Cambridge IGCSE Biology
Cambridge IGCSE Biology 14 Coordination and Response Exam Questions
Free Cambridge IGCSE Biology revision for 14 Coordination and Response: what you need to know, common mistakes and exam-style questions with answers. Covers the nervous system, reflex arcs, synapses, the eye, hormones including adrenaline, homeostasis, blood glucose and temperature control, and tropic responses in plants.
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About Cambridge IGCSE Biology 14 Coordination and Response
Coordination and response is one of the largest topics in Cambridge IGCSE Biology. It covers the nervous system and reflex arcs, the structure and function of the eye, the endocrine system and adrenaline, homeostasis and plant tropisms. Core content includes sensory, relay and motor neurones, the pupil reflex, and the comparison of nervous and hormonal control. Extended candidates add synapses, accommodation, rods and cones, negative feedback, control of blood glucose by insulin and glucagon, Type 1 diabetes, temperature control by the skin and the role of auxin. Long answer questions on temperature control and blood glucose regularly test precise sequencing and terminology.
What you need to know
- 14.1 Nervous control The central nervous system is the brain and spinal cord; the peripheral nervous system is the nerves outside them. A reflex arc runs receptor → sensory neurone → relay neurone → motor neurone → effector, producing a rapid, automatic response. Extended: at a synapse, neurotransmitter diffuses across the gap and binds to receptor proteins on the next neurone.
- 14.2 The eye Learn the cornea, iris, lens, retina, optic nerve and blind spot. In bright light circular muscles of the iris contract and the pupil narrows. Extended: accommodation uses the ciliary muscles and suspensory ligaments to change lens shape; rods work in dim light and cones give colour vision, concentrated in the fovea.
- 14.3 Hormones A hormone is a chemical substance produced by a gland and carried by the blood, which alters the activity of target organs. Know adrenaline (adrenal glands), insulin (pancreas), testosterone (testes) and oestrogen (ovaries). Adrenaline increases heart rate, breathing rate and pupil diameter in fight or flight situations.
- 14.4 Homeostasis Homeostasis is the maintenance of a constant internal environment. Insulin decreases blood glucose concentration. Extended: negative feedback returns conditions to a set point; glucagon raises blood glucose when it is low; Type 1 diabetes is treated with insulin injections.
- 14.4 Temperature control (Extended) When too hot: vasodilation of arterioles near the skin surface and sweating increase heat loss. When too cold: vasoconstriction, shivering and less sweating. The hypothalamus coordinates the response.
- 14.5 Tropic responses Phototropism is a response in which part of a plant grows towards or away from light; gravitropism is growth towards or away from gravity. Extended: auxin is made in the shoot tip, diffuses away from light and stimulates cell elongation on the shaded side, so the shoot bends towards light.
Common mistakes in 14 Coordination and Response
- Saying blood vessels move closer to the skin surface when hot. Arterioles dilate (vasodilation) so more blood flows near the surface; vessels do not move.
- Confusing glucagon with glycogen. Glucagon is the hormone; glycogen is the storage carbohydrate in the liver and muscles.
- Saying auxin moves towards the light. Auxin collects on the shaded side, where it causes greater cell elongation.
- Saying the pupil gets bigger in bright light. In bright light the pupil constricts to protect the retina.
- Saying sweating cools you because sweat is cold. Heat energy from the skin is used to evaporate the water in sweat.
Try three 14 Coordination and Response exam-style questions
1. State the sequence of structures in a reflex arc, starting with the receptor. (2 marks)
Show the mark scheme answer
Receptor, sensory neurone, relay neurone, motor neurone, effector; all in the correct order for 2 marks, mostly correct for 1 mark.
2. Explain how blood glucose concentration is returned to normal after a meal high in carbohydrate. (4 marks)
Show the mark scheme answer
Blood glucose rises above the set point; detected by the pancreas, which secretes insulin; insulin causes the liver (and muscles) to convert glucose to glycogen; blood glucose falls back to normal (negative feedback).
3. Describe how the body responds when its core temperature rises. (3 marks)
Show the mark scheme answer
Vasodilation of arterioles supplying skin capillaries, so more blood flows near the skin surface and more heat is lost by radiation; more sweat is produced; evaporation of sweat removes heat energy from the skin.
14 Coordination and Response FAQs
What does Cambridge IGCSE Biology 14 Coordination and Response cover?
It covers the nervous system and reflexes, the eye, hormones including adrenaline, homeostasis and, for Extended candidates, synapses, blood glucose and temperature control, plus tropic responses in plants.
Which paper is 14 Coordination and Response examined in?
It is examined in the theory and multiple choice papers: Papers 1 and 3 for Core candidates, or Papers 2 and 4 for Extended candidates. Practical skills linked to it can also appear in Paper 5 (Practical Test) or Paper 6 (Alternative to Practical).
How do I answer homeostasis questions well?
Use the full sequence: the change, how it is detected, the response, and how the change is reversed. Name hormones and organs precisely, and use terms such as negative feedback, set point, vasodilation and vasoconstriction.
