Explain how cells, tissues and organs are organised to form the small intestine as part of an organ system. Use the terms tissue and organ system in your answer.

AQA GCSE Biology (8461) — 4.2.2 Animal tissues, organs and organ systems · Explain · 4 marks · View as Markdown

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

Model answer (4 marks)

A tissue is a group of cells with a similar structure and function.
The small intestine is made up of different tissues working together, for example muscular tissue, glandular tissue and epithelial tissue.
These tissues combine to form an organ – the small intestine – which performs a specific function.
The small intestine works with other organs as part of the digestive system, an organ system.

Examiner tips

  • Use the exact terms ‘tissue’ and ‘organ system’ as required.
  • Show the progression from cells to tissues to organ to organ system.
  • Keep the answer concise – 4 short points will earn full marks.

Common mistakes

  • Using ‘organ’ without mentioning tissues first.
  • Mixing up ‘tissue’ and ‘organ’ definitions.
  • Leaving out the link to the digestive system (organ system).

Mark scheme (4 marks)

  1. A tissue is a group of cells with a similar structure and function
  2. The small intestine is made up of different tissues working together, e.g. muscular tissue / glandular tissue / epithelial tissue
  3. This makes the small intestine an organ — an aggregation of tissues performing a specific function
  4. The small intestine works with other organs as part of the digestive system (an organ system) / groups of organs work together to form an organ system

Key terms in this question

tissue · organ · organ system

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