This exam focus covers Exam Focus within Temperature Regulation for GCSE Biology. Topic 5: Temperature Regulation It is section 10 of 12 in this topic. Treat this as a marking guide for what examiners are looking for, not just a fact list.
Topic position
Section 10 of 12
Practice
15 questions
Recall
20 flashcards
Exam Focus
Exam FavouriteTemperature regulation appears in approximately 2 out of 5 recent AQA Paper 2 exams and earns 4–8 marks when it appears, often as a 6-mark extended response question.
How it is tested:
- 6-mark response: "Describe and explain the body's response to overheating" — requires vasodilation, sweating (with evaporation mechanism), hairs lying flat, and negative feedback restoration.
- Vasodilation/vasoconstriction: Explain the mechanism — vessel diameter changes, effect on blood flow, effect on heat loss. Do not say vessels "move."
- Why sweating cools (evaporation): Must explain that evaporation of water from the skin removes heat. Simply producing sweat is not enough.
- Shivering mechanism: Muscle contractions → increased respiration → heat released.
- Link to enzyme function: Why does temperature need to be maintained at 37°C? Because enzymes have an optimum temperature and denature at high temperatures.