Question 22M.2.SL.TZ1.6a
| Date | May 2022 | Marks available | [Maximum mark: 3] | Reference code | 22M.2.SL.TZ1.6a |
| Level | SL | Paper | 2 | Time zone | TZ1 |
| Command term | Outline | Question number | a | Adapted from | N/A |
Outline reasons for the therapeutic use of stem cells.
[3]
- unspecialized/undifferentiated stem cells can divide / differentiate along different pathways;
- (stem cells are accessible as they) come from embryos/bone marrow/umbilical cord blood/adult tissue;
- (stem cells) can regenerate/repair diseased/damaged tissues in people;
- valid specific example;
- drugs can be tested on stem cells (in laboratories to see if they are harmful);
Some excellent answers; stem cells was usually well answered, leaf cells was often more complex than necessary but marks were usually able to be gained, though many answers were missing the obvious, for example leaf cells contain chloroplasts. Defence against disease; far too often over-complicated and confused answers. It is important that students are aware of the level they need to know. There is no need to over-complicate and risk loss of understanding, which was evident across many answers and which was so confused across the roles of macrophages, B cells and T cells. Equally, for cell components, more often than not this was ignored or mistakenly discussed as skin and mucus over platelets.
Mostly well done. Appropriate examples provided for stem cell therapies. It seems that many candidates think that all stem cells can differentiate into "any" type of cells, which is not correct. Other candidates showed understanding of the discrimination between the source and the potential of the cells. Occasionally candidate showed confusion about the term "stem" in that "stem cells show the way plants grow"; sometimes therapeutic use of stem cells was confused with gene editing.
