Key term
Edexcel GCSE Biology 1BI0
Key Concepts in Biology
Topic overviewEukaryotic and prokaryotic cellsSpecialised cells and their adaptationsMicroscopes and magnification calculationsSize, scale and units in cell biologyEnzyme action and denaturationFactors affecting enzyme activityEnzymes in synthesis and digestion, and rate calculationsFood tests and the energy in foodDiffusion, osmosis and active transportOsmosis in potatoes and percentage change in mass
Cells and Control
Topic overviewMitosis and the cell cycleWhy mitosis matters: growth, repair and cancerGrowth, differentiation and percentile chartsStem cells and their use in medicineThe structure and function of the brainInvestigating and treating the brainNeurones, receptors and the reflex arcThe structure and function of the eyeEye defects and how they are corrected
Genetics
Topic overviewAsexual and sexual reproductionMeiosis and the formation of gametesDNA structure, genes and the genomeExtracting DNA from fruitProtein synthesis: transcription and translationGenetic variants in coding and non-coding DNAMendel's work and the inheritance of blood groupsAlleles, genotype and phenotypeMonohybrid crosses and sex determinationProbability and ratios from genetic crossesSex-linked disordersCauses of variation: genes and environmentThe Human Genome ProjectGenetic variation and the effects of mutation
Natural Selection and Genetic Modification
Topic overviewDarwin, Wallace and the theory of evolutionNatural selection and antibiotic resistanceFossil evidence for human evolutionStone tool evidence for human evolutionThe pentadactyl limb and the three domainsSelective breedingTissue cultureGenetic engineering and modern agricultureThe stages of genetic engineeringBenefits and risks of GM organisms
Health, Disease and the Development of Medicines
Topic overviewHealth, disease and susceptibilityPathogens and common infectionsHow pathogens spread, and the virus life cycleSexually transmitted infectionsHow plants defend themselves and how plant disease is detectedPhysical barriers and chemical defencesThe immune system, immunisation and herd immunityAntibiotics and developing new medicinesAseptic technique in culturing microorganismsTesting antiseptics and antibiotics on bacterial culturesMonoclonal antibodiesLifestyle factors and non-communicable diseaseTreatments for cardiovascular disease
Plant Structures and Their Functions
Topic overviewPhotosynthesis as an endothermic reactionLimiting factors in photosynthesisLight intensity and the rate of photosynthesisRoot hair cells, xylem and phloemTranspiration and translocationLeaf structure for photosynthesis and gas exchangeFactors affecting the rate of transpirationPlant adaptations to extreme environmentsPlant hormones and their commercial uses
Animal Coordination, Control and Homeostasis
Topic overviewHormones, endocrine glands and homeostasisAdrenalin, thyroxine and negative feedbackThe menstrual cycle and its hormonesHormonal and barrier contraceptionAssisted reproductive technology and IVFHomeostasis and thermoregulationControlling blood glucose, and type 1 diabetesType 2 diabetes and body massThe urinary system and the production of ureaThe nephron, filtration and the effect of ADHTreating kidney failure: dialysis and transplants
Exchange and Transport in Animals
Topic overviewWhy multicellular organisms need exchange surfacesAlveoli and gas exchangeRate of diffusion and Fick's lawThe blood and its componentsArteries, veins and capillariesThe heart and the circulatory systemCellular respiration as an exothermic reactionAerobic and anaerobic respiration comparedInvestigating the rate of respirationCardiac output, stroke volume and heart rate
Ecosystems and Material Cycles
Topic overviewLevels of organisation and interdependenceAbiotic and biotic factors in a communityParasitism and mutualismSampling with quadrats and transectsEstimating population size from field dataEnergy transfer between trophic levelsHuman impact on ecosystems and biodiversityFood securityThe carbon cycleThe water and nitrogen cyclesIndicator species and pollutionFactors affecting the rate of decompositionCalculating the rate of decay
Cells and Control
- 9 subtopics
- 27 things to know
- Paper 1
What Cells and Control covers
Cells and Control is examined in Paper 1, Biology 1. It covers mitosis and the cell cycle, growth, repair and cancer, differentiation and percentile charts, stem cells in medicine, the structure of the brain and how it is investigated and treated, neurones, synapses and the reflex arc, and the structure of the eye and how its defects are corrected.
Where it is assessed
Paper 1
Biology 1: 1 hour 45 minutes, 100 marks, 50% of the GCSE.
Check the Pearson Edexcel specification ↗The 9 subtopics
Each one has its own page.
