting the question on Spotting.

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(b) (1)

Hand lens

(2)

Two mounted needles

(3)

Fine forceps

(4)

A razor blade

(5)

Spatula

(6)

Microscope (Dissecting and Compound)

(7)

Four glass slides

(8)

Coverslips

(9)

Blank stickers

(10) Test tubes (5 Nos.) (11)

A watch glass

(12) Funnel (13) Petri dishes (2 Nos.) (14) 100 ml beakers – (2 Nos.), 250 ml beakers – (3 Nos.) (15) Measuring cylinders - 10 ml (2 Nos) and 100 ml (2 Nos) each (16) Safranin (17) Glycerine (18) A brush (19) Filter papers (20) Droppers (21) Wall clock / time source (22) Distilled water (23) Glass rod (24) pH paper (25) Weighing balance (26) Test tube stand (27) 2% solution of an enzyme (diastase/amylase) labelled as “Enzyme solution” (28) 1% solution of Starch solution labelled as “Starch solution” (29) Iodine solution (30) A buffer solution or Buffer tablets (pH 7) (31) Thermometer [Above mentioned items must be provided to the candidates as per the requirement of the Question set by the Visiting Examiner]

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(c) The following specimens labelled with code numbers: D-41

Two to three flowers of the family Malvaceae OR Solanaceae (as selected by the Visiting Examiner).

D-42 Any locally available leaf – Monocot / Dicot (as selected by the Visiting Examiner). D-43 Any locally available flower showing axile OR marginal placentation (as selected by the Visiting Examiner) OR Leaf of a xerophytic plant / OR a monocot or dicot seed (Before giving the seeds to the students for the section cutting, the seeds must be soaked in water for at least 24 hours). (d) Spotting material: Five spots labelled A, B, C, D & E. (as per the ISC Reduced Practical Syllabus for the Examination Year 2022). Conduct of the Practical Examination 20. The Practical Examination must be conducted as per the Instructions and Guidelines for Conduct of ISC Practicals given in this document. 21. At the start of the Examination, the Visiting Examiner must request the Chief/Supervising Examiner to announce or write on the blackboard that all candidates must show to the Visiting Examiner the following: (i) Dissection of flower to show any specific floral part – Question 1 (ii) Experimental setup – Question 2 (iii) Slide preparation – Question 3 Note: If candidates lose time because of faulty or defective apparatus or any other relevant reason, they should be given corresponding extra time to complete the practical. In such cases, the Chief/Supervising Examiner should enclose a report with the answer scripts, giving: (i)

The unique identification numbers (UID) and index numbers of candidates concerned;

(ii) The additional time granted; (iii) The reasons thereof. The Laboratory Assistant / Science Teacher must be on call during the practical examination. 22. The Chief/Supervising Examiner and the Invigilators must ensure that the candidates attach the question papers with their answer scripts and submit the same at the end of the Practical Examination. 23. After completion of the examination (for each batch), the Chief/Supervising Examiner must hand over the answer scripts (with question papers attached) to the Visiting Examiner for evaluation. 5

24. The Visiting Examiner must fill in the Report on Biology Paper 2 Practical Examination, as provided on page 13 and handover the same to the Chief/Supervising Examiner. Uploading of Marks awarded by the Visiting Examiner 25. The marks awarded by the Visiting Examiner, as per the Guidelines for Evaluation of Biology Paper 2 (Practical) (page 11), must be uploaded onto the CAREERS Portal after the evaluation of answer scripts of each batch. 26. The Visiting Examiner must also evaluate and upload the marks awarded for the Project work and Practical files of the candidates. 27. After uploading the marks for each batch, the data must be saved on the Portal by clicking the ‘SAVE’ button. The final submission of marks to the Council should be made only after the marks of all the candidates of all batches of the Centre for the subject have been uploaded onto the Portal. 28. The evaluated answer scripts must be packed securely in durable envelope(s). The Chief/Supervising Examiner must sign on the packed answer script envelopes to ensure that the answer scripts were packed in her/his presence and that she/he has verified the number of scripts enclosed in the envelope. All answer script envelopes must be addressed to: The Chief Executive & Secretary Council for the Indian School Certificate Examinations Plot No. 35-36, Sector 6, Pushp Vihar, Saket New Delhi – 110017

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II. BLUEPRINT OF THE PRACTICAL QUESTION PAPER The Biology Practical Question Paper consists of four questions as follows: The question wise marks distribution is given below: Question 1.

Taxonomy (description of any ONE plant family, viz, Malvaceae OR Solanaceae)

5 marks

Question 2.

