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A-level · Last updated November 2026

A-level Biology Exam: free practice test

A-level Biology is a two-year linear course with all exams taken in the May/June series at the end. With AQA (7402) it is assessed by three 2-hour papers: Paper 1 covers topics 1 to 4, Paper 2 topics 5 to 8, and Paper 3 the whole course, with practical skills, data analysis and a 25-mark essay. A separate practical endorsement is reported alongside the grade.

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About the A-level Biology exam

A-level Biology is a two-year linear course with all exams taken in the May/June series at the end. With AQA (7402) it is assessed by three 2-hour papers: Paper 1 covers topics 1 to 4, Paper 2 topics 5 to 8, and Paper 3 the whole course, with practical skills, data analysis and a 25-mark essay. A separate practical endorsement is reported alongside the grade.

What's on the exam

A-level Biology
Biological Molecules
8 key facts
Cells
8 key facts
Exchange and Transport
8 key facts
Genetic Information, Variation and Relationships
8 key facts
Energy Transfers
8 key facts
Responding to Change
8 key facts
Genetics, Populations, Evolution and Ecosystems
8 key facts
Control of Gene Expression
8 key facts

Each branch is a topic in the official outline. Members see every key fact on the full mind map. Read the free study guide →

How to pass the A-level Biology exam

  • AQA Papers 1 and 2 are 91 marks in 120 minutes, about 1.3 minutes per mark. Paper 3 is 78 marks, but the essay deserves about 35 to 40 minutes of it.
  • The Paper 3 essay rewards accurate, relevant A-level content drawn from across the specification. Plan five or six paragraphs from different topics, each linking a precise piece of biology to the title.
  • Use exact A-level vocabulary: 'water potential' not 'water concentration', 'complementary shape' for enzymes and antibodies, 'reduced NADP' not 'NADPH'.
  • Required practical questions ask you to evaluate methods. Learn the variables, controls and sources of error for all 12, and know how to calculate rates, standard deviation and percentage change.
  • Statistics carry marks: know when to use chi-squared, Spearman's rank or a t-test, how to write a null hypothesis, and how to use a critical value at p = 0.05.

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Create a free account after the test: your score by topic, a mistakes bank, the complete study notes for the first topic, flashcards and the GCSE Maths Formula Sheet.

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What's in the premium A-level Biology prep

Premium A-level Biology prep is studied one topic at a time. Each step starts with that topic's key notes and flashcard deck, then its own question sets of 25, so you master one topic before you move to the next. When every topic is strong, the 6 full mock exams show you're ready.

3,000practice questions, every answer explained
6full-length mock exams, 50 questions each, timed
800flashcards with spaced repetition, sorted by topic
60comprehensive key notes across 8 topics

Your step-by-step study path

  1. 1
    Biological Molecules8 key notes, 100 flashcards, then 375 practice questions in 15 sets of 25
    Notes free with an account
  2. 2
    Cells8 key notes, 100 flashcards, then 375 practice questions in 15 sets of 25
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  3. 3
    Exchange and Transport8 key notes, 100 flashcards, then 375 practice questions in 15 sets of 25
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  4. 4
    Genetic Information, Variation and Relationships8 key notes, 100 flashcards, then 375 practice questions in 15 sets of 25
    Premium
  5. 5
    Energy Transfers7 key notes, 100 flashcards, then 375 practice questions in 15 sets of 25
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  6. 6
    Responding to Change7 key notes, 100 flashcards, then 375 practice questions in 15 sets of 25
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  7. 7
    Genetics, Populations, Evolution and Ecosystems7 key notes, 100 flashcards, then 375 practice questions in 15 sets of 25
    Premium
  8. 8
    Control of Gene Expression7 key notes, 100 flashcards, then 375 practice questions in 15 sets of 25
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  9. Final step: 6 full mock exams50 questions each, timed like exam day. Hit your target on them before your first paper.
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Read the complete A-level Biology study notes for “Biological Molecules”

Our first full set of comprehensive notes, about 20 minutes of reading: Monomers, polymers and the two key reactions · Carbohydrates · Lipids · Proteins and enzymes · Nucleic acids and DNA replication · ATP, water and inorganic ions · Biochemical tests, a worked exam example, the traps examiners use and a one-minute recap. Create a free account to read it and see how premium notes work before you decide.

