Exam skills
What the paper asks you to do
- Trace a nutrient from food to cells
- Match enzymes with substrates and products
- Explain villus adaptations
Human systems
Human nutrition
Connect diet, digestion, absorption and assimilation across the alimentary canal.5090 syllabus routeConcept · skill · exam language
What to know
Build the topic around four anchors.
- 01Balanced diet and deficiency
- 02Mechanical and chemical digestion
- 03Digestive enzymes
- 04Villus adaptations and assimilation
Common mistakes
Where marks disappear
- Confusing absorption with assimilation
- Placing bile as an enzyme
- Saying digestion occurs only in the stomach
Structured practice
Answer these without looking back.
For each prompt, write the biological chain clearly enough that every mark-worthy link is visible.
- 01Explain how bile supports fat digestion.
- 02Trace starch digestion to absorption.
- 03Relate villus structure to function.
Continue learning
Read the connected explanation.
Follow mechanical and chemical digestion through the alimentary canal, then connect villus structure with nutrient absorption.
This independent teaching resource follows the Cambridge O Level Biology 5090 syllabus direction and is not endorsed by Cambridge International Education.