Edexcel IGCSE Biology · Spec 3.8
Reproductive Systems
The human male and female reproductive systems and the function of each part.
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Reproductive Systems
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Explained
The reproductive systems, part by part
Every structure here exists to do one job, so learn it as a list of jobs rather than a list of names. The male system makes sperm and delivers them. The female system makes eggs, provides the place where fertilisation happens, and supports a developing fetus.
The male system
- Testis, makes sperm and produces testosterone.
- Scrotum, holds the testes outside the body, where the temperature is slightly lower than body temperature, which sperm production requires.
- Sperm duct, carries sperm from the testis to the urethra.
- Prostate gland, adds fluid to the sperm. Sperm and that fluid together make semen.
- Urethra, carries semen out through the penis, and at other times carries urine.
- Penis, delivers semen into the vagina.
The female system
- Ovary, contains the eggs and releases one at ovulation. Also produces oestrogen and progesterone.
- Oviduct, sometimes called the fallopian tube, carries the egg towards the uterus. Fertilisation happens here.
- Uterus, the muscular organ where the fetus develops. Its lining thickens each cycle to receive an embryo.
- Cervix, the ring of muscle at the base of the uterus.
- Vagina, receives the penis and is the route the baby takes at birth.
The two locations candidates swap
Fertilisation happens in the oviduct. Implantation happens in the uterus. They are different events in different places, and a question asking where one occurs is usually checking whether you have separated them.
What is fertilised is an egg, and it becomes a zygote, which divides to become an embryo. What implants is the embryo, not the egg. Writing that an egg implants is treated as an error rather than as loose phrasing.
What examiners say about this topic
A principal examiner report for Edexcel International GCSE Biology describes a question on the role of progesterone. Strong answers stated that progesterone maintains the uterus lining and went on to say that this enables an embryo to implant. Some candidates incorrectly stated that progesterone repairs the uterus lining, and others incorrectly referred to the implantation of eggs. The report advises that candidates should be careful to use terminology accurately.
Oestrogen rebuilds the lining. Progesterone maintains it. On another question, strong answers explained that sperm which could not move would be unable to reach the oviducts to fertilise the egg cells, which is the same anatomy used to reason with rather than just recalled.
Learning it efficiently
Sketch each system from memory, label it, then check. Labelling a diagram you drew yourself is much harder, and much more useful, than labelling one that is printed for you. Then say aloud what each part does in a single sentence, because that sentence is what the mark scheme is looking for.
Spec 3.8
What you need to know
- Name the parts of the male reproductive system
- Name the parts of the female reproductive system
- Link each part to its function
Active recall
Quick check
Answer each question before opening the answer.
State the function of the testis and the ovary.
Testis — produces sperm and testosterone. Ovary — produces egg cells and oestrogen.
What are the roles of the oviduct and the uterus?
The oviduct is where fertilisation happens; the uterus is where the embryo implants and develops.
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