AQA GCSE Combined Science Foundation (8464), Foundation tier · Biology › Homeostasis and response › Hormonal coordination in humans
Practise Human endocrine system. 7 exam-style questions on this subtopic, at up to four difficulty levels, with full mark schemes and a progress tracker. Free, no account needed.
The glands of the endocrine system, the hormones they release, and how hormonal control compares with nervous control. Expect labelling of glands on a body outline, matching glands to hormones, and 'compare' questions.
Key facts
Hormone = chemical secreted by a gland into the blood, carried to a target organ
Pituitary: 'master gland'; releases FSH, LH and TSH
Pancreas: insulin
Ovaries: oestrogen and progesterone; testes: testosterone
Hormones: slower but longer-lasting than nerve impulses
Notes
The endocrine system
The endocrine system is made up of glands that secrete chemicals called hormones directly into the bloodstream.
The blood carries the hormone to a target organ, where it produces an effect.
Compared with the nervous system, the effects of hormones are slower but act for longer.
Glands and their hormones
diagram
Pituitary gland (in the brain): the 'master gland'. It secretes several hormones into the blood in response to body conditions. Some of these act on other glands, stimulating them to release their own hormones.
Pituitary hormones include FSH and LH (which act on the ovaries) and TSH (which stimulates the thyroid).
Thyroid gland (in the neck).
Adrenal glands (on top of the kidneys).
Pancreas (below the stomach): insulin, which helps to control blood glucose.
Ovaries: oestrogen and progesterone. Testes: testosterone.
The main endocrine glands (red) and their hormones (blue).
Nervous and hormonal control compared
Nervous: electrical impulses along neurones; very fast; short-lived; acts on a precise area.
Hormonal: chemicals carried in the blood; slower; longer-lasting; can affect target organs all over the body.
Nervous control suits fast, short responses such as reflexes; hormonal control suits slower, long-term processes such as growth and the menstrual cycle.
How to answer each type of question
Compare nervous and hormonal control
3 to 4 marksGrade 5
Make direct comparisons with 'whereas'.
Cover how the information travels, the speed, and how long the effect lasts.
Example. Compare the way the nervous system and the endocrine system send information around the body.
Show the model answerHide the model answer
The nervous system uses electrical impulses, whereas the endocrine system uses hormones / chemicals (1). Impulses travel along neurones, whereas hormones are carried in the blood (1). Nervous responses are faster (1), but the effects of hormones last longer (1).
Don’t lose marks
Saying hormones travel along nerves. They are carried in the blood.
Saying hormones are slower without giving the other half: their effects last longer.
Putting the adrenal glands in the wrong place. They sit on top of the kidneys.
Mixing up the pituitary gland (in the brain) and the pancreas (in the abdomen).
More tips
Memory tricks
Glands from the head down: pituitary, thyroid, adrenal glands and pancreas, then ovaries or testes.
Nerves are like a text message: instant, to one place. Hormones are like a letter in the post: slower, but the effect lasts.
Endocrine glands pour hormones straight into the blood: there are no tubes.
Exam technique
In 'compare' questions, every point must say something about both systems.
Learn gland positions on a body outline: labelling questions are quick marks.
When a question names a hormone, try to give the gland it comes from and its target organ.
What each grade needs
What you need to be able to do, from the first marks up to the top grade.
Grade 3
Define a hormoneA chemical secreted by a gland directly into the bloodstream, which carries it to a target organ.
Grade 4
Locate the main endocrine glandsPituitary, thyroid, adrenal glands, pancreas, ovaries and testes on a body diagram.
Grade 4
Match glands to their hormonesE.g. pancreas: insulin; testes: testosterone.
Grade 5
Compare hormonal and nervous controlHormones travel in the blood and are slower but longer-lasting; nerve impulses are fast and short-lived.
Sample questions
Written for this site in the style of AQA exam questions. They are not taken from real past papers.
Question 1Easy6 marks
The human body is coordinated by the nervous system and by the endocrine system.
(a) What is a hormone? Tick (✓) one box.[1]
A cell that detects a change in the environment
A chemical carried in the blood that affects a target organ
An electrical impulse that travels along a neurone
An enzyme that is secreted into the gut
(b) Give two ways in which the effects of hormones are different from the effects of the nervous system.[2]
(c) Where in the body is the pituitary gland? Tick (✓) one box.[1]
In the brain
In the chest
In the lower abdomen
In the neck
(d) The pituitary gland is sometimes called the ‘master gland’. Explain why.[2]
Show the answer and mark scheme
(a)Answer: A chemical carried in the blood that affects a target organ
(b)Answer: Hormones act more slowly; their effects last longer
(hormones are) slower to act / take longer to produce an effect
(hormone) effects last longer
(c)Answer: In the brain
(d)Answer: It secretes several hormones that act on other glands and cause them to release their own hormones
it secretes (several) hormones (into the blood)
(these hormones) act on / stimulate other (endocrine) glands to release hormones
Question 2Medium5 marks
Melatonin is a hormone made by the pineal gland, a small endocrine gland in the brain. More melatonin is released when it gets dark, and melatonin makes a person feel sleepy.
(a) Describe how melatonin gets from the pineal gland to the organs that it affects.[2]
(b) A person wakes up in the night and switches on a bright light. The pineal gland stops releasing melatonin, but the person still feels sleepy for some time. Suggest why.[2]
(c) Melatonin affects several different organs, even though it is released by one small gland. Suggest why.[1]
Show the answer and mark scheme
(a)Answer: It is secreted directly into the blood, which carries it to its target organs
it is secreted / released directly into the blood(stream)
it is carried (around the body) in the blood to its target organs
(b)Answer: The melatonin already released stays in the blood until it is broken down, so it keeps acting on its target organs; the effects of hormones last longer than those of nerve impulses
the melatonin already released remains in the blood for some time (until it is broken down / removed)
so it continues to act on its target organs (the effects of hormones last longer than those of nerve impulses)
(c)Answer: It is carried all around the body in the blood, and several organs have cells that respond to it
it is carried all around the body in the blood, and cells in several organs are able to respond to it (it has several target organs)