What is it
GCSE cell biology covers animal, plant, bacterial and specialised cell structure and function, microscopy and magnification calculations, mitosis and the cell cycle, stem cells, and how substances move by diffusion, osmosis and active transport.
Why it matters
Cell biology is the required opening topic for every GCSE biology exam board and provides the vocabulary and mathematical skills (magnification, surface area to volume ratio) used throughout the rest of the biology paper.
Exam tip
Practise the magnification formula (image size ÷ actual size = magnification) until it's automatic — calculation questions on this exact formula appear on almost every paper, often worth multiple marks.
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