A-Level Biology past papers: AQA, Edexcel and OCR papers, marks, 2027 dates and a revision plan

Key takeaways

• →Get A-Level Biology past papers from your own board: AQA (7402), OCR A (H420) or B (H422), or Pearson Edexcel A (9BN0) or B (9BI0). The newest papers are held back for teachers, so summer 2026 is not public yet.
• →AQA sets three 2-hour papers of 91, 91 and 78 marks. OCR A is 100, 100 and 70, Pearson Edexcel A is three papers of 100, and the B courses use other splits, so use your own board’s marks.
• →Every course has a practical endorsement. Your teacher marks at least 12 practical activities, and the result is reported separately from your grade. The written papers test practical skills too.
• →In summer 2027 all five courses sit Paper 1 on Monday 7 June, Paper 2 on Monday 14 June and Paper 3 on Friday 18 June. OCR’s Biology B (H422) ends after June 2028.

1. A-Level Biology past papers: get the real ones from your exam board

The best A-Level Biology past papers are the ones your exam board publishes: the real papers, with mark schemes. Check the paper code on the front cover matches your course.

AQA (7402): use its Find past papers and mark schemes page. You choose a subject and a qualification, and it finds papers, mark schemes and reports.^[12]

Pearson Edexcel (9BN0 or 9BI0): use its Past papers page. You pick the qualification family, subject and exam series.^[22]

OCR (H420 or H422): use its Past papers materials finder, which covers past papers, mark schemes, reports and practice materials.^[19]

The newest papers are held back for teachers. AQA lists summer 2026 papers for its public website on 9 July 2027, and most papers then stay online for three years.^[11]

Pearson puts May and June papers on its public site in August of the following year.^[23]

Its past papers page says padlocked papers are not for students, and gives both nine and 12 months for the lock. Ask your teacher.^[22]

OCR does the same in early August of the following year.^[18]

So the summer 2026 papers are with teachers for now. Ask your school before you hunt for them.

2. How the five A-Level Biology courses are built

Each course has three written papers and a practical endorsement. The boards teach different content, so check your paper code first.

3. The practical endorsement

Your teacher marks the practical endorsement, not an exam. On AQA it needs at least 12 practical activities, and it is reported separately from your A-Level grade.^[4]

Pearson Edexcel gives a pass or Not Classified result. It is recorded on the certificate but does not count towards the grade.^[21]

OCR’s guide says its practical endorsement is reported separately and needs at least 12 practical activities.^[15]

The written papers test practical skills too. AQA says at least 15% of its marks need them.^[4]

AQA’s timetable says to submit the practical endorsement by 15 May 2027.^[5]

WJEC Eduqas also offers an A-Level Biology, which this guide does not cover.^[25]

4. AQA A-Level Biology (7402): papers and topics

Paper 1 covers topics 1 to 4: biological molecules, cells, how organisms exchange substances with their environment, and genetic information and variation. Of its 91 marks, 76 are short and long answers and 15 are an extended response, a long written answer.^[1]

Paper 2 covers topics 5 to 8: energy transfers, how organisms respond to changes, genetics, evolution and ecosystems, and the control of gene expression. Again 76 marks are short and long answers, and 15 are a comprehension, a question built on a passage.^[1]

Topics 5 to 8 are A-Level only. Topics 1 to 4 are also the AS content.^[3]

Paper 3 covers topics 1 to 8 and has 78 marks: 38 for structured questions including practical techniques, 15 for critical analysis of given experimental data, and 25 for one essay chosen from two titles.^[1]

In June 2023, the 15-mark question in Paper 1 had three parts, worth 5, 6 and 4 marks.^[6]

Paper 2’s 15-mark question was built on a passage about muscle activity.^[8]

In June 2023, Paper 3 had a 53-mark Section A and a 25-mark essay, for which AQA suggested 45 minutes.^[9]

The essay is marked in five levels, from 1 to 5 marks up to 21 to 25. It rewards links between several topics, detailed A-Level content, and no significant errors or irrelevant material.^[10]

AQA says an extended response needs a coherent, logically structured line of reasoning. It can be prose, a calculation or both. About 10% of the marks use maths.^[2]

5. OCR and Pearson Edexcel Biology papers

OCR Biology A: Paper 1 (Biological processes) covers modules 1, 2, 3 and 5. Paper 2 (Biological diversity) covers modules 1, 2, 4 and 6. Paper 3 (Unified biology) covers all six modules.^[13]

Papers 1 and 2 each open with 15 multiple-choice questions, one mark each, which OCR says should take no more than 20 minutes. Section B has 85 marks of short answers, a few longer answers and two 6 or 9 mark level-of-response questions, marked with an asterisk. Paper 3 has no multiple choice.^[15]

