The seven characteristics — MRS GREN
Movement (parts can move — plants included, via tropisms); Respiration (chemical release of energy from glucose in cells); Sensitivity (detect a stimulus and respond); Growth (permanent increase in size and dry mass); Reproduction (producing offspring, sexually or asexually); Excretion (removal of the waste products of metabolism — e.g. , urea); Nutrition (taking in materials for energy, growth and repair). Cambridge 0610 lists seven, not eight — there is no homeostasis.
Apply the seven to unfamiliar organisms
Every living thing shows all seven. Plants show all seven (tropisms, respiration in every cell, growth at meristems, seeds, excretion, photosynthesis). Fungi show all seven too (heterotrophic nutrition by absorption; reproduction by spores). Viruses are the classic non-example — they cannot respire, grow, excrete or feed independently, and only reproduce inside a host cell.
Four characteristics need precise two-element definitions
Respiration = chemical release of energy from glucose (not "breathing"). Excretion = removal of the waste products of metabolism (not all waste — faeces is egested, not excreted). Growth = a permanent increase in dry mass (not just "getting bigger"). Nutrition = taking in materials for energy, growth and repair (not just "eating food").
Drawn from real examiner reports.
Excretion ≠ egestion
Excretion removes the waste products of metabolism — substances made inside cells ( from respiration, urea from breaking down excess amino acids). Egestion removes undigested food (faeces) at the anus; it was never inside cells, so it is not a metabolic waste. Writing "excretion is getting rid of faeces" scores zero.
Flagged s22 P31 Q6a; P32 Q6a · s23 P11/12 Q15; P32 Q4c ii
Respiration ≠ breathing
Respiration is the chemical release of energy from glucose, happening in every cell at all times — it does not need lungs. Breathing (ventilation) is the mechanical movement of air in and out of the lungs. "Respiration is breathing in oxygen" defines gas exchange, not respiration. Anaerobic respiration needs no oxygen at all.
Growth ≠ reproduction
Growth is a permanent increase in dry mass of one organism. Reproduction makes new organisms. A cell dividing to repair a wound is growth; a cell dividing to form gametes is reproduction. Both are on the list — keep them separate.
Movement ≠ locomotion
Movement is a characteristic of all living things, including plants — shoots grow toward light (phototropism), stomata open and close. Movement does not require travelling from place to place, so "plants cannot move" is wrong.
"Getting bigger" is too vague for growth
Mark schemes penalise "increases in size" alone. The two required elements are permanent and increase in dry mass. A plant swelling with water has not grown — the water can leave again, and dry mass has not changed.
Seven, not eight (no homeostasis)
Candidates lose marks either by listing only five or six characteristics (often dropping sensitivity or nutrition) or by adding homeostasis — which is on the Edexcel 4BI1 list, not Cambridge 0610. If it appears as an MCQ option here, it is a deliberate distractor.
Match the command word
"State one characteristic" = the term only (e.g. "Respiration"). "Describe what is meant by excretion" = the term plus the two-element definition. "Explain / Apply" = define the characteristic, then link it explicitly to the organism named in the question.
For "why are viruses not living", name the criteria they fail
List the specific MRS GREN criteria — "cannot respire / cannot grow / cannot excrete metabolic waste independently". Vague answers like "they cannot survive on their own" score nothing.
Watch release — that is excretion
Releasing carbon dioxide is excretion (removing a metabolic waste), not respiration — respiration is the internal process that produced it.
MCQ distractor alert: homeostasis
If a 0610 paper offers "homeostasis" as a characteristic of living organisms, it is a deliberate distractor — the correct seven are MRS GREN only.
Cambridge 0610 spec reference: Section 1, sub-topic 1.1 (all Core content — no Supplement/Extended statements in this sub-topic).
Cambridge IGCSE Biology (0610) requires candidates to describe seven characteristics shared by all living organisms. The mnemonic is MRS GREN:
| Letter | Characteristic | Mark-scheme-precise definition |
|---|---|---|
| M | Movement | The organism or its parts can move in response to stimuli (not limited to locomotion — plants move too) |
| R | Respiration | The chemical release of energy from glucose inside living cells |
| S | Sensitivity | The ability to detect changes in the environment (stimuli) and respond to them |
| G | Growth | A permanent increase in size and dry mass through cell division and/or cell enlargement |
| R | Reproduction | Producing new offspring (sexually or asexually) to maintain the species |
| E | Excretion | Removal of the waste products of metabolism from the body (e.g. , urea) |
| N | Nutrition | Taking in materials needed for energy, growth and repair (autotrophic or heterotrophic) |
Important: Cambridge 0610 lists SEVEN characteristics — not eight. Homeostasis is a characteristic in Edexcel 4BI1 but is NOT part of Cambridge 0610 topic 1.1. Never include homeostasis in a 0610 MRS GREN answer.
Define respiration as a characteristic of living organisms. Why does "breathing" score zero?
State four characteristics of living organisms.
(4 marks)
