Fiducia TogetherHomeostasis
Keeping internal conditions steady. Temperature, blood glucose and water balance.
Please note: This page explains a word or a process in education. It is general information about the system, the law and the guidance in England — not advice about your child, your school or your exam. If a decision is going against you, get advice from one of the free services we link to before you agree to anything or miss a deadline. If you are revising, check your own exam board's specification: boards word things differently and yours is the one that marks you.
What it is
Homeostasis is the regulation of internal conditions to maintain optimum conditions for enzyme action and cell function, in response to internal and external change.
Where it applies
GCSE biology and combined science.
How it works
Every control system has the same parts: a receptor detecting change, a coordination centre, and an effector producing a response. Negative feedback reverses the change.
The standard examples: thermoregulation by sweating, shivering and vasodilation or vasoconstriction; blood glucose by insulin and glucagon; water balance by the kidneys and ADH.
How to use it in your work
Use the receptor–coordination centre–effector structure for every homeostasis answer. It gives you the marks in order.
Say 'negative feedback' and explain the reversal.
Vasodilation is the widening of blood vessels near the skin surface, not the movement of the vessels. That misconception is specifically tested.
Where to get help
Your teacher, your board's specification for the depth required at your tier, and Bitesize for the diagrams.
Revise this with a song
These are ours. We write revision songs because a lot of people remember a tune when they cannot remember a page, and because revising out loud in the kitchen beats staring at a highlighter.
- The Biology Song The GCSE biology specification, set to music.
Where to read more
Last reviewed 2026-08-28 by Fiducia Together · Next review due 2027-08-28
Please note: This page explains a word or a process in education. It is general information about the system, the law and the guidance in England — not advice about your child, your school or your exam. If a decision is going against you, get advice from one of the free services we link to before you agree to anything or miss a deadline. If you are revising, check your own exam board's specification: boards word things differently and yours is the one that marks you.