Learn in your language
Skip to content
IGCSE · Cambridge (CIE) · 0970

Interpret warm and cold temperature correction data

Use the supplied reference, departure magnitudes and matched time intervals.

Homeostasis pathway · 0970 (9–1) · 14.4
Exam scope and assessment notes

Extended only (Supplement) · 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 hormone production and blood transport, respiration, liver storage and electrical impulses along neurones.

Work on paper. Try each question before revealing help, and explain why your method works.

Quick readiness check

What is each departure magnitude after five minutes?

What you will learn

  • Read the invented temperature records
  • Calculate signed rates and limited conclusions

Interpret warm and cold temperature correction data

Invented reference 37.0°C: warm 38.0→37.4→37.0; cold 36.0→36.6→37.0 at 0, 5 and 10 min. Opposite signs, same shrinking departure. Original teaching model.

Invented temperature records — supplied reference 37.0°C
Time / minWarm start / °CCold start / °C
0 min38.036.0
5 min37.436.6
10 min37.037.0
Homeostasis model reference
FeatureMeaning
Departures1.0→0.4→0°C for both
First intervalWarm −0.12; cold +0.12°C/min
Second intervalWarm −0.08; cold +0.08°C/min
LimitsMean rates; no sole-effector proof or universal exact temperature

Read the invented temperature records

The invented model supplies a reference of 37.0°C. At 0, 5 and 10 minutes, the warm-start temperatures are 38.0, 37.4 and 37.0°C, while the cold-start values are 36.0, 36.6 and 37.0°C. Both departure magnitudes shrink from 1.0 to 0.4 to 0°C. The reference belongs to this model rather than being an exact universal value for everyone.

For the first five minutes, warm signed change is 37.4 − 38.0 = −0.6°C, giving mean rate −0.6/5 = −0.12°C per minute. Cold signed change is +0.6°C, giving +0.12°C per minute. Both move towards the supplied reference despite opposite signs. If reporting a cooling magnitude, use 0.12°C per minute and explicitly name cooling.

Calculate signed rates and limited conclusions

Over the second five-minute interval, the warm change is −0.4°C and the cold change is +0.4°C, giving mean rates −0.08 and +0.08°C per minute. These are interval averages, not instantaneous derivatives or direct sweat-production measurements. Always identify the interval before comparing rates.

The warm pattern is consistent with coordinated heat-loss responses and the cold pattern with increased heat production and conservation. Temperature readings alone do not establish which exact effector was solely responsible. The data are for explanation and calculation, not a clinical threshold or an instruction to heat or chill human subjects.

Pause and explain

Which second-interval rate pair is correct?

Put the idea to work

Worked example

Calculate first-interval rates and compare correction.

Show the worked solution
  1. Warm: −0.6/5 = −0.12°C/min.
  2. Cold: +0.6/5 = +0.12°C/min.

Answer First-interval mean rates: warm −0.12°C/min; cold +0.12°C/min. Both reduce departure from reference 37.0°C.

Try a topic test

Choose Easy, Normal or Difficult. Save your answers and open worked review after finishing.

Test this topic →

From guided practice to a new situation

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.

1 · Guided

Calculate departure magnitudes for both records at each displayed time.

Give me a hint

Use distance from 37.0°C.

Compare my reasoning
  1. At zero minutes both differ by 1.0°C.
  2. At five minutes by 0.4°C; at ten by zero.

Both records have departure magnitudes 1.0, 0.4 and 0°C at 0, 5 and 10 minutes.

Look for these in your work

  • Use the supplied reference
  • Compare matching times
2 · Independent

Calculate signed mean rates for both five-minute intervals in both records.

Give me a hint

Later minus earlier, divided by five.

Compare my reasoning
  1. First: warm −0.12; cold +0.12°C/min.
  2. Second: warm −0.08; cold +0.08°C/min.

First interval: warm −0.12, cold +0.12°C/min. Second interval: warm −0.08, cold +0.08°C/min.

Look for these in your work

  • Calculate both intervals
  • Retain rate units and signs
3 · Transfer

Evaluate: these records prove sweating was the sole warm response and 37.0°C is exact for all people.

Give me a hint

Separate model consistency and universal claims.

Compare my reasoning
  1. No direct effector or controlled causal measurement is supplied.
  2. 37.0°C is the model reference, not a universal exact reading.

The record is consistent with correction, but does not prove sweating was the sole cause. The supplied 37.0°C reference is not an exact universal temperature for all people.

Look for these in your work

  • Limit causal inference
  • Keep the reference model-specific

Common mistakes

  • Calling every negative signed rate failed negative feedback.
  • Treating interval averages as instantaneous or clinical values.
Recall without your notes

What can you explain now?

Which second-interval rate pair is correct?

Compare with the explanation

Warm −0.08; cold +0.08°C/min

Each changes 0.4°C in five minutes.

After trying it yourself, choose your next review. This is your self-assessment.

Your review choice appears on Today. Sign in to sync it across devices.

Make it stick

Calculate departures and rates while retaining the limits of a temperature-only record.

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.

Keep learning Biology (9-1)

Course scope and assessment

780 sequenced lessons provide 2340 guided, independent and application problems in characteristics, classification, cells, organisation, specimen size, membrane transport, biological molecules, enzymes, plant and human nutrition, plant transport, circulatory systems, the heart, blood vessels, blood, disease transmission, body defences, immunity, gas exchange in humans, respiration energy uses and investigations, aerobic respiration, anaerobic respiration and recovery, excretion in humans, coordination and response, sense organs, hormones, homeostasis, tropic responses, drugs, asexual reproduction, sexual reproduction, sexual reproduction in plants, sexual reproduction in humans, sex hormones in humans, sexually transmitted infections, chromosomes, genes and proteins, mitosis, meiosis, monohybrid inheritance, variation, adaptive features, selection, energy flow, food chains and webs, nutrient cycles, population, community, ecosystem, population-growth phases, food supply, habitat destruction, pollution, conservation, biotechnology and genetic modification. 61 of 61 syllabus sections have linked teaching and staged practice. The earlier inheritance overview remains introductory, and the monohybrid pathway develops the relevant Core and Supplement requirements. This is not full programme completion or guaranteed exam readiness. Written practice is self-checked. This is the separate 9–1 qualification 0970; Cambridge states that its 2026–2028 subject content is otherwise the same as 0610. 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. The 2029 syllabus is separately published at https://www.cambridgeinternational.org/Images/764352-2029-syllabus.pdf and is not yet mapped here. This course supports exams in 2026, 2027 and 2028 only.

StudyForA · Learn with understanding

Original teaching content and links to official sources. Check your exam year and qualification before using a resource.