This exam tips covers Exam Tips within The Heart and Circulation for GCSE Biology. Heart structure, cardiac cycle, blood vessels, double circulation, heart rate control, and cardiovascular health It is section 14 of 14 in this topic. Treat this as a marking guide for what examiners are looking for, not just a fact list.
Topic position
Section 14 of 14
Practice
20 questions
Recall
25 flashcards
Exam Tips
The Pulmonary Exception
The single most tested fact about blood vessels is the exception: the pulmonary artery carries deoxygenated blood (right ventricle to lungs) and the pulmonary veins carry oxygenated blood (lungs to left atrium). In every other artery-vein pair in the body, arteries carry oxygenated blood and veins carry deoxygenated blood. Learn this exception and you will avoid a very common exam error.
Heart Diagrams — Left and Right are Swapped
In all standard heart diagrams, the image shows the heart as if you are looking at a patient facing you. This means the patient's right side appears on the left of the diagram and the patient's left side appears on the right. The right side of the heart (deoxygenated) is shown on your left; the left side (oxygenated) is on your right. Double-check this in every diagram question.
Cardiac Output Calculation
Cardiac Output = Heart Rate x Stroke Volume. Units: if HR is in beats/min and SV is in ml/beat, CO is in ml/min. Convert to litres by dividing by 1,000. Resting adult: 70 bpm x 70 ml = 4,900 ml/min (about 5 litres/min). During hard exercise: 150 bpm x 100 ml = 15,000 ml/min (15 litres/min). Show your working clearly.
Coronary Heart Disease — Cause to Consequence
Learn the chain: fatty deposits (atherosclerosis) → coronary artery narrows → reduced blood flow to heart muscle → angina (chest pain during exercise) → complete blockage → heart muscle cells die → heart attack. Treatments include statins (reduce cholesterol), angioplasty and stents (widen blocked artery), and bypass surgery (new vessel grafted around blockage).