Pass Functional Skills logo

Cell structure

Cell structure for GCSE Food Preparation Edexcel: what it means, how to set the working out, and the questions it is asked in.
  • GCSE
  • Edexcel
  • Food Preparation
  • Spec R13 · R20 · R11
  • 11 min read
  • 6 revision boxes

Introduction

2 boxes
2 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.
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.
2 rows

The cell structure reference table

This idea appears again in the higher-mark questions, so it is worth over-learning.
Term
Meaning
Example
Row 1 column 1
Row 1 column 2
×10\times 10 moves every digit one column left
Row 2 column 1
Row 2 column 2
×10\times 10 moves every digit one column left

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.
Worth knowing: ×10\times 10 moves every digit one column left.
  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: ×10\times 10 moves every digit one column left
2 rules

Key facts: Cell structure

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

  • Rule 1

    How cell structure behaves in the 1st of the cases the specification names.
    a2+b2=c2a^2 + b^2 = c^2

  • Rule 2

    How cell structure behaves in the 2nd of the cases the specification names.
    a2+b2=c2a^2 + b^2 = c^2

  • Rule 3

    How cell structure behaves in the 3rd of the cases the specification names.
    ≈160\approx 160

20 minutes

Get your predicted grade

Twenty questions gives you a predicted grade, your target, and the gap between them — plus the topics that close it fastest.
Get my predicted grade

Examples

2 boxes
4 marks · worked

Worked example: cell structure

Work through the method one line at a time and write down what changes at each step.
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: ≈160\approx 160.
2 marks · worked

Practice question 6: 34×25\frac{3}{4} \times \frac{2}{5}

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

Practice bank

Thousands of revision questions

Every topic is backed by graded practice with instant marking and full solutions.
Try it now
Practice questions
11,000+
Topics
10
Marking and solutions
Instant

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 GCSE Food Preparation Edexcel paper?
Yes — it sits in the People and organisations strand.