Simple biochemical and physiological experiments

3 marks

Question 3.

Slide Preparation

2 marks

Question 4.

Spotting (Each spot carries a weightage of 1 mark)

5 marks

Total

15 Marks

In addition to the above, the Visiting Examiner will also be required to evaluate the following for each candidate: •

Project Work

10 marks

•

Practical File

5 marks Total

15 Marks

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III. QUESTION SPECIFIC GUIDELINES & INSTRUCTIONS The Visiting Examiner, in consultation with the subject teacher, must decide on the experiments to set the question paper for each batch. The Sample Questions provided by the Council may be used for this purpose. The questions must be set as follows: Question 1: Taxonomy (Maximum Marks – 05) Question is based on description of any ONE plant family, viz, Malvaceae OR Solanaceae. The Question must have FIVE subparts, based on the given flower (D-41).

•

ONE of the five subparts (for 1 Mark) must be on: LS of the flower OR Dissection of the flower/ Isolation of specified floral whorl and its arrangement in correct orientation.

•

Questions for the remaining FOUR subparts may be set to test any of the following abilities of the candidates: → Writing complete and correct floral formula. → Drawing correct floral diagram (with the mother axis in the right position). → Identifying the correct family giving reasons. → Writing floral characteristics in semi-technical terms. → Writing biological names of one/two plants of economic importance of the named family. → Any other questions based on the floral description (within the scope of ISC 2022 Reduced Practical Syllabus)

The Visiting Examiner must select different flowers of the same family or flowers of different families for different batches (depending upon the availability of the flower/s) after consulting the host school. Candidates must be tested on a flower from only one family, either Malvaceae or Solanaceae Question 2: Simple biochemical and physiological experiments (Maximum Marks – 03) The Visiting Examiner must provide necessary instructions/steps to be followed for carrying out the experiment based on physiology / biochemistry. The VE, in co-ordination with the host school, must ensure that the reagents, glassware and other materials required for the relevant practical are available in the laboratory. 8

Depending on the type of the experiment, the candidates must be asked to: •

Show the Test tube/slide to the Visiting Examiner

•

Write down their observations based on the experiment

•

Write the conclusion/ aim of the experiment

In addition, the Visiting Examiner must set THREE more questions based on the experiment which may include: •

Precautions taken during the experiment

•

Reason for the use of specific reagents OR

•

Any other questions based on the experiment (within the Scope of the ISC Year 2022 Reduced Syllabus for Practicals)

The Visiting Examiner must use: (i)

different leaves (monocot/dicot), or

(ii)

different range of temperatures, or

(iii)

different plant materials (banana, papaya, pea seeds or spinach leaves), for different batches (in case there is more than one batch of candidates, taking the examination from the Centre School).

Note: The actual name of the specimen must not to be shared with the candidates.

Question 3: Slide Preparation (Maximum Marks – 02) Specimen D-43: Any locally available flower, xerophytic leaf or seed (monocot or dicot) may be provided by the Visiting Examiner for slide preparation. The instructions and questions may be copied as such from the Sample Questions. The Visiting Examiner must use different flowers, leaves and seeds for different batches (in case there is more than one batch of candidates, taking the examination from the Centre School). Note: Question 3: Slide Preparation •

Specimen D-43 must be provided to each candidate.

•

The actual name of the specimen is not to be shared with the candidates. 9

Question 4: Spotting (Maximum Marks – 05) The Visiting Examiner must select FIVE spots for each batch, which must be labelled as SPOT A, SPOT B, SPOT C, SPOT D and SPOT E. Each spot carries a weightage of 1-mark. The instructions and questions may be copied as such from the Sample Questions. The spots for each batch, must be selected from the list given in the (ISC Reduced Practical Syllabus for the Examination Year 2022) / sample questions, in such a manner that different batches get different sequences and combinations of spots. Note: Question 4: Spotting •

ONLY three minutes are to be given for each spot which includes identification, drawing a labelled diagram and writing at least two identifying characteristics.

•

This Question must be done on a separate answer sheet during examination, which should be handed over to the Visiting Examiner immediately after Spotting.

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IV. GUIDELINES FOR EVALUATION OF BIOLOGY PAPER – 2 (PRACTICAL) (for the use of the Visiting Examiners) Question 1: Based on taxonomy and description of flower (i)

L.S. of the flower cut / floral whorl isolated and arranged / flower dissected according to the instruction and shown to the Visiting Examiner.

