OCR GCSE Biology A: Non-communicable disease, cardiovascular treatment, lifestyle and cancer (J247) – Revision Notes

Quick recall for statements B6.3r to B6.3u of OCR GCSE (9-1) Gateway Science Biology A (J247), specification Version 4.0 (August 2026), for first assessment in 2018. None of these statements is in bold, so they apply to both tiers. For full explanations use the study guide, then test yourself with the practice questions. Course pages: OCR GCSE Biology hub | printable checklist | free 10-minute diagnostics.

B6.3r: multifactorial non-communicable diseases

• Non-communicable = not passed between people; no pathogen.
• Multifactorial = caused by an interaction of several factors: inherited, lifestyle and environmental.

Disease	One-line description
Cardiovascular disease	Disease of the heart or blood vessels; coronary heart disease is the main example
Cancer	Uncontrolled cell division; many forms
Bronchitis	Inflamed airways with extra mucus
Cirrhosis	Scarring of the liver, often linked to heavy alcohol use
Type 2 diabetes	Cells respond poorly to insulin; linked to diet and being overweight

Must-know distinction: a risk factor raises the chance of disease. It does not guarantee it.

B6.3s: cardiovascular disease and its treatments

Coronary heart disease: fatty deposits narrow the coronary arteries, so less oxygenated blood reaches the heart muscle. A blocked artery means a heart attack.

Treatment	Type	How it helps	Main drawback
Stop smoking, healthier diet, exercise, less alcohol	Lifestyle	Lowers risk factors	Slow; needs long-term effort; cannot clear an existing blockage
Statins	Medical	Lower blood cholesterol	Long-term; possible side effects such as muscle pain
Drugs to lower blood pressure	Medical	Reduce strain on the heart and arteries	Long-term; needs monitoring
Anti-clotting drugs	Medical	Make clots less likely	Risk of bleeding
Stent	Surgical	Mesh tube holds a narrowed artery open	Clots can form on the stent; artery can narrow again
Coronary bypass	Surgical	Vessel grafted around a blockage	Major operation; long recovery
Valve replacement	Surgical	Replaces a faulty heart valve	Mechanical valves can need anti-clotting drugs
Heart transplant	Surgical	Replaces the heart	Few donors; rejection risk, so immune-suppressing drugs

Method for an “evaluate” answer

1. Name the treatment and say what it does.
2. Give one advantage.
3. Give one disadvantage or limit.
4. Finish with a judgement that depends on the patient, for example how blocked the artery is.

Small worked reminder

Cholesterol falls from 5.0 to 3.8 mmol/dm³ on a statin. Change = 3.8 − 5.0 = −1.2. Percentage change = (−1.2 ÷ 5.0) × 100 = −24%.

B6.3t: lifestyle factors and incidence

Factor	Linked diseases
Smoking	Lung cancer, bronchitis, coronary heart disease
Alcohol	Cirrhosis, some cancers
Diet	Obesity, type 2 diabetes, coronary heart disease
Exercise	Lower risk of coronary heart disease and type 2 diabetes

• Incidence = how many people newly develop the disease during one stated period.
• Rate per 100 000 = (new cases ÷ population) × 100 000.
• Use a rate whenever populations differ in size.

Reminder: 120 new cases in a population of 400 000 gives 120 ÷ 400 000 × 100 000 = 30.0 per 100 000.

Levels of scale

Level	Meaning	Typical comparison
Local	A town or region	Neighbouring areas with different smoking or income
National	A country	Change over several years, or a campaign’s effect
Global	Many countries	Countries with different diets and activity levels

Data skills

Skill	What to do
Bar chart	Categories on the x-axis, separate bars
Histogram	Continuous classes, bars touch, equal-width classes make height show frequency
Scatter diagram	Plot two variables; describe positive, negative or no correlation
Correlation versus cause	A link is not proof; look for a mechanism and for other factors
Sampling	A large, random sample represents the population better than a small, self-chosen one

Frequency reminder. Ages at first diagnosis of a disease in 80 patients:

Age band	40 to 49	50 to 59	60 to 69	70 to 79	80 to 89
Patients	6	14	32	20	8

Total = 6 + 14 + 32 + 20 + 8 = 80. Modal class = 60 to 69, which is 32 ÷ 80 × 100 = 40.0% of patients.

Smoking: why it matters for several diseases

• Chemicals in tobacco smoke damage cell DNA, which can lead to cancer.
• Smoke damages the airway lining, which leads to bronchitis.
• Smoking damages artery walls, which helps fatty deposits form.

