A person moves from a warm room into very cold outdoor conditions. Explain how the body responds to maintain a constant core body temperature.

Eduqas GCSE Biology — 4.3 Homeostasis in humans · Explain · 4 marks · View as Markdown

Written & reviewed by James Millett — Biology (Imperial College London), PGCE Science (University of Cambridge).

Model answer (4 marks)

Blood vessels in the skin constrict (vasoconstriction), reducing heat loss and keeping heat nearer the core.
Muscles contract rapidly and repeatedly (shivering), producing heat through increased metabolic activity.
The heat generated by shivering raises core temperature, helping to maintain a constant body temperature.
These responses together minimise heat loss and increase heat production, keeping the core temperature stable.

Examiner tips

  • Use the exact terms 'vasoconstriction' and 'shivering'; link each to heat loss or heat production. Show the cause–effect chain: cold → vasoconstriction/shivering → reduced loss/increased gain → core temperature maintained.
  • common_mistakes
  • :
  • Using vague terms like 'tightening' instead of 'vasoconstriction'. Forgetting to mention that shivering generates heat. Mixing up heat loss and heat gain in the explanation.

Mark scheme (4 marks)

  1. Blood vessels supplying skin capillaries constrict (vasoconstriction)
  2. This reduces heat loss from the skin / keeps heat closer to the core
  3. Muscles contract rapidly and repeatedly (shivering)
  4. Shivering generates / releases heat (from respiration in muscles) to warm the body

Key terms in this question

core body temperature

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