MYP Science: Cells & Living Things FAQ

MYP students need to know that all living things are made of cells, organised into tissues, organs, systems and organisms. Core content covers plant and animal cell structure, organelle function, basic microscopy and magnification, and the seven characteristics of life — nutrition, respiration, excretion, growth, reproduction, sensitivity and movement.

Plant cells have a cell wall, chloroplasts and a large permanent vacuole that animal cells lack. Animal cells only have a cell membrane, no chloroplasts, and no fixed vacuole. Both share a nucleus, cytoplasm, mitochondria and ribosomes — the shared structures examiners expect you to name in any comparison question.

MYP students learn seven characteristics of life, often remembered with the mnemonic MRS GREN: Movement, Respiration, Sensitivity, Growth, Reproduction, Excretion and Nutrition. Every living organism, from a bacterium to a blue whale, shows all seven — something that fails to do most of these isn't classified as alive.

A cell is the basic building block. Groups of similar cells doing the same job form a tissue, like muscle tissue. Different tissues working together form an organ, like the heart. Organs working together form an organ system, and systems combine to make a whole organism — the levels-of-organisation hierarchy MYP tasks test directly.

Grade 7 work shows precise scientific vocabulary, accurately labelled diagrams, and clear links between structure and function — not just naming an organelle but explaining why its shape suits its job. In fifteen years of marking this unit, the students who reach the top band explain 'why', not just 'what'.

The three mistakes I see most often: no scale or magnification label, organelles drawn but not labelled with function, and an animal cell wrongly given a cell wall. Criterion A tasks specifically reward accuracy and correct scientific conventions, so these small errors cost real marks even when the drawing itself is neat.

Magnification equals image size divided by actual size, and MYP students need to rearrange this formula confidently in either direction. Practise with real numbers rather than just memorising the equation — teachers marking MYP Sciences work consistently reward working shown, not just a final answer.

This unit is usually assessed against a mix of criteria: Criterion A for explaining cell structure and function, Criterion B if students design an investigation into a cell process like osmosis, and Criterion C for analysing microscopy or experimental data. Schools set their own tasks, but all four MYP Sciences criteria can apply across the unit.

All four MYP Sciences criteria can apply — A: Knowing and Understanding, B: Inquiring and Designing, C: Processing and Evaluating, D: Reflecting on the Impacts of Science — depending on the task your teacher sets. A cell-structure test usually targets Criterion A alone; a microscopy investigation usually spans B and C together.

MYP Sciences doesn't require an external exam on this unit — assessment is entirely school-based against the four IB criteria, each marked out of 8 and combined into a final 1-7 grade. Some schools run their own internal tests, but there's no IB-set exam on this content until MYP eAssessment or the DP.

This unit builds the foundation DP Biology assumes from day one — cell structure, organelle function and levels of organisation reappear directly in DP Biology's first topic, Cell Biology. According to the IB, first exams for the current Biology guide were 2025, and its opening unit builds straight on what your child covers here in MYP 1-3.

Not harder, but differently shaped — GCSE Biology covers cell content in more depth with exam-style recall questions, while MYP focuses on conceptual understanding and inquiry through the four assessment criteria rather than memorisation. Your child won't sit a terminal written exam on this content in MYP, which changes how they should prepare compared with GCSE.

Look for clear diagrams your child can label from memory, short practice questions on magnification calculations, and a concise summary of the MYP Sciences criteria so revision actually matches how the unit is marked. On revisionprep.com, the MYP Sciences Revision Notes and Topical Worksheets are built around these criteria rather than generic biology recall.

For most students, school teaching plus a bit of structured practice at home is enough — the real issue is usually that generic school workbooks don't map cleanly onto MYP's criteria-based grading. Low-cost topical worksheets that mirror the exact Criterion A-D language tend to close that gap faster than a general biology guide would.