PAss Functional Skills

Cell structure

Cell structure for Access to HE English Literature: what it means, how to set the working out, and the questions it is asked in.
  • Access to HE
  • English Literature
  • Spec R20 · R8
  • 14 min read
  • 6 revision boxes

Introduction

2 boxes
3 min read

What is cell structure?

Listen to this box

Transcript

A short spoken summary of cell structure and where it is used.

A spoken walk-through of cell structure before you read the notes.
The examiner marks the working, so a correct answer with no method still drops marks.
3 rows

The cell structure reference table

This idea appears again in the higher-mark questions, so it is worth over-learning.
The layout below is the one the mark scheme expects.

Diagram showing cell structure laid out step by step

The same idea drawn out, so the method is visible.
Worth knowing: a2+b2=c2a^2 + b^2 = c^2.
Term
Meaning
Example
Row 1 column 1
Row 1 column 2
≈160\approx 160
Row 2 column 1
Row 2 column 2
a2+b2=c2a^2 + b^2 = c^2

Learning

2 boxes
4 steps

How to work with cell structure

Sketch the shape even when the question does not ask for one — it makes the next step obvious.
The layout below is the one the mark scheme expects.

Diagram showing cell structure laid out step by step

The same idea drawn out, so the method is visible.
Worth knowing: 49=7\sqrt{49} = 7.
  1. Read the question and write down what is being asked for.
  2. Set out the working for cell structure in the order the method gives.
  3. Substitute the values and simplify.
  4. Check the answer against an estimate before writing it down.
Start from the definition and substitute the numbers the question gives you.
Simplify one line at a time: ×10\times 10 moves every digit one column left.
Answer: ≈160\approx 160
3 rules

Key facts: Cell structure

Practise the routine version until it is automatic, then move to the multi-step questions.

  • Rule 1

    How cell structure behaves in the 1st of the cases the specification names.
    49=7\sqrt{49} = 7

  • Rule 2

    How cell structure behaves in the 2nd of the cases the specification names.
    34×25\frac{3}{4} \times \frac{2}{5}

  • Rule 3

    How cell structure behaves in the 3rd of the cases the specification names.
    ×10\times 10 moves every digit one column left

20 minutes

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Examples

2 boxes
1 marks · worked

Worked example: cell structure

Sketch the shape even when the question does not ask for one — it makes the next step obvious.
2 marks · worked

Practice question 6: x2+5x+6=0x^2 + 5x + 6 = 0

The examiner marks the working, so a correct answer with no method still drops marks.
The layout below is the one the mark scheme expects.

Diagram showing cell structure laid out step by step

The same idea drawn out, so the method is visible.
Worth knowing: 49=7\sqrt{49} = 7.

Practice bank

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Common questions

How many marks is cell structure usually worth?
Between one and four, depending on how many steps the question asks for.
Is this on the Access to HE English Literature paper?
Yes — it sits in the People and organisations strand.