The Linnaean system and binomial namesSpec 4.6.4
In short
The traditional classification system groups living things by their structure and characteristics into kingdom, phylum, class, order, family, genus and species. Organisms are named by the binomial system of genus and species, for example Homo sapiens. The genus is written first with a capital letter, the species second with a lower-case letter, and the name is italicised or underlined.
Traditionally, living things have been classified into groups depending on their structure and characteristics, in a system developed by Carl Linnaeus.
Linnaeus classified living things into: kingdom, phylum, class, order, family, genus and species. Organisms are named by the binomial system of genus and species.
| Level | Name |
|---|---|
| Genus | Homo |
| Species | sapiens |
| Binomial name | Homo sapiens |
In a binomial name, the genus is written first with a capital letter, and the species second with a lower-case letter. Binomial names are written in italics or underlined.
A memory aid for the order: King Philip Came Over For Good Soup. In questions you are given information, so you need to show you understand how the system works.
Written and checked against the AQA GCSE Biology (8461) specification · Updated October 2026