MSCE Biology case studies
MSCE Biology · Put your knowledge to work in context.
The MSCE Biology is the biology component of the Malawi School Certificate of Education, the national school-leaving qualification administered by the Malawi National Examinations Board (MANEB). It is taken by candidates completing secondary schooling and is used for selection into tertiary science programmes, teacher training, nursing and other health-related courses, and for employment where a school certificate is required. The MSCE Biology case studies are 5 cases and about 2,740 words.
1Potato Osmosis and an Outlier in the Sucrose Series
At a school laboratory in Zomba, a candidate investigates osmosis in potato tissue. Five cylinders are cut from the same potato tuber, each 30 mm long and 5 mm in diameter.
571 words, about 3 min2Yellow Lower Leaves in a Waterlogged Maize Field
On a smallholding near Kasungu, a farmer planted 2 ha of hybrid maize. At three weeks, the lowest leaves on many plants are pale yellow, starting at the leaf tip and running along the midrib; the upper leaves are dark green.
532 words, about 3 min3Dawn Oxygen Crash in a Manured Tilapia Pond
At a fish farm near Dedza, a farmer keeps 800 Nile tilapia in a 0.1 ha pond. On a hot, cloudless afternoon the water temperature is 28 C and a Secchi disk disappears at 15 cm, indicating a dense green algal bloom.
550 words, about 3 min4Heat, Water Loss and Dark Urine on a Tobacco Estate
During a heatwave in the Lower Shire Valley, a tobacco estate worker spends six hours tying and harvesting in an open field. The air temperature is 38 C and relative humidity is 30%.
543 words, about 3 min5Two Healthy Parents and a Child with Sickle Cell Anaemia
At a district hospital, a mother brings her 3-year-old son with severe anaemia, jaundice and episodes of pain in the hands and legs. A blood test shows sickle cell anaemia (HbSS).
544 words, about 3 min