Organisms & Life Processes

63 Skills in Science. 63 are ready to try — three verified questions each, no account needed.

Ready to try

Ages 5–7
Animal Body Groups
Describe and compare the external body structure of common animals across groups (fish, amphibians, reptiles, birds, mammals)
15 verified questions on this shelf
Ages 5–6
Body Parts & Senses
Identify, name, and locate basic parts of the human body and associate each body part with its sense
12 verified questions on this shelf
Ages 5–6
Common Plants & Trees
Identify and name common wild and garden plants, including deciduous and evergreen trees
10 verified questions on this shelf
Ages 5–6
Herbivores, Carnivores & Omnivores
Classify common animals as carnivores (eat meat), herbivores (eat plants), or omnivores (eat both)
12 verified questions on this shelf
Ages 5–7
Living Things Vocabulary
Name and use vocabulary for what makes something living — alive, dead, never been alive, movement, nutrition, growth, reproduction, sensitivity, excretion — and apply these terms when classifying objects and explaining why plants and anima…
120 verified questions on this shelf
Ages 5–6
Naming Common Animals
Identify and name common animals from major groups: fish, amphibians, reptiles, birds, and mammals
10 verified questions on this shelf
Ages 5–6
Parts of a Plant
Identify and describe the basic structure of common flowering plants (roots, stem, leaves, flowers) and trees (roots, trunk, branches, leaves)
11 verified questions on this shelf
Ages 5–7
What Living Things Need
Understand what plants and animals (including humans) need to survive: water, food, air, and suitable conditions
146 verified questions on this shelf
Ages 6–7
Animal Life Stages
Recognise that animals, including humans, have offspring which grow into adults, and describe basic animal life stages
26 verified questions on this shelf
Ages 6–11
Offspring resemble parents
Observe that young plants and animals resemble their parents but are not identical, recognising inherited similarities and individual differences
38 verified questions on this shelf
Ages 6–7
Seeds & Plant Growth
Observe and describe how seeds and bulbs grow into mature plants through stages of germination and growth
12 verified questions on this shelf
Ages 6–8
What Plants Need to Grow
Understand that plants need water, light, and a suitable temperature to grow and stay healthy
17 verified questions on this shelf
Ages 7–9
Animal Classification Vocabulary
Use vocabulary for classifying animals and describing life cycles — vertebrate, invertebrate, mammal, bird, reptile, amphibian, fish, insect, arachnid, larva, pupa, metamorphosis, gestation, offspring, complete metamorphosis, incomplete me…
10 verified questions on this shelf
Ages 7–8
Animal Nutrition
Understand that animals, including humans, need the right types and amounts of nutrition, and that animals cannot make their own food
10 verified questions on this shelf
Ages 7–8
Drawing Life Cycle Diagrams
Draw and interpret life cycle diagrams for flowering plants, insects (complete and incomplete metamorphosis), birds, and mammals — labelling stages, describing transitions, and comparing cycles across species
5 verified questions on this shelf
Ages 7–8
How Plant Parts Work
Identify and describe the functions of different parts of flowering plants: roots absorb water and nutrients, stems transport materials, leaves make food, flowers enable reproduction
13 verified questions on this shelf
Ages 7–9
Life Cycles of Organisms
Develop models to describe that organisms have unique and diverse life cycles but all share the common stages of birth, growth, reproduction, and death
34 verified questions on this shelf
Ages 7–8
Pollination & Seed Dispersal
Understand the life cycle of flowering plants including pollination, seed formation, and seed dispersal
33 verified questions on this shelf
Ages 7–8
Skeletons & Muscles
Identify that humans and some other animals have skeletons and muscles for support, protection, and movement
10 verified questions on this shelf
Ages 7–8
Water Transport in Plants
Investigate how water is transported within plants, using observations such as coloured water being drawn up through a stem
12 verified questions on this shelf
Ages 7–8
What Plants Need to Thrive
Explore and compare the requirements of plants for life and growth: air, light, water, nutrients from soil, and room to grow
10 verified questions on this shelf
Ages 8–11
How animals adapt to environments
Identify how animals and plants are adapted to suit their environment and understand that adaptation may lead to evolution over time
17 verified questions on this shelf
Ages 8–10
Inheritance Vocabulary
Use vocabulary for variation and inheritance — inherited characteristic, acquired characteristic, variation, offspring, trait, species, breed, genetic, environment — and apply these when comparing organisms and explaining similarities and…
