Six-Mark Extended Response Questions

The 6-mark extended response question appears on every Edexcel GCSE Combined Science paper. It is the single question most likely to separate grade 5 students from grade 7+ students, because it uses levels-based marking — your answer is judged holistically, not point-by-point. This lesson teaches you exactly how to approach these questions.

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How Levels-Based Marking Works

Unlike shorter questions where you earn one mark per correct point, a 6-mark question is assessed against three levels.

Level	Marks	Descriptor
Level 3	5–6	A detailed, coherent and logically structured answer. Relevant scientific knowledge is accurately used and fully supports the response.
Level 2	3–4	A mostly logical answer with some relevant scientific knowledge. May contain minor errors or lack some detail.
Level 1	1–2	Simple statements with limited scientific knowledge. The answer may be fragmented or contain significant errors.
No mark	0	Nothing worthy of credit.