Locate xylem and phloem in a dicot leaf diagram
Orient a leaf section using its upper and lower surfaces before identifying the vein.
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 leaf layers and tissue functions.
Work on paper. Try each question before revealing help, and explain why your method works.
Quick readiness check
Which layer contains many photosynthetic leaf cells?
What you will learn
- Locate the vascular bundle in a leaf
- Use surface orientation to distinguish its tissues
Orient the leaf before the vein
In this typical non-woody dicot leaf teaching model, the upper epidermis is above the palisade mesophyll and the lower epidermis borders the spongy mesophyll. A vascular bundle lies within the leaf. Xylem occupies the upper part of this bundle and phloem the lower part.
Upper refers to the stated leaf surface, not simply where a rotated page puts the drawing. Trace a tissue from the organ layers to the bundle before naming it. A pore at the lower epidermis is a stoma, not phloem.
Water delivery and organic nutrient export
Xylem supplies water/mineral ions to the leaf; water moves towards mesophyll cells. Phloem can carry sucrose/amino acids between the leaf and other parts. Both tissues belong to the vein but have distinct functions.
This typical diagram is a starting model. Actual veins vary between species, vein sizes and growth conditions. In image questions, retain the specimen key and do not treat upper/lower placement as an exception-free law.
Pause and explain
Where is phloem in this typical oriented leaf bundle?
Worked example
A leaf cross-section is labelled with its upper surface at the top. Which bundle region is the typical xylem?
Show the worked solution
- Locate the vein within mesophyll.
- Choose its upper region for xylem in the given model.
Answer The upper, surface-facing part of the vascular bundle is xylem; the lower part is phloem.
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.
Identify the upper and lower regions of the labelled typical leaf bundle.
Give me a hint
Use the labelled upper leaf surface.
Compare my reasoning
- The upper bundle region is xylem.
- The lower region is phloem.
Upper bundle: xylem; lower bundle: phloem, in this typical model.
Look for these in your work
- Identify both tissues
- Refer to the model orientation
Why is a label at the lower epidermal pore not a phloem label?
Give me a hint
Compare a surface opening with internal transport tissue.
Compare my reasoning
- The pore is a stoma in the epidermal surface.
- Phloem is a tissue within the vascular bundle.
The label points to a stoma, not the internal phloem region of the vein.
Look for these in your work
- Locate the pore
- Locate phloem internally
A leaf drawing is upside down on the screen. Its original upper surface is now at the bottom. How should xylem be located?
Give me a hint
Follow the labelled biological surface rather than screen top.
Compare my reasoning
- Find the original upper surface.
- Locate the typical bundle region facing that surface.
Use the region towards the labelled upper surface, now lower on the screen; do not swap tissue identity merely because the drawing rotated.
Look for these in your work
- Use biological orientation
- Keep identities consistent
Common mistakes
- Calling the upper epidermis itself xylem.
- Treating a typical teaching layout as universal for all specimens.
What can you explain now?
Where is phloem in this typical oriented leaf bundle?
Compare with the explanation
Below xylem, towards the lower surface
This is the supplied schematic arrangement.
After trying it yourself, choose your next review. This is your self-assessment.
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Make it stick
Place root, stem and leaf xylem on three small sketches, using a different positional rule for each.
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.