10 verified questions on this shelf
Ages 8–9
Inherited characteristics
Analyse and interpret data to provide evidence that plants and animals have traits inherited from parents and that variation of these traits exists in a group of similar organisms
16 verified questions on this shelf
Ages 8–9
The Digestive System
Describe the simple functions of the basic parts of the human digestive system: mouth, oesophagus, stomach, small intestine, large intestine
10 verified questions on this shelf
Ages 8–9
Traits: inherited and environmental
Use evidence to support the explanation that traits can be influenced by the environment as well as inheritance
26 verified questions on this shelf
Ages 8–9
Types of Teeth
Identify the different types of human teeth (incisors, canines, molars) and describe their functions in eating
10 verified questions on this shelf
Ages 8–9
Variation & Survival Advantage
Use evidence to explain how variations in characteristics among individuals of the same species may provide advantages in surviving, finding mates, and reproducing
17 verified questions on this shelf
Ages 9–10
Human Life Stages
Describe the changes as humans develop to old age, including the stages of the human life cycle
10 verified questions on this shelf
Ages 9–11
Organ Systems Vocabulary
Use technical vocabulary for the major organ systems — organ, organ system, circulatory system, digestive system, respiratory system, skeletal system, muscular system, nutrient, oxygen, carbon dioxide, blood vessel, artery, vein, capillary…
10 verified questions on this shelf
Ages 9–10
Senses, Brain & Responses
Use a model to describe that animals receive information through their senses, process it in their brain, and respond in different ways
18 verified questions on this shelf
Ages 9–10
Structures for Survival
Construct an argument that plants and animals have internal and external structures that function to support survival, growth, behaviour, and reproduction
24 verified questions on this shelf
Ages 10–11
Diet, Exercise & Lifestyle
Recognise the impact of diet, exercise, drugs, and lifestyle on the way human bodies function
12 verified questions on this shelf
Ages 10–11
Energy from Food & the Sun
Use models to describe that energy in animals' food was once energy from the sun, transferred through plants or other organisms
38 verified questions on this shelf
Ages 10–11
Evolution vocabulary
Use technical vocabulary for evolution and natural selection — adaptation, evolution, natural selection, extinct, extinction, fossil record, species, common ancestor, mutation, variation — and explain the mechanism of natural selection usi…
9 verified questions on this shelf
Ages 10–11
Nutrient Transport in Animals
Describe how nutrients and water are transported within animals, including the role of the circulatory system in delivering nutrients from digestion
9 verified questions on this shelf
Ages 10–11
Plants Grow from Air & Water
Support an argument that plants get the materials they need for growth chiefly from air and water, not from the soil
33 verified questions on this shelf
Ages 10–11
The Circulatory System
Identify and name the main parts of the human circulatory system and describe the functions of the heart, blood vessels, and blood
11 verified questions on this shelf
Ages 11–13
Calculating Dietary Energy
Calculate and evaluate energy intake and requirements in a healthy daily diet, interpreting food labels and nutritional data
10 verified questions on this shelf
Ages 11–12
Cells to Organ Systems
Describe the hierarchical organisation of multicellular organisms: cells → tissues → organs → organ systems → organism
10 verified questions on this shelf
Ages 11–12
Cells Under the Microscope
Understand that all living organisms are made of cells and use a light microscope to observe, interpret, and record cell structure
17 verified questions on this shelf
Ages 11–13
Diet Imbalance & Deficiency
Explain the health consequences of an imbalanced diet including obesity (excess energy), starvation (severe energy deficit), and deficiency diseases (lack of specific nutrients, e.g. scurvy, rickets)
28 verified questions on this shelf
Ages 11–13
Digestion & Enzymes
Describe the organs of the human digestive system and how food is physically and chemically digested, including the role of enzymes as biological catalysts
11 verified questions on this shelf
Ages 11–13
Joints, Tendons & Ligaments
Explain biomechanics — the interaction between skeleton and muscles at joints, including the roles of tendons (attach muscle to bone) and ligaments (attach bone to bone)
10 verified questions on this shelf
Ages 11–13
Muscles Work in Pairs
Explain that muscles work in antagonistic pairs — one contracts while the other relaxes — to produce movement, using the bicep and tricep as a key example
10 verified questions on this shelf
