Pearson Edexcel International GCSE Biology · specification 4BI1 · Paper 1 | Whole paper: Core content, all five topics · Free · no account needed
2(b) Cell structure (4BI1 specification)
Plant and animal cell structures, their functions, and the practical of examining them under a microscope.
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The Incandio page that teaches this — each explained in full, then proved in marked questions, taught back to an AI pupil and defended in a debate. Completely free.
- Levels of Organisation — From organelle to organism — the five-step ladder that every later topic in biology is built on.
The teaching route this belongs to: Topic 2 · Structures and functions in living organisms (Biology) — the lessons in order, with every gate.
Specification coverage
Topic 2 Structures and functions in living organisms (b) Cell structure — statements 2.2–2.3
Assessment objectives: AO1, AO2, AO3. Suggested learning time: 60 minutes.
Required knowledge
- The structures of a plant cell and an animal cell and the function of each: nucleus, cytoplasm, cell membrane, cell wall, chloroplast, vacuole, mitochondria, ribosomes
- The similarities and differences between plant and animal cells
Required skills
- Identify structures on a micrograph or diagram
- Calculate magnification and actual size from an image
- Prepare and examine a slide
- Describe and evaluate the required practical: Investigate biological specimens using a light microscope, and make labelled drawings to scale.
How it is examined
- Multiple-choice and short-answer recall
- Application of the content to an unfamiliar context
- Extended open-response, marked on the quality of a connected explanation
- Practical questions on method, variables, data and sources of error
Common mistakes
- Mixing units in a magnification calculation. Convert to a single unit before dividing.
- Labelling a plant cell with a cell wall but forgetting that it also has a cell membrane inside it.
- Drawing shaded, sketchy biological diagrams. Marks require clean single lines and labels with straight lines that do not cross.
This page maps the specification. The pages above teach it, and the Biology lessons hold the whole course — completely free.