What mistakes do students make with Human endocrine system?

Labelling the adrenal gland on the kidney itself. The adrenal glands sit on top of the kidneys. Placing the thyroid in the abdomen. The thyroid is in the neck, in front of the trachea. Confusing the pancreas with the stomach. The pancreas lies behind the stomach in the upper abdomen.

What are the exam tips for Human endocrine system in Biology AQA GCSE?

Draw label lines that end clearly on the gland, not in the space around it. Use the exact names given in the specification, such as adrenal gland rather than adrenal. Check whether the diagram shows a male or female body before labelling the testes or ovaries.

AQA · GCSE · Biology

Course version: 8461 · Version from Sept 2018

Students should be able to identify the position of the following on a…

Full specification wording

Human endocrine system: Students should be able to identify the position of the following on a diagram of the human body: • pituitary gland • pancreas • thyroid • adrenal gland • ovary • testes.

You need to recognise the positions of the main endocrine glands on a diagram of the human body.

Checked against the AQA 8461 specification (opens in a new tab) on 21 September 2026.

Point 7 of 7

Study notes

From the checked teaching notes for this specification point.

The idea

What earns the marks

Pituitary gland: at the base of the brain, below the hypothalamus.
Thyroid: in the neck, in front of the trachea.
Adrenal glands: on top of the kidneys in the abdomen.
Pancreas: behind the stomach in the upper abdomen.
Ovaries: in the lower abdomen of females, one on each side of the uterus.
Testes: in the scrotum of males, below the penis.

Common mistakes and how to put them right

Labelling the adrenal gland on the kidney itself.
Put it right: The adrenal glands sit on top of the kidneys.
Placing the thyroid in the abdomen.
Put it right: The thyroid is in the neck, in front of the trachea.
Confusing the pancreas with the stomach.
Put it right: The pancreas lies behind the stomach in the upper abdomen.

Exam tips

Draw label lines that end clearly on the gland, not in the space around it.
Use the exact names given in the specification, such as adrenal gland rather than adrenal.
Check whether the diagram shows a male or female body before labelling the testes or ovaries.

Try the lesson

The start of the Human endocrine system: Students should be able to identify the position of the following on a diagram of the human body: • pituitary gland • pancreas • thyroid • adrenal gland • ovary • testes. lesson, made from checked teaching notes for this specification point.

Have a go first

On a diagram of the human body, which gland is located in the neck, just below the larynx?

Tip: press 1 to 4 to choose

Listen

You need to recognise the positions of the main endocrine glands on a diagram of the human body. The pituitary gland sits at the base of the brain. The thyroid is in the neck, in front of the trachea. The adrenal glands are two triangular glands sitting on top of the kidneys in the abdomen. The pancreas lies behind the stomach in the upper abdomen. The ovaries are in the lower abdomen of females, one on each side of the uterus. The testes are in the scrotum below the penis in males. When labelling, use the correct name for each gland and place the label line clearly on the gland, not on a nearby organ such as the kidney or stomach. A strong answer earns marks for these points. Pituitary gland: at the base of the brain, below the hypothalamus. Thyroid: in the neck, in front of the trachea. Adrenal glands: on top of the kidneys in the abdomen. Pancreas: behind the stomach in the upper abdomen. A common slip: Labelling the adrenal gland on the kidney itself. Instead, the adrenal glands sit on top of the kidneys. Exam tip: Draw label lines that end clearly on the gland, not in the space around it.

See it

A top-down flowchart with six separate branches. The first branch goes from the node 'Pituitary gland' to the node 'At the base of the brain'. The second goes from 'Thyroid' to 'In the neck, in front of the trachea'. The third goes from 'Adrenal glands' to 'On top of the kidneys in the abdomen'. The fourth goes from 'Pancreas' to 'Behind the stomach in the upper abdomen'. The fifth goes from 'Ovaries' to 'In the lower abdomen of females, one on each side of the uterus'. The sixth goes from 'Testes' to 'In the scrotum of males, below the penis'. — It shows each of the six endocrine glands named in the note paired with its stated position in the human body.

Label the diagram

Some boxes have lost their names. Pick the right name for each number.

The diagram again, with 3 boxes numbered instead of named. A top-down flowchart with six separate branches. The first branch goes from the node 'Pituitary gland' to the node 'At the base of the brain'. The second goes from 'Thyroid' to 'In the neck, in front of the trachea'. The third goes from 'Adrenal glands' to 'On top of the kidneys in the abdomen'. The fourth goes from 'Pancreas' to 'Behind the stomach in the upper abdomen'. The fifth goes from 'Ovaries' to 'In the lower abdomen of females, one on each side of the uterus'. The sixth goes from 'Testes' to 'In the scrotum of males, below the penis'.

1Box 1
2Box 2
3Box 3

0 of 3 labelled

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