Biology GCSE
Placebo
What Placebo means in Biology GCSE, as defined for Pearson Edexcel.
Definitions of Placebo
Exam boards and our study guides word this term in slightly different ways. Learn the version your board uses.
A substance that looks exactly like the real medicine but contains no active drug, used as a control in clinical trials.
A substance that has no therapeutic effect, used as a control in testing new drugs.
Topics that use Placebo
- Topic 1 – Key concepts in biology (Pearson Edexcel GCSE)
- Topic 5 – Health, disease and the development of medicines (Pearson Edexcel GCSE)
Related terms
Using Placebo in the exam
Definition questions usually carry one or two marks, and examiners look for the precise wording. Write the definition from memory, check it against the version above, and then use the term in a longer answer on the same topic so it sticks.
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