GCSE Biology
GCSE Biology revision
GCSE Biology is offered by several exam boards, and the one you revise for is the one your school entered you with. This page helps you find the right board before you start.
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GCSE Biology is assessed mainly through written exams sat at the end of the course, with questions covering topics such as cell biology, organisation, infection and response, bioenergetics, homeostasis, inheritance, and ecology. Most boards also require a set of required practicals during the course, which are examined through questions in the papers rather than marked as coursework.
The exam board is chosen by your school or college, not by you. Different centres enter their students with different boards, so the specification you follow depends on where you study. If you are not sure which board you are sitting, your science teacher or exams officer can confirm it, and this is worth checking early because the topic emphasis and paper structure vary between boards.
Your school also decides whether you sit the foundation or higher tier. Foundation covers grades 1 to 5 and higher covers grades 4 to 9, so the tier sets the range of grades available to you as well as the difficulty of the questions. The board you are entered for changes the exact topic list, the number and length of the papers, and how the required practicals are assessed.
Takes 10 minutes
Find your gaps first
The levelling check shows where you stand across the specification. See what to revise first before you open another page.
Common questions
- Which exam board am I sitting for GCSE Biology?
- That is decided by your school or college, not by you. Ask your science teacher or exams officer, who can confirm the board from your entry details.
- Can I choose my own exam board?
- No. The centre enters all its students with a chosen board, so you follow whichever specification your school teaches and enters you for.
- Is one exam board easier than another for Biology?
- Boards are regulated to a common standard, so no board is reliably easier. They differ in topic emphasis and paper structure rather than overall difficulty.
- What if my school has not told me which board I am on?
- Check with your teacher or exams officer before you begin revising, so you use the right specification and past papers. Revising the wrong board can waste time.
- Does the board decide whether I sit foundation or higher tier?
- The board sets the two tiers, but your school decides which one to enter you for based on your progress. You can usually discuss this with your teacher.