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Unit 2: Response and regulation

6 dot points across 6 inquiry questions. Click any dot point for a focused answer with worked past exam questions where available.

What is homeostasis, and how does the body keep its temperature constant in hot and cold conditions?

Homeostasis as the maintenance of a constant internal environment, the role of the thermoregulatory centre and skin receptors, and the mechanisms of temperature regulation including sweating, shivering, vasodilation and vasoconstriction.
A focused answer to the WJEC GCSE Biology section 2.5 topic on homeostasis and temperature regulation, covering homeostasis as maintaining a constant internal environment, the thermoregulatory centre, skin and brain receptors, and the roles of sweating, shivering, vasodilation, vasoconstriction and hair erection.
10 min answer →

How do hormones coordinate the body, and how are blood glucose levels kept steady by insulin and glucagon?

Hormones as chemical messengers from glands, the main hormones and their effects, the control of blood glucose by insulin and glucagon, and the causes, symptoms and treatment of Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes.
A focused answer to the WJEC GCSE Biology section 2.5 topic on hormones, covering hormones as chemical messengers from glands, the roles of insulin, glucagon, ADH, sex hormones and thyroxine, the control of blood glucose, and the causes, symptoms and treatment of Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes.
11 min answer →

How do plants respond to light and gravity, and how does the hormone auxin control their growth?

Plant responses to light and gravity as tropisms, phototropism and gravitropism, and the role of the plant hormone auxin in controlling the direction of growth.
A focused answer to the WJEC GCSE Biology section 2.5 topic on plant responses, covering tropisms, phototropism and gravitropism, and the role of the plant hormone auxin in controlling the direction of plant growth in shoots and roots.
9 min answer →

How does the eye detect light and change focus between near and distant objects, and how are sight defects corrected?

The structure and function of the parts of the eye, accommodation to focus near and distant objects, and the causes and correction of long-sightedness and short-sightedness.
A focused answer to the WJEC GCSE Biology section 2.5 topic on the eye, covering the structure and function of the cornea, iris, pupil, lens, retina and optic nerve, accommodation by the ciliary muscles and suspensory ligaments, and the causes and correction of long-sightedness and short-sightedness.
10 min answer →

How do the kidneys clean the blood and control its water content, and how is kidney failure treated?

The role of the kidney in homeostasis and excretion, the structure of the kidney and nephron, ultrafiltration and selective reabsorption, the control of water balance by ADH, and the treatment of kidney failure by dialysis and transplant.
A focused answer to the WJEC GCSE Biology section 2.6 topic on the kidney, covering excretion of urea, the structure of the kidney and nephron, ultrafiltration and selective reabsorption, the control of water balance by ADH, and the treatment of kidney failure by dialysis and transplant.
11 min answer →

How does the nervous system let the body detect and respond rapidly to its surroundings, and how does a reflex protect us?

Stimuli, receptors and effectors, the central nervous system and neurons, the transmission of impulses, and the reflex arc as an automatic protective response.
A focused answer to the WJEC GCSE Biology section 2.5 topic on the nervous system, covering stimuli, receptors and effectors, the central nervous system, neurons and electrical impulses, and the reflex arc as a rapid automatic response that protects the body.
10 min answer →