Interactive activity: Mitosis - OCR Gateway

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The activity on this page has been carefully designed by experts to help you gain a clearer understanding of exactly what mitosis is and how it unfolds.

What is mitosis?

Mitosis is a type of cell division where cells divide to produce new cells.

Mitosis is the process that takes place when:

  • an organism grows

  • an organism becomes damaged and needs to produce new cells

  • organisms like bacteria reproduce

How many cells are formed as a result of mitosis?

Mitosis will produce two daughter cells which are genetically identical to the parent cell. If this is a human cell, it will contain all 46 chromosomes with the full DNA to make an exact copy of that person.

These cells are known as diploid cells because they have both sets of chromosomes.

Mitosis - interactive activity

This interactive activity is designed to help you see what's happening inside the cell as it moves through each stage of mitosis.

What are the stages of the cell cycle?

Let's go through the stages of cell division. Use the interactive activity as a visual reference point.

The first stage: Interphase

Interphase is the longest stage of the cell cycle. DNA replicates to form two copies of each chromosome, ready for cell division. This then produces new sub-cellular structures such as mitochondria, ribosomes and chloroplasts.

The second stage: Mitosis

During this stage, one set of chromosomes is pulled to the sides of the cell and the nucleus divides.

The phases of mitosis are known as prophase, metaphase, anaphase and telophase. You do not need to learn these terms, just be able to describe the main changes.

The third stage: Cytokinesis

Cytokinesis is where the cytoplasm and cell membranes divide to form two identical daughter cells.

Where can I learn more about cell division and the cell cycle?

Discover the BBC Bitesize guide to mitosis and cell specialisation for videos, audio, infographics and more biology GCSE revision resources.

For revision on the go, BBC Bitesize and BBC Sounds have produced a series of GCSE revision podcasts, covering a broad range of biology topics. Listen to the full series on the cell or go straight to the episode about mitosis and meiosis.

Student doing revision at home and using their tablet for Mitosis in OCR Gateway GCSE biology

Where can I test my knowledge of mitosis and cell division?

BBC Bitesize has resources to help you develop and test your knowledge of cell division:

There are also lots of general OCR Gateway biology tests: