GCSE Biology exam guide.

Timing strategy

• Budget about 1 minute per mark (105 minutes for 100 marks, or 75 for 70), leaving a few minutes to check.
• Short recall questions (1–2 marks) should take seconds, not minutes. Bank the time for the longer questions.
• Allow 6–8 minutes for each 6-mark question. Spend the first minute jotting the key points in the margin.
• Read data, graphs and tables carefully before answering. Many lost marks come from misreading an axis.
• Don't skip practical-based questions. They're often familiar from required practicals and quick to answer.

Showing working

• Calculations: write the formula, substitute the numbers, then give the answer with units. Common ones are magnification, percentage change, rate and mean.
• 6-mark questions are marked by levels. Write in a logical sequence of linked points, using key scientific words.
• Use connectives such as "because", "so" and "which means" to show cause and effect.
• "Explain" means give a reason; "describe" means say what happens. For graphs, quote numbers from the data.
• "Evaluate" questions need points for and against, plus a justified conclusion.
• Precise vocabulary earns marks. Write "diffuse from high to low concentration", not "move across".

Calculator use

• Magnification: magnification = image size ÷ actual size. Convert units first (1 mm = 1,000 µm).
• Standard form for very small sizes, such as cell dimensions.
• Percentage change: (new − original) ÷ original × 100. Watch the sign for a decrease.
• Means: ignore anomalous results before averaging.
• Rates and gradients: draw a tangent for a curved graph, then calculate change in y ÷ change in x.
• Round to the precision asked, usually matching the significant figures in the data.

Revision checklist

• Cell biology: cell structure, microscopy, cell division, transport (diffusion, osmosis, active transport)
• Organisation: digestion and enzymes, the heart and circulation, plant tissues and transport
• Infection and response: pathogens, the immune system, vaccines, antibiotics
• Bioenergetics: photosynthesis, limiting factors, respiration (aerobic and anaerobic)
• Homeostasis and response: nervous system, hormones, blood glucose, reproduction hormones
• Inheritance, variation and evolution: DNA, genetic crosses, natural selection, classification
• Ecology: ecosystems, cycles, sampling with quadrats, biodiversity
• Required practicals: method, variables and likely errors for each one
• Maths skills: magnification, percentage change, reading and drawing graphs
• At least four timed past papers per paper, plus practice on 6-mark questions

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