Describe electrical impulses travelling along neurones
Distinguish the nerve-cell signal from blood transport and whole-body movement.
Exam scope and assessment notes
Core and Extended · Biology 0970, 2026–2028. Use the stated specimen features and evidence. Diagrams are schematic. Written practice is self-checked; human subject-teacher review, supervised practical competence and cumulative assessment remain pending. Cambridge states that IGCSE 0970 has the same subject content as IGCSE 0610, with 9–1 grading. This StudyForA pathway maps the 2026–2028 syllabus only. This 9–1 graded qualification is available only in a limited number of administrative zones. Confirm that your centre can enter you for this code and exam series with Cambridge International. Cambridge has published a separate syllabus for 2029. StudyForA has not reconciled that version yet; this page supports exams in 2026, 2027 and 2028 only.
Before you begin
- Recall cell membranes, diffusion, sensitivity and the difference between cells, tissues and organs.
Work on paper. Try each question before revealing help, and explain why your method works.
Quick readiness check
What is a neurone?
What you will learn
- Signals travel along specialised cells
- Use direction and destination
Describe electrical impulses travelling along neurones
Signal, cell and nerve are different levels. Arrows in the supplied route indicate impulse travel, not movement of the whole neurone. Original teaching model.
| Feature | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Signal | Electrical impulse |
| Cell | Neurone |
| Sensory route | Receptor towards CNS |
| Motor route | CNS towards effector |
Signals travel along specialised cells
Neurones are specialised cells that transmit electrical impulses. The required statement concerns a signal travelling along a neurone, rather than the whole cell moving from one organ to another. An impulse can carry information about a stimulus or contribute to instructions reaching an effector, depending on the neurone’s place in the pathway.
A long nerve-cell process enables communication between separated locations. In a sensory pathway, information travels from a receptor towards the central nervous system; in a motor pathway, instructions travel towards an effector. Follow the supplied arrow and connections when describing direction instead of assuming every impulse always moves towards the brain.
Use direction and destination
A neurone is one cell, while a nerve includes many nerve fibres organised together. The words therefore describe different levels of organisation. A drawn fibre can represent the signal route without representing an entire nerve as one enormous cell. Electrical signalling along a neurone is also distinct from a hormone being carried in blood.
The signal travelling along a neurone and transmission across a chemical synapse are different stages. Supplement teaching later explains neurotransmitter release, diffusion and binding at the junction. For the Core statement here, name electrical impulses and neurones accurately without describing neurotransmitter molecules flowing all the way along every nerve as the impulse itself.
Pause and explain
Which is the required signalling statement?
Worked example
State what travels along neurones.
Show the worked solution
- Name the type of signal.
- Name the specialised cell that conducts it.
Answer Electrical impulses travel along neurones.
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Write your answer and reasoning first. Use a hint only if you are stuck. The model solution is for self-checking; your written work is not automatically marked.
State the required type of signal travelling along neurones.
Give me a hint
Give both signal type and cell name.
Compare my reasoning
- Identify the signal as electrical impulses.
- Locate its travel along neurones.
Electrical impulses travel along neurones.
Look for these in your work
- Name electrical impulses
- Name neurones
Correct: a neurone must move bodily from skin to brain to report a stimulus.
Give me a hint
The signal travels rather than the whole cell.
Compare my reasoning
- The specialised cell provides a communication route.
- Electrical impulses travel along it.
The neurone does not move bodily along the route; electrical impulses travel along the specialised cell to transmit information.
Look for these in your work
- Separate cell and signal
- State electrical travel
A supplied arrow runs from CNS towards muscle along a neurone. Must the signal instead travel towards the brain?
Give me a hint
Use the stated motor connection.
Compare my reasoning
- The arrow describes an outward motor route.
- An effector can receive the signal.
No. In the supplied motor route, an electrical impulse travels from the CNS towards the muscle effector; not every neural signal travels towards the brain.
Look for these in your work
- Use the supplied direction
- Recognise the motor destination
Common mistakes
- Saying the whole neurone moves along a nerve.
- Calling every impulse a blood-carried hormone.
What can you explain now?
Which is the required signalling statement?
Compare with the explanation
Electrical impulses travel along neurones
It names signal and route.
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Make it stick
State what travels along neurones and distinguish a signal from the cell itself.
If you needed the solution, close it and solve the problem again from a blank page. A correct answer is stronger when you can explain the reason for each step.