The structure and function of the heart. The cardiac cycle. Blood vessels (arteries, veins, capillaries) and how their structure relates to their function. Blood composition (red cells, white cells, platelets, plasma) and the role of each. The lymphatic system. Cardiovascular disease — risk factors, prevention, and treatment. The effects of exercise and lifestyle on the cardiovascular system.
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Cross-overlay equivalents
The same canonical content is also tested by AQA GCSE Combined Science Trilogy (Biology paper) and AQA GCSE Biology — wikilinks will surface here when the AQA Combined Science overlay outcome pages are populated for Year 9 / Year 10 learners on that pathway.
Care note
Cardiovascular topics carry several sensitivities worth flagging at planning stage:
- Family history of cardiovascular disease — many learners will have direct family experience of heart attack, stroke, or related illness, including bereavement. Teaching the risk-factor content needs gentle anticipation that for some learners this is not an abstract topic
- Eating disorders and cardiovascular health — disordered eating in either direction has direct cardiovascular consequences (electrolyte disturbance, arrhythmia, bradycardia). For learners in eating-disorder recovery, this content needs careful sequencing in dialogue with their clinical team. No body-comment, no weight-talk, no implicit moralising
- Anxiety and cardiac sensation — palpitations, racing heart, and chest tightness are common anxiety presentations that mimic cardiac symptoms. Teaching the cardiovascular system can either reassure (you understand the physiology) or activate (it draws attention to felt symptoms)
- Lifestyle framing — the “lifestyle factors” content (smoking, alcohol, diet, exercise) needs to be taught factually without becoming a personal-life inventory of the learner’s family. Information, not interrogation