Biology GCSE
Vector
What Vector means in Biology GCSE, as defined for Pearson Edexcel.
Definitions of Vector
Exam boards and our study guides word this term in slightly different ways. Learn the version your board uses.
An organism that carries and transmits a pathogen to a host without suffering from the disease itself (e.g., a mosquito carrying malaria).
A vehicle used to artificially carry foreign genetic material into another cell (e.g., a plasmid or a virus).
Topics that use Vector
- Topic 3 – Genetics (Pearson Edexcel GCSE)
- Topic 4 – Natural selection and genetic modification (Pearson Edexcel GCSE)
Related terms
Using Vector 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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