Exam Tips: Temperature Regulation

Evaporation is the key word for cooling: Saying "sweating cools the body" is incomplete. Examiners want "evaporation of sweat from the skin removes heat energy from the body." The word "evaporation" is almost always a required mark point.

Never say blood vessels move: The most common error in this topic. Blood vessels are fixed. They dilate or constrict. Write "the blood vessels dilate (widen)" not "blood vessels move closer to the skin."

State the hypothalamus as coordination centre: Simply saying "the brain detects temperature changes" is vague and loses marks. Name the hypothalamus specifically as the region of the brain that acts as the coordination centre for thermoregulation.

Shivering = respiration → heat: For shivering, explain the chain: muscles contract → increased respiration in muscle cells → energy from glucose is released, much as heat → body temperature rises. Do not just say "shivering warms you up" without explaining the mechanism.

Close with the negative feedback loop: Any 6-mark temperature question should end by stating that once temperature returns to 37°C, the stimulus is removed, the effector responses stop, and the negative feedback loop is complete. This shows understanding of the self-regulating nature of homeostasis.