What mistakes do students make with Human endocrine system?

Placing the adrenal glands inside the kidneys. They sit on top of the kidneys. Confusing the thyroid gland with the pituitary gland. The thyroid is in the neck, while the pituitary is in the brain. Putting the pancreas in the chest or near the stomach incorrectly. The pancreas is in the abdomen, below the stomach.

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

Practise labelling a blank diagram of the human body until you can place each gland accurately without prompts. Use body landmarks such as ‘base of the brain’, ‘neck’, ‘on top of the kidneys’ and ‘abdomen’ to remember positions. If a question asks for the position of a gland, give both the named gland and its location in the body.

AQA · GCSE · Combined Science

Course version: 8464 · 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:

This practical skill requires you to locate endocrine glands on a diagram of the human body.

Checked against the AQA 8464 specification (opens in a new tab) on 20 September 2026.

Point 4 of 10

Study notes

From the checked teaching notes for this specification point.

The idea

What earns the marks

Labels the pituitary gland at the base of the brain.
Labels the thyroid gland in the neck.
Labels the adrenal glands on top of the kidneys.
Labels the pancreas in the abdomen.
Labels the ovaries in the female pelvis and the testes in the male scrotum.

Common mistakes and how to put them right

Placing the adrenal glands inside the kidneys.
Put it right: They sit on top of the kidneys.
Confusing the thyroid gland with the pituitary gland.
Put it right: The thyroid is in the neck, while the pituitary is in the brain.
Putting the pancreas in the chest or near the stomach incorrectly.
Put it right: The pancreas is in the abdomen, below the stomach.

Exam tips

Practise labelling a blank diagram of the human body until you can place each gland accurately without prompts.
Use body landmarks such as ‘base of the brain’, ‘neck’, ‘on top of the kidneys’ and ‘abdomen’ to remember positions.
If a question asks for the position of a gland, give both the named gland and its location in the body.

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: lesson, made from checked teaching notes for this specification point.

Have a go first

On a diagram of the human body, where is the pituitary gland located?

Tip: press 1 to 4 to choose

Listen

This practical skill requires you to locate endocrine glands on a diagram of the human body. You need to know where the pituitary gland, thyroid gland, adrenal glands, pancreas, ovaries and testes are positioned. The pituitary is at the base of the brain, the thyroid is in the neck, the adrenal glands sit on top of the kidneys, the pancreas is in the abdomen, the ovaries are in the female pelvis and the testes are in the male scrotum. Being able to identify these positions helps you link each gland to its hormones and their effects, and supports answers about hormonal coordination and negative feedback. A strong answer earns marks for these points. Labels the pituitary gland at the base of the brain. Labels the thyroid gland in the neck. Labels the adrenal glands on top of the kidneys. Labels the pancreas in the abdomen. A common slip: Placing the adrenal glands inside the kidneys. Instead, they sit on top of the kidneys. Exam tip: Practise labelling a blank diagram of the human body until you can place each gland accurately without prompts.

See it

A top-down flowchart with six separate branches. Each branch starts with a gland and points to its stated position. The pituitary gland points to the base of the brain. The thyroid gland points to the neck. The adrenal glands point to on top of the kidneys. The pancreas points to the abdomen. The ovaries point to the female pelvis. The testes point to the male scrotum. — It shows each of the six endocrine glands named in the teaching note paired with the body position given for it.

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. Each branch starts with a gland and points to its stated position. The pituitary gland points to the base of the brain. The thyroid gland points to the neck. The adrenal glands point to on top of the kidneys. The pancreas points to the abdomen. The ovaries point to the female pelvis. The testes point to the male scrotum.

1Box 1
2Box 2
3Box 3

0 of 3 labelled

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