Cells, the structures inside them, and how to measure things too small to see.
Modules
Module 1 · syllabus 2.1, 2.2 · 3 parts
Cells under the microscope
What does a microscope reveal inside a cell?
Peel the skin of an onion, stain it and lower a coverslip. Focus the microscope from low to high power, compare cheek cells and a pondweed leaf, then measure one onion cell.
Plant and animal cellsPlant, animal and bacterial cells: what a microscope shows and what each structure does
Specialised cells and organisationNew cells from cell division, specialised cells and the levels from cell to organism
MagnificationMagnification and actual size, in millimetres and micrometres
Experiment Prepare, focus and compare three slides; measure a cell
Syllabus statements for this topic · for teachers · 10 statements
Core for every pupil · Supplement also for Extended entry. Paraphrased from the Cambridge IGCSE Biology 0610 syllabus (2026–2028); check the official syllabus for exact wording.
2.1 Cell structure
Covered in Cells under the microscope
2.1.1Compare plant and animal cell structuresC
2.1.2Bacterial cell structureC
2.1.3Identify cell structures in diagrams and imagesC
2.1.4Functions of plant, animal and bacterial cell structuresC
2.1.5New cells come from dividing cellsC
2.1.6Specialised cells and their functionsC
2.1.7Cell, tissue, organ, organ system, organismC
2.2 Size of specimens
Covered in Cells under the microscope
2.2.1Magnification = image size ÷ actual sizeC
2.2.2Calculate magnification and actual size in mmC
