The activity on this page was designed by science education experts to explain and visualise the three stages of mitosis. By interacting with the activity, you'll see the mitosis phases and descriptions.
What is mitosis?
Mitosis is a type of cell division where cells divide to produce new cells.
Mitosis is the process that takes place when:
an organism grows
an organism becomes damaged and needs to produce new cells
organisms like bacteria reproduce Reproduction that does not involve sex cells.
How many cells are formed as a result of mitosis?
Mitosis will produce two daughter cells which are genetically identical to the parent cell. If this is a human cell, it will contain all 46 chromosomes with the full DNA to make an exact copy of that person.
These cells are known as diploid cells because they have both sets of chromosomes.
Mitosis - interactive activity
This interactive activity will help you to see exactly what's happening inside the cell as it goes through the stages of mitosis.
What are the stages of the cell cycle?
Let's go through the stages of cell division. Use the interactive activity as a visual reference point.
The first stage: Interphase
Interphase is the longest stage of the cell cycle. DNA replicates to form two copies of each chromosome, ready for cell division. This then produces new sub-cellular structures such as mitochondria, ribosomes and chloroplasts.
The second stage: Mitosis
During this stage, one set of chromosomes is pulled to the sides of the cell and the nucleus divides.
The phases of mitosis are known as prophase, metaphase, anaphase and telophase. Use the interactive activity to learn what happens in each of those stages. This will help you to describe them.
The third stage: Cytokinesis
Cytokinesis is where the cytoplasm and cell membranes divide to form two identical daughter cells.
Where can I learn more about cell division and the cell cycle?
Explore the BBC Bitesize guide to cell division for videos, text explainers, infographics and more Combined Science GCSE revision resources.
The other type of cell division is called meiosis. Learn about meiosis in this study guide and find out the difference between mitosis and meiosis.
For revision on the go, BBC Bitesize and BBC Sounds have produced a series of GCSE revision podcasts, covering a broad range of biology topics. Listen to the full series on the cell or go straight to the episode about mitosis and meiosis.
Where can I test my knowledge of mitosis and cell division?
There are many ways to test your understanding of cell division. Practise your skills with these Bitesize quiz pages:
A ten-question quiz about cell division with questions focused on mitosis.
Sample exam questions covering cells and control, with advice for structured, multiple choice, mathematical and practical questions.
Bitesize has lots of general Edexcel Combined Science biology test pages too:
Exam practice quizzes written with close reference to Edexcel Combined Science past papers.
Quick-fire quizzes which offers different GCSE Combined Science biology questions each time you take the quiz.
Practice questions arranged by topic, based on GCSE past papers. Choose the GCSE Combined Science topic you want to focus on.