(ii) ANY FOUR of the following:

[5 marks] [1 Mark]

[4 Marks]

− Writing complete and correct floral formula. − Drawing correct floral diagram (with the mother axis in the right position). − Identifying the correct family giving reasons. − Writing floral characteristics (in semi-technical terms) through dissection of flowers. − Writing biological names of one/two plants of economic importance of the named family. − Any other questions based on the floral description (within the scope of ISC 2022 Reduced Practical Syllabus)

Question 2: experiments

Simple

biochemical

and

physiological

[3 Marks]

(i)

Showing the Test tube / slide of leaf to the Visiting Examiner

[½ Mark]

(ii)

Observation

[½ Mark]

(iii) Aim of the experiment ANY THREE Questions on the experiment conducted (within the scope of ISC 2022 Reduced Practical Syllabus)

Question 3: Slide Preparation

[½ Mark] [½+½+½ Mark]

[2 Marks]

(i)

Thin transverse section of the specimen visible under the microscope

[½ Mark]

(ii)

Correct diagram drawn with proper labelling

[½ Mark]

(iii) Correct identification

[½ Mark]

(iv) Correct reason / feature

[½ Mark]

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Question 4: Spotting (Five spots)

[5 Marks]

Evaluation criteria for each spot: (i)

Correct identification

[1 Mark]

(Note: Subsequent points to be considered only if the identification is correct.) (ii)

Correct diagram with proper labelling

(iii) Two correct distinguishing features

[1 Mark] [2 Mark]

(Four marks divided by 4 = 1 mark for each spot) [4/4=1]

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REPORT ON BIOLOGY PAPER 2 PRACTICAL EXAMINATION Centre No: ___________Batch No: ______Date of Examination: ______ Index Number: from ____________ to ________________ (The completed report must be enclosed in the answer script envelope and sent to the Council.) Name of specimen provided: Question 1:

D-41 ________________________________________

Question 2:

D-42 ________________________________________

Question 3:

D-43 ________________________________________

Question 4:

Spots provided: Spot A: ________________________________________ Spot B: ________________________________________ Spot C: ________________________________________ Spot D: ________________________________________ Spot E: ________________________________________

Signature_________________ Visiting Examiner

Signature_________________ Chief/Supervising Examiner

Name in block capitals:

Name in block capitals:

_________________________

_________________________

A plan of the work benches, giving details by index numbers of the places occupied by the candidates for each experiment, must be attached with this report. Declaration (to be signed by the Head of the Examination Centre): The preparation and conduct of this Practical Examination has been carried out maintaining full confidentiality of the Examination, while following the COVID 19 Safety Guidelines provided by the Council/COVID 19 SOPs as laid down by the Central/State/UT Government. Signature of the Head of the Examination Centre: _______________________ Date: _________________ 13

ISC YEAR 2022 BIOLOGY PAPER 2 PRACTICAL EXAMINATION

SAMPLE QUESTIONS

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2

BIOLOGY PAPER – 2 (PRACTICAL) (Maximum Marks: 30) (Time allowed: Three hours) (Candidates are allowed additional 15 minutes for only reading the paper. They must NOT start writing during this time.)

Details of the Examination (to be filled by the Visiting Examiner)

863/2

Subject Code Date of the Examination Centre No. Batch No.

Read the questions carefully and follow the given instructions. Answer all questions. All working, including rough work, should be done on the same sheet as the rest of the answer. The intended marks for questions or parts of questions are given in brackets [ ]. In addition to the Practical Paper, candidates will also be evaluated in the following: Project Work:

10 marks

Practical File:

5 marks

Top Sheet: To be attached as the first page of the Question Paper.

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Question 1

[5]

(a)

Examine carefully the flower specimen D-41 provided. Describe its floral characteristics in semi-technical terms. (Details of individual whorls are not required).

(b)

Cut a longitudinal section of one flower of specimen D-41 with a sharp razor blade. Place one of the cut surfaces on a moist filter paper so that all the parts are clearly visible. Show it to the Visiting Examiner.

(c)

Draw a neat, labelled diagram of the cut surface.

(d)

Write the floral formula of D-41.

(e)

Name the family to which the specimen D-41 belongs giving one characteristic feature of the family.

OR [

Question 1 (a)

Using fine forceps, gently pull off and discard the sepals, petals and anthers of the floral specimen. Isolate its pistil. Show it to the Visiting Examiner.

(b)

Draw the floral diagram of D-41.

(c)

Name the family to which the specimen D-41 belongs.

(d)

Point out two characteristics of the gynoecium peculiar to the family mentioned by you.

