AQA Biology Paper 1 and Paper 2: 2027 dates, marks and how to revise

Key takeaways

• →AQA GCSE Biology (8461) has two papers. Each lasts 1 hour 45 minutes, carries 100 marks and counts for 50% of the GCSE.
• →Paper 1 covers topics 1 to 4, from cell biology to bioenergetics. Paper 2 covers topics 5 to 7, from homeostasis and response to ecology.
• →Questions on the required practicals count for at least 15% of the marks, and at least 10% of the marks test maths skills, so revise both.
• →In 2027, Paper 1 is on Tuesday 11 May and Paper 2 is on Thursday 10 June, both in the morning, at both tiers.

1. The two papers at a glance

AQA GCSE Biology (8461) is assessed by two written papers. Students sit both at the end of the course, in the same exam series.^[2]

Each paper lasts 1 hour 45 minutes, is worth 100 marks and counts for 50% of the GCSE.^[1]

Added together, that makes 200 marks for the whole GCSE.^[2]

Each paper is offered at two tiers, Foundation and Higher.^[1]

2. What Paper 1 and Paper 2 cover

AQA numbers its biology topics 1 to 7. Paper 1 covers topics 1 to 4. Paper 2 covers topics 5 to 7. The specification lists them as sections 4.1 to 4.7.^[3]

It also says students should be able to apply some key principles, such as photosynthesis and respiration, in either paper.^[4]

This guide is about the stand-alone GCSE Biology. AQA’s GCSE Combined Science: Trilogy (8464) has its own Biology Paper 1 and Paper 2, but each lasts 1 hour 15 minutes, carries 70 marks and counts for 16.7% of that GCSE.^[7]

3. Question types, practicals and maths

Both papers use four question types: multiple choice, structured, closed short answer and open response. Open response means a longer answer written in the student’s own words.^[1]

Questions that draw on the required practicals count for at least 15% of the overall marks for the qualification.^[5]

At least 10% of the marks test maths skills in biology.^[6]

AQA says practical skills are assessed across all papers, so practical questions can appear in both.^[3]

Marks also reward three skills. AQA’s approximate weightings are 40% for knowledge and understanding, 40% for applying it, and 20% for analysing information, such as interpreting results and judging methods.^[2]

4. Foundation and Higher tiers

Students are entered for Foundation or Higher. Ask your child’s teacher which tier suits them.^[1]

AQA says 30% of the marks are common to both tiers. Higher papers have more marks for open and extended response questions. Foundation papers have more scaffolding, which means extra support built into the question, and more multiple-choice and short-answer questions.^[6]

5. When the papers are in 2027

AQA’s May/June 2027 timetable puts Paper 1 on Tuesday 11 May 2027 and Paper 2 on Thursday 10 June 2027.^[8]

Both are morning papers of 1 hour 45 minutes. The Foundation and Higher papers are on the same day.^[8]

AQA has also named Wednesday 23 June 2027 as its contingency day, a spare day kept in case exams are disrupted. Students must stay available until then.^[8]

6. Layout changes from summer 2027

AQA has said that from summer 2027, question papers in all subjects except modern foreign languages will use fewer types of question format and more consistent layouts. For example, multiple-choice questions will use one tick-box format, and students will no longer be asked to circle words.^[9]

AQA’s news page does not name GCSE Biology, so ask your child’s teacher whether the Biology papers look different.^[9]

7. How to revise for Paper 1 and Paper 2

Start with the topic list. Split your revision into AQA’s seven topics and tick each one off. The two papers are worth half each, so give topics 1 to 4 and topics 5 to 7 equal care.^[1]

Learn the ten required practicals. AQA says all students taking GCSE Biology must carry them out. They include using a light microscope to observe cells, testing how pH affects amylase, and investigating light intensity and photosynthesis in pondweed.^[5]

AQA’s 2025 Paper 2 Higher examiner report says to practise the practicals beyond doing them. Be able to interpret the data, judge whether a method is valid, suggest improvements and plan with clear controls.^[12]

Learn key terms exactly, and know what each command word asks for. The same report wants precise scientific words, trends described with variables and units, evaluate answers that make comparisons, and compare answers that say what each point refers to.^[12]

Practise the maths. The report says many errors came from unit conversions, prefixes and powers of ten.^[12]

Use the report to choose what to practise. It lists topics where students often lost marks, including reproduction, inheritance, protein synthesis, hormones, plant responses, the nervous system and biodiversity.^[12]

AQA’s June 2023 Paper 1 Higher cover lists a ruler and a scientific calculator as materials, and tells students to show clearly how they work out answers.^[10]

Our GCSE Biology guide covers the whole course and gives more study tips.

Practise like the exam: Sit a whole paper in 1 hour 45 minutes. Mark it with the mark scheme, then list the topics that lost the most marks and practise those next.

8. Past papers, mark schemes and six-mark questions

AQA describes its past paper finder as giving free digital copies of past papers and mark schemes. It says students can only access papers for the current specification.^[13]

AQA says most past papers, mark schemes and reports on the exam stay on its website for three years. Its availability page sets release dates for each exam series, so the newest papers may not be online yet.^[14]

Six-mark questions are open response questions, marked in levels. AQA’s summer 2025 Paper 1 Higher mark scheme says each level carries two marks, and that examiners choose the level that best fits the whole answer.^[11]

The same mark scheme gives marks for each correct stage of a calculation, so show your working.^[11]

The examiner report adds that strong extended answers cover every part of the question, give precise scientific detail and link each idea to its consequence.^[12]

Our six-mark questions lesson, “How to answer six-mark questions”, shows a simple plan-write-check method.

9. Grade boundaries

AQA publishes grade boundaries at 8.00am on results day. Students get one overall grade for the subject, based on one overall mark.^[15]

Boundaries are set after marking, so they can change each year to allow for how hard the papers were.^[15]

Our grade boundaries page shows the marks for the key grades in recent papers. Use them as a guide only.

10. How Brainhub can help

Our GCSE students typically improve by 2 grades over 12 weeks of weekly lessons (Brainhub student records, 2021–2026). That figure is our own data, not independent research.

We teach one-to-one, live online across the UK, with online GCSE lessons from £30 an hour. Every family starts with a free 45-minute assessment, so we can see which Biology topics, practicals or exam skills need the most work first.

1. 1. How long is each AQA GCSE Biology paper, and how much is it worth?

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2. 2. Which topics does AQA GCSE Biology Paper 2 cover?

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3. 3. When are AQA GCSE Biology Paper 1 and Paper 2 in 2027?

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Your next steps

• Print an AQA Biology past paper and its mark scheme, and sit it in 1 hour 45 minutes.
• Mark it with the mark scheme and list the topics that lost the most marks.
• Book a free 45-minute assessment to see which topics and skills to work on first.

Subject guides to go with this

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