Skip to main content

A-Level guide · checked October 2026

A-Level Biology, explained simply

Three exams covering everything from DNA to ecosystems, plus a practical endorsement. This page shows what each paper covers, the marks your child really needs for an A*, A or B, and how to revise a content-heavy course. Pick your exam board and the page changes to match.

  • 3 exams
  • 6 hours or more in total
  • Practical endorsement
  • Grades A* to E

Exam board

Not sure which board? Ask your child's school, or check the front of a mockA practice exam, usually set by school a few months before the real thing. paper.

The exams at a glance

AQA A-Level Biology (7402). 3 papers, 6 hours of exams and 260 marks in total.

PaperCalculatorTimeMarks
Paper 1Topics 1 to 42 hours91 (35%)
Paper 2Topics 5 to 82 hours91 (35%)
Paper 3All topics, including a 25-mark essay2 hours78 (30%)

Specification: AQA A-Level Biology (7402)

What's in the exams

The specifications don't give a percentage for each topic, so this shows each paper's share of the grade and what it covers.

  • Paper 1: topics 1 to 4 (molecules, cells, exchange, genetic information)35%
  • Paper 2: topics 5 to 8 (energy, responses, genetics and ecosystems, gene expression)35%
  • Paper 3: all topics, data analysis and an essay30%

How the grading works

How the grading works

Everyone sits the same three papers. The marks are added up and the total decides the grade, from A* down to E. Alongside the exams, students complete at least 12 practical activities in school for the practical endorsement. It is reported separately as Pass or Not classified and does not change the A* to E grade, but many universities ask for a Pass.

The marks you really need for each grade

You do not need 90% for a top grade. Grade boundaries are set after the exams are marked, so a grade stays the same standard even when the papers are harder. These are the real AQA boundaries from June 2026:

GradeMarks neededAs a percentageChart
A*199 out of 26076.5%
A174 out of 26066.9%
B146 out of 26056.2%
C118 out of 26045.4%
D90 out of 26034.6%
E63 out of 26024.2%

Source: AQA, A-level grade boundaries June 2026. Boundaries change slightly every year.

Your target score in practice papers

Sit a full set of past papers under timed conditions every few weeks. Work out the percentage for each set, ignore your single worst result (everyone has an off day) and average the rest. Aim for:

82%

to secure a grade A*

72%

to secure a grade A

62%

to secure a grade B

We add 5 percentage points to last year's boundary, because boundaries move a little each year and exam nerves cost marks.

Past paper mock builder

Pick an exam series and we'll set out the full AQA mock: which papers to sit, how long to allow and where to download them. Then type in your marks to see the grade they would have earned.

  1. Paper 1, June 2026 · Topics 1 to 4 · 2 hours

  2. Paper 2, June 2026 · Topics 5 to 8 · 2 hours

  3. Paper 3, June 2026 · All topics, including a 25-mark essay · 2 hours

Download the papers and mark schemes: AQA official past papers or Save My Exams past papers. Exam boards keep the most recent series for schools only for a while, so if the newest one isn't there, take the one before.

Enter your marks for each paper to see the grade they would have earned.

What Biology is really about

Where the word comes from

"Biology" means "the study of life", from the Greek bios, "life", and -logia, "study". The word was coined around 1800 and spread through the work of the French naturalist Jean-Baptiste Lamarck and the German Gottfried Treviranus.

Where it comes from

Charles Darwin and Alfred Russel Wallace presented the theory of evolution by natural selection to the Linnean Society in London in 1858. A century later, Rosalind Franklin's X-ray images at King's College London helped Francis Crick and James Watson in Cambridge work out the double helix structure of DNA in 1953.

Why it's still taught

Biology explains how bodies, diseases, genes and ecosystems work, which makes it central to modern medicine and to climate and food science. It is required for medicine, dentistry, veterinary science and most life-science degrees, and is useful for nursing, psychology and sports science.

How to do well in A-Level Biology

Learn the exact wording of the mark schemes

Biology marks hang on precise terms: "active transport", not "pumping". Studying mark schemes shows the words examiners look for.

Draw and label from memory

Cells, the heart, the nephron and the cycles in photosynthesis and respiration come up again and again. Sketching them from memory beats rereading.

Practise the maths skills

At AQA, at least 10% of the marks need maths: percentages, rates, statistics tests and graphs. Do a few of these every week.

Know the core practicals

Every board examines its required practicals: method, variables, risks and how to improve them. Make a one-page summary of each.

Connect topics for the synoptic paper

The last paper links topics together, and AQA ends with a 25-mark essay. Practise linking ideas, such as how enzymes affect respiration and digestion.

Spread revision out

There is a lot of content. Short, spaced sessions with self-testing over many weeks work far better than cramming.

The three best places to revise

Our teachers' picks. We have no connection with these sites.

Physics & Maths Tutor

Free past papers, mark schemes and topic questions for each board.

Save My Exams

Revision notes and exam questions by topic for each board. Some content is paid.

Seneca

Free adaptive quizzes on each topic that are good for spaced, little-and-often revision.

Questions parents ask

Not sure where your child stands?

Our free 45-minute assessment often uses a real past paperA real exam from a previous year, used for practice., so you'll know their likely grade and exactly what to work on. Lessons online across the UK, or at our seven London hubs.

Sources