Who this is for: Cambridge IGCSE Coordinated Science (0654) students who want transport in plants — water up xylem, sugars in phloem — to become reliable marks instead of a confused “roots to leaves” answer.
What query it owns: how to understand and revise transport in plants in Cambridge IGCSE Coordinated Science.
Why this is safe: this page owns the transport-in-plants revision-guide angle, while Tutopiya’s Transport In Plants subtopic page owns the learning resource and the free Transport In Plants quiz owns the practice.

Transport in plants moves water and minerals up from roots to leaves, and distributes sugars made in photosynthesis to growing and storage regions. Cambridge IGCSE Coordinated Science (0654) tests whether you can distinguish xylem from phloem, explain transpiration and translocation, and state factors affecting water loss. This guide covers the syllabus definitions, the compare table examiners expect, and the question types that appear every year.

Key takeaways

• Xylem transports water and mineral ions upwards — dead, hollow tubes strengthened by lignin.
• Phloem transports sucrose and amino acids (translocation) — living sieve tubes.
• Transpiration is loss of water vapour from leaves, mainly through stomata.
• Transpiration creates transpiration pull that draws water up the xylem.
• Exam answers must not confuse direction and substance for xylem vs phloem.

What is transport in plants in Cambridge IGCSE Coordinated Science?

Plants need a transport system because they have no circulatory pump like animals. Xylem vessels carry water and dissolved minerals from roots to leaves in the transpiration stream. Phloem sieve tubes carry sugars (mainly sucrose) from sources (e.g. leaves) to sinks (e.g. roots, fruits) in a process called translocation. Stomata and guard cells control water loss from leaves.

You can read the full explanation, diagrams and notes on Tutopiya’s Transport In Plants subtopic page before you attempt questions.

The core ideas you must master

Idea	What it means	How the exam uses it
Xylem	Water + minerals up the stem	”State what xylem transports”
Phloem	Sugars to growing/storage regions	”Define translocation”
Transpiration	Water vapour loss from leaves	”Define transpiration”
Transpiration pull	Water drawn up xylem	”Explain how water moves up the stem”
Guard cells	Control stomatal opening	”Explain how stomata open and close”

Xylem vs phloem

Feature	Xylem	Phloem
Substance transported	Water and mineral ions	Sucrose, amino acids
Direction	Upwards (roots → leaves)	Up and down (source → sink)
Cell state	Dead, hollow tubes	Living sieve tubes
Process	Transpiration stream	Translocation
Structural feature	Lignin strengthens walls	Sieve plates between cells

Factors affecting the rate of transpiration

Factor	Effect on rate	Reason
Temperature	Higher → faster	More kinetic energy for evaporation
Humidity	Lower → faster	Steeper water vapour concentration gradient
Wind / air movement	More → faster	Removes water vapour, maintains gradient
Light intensity	Brighter → faster	Stomata open wider in light

Transport in plants in past-paper wording: command words that matter

Command word / phrase	What the question wants	Typical transport stem
Define	Precise syllabus definition	”Define the term transpiration.”
State	Short factual answer	”State what is transported in phloem.”
Explain	Cause and effect	”Explain how water moves up the xylem.”
Compare	Similarities and differences	”Compare xylem and phloem.”
Describe	Step-by-step process	”Describe how guard cells open a stoma.”

Worked exam-style stems (how to answer the wording)

1. “Define the term transpiration.” Transpiration is the loss of water vapour from aerial parts of a plant, especially through stomata in leaves. Mark-scheme reward: water vapour, stomata/leaves.
2. “Compare xylem and phloem.” Xylem transports water and minerals upwards; phloem transports sugars up and down. Xylem cells are dead; phloem cells are living. Reward: substance + direction + structural difference.
3. “Explain how guard cells cause a stoma to open.” Guard cells take in water by osmosis → become turgid → bend apart → stoma opens. Reward: osmosis + turgid + opens.

When you can recognise the wording instantly, work the full set on the Transport In Plants quiz to lock the definitions in.

How transport in plants connects to the rest of the syllabus

Transport links to Plant Nutrition (water uptake and photosynthesis) and Transport In Mammals for comparing transport systems. Guard cell osmosis links to Movement In And Out Of Cells. The Cambridge IGCSE Coordinated Science resource hub links every Transport subtopic.

Common mistakes students make

• Saying xylem transports sugar (that is phloem).
• Describing transpiration as loss of liquid water (it is water vapour).
• Forgetting phloem transport can go up and down, not only down.
• Confusing transpiration with translocation.
• Ignoring guard cells in stomata explain questions.

When you need more support

If transport in plants questions keep costing marks — especially xylem vs phloem compare questions — work through the Transport In Plants quiz, then get focused help from a Cambridge IGCSE Coordinated Science tutor.

Frequently asked questions

Is transport in plants hard in Cambridge IGCSE Coordinated Science? The ideas are clear once you separate xylem and phloem, but marks are lost when students confuse what each vessel transports and in which direction.

What is the difference between transpiration and translocation? Transpiration is water vapour loss from leaves; translocation is the movement of sugars in phloem from source to sink.

Why do plants need a transport system? Roots absorb water and minerals but leaves make sugars — a transport system distributes these substances to where they are needed.

How do I revise transport in plants effectively? Read the subtopic notes, learn the xylem vs phloem table, practise transpiration factors, then take the Transport In Plants quiz.

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