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Study tools included

3,000 practice questions

3,000 exam-style questions per exam, organised topic by topic in sets of 25. Every answer explained, with the rule it comes from.

6 full mock exams

6 full-length timed mock exams per exam, with real question counts and time limits, so test day feels like practice day.

Exam Readiness Score

One 0 to 100 number that tells you when you're ready for exam day. Reach 80 and you're covered by our Pass Guarantee.

800 flashcards + spaced repetition

800 flashcards per exam, in a deck for each topic, that come back right before you'd forget them. Five minutes a day keeps every number fresh.

60 comprehensive key notes

60 key notes per exam, split across its topics and each explained in full: the concepts, worked exam examples, the traps examiners use and a quick recap. Your first set is free with an account.

Mind maps

See the whole exam on one screen: every topic and the facts under it.

Sample questions with answers

These are the questions in the free test above, with answers. Try the test first. You'll learn more by getting some wrong.

1. Which bond forms when two α-glucose molecules join to make maltose?
Answer: Glycosidic bond. Two monosaccharides join in a condensation reaction that releases water and forms a glycosidic bond (here an α-1,4 glycosidic bond). Ester bonds form in triglycerides, peptide bonds between amino acids, and phosphodiester bonds between nucleotides.
2. A sample of double-stranded DNA contains 18% adenine. What percentage of its bases are cytosine?
Answer: 32%. A pairs with T, so T = 18% and A + T = 36%. G + C = 100 − 36 = 64%, and because G = C, cytosine = 64 ÷ 2 = 32%.
3. Which of these is found in a bacterial cell?
Answer: 70S ribosomes and a murein cell wall. Prokaryotes have smaller 70S ribosomes and a cell wall made of murein (peptidoglycan). They have no membrane-bound organelles such as a nucleus or mitochondria; 80S ribosomes are found in eukaryotic cytoplasm.
4. During which stage of mitosis do the sister chromatids separate and move to opposite poles of the cell?
Answer: Anaphase. In anaphase the centromeres divide and spindle fibres shorten, pulling the chromatids to opposite poles. In metaphase the chromosomes line up at the equator; in telophase nuclear envelopes reform.
5. A cube-shaped cell has sides of 3 µm. What is its surface area to volume ratio?
Answer: 2:1. Surface area = 6 × 3² = 54 µm². Volume = 3³ = 27 µm³. Ratio = 54 ÷ 27 = 2, so 2:1.
6. In respiring muscle, a high carbon dioxide concentration shifts the oxyhaemoglobin dissociation curve to the right. What is the effect of this shift?
Answer: Haemoglobin has a lower affinity for oxygen, so it unloads more oxygen to the muscle. This is the Bohr effect. CO₂ lowers blood pH, which changes the shape of haemoglobin and lowers its affinity for oxygen, so more oxygen is unloaded where respiration is fastest.
7. A substitution mutation replaces one base in a codon with a different base, but the amino acid sequence of the polypeptide does not change. What explains this?
Answer: The genetic code is degenerate, so the new triplet codes for the same amino acid. Most amino acids are coded for by more than one triplet (the code is degenerate), so a substitution can produce a codon for the same amino acid. A substitution does not cause a frameshift.
8. A sample contains three species with 10, 5 and 5 individuals. Using d = N(N − 1) ÷ Σn(n − 1), what is the index of diversity?
Answer: 2.92. N = 20, so N(N − 1) = 20 × 19 = 380. Σn(n − 1) = (10 × 9) + (5 × 4) + (5 × 4) = 90 + 20 + 20 = 130. d = 380 ÷ 130 = 2.92. The 0.34 option is the fraction upside down.
9. In the light-dependent reaction, what replaces the electrons lost from chlorophyll by photoionisation?
Answer: Electrons from the photolysis of water. Light splits water (photolysis): 2H₂O → 4H⁺ + 4e⁻ + O₂. The electrons replace those lost from chlorophyll, the protons reduce NADP, and oxygen is a by-product.
10. What is the net yield of ATP produced directly by glycolysis from one molecule of glucose?
Answer: 2. Two ATP are used to phosphorylate glucose and four are produced when triose phosphate is converted to pyruvate, so the net gain is 4 − 2 = 2 ATP, plus 2 reduced NAD.
11. Which statement explains how the resting potential of about −70 mV is maintained in an axon?
Answer: The sodium-potassium pump moves 3 Na⁺ out for every 2 K⁺ in, and the membrane is more permeable to K⁺, so K⁺ diffuses back out. The pump makes the outside more positive by moving more positive ions out than in, and K⁺ leaks out through open potassium channels while most sodium channels are closed. The inside is therefore negative relative to the outside.
12. Why does a myelinated axon conduct impulses faster than a non-myelinated axon of the same diameter?
Answer: Depolarisation only happens at the nodes of Ranvier, so the impulse jumps from node to node. Myelin is an electrical insulator, so action potentials occur only at the gaps between Schwann cells (nodes of Ranvier). This saltatory conduction is faster than depolarising every part of the membrane.
13. In a population, 16% of individuals show a recessive phenotype. Using the Hardy-Weinberg equation, what is the frequency of heterozygous individuals?
Answer: 0.48. q² = 0.16, so q = √0.16 = 0.4 and p = 1 − 0.4 = 0.6. Heterozygote frequency = 2pq = 2 × 0.6 × 0.4 = 0.48.
14. A chi-squared test on a genetic cross gives χ² = 2.1. The critical value at p = 0.05 for the degrees of freedom is 3.84. What should be concluded?
Answer: Accept the null hypothesis: the difference between observed and expected results is due to chance. 2.1 is less than 3.84, so the probability that the difference is due to chance is greater than 0.05. The difference is not significant and the null hypothesis is accepted.
15. How does oestrogen stimulate transcription of a target gene?
Answer: It diffuses into the cell and binds to a receptor on a transcription factor, which can then bind to DNA and stimulate transcription. Oestrogen is lipid-soluble, so it diffuses through the membrane and binds to a site on a transcription factor. The change in shape lets the transcription factor bind to the promoter and start transcription.