Ages 11–13
Nutrients in a Healthy Diet
Identify the seven components of a healthy diet — carbohydrates, lipids, proteins, vitamins, minerals, dietary fibre, and water — and explain the role of each in the body
10 verified questions on this shelf
Ages 11–12
Parts of Plant and Animal Cells
Describe the functions of the main components of plant and animal cells: cell wall, cell membrane, cytoplasm, nucleus, vacuole, mitochondria, ribosomes, and chloroplasts
11 verified questions on this shelf
Ages 11–12
Photosynthesis
Explain photosynthesis as the process by which plants use light energy to convert carbon dioxide and water into glucose and oxygen, and describe how mineral nutrients are absorbed through roots
11 verified questions on this shelf
Ages 11–12
Plant Cells vs Animal Cells
Compare plant and animal cells, identifying shared features and structures unique to plant cells (cell wall, vacuole, chloroplasts)
10 verified questions on this shelf
Ages 11–12
Single-Celled Organisms
Explain how unicellular organisms such as bacteria and Amoeba carry out all the functions of life within a single cell
10 verified questions on this shelf
Ages 11–13
The Human Skeleton
Describe the structure and four main functions of the human skeleton: support, protection, movement, and production of blood cells in bone marrow
22 verified questions on this shelf
Ages 11–12
Using a Microscope
Use a light microscope correctly to prepare, focus, and examine biological specimens, including making accurate labelled drawings at an appropriate magnification
16 verified questions on this shelf
Ages 12–13
Aerobic Respiration
Explain aerobic respiration as the process by which organisms release energy from glucose using oxygen, producing carbon dioxide and water; write and interpret the word equation: glucose + oxygen → carbon dioxide + water
10 verified questions on this shelf
Ages 12–14
Anaerobic Respiration
Explain anaerobic respiration in animals as the incomplete breakdown of glucose to lactic acid when oxygen is in short supply, causing muscle fatigue; contrast this with aerobic respiration in terms of energy yield and products
10 verified questions on this shelf
Ages 12–14
Body Temperature Regulation
Explain how the human body detects and responds to environmental changes including temperature, including the role of the skin in temperature regulation (sweating, shivering, vasodilation, vasoconstriction)
79 verified questions on this shelf
Ages 12–13
Gas Exchange & Breathing
Describe the structure of the human gas exchange system (trachea, bronchi, bronchioles, alveoli) and explain how the mechanism of breathing — using pressure changes from rib and diaphragm movement — moves air in and out of the lungs
23 verified questions on this shelf
Ages 12–13
Gut Bacteria & Digestion
Explain the role of gut microbiome bacteria in digestion, including breaking down dietary fibre and contributing to a healthy gut environment
70 verified questions on this shelf
Ages 12–13
Heart Structure & Double Circulation
Describe the structure of the heart (four chambers, valves, coronary arteries) and explain how it pumps deoxygenated blood to the lungs and oxygenated blood to the body in a double circulatory system
10 verified questions on this shelf
Ages 12–13
How Diffusion Works
Explain diffusion as the net movement of particles from a region of higher concentration to lower concentration, and describe its role in moving materials (oxygen, carbon dioxide, glucose) in and between cells
10 verified questions on this shelf
Ages 12–13
Human Reproduction
Describe the structure and function of the male and female human reproductive systems, and explain the processes of fertilisation, gestation, and birth including the role of the placenta
17 verified questions on this shelf
Ages 12–14
Pathogens & the Immune System
Explain how pathogens (bacteria, viruses, and fungi) cause disease and describe how the immune system responds, including the roles of white blood cells (phagocytosis, antibody production) and the concept of immunity
10 verified questions on this shelf
Ages 12–13
Plant Reproduction
Describe the structure of a flower and explain the processes of wind and insect pollination, fertilisation, seed and fruit formation, and seed dispersal in plants
45 verified questions on this shelf
Ages 13–14
Effects of Drugs & Alcohol
Explain the effects of recreational drugs including alcohol, tobacco, and illegal substances on behaviour, health, and body systems, and distinguish between depressants, stimulants, and hallucinogens
13 verified questions on this shelf

Skill names and descriptions include the Marble Skill Taxonomy © Generative Spark, Inc. (withmarble.com), licensed under ODbL 1.0 (database) and CC BY-SA 4.0 (content). Practice questions are GlowGrades's own, each checked by independent verifiers that must agree before a child ever sees it.