PrepWisePrepWiseNervous System
Homeostasis & ResponseTopic Summary

Knowledge Organiser

Part of Nervous System · GCSE GCSE Biology revision

This topic summary covers Knowledge Organiser within Nervous System for GCSE Biology. Topic 2: Nervous System It is section 17 of 18 in this topic. Use this topic summary to connect the idea to the wider topic before moving on to questions and flashcards.

Topic position

Section 17 of 18

Practice

24 questions

Recall

15 flashcards

📊 Knowledge Organiser

Key Terms
  • CNS — brain + spinal cord; coordination centre
  • Sensory neurone — receptor to CNS
  • Relay neurone — within CNS; connects sensory to motor
  • Motor neurone — CNS to effector
  • Synapse — gap crossed by neurotransmitters
  • Cerebrum — consciousness, memory, language
  • Cerebellum — coordination, balance
  • Medulla — heart rate, breathing rate
  • Accommodation — lens shape change for focus
  • Retina — rods (dim light) and cones (colour)
Must-Know Facts
  • Pathway: stimulus → receptor → sensory → CNS (relay) → motor → effector → response
  • Nervous: fast, short-lived, precise. Hormonal: slower, long-lasting, widespread
  • Synapse: release → diffuse → bind → trigger new impulse (RDBT)
  • Near focus: ciliary muscles contract → ligaments loosen → lens thick
  • Far focus: ciliary muscles relax → ligaments tight → lens thin
  • Myopia: concave lens. Hyperopia: convex lens
  • RPA7: ruler-drop, repeat 5+ times, calculate mean
Common Marks Lost
  • Writing "nerve" instead of "neurone" (a nerve is a bundle of neurones)
  • Not naming all three neurone types in pathway questions
  • Getting ciliary muscle contraction/relaxation wrong for accommodation
  • Saying reflexes don't involve the CNS (they do — via the spinal cord)
  • Forgetting to compare BOTH systems in nervous vs hormonal questions

Keep building this topic

Read this section alongside the surrounding pages in Nervous System. That gives you the full topic sequence instead of a single isolated revision point.

Exam FocusExam Tips: Nervous SystemYour Body's Lightning-Fast Communication NetworkKey Facts

Practice Questions for Nervous System

What are the two organs that make up the central nervous system (CNS)?

  • A. Heart and lungs
  • B. Brain and spinal cord
  • C. Sensory neurones and motor neurones
  • D. Eyes and ears
1 markfoundation

Explain how a signal is transmitted across a synapse from one neurone to the next.

3 marksstandard

Quick Recall Flashcards

Name the three types of neurone.
Sensory (receptor → CNS), relay (within CNS), motor (CNS → effector). Remember: SRM — Students Revise Methodically.
Name four types of sensory receptor.
Photoreceptors (light, in eye), thermoreceptors (temperature, in skin), pressure receptors (touch, in skin), chemoreceptors (chemicals, in tongue and nose).

24 questions on Nervous System — practise free

Instant marking, adaptive difficulty, and 15 spaced repetition flashcards. Free until your GCSEs.

Try PrepWise Free

Previous

Exam Focus

Next

Exam Tips: Nervous System