- Mitosis and the cell cycleInterphase, mitosis and cytokinesis as the cell cycle, the events of prophase, metaphase, anaphase and telophase, why the two daughter cells are diploid and genetically identical to the parent, and why DNA is copied before a cell divides.Open →
- Why mitosis matters: growth, repair and cancerHow mitosis brings about growth, repair and the replacement of gut lining cells, asexual reproduction such as strawberry runners, and cancer as uncontrolled cell division caused by changes in genes, forming tumours that damage healthy tissue.Open →
- Growth, differentiation and percentile chartsGrowth by cell division, elongation and differentiation in plants and animals, how differentiation produces specialised cells such as red blood cells and root hair cells, and using percentile charts to monitor a baby's mass, length and head circumference over time.Open →
- Stem cells and their use in medicineWhat a stem cell is, how embryonic and adult stem cells differ, what meristems can become, and the uses, sources, risks and objections in medical treatment.Open →
- The structure and function of the brainThe cerebral hemispheres, the cerebellum and the medulla oblongata, where each lies, what each controls, and which region is damaged when balance or breathing fails.Open →
- Investigating and treating the brainWhy the brain and spinal cord are hard to investigate and treat, how CT and PET scans work and what each reveals, how scans link brain regions to functions, and the limits of surgery, radiotherapy, chemotherapy and drugs for brain tumours and spinal cord injury.Open →
- Neurones, receptors and the reflex arcSensory receptors, sensory, relay and motor neurones, dendrons, axons and the myelin sheath, how neurotransmitters carry an impulse one way across a synapse, reflex actions and the parts of a reflex arc, effectors, and the reflex response to touching a hot pan.Open →
- The structure and function of the eyeThe cornea and lens and how the ciliary muscles and suspensory ligaments focus on near and distant objects, the iris and pupil in bright light, rods and cones in the retina, the three types of cone cell, and the optic nerve.Open →
- Eye defects and how they are correctedCataracts and their replacement with an artificial lens, the causes of short- and long-sightedness and their correction with concave and convex lenses, contact lenses and laser surgery, and colour blindness, its cause in cone cells and why glasses cannot correct it.Open →
What you need to know
Answer each one before you reveal it.
Your recallNot started
Key term
Describe cell differentiation, what changes inside the cell, and give an animal and a plant example.
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Describe how the iris, the rods and the cones let the eye work in bright and dim light.
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Give one medical use of stem cells, one medical risk, and one objection to using embryonic stem cells.
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How does mitosis help an injury to heal?
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Which part of the brain is the largest?
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What does a CT scan show about the brain?
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Which type of neurone carries impulses from a receptor towards the central nervous system?
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What is a cataract?
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What are the two main parts of the cell cycle?
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What is asexual reproduction?
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What is meant by growth in an organism?
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What is a stem cell?
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What does the medulla oblongata control?
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Describe how a PET scan is produced.
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What is a dendron?
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Describe how the eye focuses on a nearby object.
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Explain how a cataract affects a person's sight.
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What happens to a cell during interphase?
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Give an example of a plant that reproduces asexually.
Process
Name the two processes that bring about growth in an animal.
Key term
What can an embryonic stem cell differentiate into?
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After an accident a person can no longer keep their balance or move smoothly. Which region of the brain has probably been damaged?
Key term
What can a PET scan reveal that a CT scan cannot?
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What is an axon?
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Describe how the eye focuses on a distant object.
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What is short-sightedness?
Take Cells and Control further
The same content, four other ways.
Commonly confused
Pairs that lose marks when they are blurred together.
Mitosis vs Cytokinesis
Mitosis: four-stage division of the nucleus into two identical chromosome sets. Cytokinesis: division of the cytoplasm and membrane that separates one cell into two.
Metaphase vs Anaphase
Metaphase: chromosomes line up across the middle attached to spindle fibres. Anaphase: spindle fibres pull the chromosome copies to opposite ends.
Cerebellum vs Medulla oblongata
Cerebellum: brain region coordinating movement and balance. Medulla oblongata: brain region controlling heart rate and breathing rate.
Questions from this topic
Each one with the model answer underneath.
- 1
What are the two main parts of the cell cycle?
Model answer
Interphase, in which the cell grows and copies its DNA, followed by mitosis and cytokinesis, in which the cell divides.
- 2
What happens to a cell during interphase?
Model answer
The cell grows and makes more sub-cellular structures such as mitochondria and ribosomes, and each chromosome is copied.
- 3
Name the four stages of mitosis in the order in which they happen.
Model answer
Prophase, metaphase, anaphase and telophase.
- 4
Describe what happens to the chromosomes and the nucleus during prophase.
Model answer
The chromosomes condense so they become visible, and the membrane around the nucleus breaks down.
- 5
Where do the chromosomes move to during metaphase?
Model answer
They line up across the middle of the cell, attached to spindle fibres.
- 6
Describe what happens during anaphase.
Model answer
The spindle fibres pull the two copies of each chromosome apart, so one copy moves to each end of the cell.
What is inside Levo
Six ways to work the same material.
Cells and Control revision questions
- What does Cells and Control cover in Edexcel GCSE Biology?
- 9 subtopics: mitosis and the cell cycle, why mitosis matters: growth, repair and cancer, growth, differentiation and percentile charts, stem cells and their use in medicine, the structure and function of the brain, investigating and treating the brain, neurones, receptors and the reflex arc, the structure and function of the eye and eye defects and how they are corrected. Each one has its own page with questions and model answers.
- How is Cells and Control organised?
- By the Edexcel 1BI0 specification, subtopic by subtopic, so it matches the order you are taught it in.
Every question in Cells and Control, on a schedule.
Attempt a question from memory, write the correct version, then attempt it again. Levo records the jump between your first attempt and your last, and brings each question back on the day you are due to forget it.
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