Anatomy and Physiology
What you must know
BGCSE questions in this domain test the systems that move and support the body: the skeleton, joints, muscles, the cardiorespiratory system and how they respond to exercise. Learn the four functions of the skeleton (support, protection, movement, blood cell production), the main bone groups (cranium, vertebrae, ribs, pelvis, femur, tibia, humerus, radius, ulna), and the joint types: hinge (elbow, knee), ball-and-socket (shoulder, hip), pivot (neck) and gliding (wrist bones).
For muscles, know the names and actions of the major pairs: biceps and triceps at the elbow, quadriceps and hamstrings at the knee, gastrocnemius at the ankle, deltoid at the shoulder, abdominals and gluteals at the trunk. Understand antagonistic pairs: one contracts (agonist) while the other relaxes (antagonist). Know the difference between isotonic (moving) and isometric (holding) contraction, and between voluntary skeletal muscle and involuntary cardiac and smooth muscle.
For the cardiorespiratory system, be able to trace the path of blood and air, name the chambers and valves of the heart, and explain what happens during exercise: heart rate and stroke volume rise, so cardiac output rises; breathing rate and tidal volume rise, so minute ventilation rises; blood is redistributed to working muscles. Know the terms tidal volume, vital capacity, oxygen debt and lactic acid.
Traps to watch
Questions often swap origin and insertion, describe the left ventricle as receiving oxygenated blood from the lungs (it does, but via the left atrium), or confuse red and white blood cells. A common trick is asking which muscle relaxes during a movement - read carefully.
Worked example
During a biceps curl, the elbow is a hinge joint; the biceps contracts (agonist) and the triceps relaxes (antagonist). The biceps origin is on the scapula and its insertion is on the radius, so contraction pulls the forearm upward.