Key term
Edexcel GCSE Combined Science Biology 1SC0
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 calculationsDiffusion, osmosis and active transportOsmosis in potatoes and percentage change in mass
Cells and Control
Genetics
Topic overviewMeiosis and the formation of gametesDNA structure, genes and the genomeExtracting DNA from fruitAlleles, genotype and phenotypeMonohybrid crosses and sex determinationProbability and ratios from genetic crossesCauses of variation: genes and environmentThe Human Genome ProjectGenetic variation and the effects of mutation
Natural Selection and Genetic Modification
Health, Disease and the Development of Medicines
Topic overviewHealth, disease and susceptibilityPathogens and common infectionsHow pathogens spread, and the virus life cycleSexually transmitted infectionsPhysical barriers and chemical defencesThe immune system, immunisation and herd immunityAntibiotics and developing new medicinesLifestyle factors and non-communicable diseaseTreatments for cardiovascular disease
Plant Structures and Their Functions
Animal Coordination, Control and Homeostasis
Exchange and Transport in Animals
Topic overviewWhy multicellular organisms need exchange surfacesAlveoli and gas exchangeThe 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
Cells and Control
- 5 subtopics
- 15 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, and neurones, synapses and the reflex arc.
Where it is assessed
Paper 1
Biology 1: Biology in Combined Science: 1 hour 10 minutes, 60 marks, 16.67% of the qualification.
Check the Pearson Edexcel specification ↗The 5 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 →
- 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 →
What you need to know
Answer each one before you reveal it.
Your recallNot started
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Describe cell differentiation, what changes inside the cell, and give an animal and a plant example.
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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 type of neurone carries impulses from a receptor towards the central nervous system?
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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 is a dendron?
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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.
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What can an embryonic stem cell differentiate into?
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What is an axon?
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.
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 Combined Science Biology?
- 5 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 and neurones, receptors and the reflex arc. Each one has its own page with questions and model answers.
- How is Cells and Control organised?
- By the Edexcel 1SC0 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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