# Mitosis is a type of cell division that occurs during the cell cycle. Explain why mitosis is important to a multicellular organism, and describe what happens to the DNA of a cell during the cell cycle before mitosis takes place.

> WJEC A-Level Biology (Wales) — 1.2 Cell structure and organisation · Explain · 5 marks

## Mark scheme (5 marks)

1. Mitosis allows the organism to grow
2. Mitosis allows replacement / repair of old or damaged cells
3. Mitosis produces two daughter cells with identical copies of DNA
4. During interphase (before mitosis), the DNA is replicated / copied
5. The number of organelles also increases / the cell grows during interphase

## Key terms

- [mitosis](https://www.gradenine.co.uk/glossary/mitosis)
- [cell cycle](https://www.gradenine.co.uk/glossary/cell-cycle)
- [DNA](https://www.gradenine.co.uk/glossary/dna)

## Related

- [Revision notes for WJEC A-Level Biology (Wales)](https://www.gradenine.co.uk/learn)
- [How to answer "Explain" questions](https://www.gradenine.co.uk/tools/command-word-cheatsheet)
- [Practice this with AI marking (free)](https://www.gradenine.co.uk/start)

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Source: [GradeNine](https://www.gradenine.co.uk/q/mitosis-is-a-type-of-cell-a7af3204) · Published by Druglandscape Ltd.