B6.3u: cancer

• Cancer = changes in cells (mutations) that lead to uncontrolled growth and division.
• The mutated cell keeps dividing by mitosis. A mass of cells forms: a tumour.

	Benign	Malignant
Stays in one place	Yes	No
Invades nearby tissue	No	Yes
Forms secondary tumours	No	Yes, after cells travel in the blood
Cancer?	No	Yes

• Risk factors: tobacco smoke, ultraviolet and ionising radiation, some inherited variants.
• Most cancers are not inherited. The mutations arise in body cells.

Doubling reminder: 1 cell doubling 8 times gives 2⁸ = 256 cells.

Key terms

Term	Meaning
Risk factor	Something that increases the chance of developing a disease
Incidence	How many people newly develop the disease during one stated period
Atheroma	Fatty deposit in the wall of an artery
Statin	Drug that lowers blood cholesterol
Stent	Expandable mesh tube that holds an artery open
Tumour	A mass of abnormal cells
Secondary tumour	A new tumour formed by cells that have spread from the first one
Placebo	A treatment with no active ingredient, given to a comparison group

Model answer pattern: evaluate a treatment

Question style: “Evaluate the use of a coronary bypass for a patient whose coronary arteries are badly blocked.”

• A section of blood vessel is joined around the blocked part, so blood reaches the heart muscle again.
• It can treat more than one blockage, which suits a patient with severe disease.
• It is major surgery with a long recovery and some risk, so a stent or drugs may suit a patient with a single narrowing.
• Judgement: bypass is justified when blockages are serious or multiple, and the patient also needs lifestyle changes to stop the disease returning.

Reading a graph or table in 4 steps

1. Read the title and both axis labels, with units.
2. Describe the overall trend with figures from the data, for example “rises from 6 to 24”.
3. Spot any exception and quote it.
4. State a conclusion that matches the evidence, and say what else would need checking.

Quick self-test

1. State what multifactorial means.
2. Name one lung disease and one liver disease that are non-communicable.
3. Describe what happens in a coronary artery in coronary heart disease.
4. State what a stent does.
5. Give one advantage and one disadvantage of a heart transplant.
6. A district of 90 000 people has 63 new cases of a disease in one year. Calculate the rate per 100 000.
7. Total deaths from a disease fell from 250 per 100 000 to 190 per 100 000. Calculate the percentage change.
8. Regions with higher mean alcohol intake have more cirrhosis cases on a scatter diagram. State the type of correlation and why it does not prove cause.
9. Explain why a malignant tumour is more dangerous than a benign tumour.
10. A cancer cell divides by mitosis and every cell divides once per cycle. State how many cells exist after 5 cycles.
11. Give two reasons why a small, self-selected sample gives weaker evidence.
12. Name the four lifestyle factors the specification lists as affecting the incidence of non-communicable disease.

Answers

1. Caused by an interaction of several factors, not by one cause.
2. Bronchitis (lung) and cirrhosis (liver).
3. Fatty material builds up in the artery wall and narrows the artery, so less blood reaches the heart muscle. A blockage causes a heart attack.
4. A wire mesh tube that holds the narrowed artery open.
5. Advantage: replaces a failing heart. Disadvantage: donors are scarce, or the immune system may reject it.
6. 63 ÷ 90 000 × 100 000 = 70.0 per 100 000.
7. (190 − 250) ÷ 250 × 100 = −24.0% (a fall of 24.0%).
8. A positive correlation. Other factors may differ between regions, and the link needs a mechanism and further evidence.
9. It invades neighbouring tissue and its cells spread in the blood to form secondary tumours.
10. 2⁵ = 32 cells.
11. It may not represent the whole population, and chance has more effect with few people.
12. Exercise, diet, alcohol and smoking.

Where marks are usually lost

• Writing “cancer is caused by a virus” or treating it as catchable.
• Using the word “cure” for a stent or statin when they manage the condition.
• Evaluating with advantages only.
• Quoting raw case numbers when the question needs a rate.
• Describing a correlation as proof of cause.
• Forgetting the unit or the minus sign for a fall in a percentage change.
• Using “benign” and “malignant” the wrong way round.
• Writing that a stent “removes” the fatty deposit.

Official syllabus

OCR GCSE (9-1) Gateway Science Biology A (J247), specification Version 4.0 (August 2026), for first assessment in 2018, published by OCR.