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Exam guide

A-level Biology exam guide (2027): A-level Biology is a linear two-year course: everything is examined in the May/June series at the end of Year 13. This guide uses AQA 7402, the most widely taken specification, and notes how OCR Biology A (H420) and the Pearson Edexcel specifications compare. Use it to see what is on each paper, how grading works and how to plan your revision.

A-level Biology exam FAQ

How many questions are on the A-level Biology exam?

AQA: 3 written papers of 91, 91 and 78 marks (260 marks in total), including a 25-mark essay on Paper 3. OCR Biology A: 100, 100 and 70 marks, with a time limit of aqa: 6 hours in total (3 × 2 hours). ocr biology a: 2 hours 15 minutes, 2 hours 15 minutes and 1 hour 30 minutes. Format: written exams, calculator allowed, no tiers. the practical endorsement (12 required practicals with aqa) is assessed by your teachers and reported separately as pass or not classified.

What is the passing score for A-level Biology?

Grades run from A* to E, and grade E is a pass. Boundaries are set after every exam series, so aim for 70% in practice.

How much does the A-level Biology exam cost?

No fee for school and college students (the school pays). Private candidates pay the exam centre; fees vary by centre. School and college students don't pay exam fees themselves. Private candidates pay the exam centre, and fees vary by centre and board.

Which languages is the A-level Biology exam offered in?

English.

Where do I take the A-level Biology exam?

At your school or college, or as a private candidate at an exam centre that accepts them.

Is this A-level Biology practice test free?

Yes. The 15-question practice test on this page is free, with an explanation for every answer and no signup. A free account also unlocks the complete study notes for the first topic. The full A-level Biology prep is Premium at £29 a month for this exam.

What's in the premium A-level Biology prep?

3,000 practice questions organised topic by topic (Biological Molecules: 375; Cells: 375; Exchange and Transport: 375; Genetic Information, Variation and Relationships: 375; Energy Transfers: 375; Responding to Change: 375; Genetics, Populations, Evolution and Ecosystems: 375; Control of Gene Expression: 375), 6 full-length timed mock exams of 50 questions, 800 flashcards and 60 comprehensive key notes split across all 8 topics, plus a mistakes bank and the Readiness Score.

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Exam details are summarised from the exam boards' published specifications available in November 2026. the exam boards changes formats and fees, so confirm with AQA, OCR and Pearson Edexcel before you book. Kennington College is not affiliated with any exam board or with Ofqual.

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