Specialised cells

Organisation of the organism · Cell structure · note 3 of 4

Spec B2.1.6

Supplement

Supplement: only for the Extended papers (2 and 4). Core students can skip it. What the labels mean

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Specialised cellsSpec B2.1.6

In short

A specialised cell has a shape and contents suited to one function, such as root hair cells for absorption and red blood cells for oxygen transport.

In many organisms, cells become specialised. A specialised cell has a specific function. Its shape and contents are suited to doing that job.

Specialised cells and their functions
Cell	Function	Feature that helps
Root hair cell	Absorption	Long extension gives a large surface area for uptake of water and mineral ions
Palisade mesophyll cell	Photosynthesis	Contains many chloroplasts
Red blood cell	Transport of oxygen	Contains haemoglobin, which carries oxygen

Specialised cells with their functions: ciliated cell with cilia and nucleus; root hair cell with long extension, nucleus and vacuole; palisade mesophyll cell with cell wall, many chloroplasts and vacuole; neurone with cell body, nucleus, long thin fibre and branched endings; red blood cell, a biconcave disc with no nucleus; sperm cell with head, nucleus, middle piece and flagellum next to a larger egg cell with jelly coat, nucleus and cytoplasm. — Each specialised cell is labelled with its function. Cells are not drawn to the same scale.

Exam tip:

You need three specialised cells and their functions: root hair cells for absorption, palisade mesophyll cells for photosynthesis and red blood cells for the transport of oxygen. The diagram also shows cells that Combined Science does not ask about.

Written and checked against the Cambridge IGCSE Combined Science (0653) specification · Updated October 2026