Draw a labelled diagram of a nephron and explain how it makes urine.

How to lay out the answer. Follow the frame, then write it in your own words.

1 · Define in one line. The nephron is the structural and functional unit of the kidney; it filters blood and makes urine.
2 · Filtration. Blood in the glomerulus is filtered into Bowman's capsule; red blood cells and proteins stay in the blood.
3 · Reabsorption. Useful substances, extra water and salts are taken back into the capillaries around the tubule.
4 · Urine. The waste left, mainly urea in water, flows to the collecting tubule, then the ureter and the bladder.
5 · Draw the nephron. [Diagram: Bowman's capsule, glomerulus, PCT, loop of Henle, DCT, collecting tubule, blood capillaries]
6 · Link to daily life. Drinking enough water helps the kidneys; dialysis or a transplant helps when both kidneys fail.
7 · Close in one line. So the nephron throws out wastes but keeps what the body needs.

Scoring tip: Mark on your diagram where filtration happens and where reabsorption happens.