In a level-of-response question, the science and skills decide the level, and the communication statement decides the mark within it. For 6 marks, Level 3 is 5 to 6, Level 2 is 3 to 4 and Level 1 is 1 to 2.^[15]

OCR Biology B: Paper 1 is Fundamentals of biology (110 marks), Paper 2 is Scientific literacy in biology (100) and Paper 3 is Practical skills in biology (60). Each assesses content from all five modules.^[14]

OCR is withdrawing Biology B. Its final A-Level assessment is June 2028, and there is no resit after it.^[16]

Pearson Edexcel Biology A (Salters-Nuffield, 9BN0) has three 2-hour papers of 100 marks, a third each. Paper 1 covers topics 1 to 6, Paper 2 covers topics 1 to 4, 7 and 8, and Paper 3 covers all eight topics.^[20]

Paper 3 has questions that may draw on two or more topics. Pearson pre-releases a scientific article on its website 8 weeks before the exam, and it underpins one section of the paper.^[20]

Pearson Edexcel Biology B (9BI0): Paper 1 covers topics 1 to 7 and Paper 2 covers topics 1 to 4 and 8 to 10, each worth 30%. Paper 3 covers topics 1 to 10 and is worth 40%.^[21]

Paper 3 includes questions on the theory behind experimental methods.^[21]

On both courses, Papers 1 and 2 use multiple-choice, short open, open-response, calculation and extended writing questions.^[20]

6. A-Level Biology dates: summer 2027

AQA’s timetable (version 1.2) has Paper 1 on Monday 7 June 2027 and Paper 2 on Monday 14 June, both afternoon papers starting at 1.30pm. Paper 3 is on Friday 18 June, a morning paper starting at 9.00am. Each is 2 hours.^[5]

Pearson Edexcel’s final timetable has the same days for 9BN0 and 9BI0, in the afternoon, the afternoon and the morning.^[24]

OCR’s final timetable has the same days for H420 and H422.^[17]

AQA names Wednesday 23 June 2027 as a contingency day, a spare day kept in case exams have to be moved. Students must stay available until then.^[5]

By our count, there is one week between Paper 1 and Paper 2, and only four days between Paper 2 and Paper 3.

Dates can move: We checked these timetables at the start of November 2026. Use your school’s personal timetable nearer the time.

7. How to use past papers for A-Level Biology

Start with topics, not whole papers. When you finish a topic in class, answer exam questions on it and mark them with the official mark scheme.

Do whole papers later, to time. AQA’s June 2023 covers say to bring a ruler with millimetre measurements and a scientific calculator.^[6]

Show your working. AQA’s Paper 1 mark scheme gives full marks for a correct numerical answer, but if the answer is wrong you can still earn marks for correct working.^[7]

Practise the long answers. For the AQA Paper 3 essay, plan first: pick the topics that link to the title, then write. For the Paper 2 comprehension, practise reading an unfamiliar passage.^[10]

For OCR level-of-response questions, write in clear, connected steps. OCR says the communication statement decides the mark within a level.^[15]

For Pearson Edexcel A, read the pre-released article with care when it appears, then practise Paper 3 questions that draw on more than one topic.^[20]

Keep an error log. For every lost mark, write one line: what went wrong and what to do next time. Redo those questions days later.

Think in marks, not minutes: AQA Paper 1 is 91 marks in 120 minutes, about 1.3 minutes a mark. So a 6-mark question deserves about 8 minutes.

8. A revision plan to Paper 1

Work back from Paper 1 on Monday 7 June 2027, an afternoon paper. This plan is our suggestion, not a board rule. Check which board and qualification you are sitting before you choose papers.

9. How Brainhub can help

A tutor can spot which topics keep costing you marks and set practice at the right level. Brainhub teaches one-to-one, live online across the UK. Online A-Level lessons start from £40 an hour, and a qualified teacher with a PGCE costs £10 an hour more. Every family starts with a free 45-minute assessment.

Students who join us by Year 12 most often finish with A*/A (Brainhub student records, 2021–2026). That figure is our own data, not independent research, and every student is different.

1. 1. How long are the AQA A-Level Biology papers, and how many marks are they?

   Show answer

2. 2. Which OCR A-Level Biology course is being withdrawn, and when is its last exam?

   Show answer

3. 3. When are the summer 2027 A-Level Biology papers?

   Show answer

Your next steps

• Check the paper code (7402, H420, H422, 9BN0 or 9BI0), then open your own board’s past papers page.
• Put 7 June, 14 June and 18 June 2027 in the calendar and work back from them.
• Book a free 45-minute assessment to see which topics to practise first.

Subject guides to go with this

Want one-to-one help? See how our online lessons work.