GCSE Biology: Blood Vessels Functions

Veins

• Function: Transport blood into the heart from the rest of the body.
  • Keyword: IN
• Structure:
  • Thin walls (IN sounds like thin)
  • Large lumen
  • Start with V for valves to prevent backflow, important due to slow blood flow at low pressure.

Arteries

• Function: Carry blood away from the heart.
  • Keyword: A
• Structure:
  • Thick walls (opposite of veins)
  • Small lumen
  • No valves, as blood travels under high pressure.

Capillaries

• Function: Connect arteries to veins.
  • Begin with C
• Structure:
  • Walls are one cell thick
  • Permeable walls (P for permeable)
  • Facilitate diffusion of substances due to their structure.

These mnemonics help memorize the functions and structures of the different types of blood vessels for GCSE biology.