B2.3.4—Types of stem cells
Stem cell potency describes how many cell types a stem cell can form, from totipotent early cells to multipotent adult cells.
- Syllabus
- First assessment 2025
- Objective
- B2.3.4
- Level
- SL
Exam analysis
Chance of appearing2%of analysed past papers
Latest appearanceMay 2025
Most common paperPaper1A
Typical marks1
Common command terms
- Identify
Scoring notes
- Common mistake
- Calling bone marrow stem cells totipotent instead of multipotent.
Recent exam appearances
May 2025Paper1A ["SL"] · TZ311[ 1 ]B2.3.4—Types of stem cells
May 2025Paper1A ["SL"] · TZ110[ 1 ]B2.3.4—Types of stem cells
November 2020Paper1 ["SL"] · TZ03[ 1 ]B2.3.4—Types of stem cells
Practice this objective
Coverage 2020–2025 · Updated 15 Jul 2026
Concept essentials
- Totipotent cells have the broadest developmental potential.
- Pluripotent cells can form many body cell types but not all extra-embryonic tissues.
- Multipotent adult stem cells form a restricted set of related cell types.
- Differentiated cells such as neurons have much less developmental potential than stem cells.