1.4Biology 01. Structure And Function

Describe the similarities and differences between the structures of… — Cambridge Checkpoint Science 0893 Revision Notes & Topical Questions

5 min read 8 parts Lesson 4 of 12 1 quiz

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Lesson summary

1.4 Plant and Animal Cells Compared — CHECKPOINT - Lower Secondary Science 0893 notes: Describe the similarities and differences between plant and animal cells and how to look at them with a microscope.Living organisms — all plants and animals are made of cells.Shared structures …

Root cells
Identifying a cell
Onion cells
Chloroplast
Shared structures — both plant and animal cells have a cell membrane, cytoplasm, a nucleus and mitochondria
Magnify = make an image look bigger than the real object

Section 1 of 8Similarities

Similarities

Living organisms

Living organisms all plants and animals are made of cells.

Shared structures

Shared structures both plant and animal cells have a cell membrane, cytoplasm, a nucleus and mitochondria.

Section 2 of 8Differences

Feature	Plant cell	Animal cell
Cell wall	Present, made of cellulose	Absent
Chloroplasts	Present in green parts	Absent
Large vacuole	Present, filled with cell sap	Absent
Shape	Regular, box-like	Irregular

Root cells

Root cells they have no chloroplasts because they receive no light.

Identifying a cell

Identifying a cell a cell wall, chloroplasts or a large vacuole show that a cell is a plant cell.

Section 3 of 8Parts of a plant cell

Part	Appearance under a light microscope	Job
Cell wall	Thick outer line	Support and fixed shape
Cell membrane	Thin line just inside the wall	Controls what goes in and out
Cytoplasm	Clear jelly	Reactions happen here
Nucleus	Dark round blob, easier to see when stained	Controls the cell
Chloroplasts	Small green discs	Photosynthesis
Vacuole	Large central space	Holds cell sap, keeps the cell firm

Section 4 of 8Using a microscope

Using a microscope

Parts

Parts eyepiece, objective lenses of low, medium and high power, stage, mirror or light, and coarse and fine focussing knobs.

Magnify

Magnify make an image look bigger than the real object.

Section 5 of 8Looking at onion cells

Cut a piece of onion about 1 cm square and put a drop of water on a clean slide.

Peel a thin layer from the inside of the onion with tweezers.

Lay the layer flat in the drop of water.

Add a drop of iodine solution to stain the cells so the nucleus shows up.

Lower a coverslip carefully to avoid trapping air bubbles.

Turn the lowest-power objective lens over the stage and place the slide on the stage.

Focus with the focussing knob, then change to a higher power.

Make a labelled drawing of the cells.

Onion cells
- they do not look green because they are underground and have no chloroplasts.

Section 6 of 8Looking at cheek cells

Rub a cotton bud gently inside the cheek to collect loose cells.

Rub the bud on a clean slide.

Add a drop of methylene blue, which stains the cells blue.

Lower a coverslip and focus with the lowest-power lens, then use a higher power.

Stain a dye that makes the parts of cells easier to see.

Section 7 of 8Key terms

Term	Meaning
Cell	The smallest unit of a living organism.
Cellulose	Tough material that makes the plant cell wall.
Vacuole	A large space filled with cell sap that keeps a plant cell firm.
Chloroplast	A structure with chlorophyll where photosynthesis happens.
Microscope	An instrument that magnifies things too small to see.
Stain	A dye used to make cell parts easier to see.
Cell sap	The watery liquid inside the vacuole.

Section 8 of 8Exam technique

Saying plant cells have no cell membrane — it is there, but pressed against the cell wall.

Saying all plant cells have chloroplasts — root cells do not.

Starting with the highest-power lens — start with the lowest power and then increase.

Saying the cell wall is made of cytoplasm — it is made of cellulose.

Last updated: 12 October 2026