# A young oak tree produces acorns. Each acorn contains a seed that can germinate and grow into a new oak tree. As the oak tree grows, its roots absorb water and mineral ions from the soil, and its leaves produce glucose by photosynthesis. Describe four characteristics of living organisms that the oak tree shows, giving one example from the passage for each characteristic.

> Cambridge International IGCSE Biology (0610) — 1.1 Characteristics of living organisms · Describe · 4 marks

## Mark scheme (4 marks)

1. Nutrition — the oak tree takes in materials needed for growth and energy (e.g. water and mineral ions absorbed by roots, or carbon dioxide/light used in photosynthesis)
2. Growth — the tree increases permanently in size (e.g. grows into a mature oak tree)
3. Reproduction — the oak tree makes more organisms of the same kind (e.g. produces acorns containing seeds that germinate into new oak trees)
4. Respiration — chemical reactions in cells release energy from glucose (e.g. glucose produced by photosynthesis is broken down to release energy for metabolism)

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