(e)

Write the complete botanical name (mentioning genus as well as species) of one economically important plant belonging to this family.

[5]

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Question 2

[3]

(a)

You are provided with a leaf labelled as specimen D-42.

(b) (c)

Take the specimen D-42. Remove a peel of epidermis from upper and lower surfaces of the leaf. Transfer the peels of upper and lower epidermis on separate slides and cover them with cover slips in a drop of water. Label them as DU for upper epidermis and DL for lower epidermis.

(d)

Observe the peels under the compound microscope.

(e)

Count the number of stomata and the total number of normal epidermal cells in one view field of the microscope.

(f)

Change the position of the slides and count the cells in a different view field. Take at least three readings in this way for both the slides (DU and DL).

(g)

Show the slides to the Visiting Examiner.

(h)

Record the observations in a tabular form as given below:

(i)

(j) (k)

UPPER EPIDERMIS Number of Number of stomata epidermal cells

LOWER EPIDERMIS Number of Number of stomata epidermal cells

Reading 1 Reading 2 Reading 3 On the basis of your observation, identify whether the specimen D-42 is a monocot leaf or a dicot leaf. Give the reason to support your answer in 2 (j). OR

Question 2 (a) (b)

(c) (d)

(d) (e) (f) (g)

[3]

You are provided with 2% solution of an enzyme, 1% solution of starch, and a buffer (pH 7). Take three (250 ml) beakers and label them as A, B and C. Pour 150 ml of water in each of the three beakers and set the temperature of water as: Beaker A at 37°C, Beaker B at 80°C and Beaker C at 5°C. Take six test tubes and label them as A1, A2, B1, B2, C1 and C2. Place the test tubes in the corresponding beakers. (Test tubes A1 and A2 in the Beaker A, Test tubes B1 and B2 in the Beaker B and Test tubes C1 and C2 in the Beaker C). Add 3 ml of 1% starch solution and 2 ml of buffer (pH 7) in all the six test tubes A. In a fresh test tube take 6 mL of the enzyme solution, boil it and allow it to cool. Add 2 mL of the boiled enzyme solution in each of the test tubes A1, B1 and C1. Add 2 mL of the normal enzyme solution in each of the test tubes A2, B2 and C2. Leave all the test tubes for 20 minutes in their respective beakers. Stir the content at regular intervals. 5

(g)

After 20 minutes, add two drops of 1% iodine solution in each of the test tube.

(h)

Record your observations in a tabular form as shown below.

(f)

Test tube No. Temperature Observation/ colour change A1 37°C A2 37°C B1 80°C B2 80°C C1 5°C C2 5°C Show the test tube to the Visiting Examiner.

(g)

What is the purpose of preheating the enzyme?

(h)

What is the role of the buffer in this experiment?

(i)

Name the initial cleavage products of starch by this enzyme.

(j)

What is the end product of digestion by this enzyme?

(k)

What conclusions can be drawn from the results of this experiment?

Question 3

[2]

(a)

Take a fresh specimen of D-43. With the help of forceps, remove the outer whorls and isolate the gynoecium.

(b)

Cut 4-5 thin sections of the ovary in a series. Float them in water in a Petri dish. Select the best section and mount it in water, on a glass slide.

(c)

Place the cover slip taking care that air bubbles are not trapped.

(c)

Observe it under low magnification of a microscope and show it to the Visiting Examiner.

(d)

Draw a neat, labelled diagram of the transverse section.

(e)

Identify the type of placentation in the given specimen.

(f)

Write one reason for your answer in (e) above. OR

(a)

Take a fresh specimen of D-43 and cut several transverse sections in a series.

(b)

Float the sections in water in a watch glass.

(c)

Put a few drops of safranin in the water in the watch glass and leave it for 3 – 5 minutes. Drain off excess stain and wash with water, if overstained.

(d)

Select the thinnest section with uniform thickness.

(e)

Mount it in glycerine on a glass slide, avoiding air bubbles.

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(f)

Observe it under the low power of a compound microscope and show it to the Visiting Examiner.

(g)

Draw a neat, labelled diagram of the transverse section.

(h)

Identify the specimen with respect to its ecological habitat.

(i)

Write one unique anatomical feature of the specimen which helps it to survive in the habitat mentioned by you in 3(h).

Question 4 (a)

Identify the given specimens A to E.

(b)

Give two reasons to support your answer in each case.

(c)

Draw a neat, labelled diagram of each specimen.

[5]

Note: You are not allowed to spend more than three minutes for each spot. Hand over your supplementary answer sheet to the Supervising Examiner after you finish answering this question.

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